THE NEW MAIL ROUTE.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVI, Issue 3936, 4 April 1870, Page 4

THE NEW MAIL ROUTE.

! DEPARTURE OP THE « WONGA | WONG A.' I The c Wonga Wonga,' the pioneer boat of the San Francisco mail route between the i Australasian colonies and Great Britain, left | Auckland, harbour on Saturday afternoon, j carrying about 170 passengers, being as many as could be fairly accommodated on board. It would not be possible for a greater success to be secured at the very outset of an enterprise than has been secured in this case. That the ' Wonga Wonga' should leave our shores with every berth occupied, is, we believe, a unique result as regards | such undertakings ; but the singular favour with which the new line is viewed is even further proved by the fact that the 'City of Melbourne,' the boat to leave Auckland next month, is already neaily a full ship. Mr. Hall, the contractor for the line to San Francisco, is a passenger by the ' Wonga Wonga,' and will proceed with the mails to New York ; and the efforts which he will certainly make to secure a smooth working of all the arrangements will as certainly be seeonded I y the mail agent, Mr. Gray, to the utmost extent of his power and his great experience in such matters. Captain Beal, who commands the ' Wonga Wonga,' had the command of the 'Rualime,' t*inscrew steamer, which was the pioneer vessel of the late Panama Company. The ' Wonga Wonga' goes only as far as Honolulu, and there tranships passengers and mails to the American boat for San Francisco ; and we are sure that the reports will tell us that Captain Beal and his officers were unremitting in their attention alike to the safety of [ the ship and to the daily comfort of the passengers. The ' Wonga Wonga ' started with most favomable weather; and early next month v, e may hope to s^e her back in Auckland, and may hope also to learn that, so far, the new mail route lias been successfully opened. We published on Saturday a description of the ' Wonga Wonga, ' a list of her passen- ! geis, and some particulai's as to the cost of travelling on the different sections of the new loute. Dining Satuiday, there was a gieat deal of busy work done at the offices of the local agents for the line, Messrs. I Oruiekshank, Smait, and Co. ; and the little twm-sciew steamer 'Jane' was constantly running to and from the mail steamer, conveying supplies, passengers and their friends, Intro iti*f» Xro Snortly after one o'clock, the ' Jane' left the whaif, having on board his Excellency the Governor, Sir G. Bowen, who was attended by Captain Pitt, A.D.C. ; bis Honor the Superintendent, T. B. Gillies, Esq.; the Hon. J. Vogel, Colonial Treasurer and Postmaster-General; the Hon. D. McLean, Native and Defence Minister ; Major Malloy, R.E.; Dr. Hector, Colonial Geologist ; Mr. Collie, of the firm of Stewart and Collie, of San Francisco, who is on a visit as the representative of Mr. VV ebbe, of New Yoik, the extensive steamboat owner ; a few ladies ; and a crowd of other visitors. By half-past one o'clock, the visitors to the 'Wonga Wonga,' in addition to those already named, included — Messrs. Bradshaw, Clark, Creighton, Farmer, Kerr, and Swan, members of the House of Representatives ; Messrs. Boylan, Freer, Gordon, and Hurst, membeia of the Provincial Council ; Messrs, T. Henderson, , senior, T. Henderson, junior, G, A. Yon der Heycle, D. L. Murdoch, J. T. Mackelvie, D. B. Cruickshank, J. Smart, James Williamson, T. Beckham, R.M., J. Burt, T. Craig, J. T. Dargaville, C. E. Bird, G. Brodie, H. M. Brewer, B. Tonka, Dr. Tassell, &c. Between sixty and seventy guests sat down to a dessert and wine in the saloon. The Hon. J. Vogel occupied the chair, beside him being Mr. Hall. His Excellency the Governor was at the Chairman's right, as was also the Hon. D. McLean ; and his Honor the Supeiintendent was on the left. The CIIA.IRMAN gave, "Her Majesty the Queen," which was drunk with enthusiasm. The Chairman : I now call upon you to drink the health of his Excellency the Governor. It is a gratification to us all — and I am sure it will be so to the colonists generally — to know that this new mail service, from which we may hope, at any rate, that vast lesults to New Zealand will spring, has the active countenance of his Excellency. (Applause. ) In after times, when his Excellency is far distant from us, peihaps, he will, I am sure, think with pleasure of his presence on board this, the iirst, vessel of a line of steameis, which is destined, as we hope and believe, to join New Zealand and the United States of America in intimate friendly and commercial relations. (Applause.) The Governor ; I thank you veiy much for the kind way in which you have drunk the toasl of my health. Time and tide, we know, wait for no man ; and we know that Captain Beal is anxious to commence his voyage as punctually as possible. Without preface, therefore, I propose to you, "Prosperity to the new San Francisco mail line,'' and I couple with it. the health of Mr. Hall, the American Consul, to whoin, in conjunction with my friend, Mr. Vogel, the fact that the new line has been started is principally due. (Applause.) Very heartily, I propose to you, prosperity to the new line, and the health of Mr. Hall, the American Consul. (Applause.) _ Mr. Hall : Allow me to thank you very sincerely for the handsome manner in which you have drunk my health. I have but two remarks to make respecting the toast. You have got Mr. Vogel to thank, simply, for seeing me or the ' Wonga Wonga' here today. (Applause.) It was not my intention to come to Auckland at all. My full intention was, to run my line between Sydney and the Bay of Islands ; but, with the persuasive powers Mr Vogel brought to bear upon me, he brought me and the line to Auckland. (Laughter and applause.) I have this further to say. I mean to carry through the line, as I believe, to your entire satisfaction ; and with the good support which I can see I am about to get from you, I think I can say you'll find me "all there." (Laughter and j applause. ) The CHAiRarAN : Although our time is necessarily very short, there is another toast which I must ask you to drink — a toast which T am sure you will consider peculiarly appropriate after the remarks made by my friend Mr. Hall, and one which, as I am glad to believe, the people of Auckland are always ready to drmk, and unanimous in drinking. I mean, the health of his Honor the Superintendent. (Applause.) It is a particular pleasure to me to propose such a toast, because I think Mr. Gillies will allow me to say that he is one of my oldest friends in the colony ; and because I am sure that there is no one who takes a stronger interest in the success of this new line than Mr. Gillies does, or who will be more pleased to think tl-^o it was while he was in office that the line was originated and practically commenced. (Applause.) Mr. Hall has stated that the existence of this line, as oonnected with Auckland at least, is owing to my exertions. It as right I should say, that thoixgh, perhaps, I am entitled to some credit for hav^g managed to carry out a difficult negotiation, tho credit of the initiation of the line is not due to me. It is to one who has gone from amongst us — I mean the late Mr. Cvosbie Ward — that the credit is due of having originally suggested that this filan Fxanciqoo line would be a necessary oae for New j Zealand, I think I may say that very nearly the last public net of Mr, Ward's life was the expression of a strong opinion that euch A line ag we are now inaugurating would be started us soon aa the railway across the American Continent was completed, and that it would be neoeasary that Auckland should be the terminus, or the port of call for New Zealand. There are others, too, in New Zealand, of whom mention is due on the present occasion, and whom I feel the more bound to mention because some of them are not allied with the same political party as myself. There are Mr. Stafford, Mr. John Hall, Mr. Creighton, and Mr. Macandrew — I the last-named gentleman having, in the J Assembly, proposed the resolution in virtue I of which I was enabled to enter/ into nego- i tuition as for the lino— all of whom, b«f ore

myself, took an active part in recommending this li ne> anc | endeavouring to instil into the minds of the people of the colony that such a line was a necessity that would press itself upon the colony. I think Mr. Gilliea will allow rne to add that, in carrying out this negotiation, it was necessary for me to communicate with him on the subject ; and that I found him not only anxious but eager to render to me all the assistance he could. I ask you to join me in drinking, heartily, "The health of his Honor the Superintendent." (Applause. ) The Superintendent : I thank you very cordially for the manner in which you have drunk my health as the Executive head of this province. lam glad to see this new line of mail steamers including amongst its ports of call this province of Auckland — or, rather, including the province as the representative of New Zealand ; for Auckland is the natural representative of New Zealand, so far as regards steam communication. (Applause ) I represent here the province ; and I may say, therefore, that I trust the lemai-ks of our friend, Mr. Hall, will not be without effect in stirring up our friends of the city — the merchants and others of Auckland — to do what they can to render the new line a success, by providing docks and every other necessary convenience for securing that the line shall be a permanent one, and that the steamers shall permanently touch at Auckland, and not go to the Bay of Islands. Such conveniences as I have mentioned are needed, not only for this line, but for other lines which we hope will follow it. There is a serious rival to Auckland at hand in the Bay of Islands, unless our merchants be true to themselves ; and it will not do for that fact to be overlooked. I rejoice most heartily in the commencement of this San Francisco line, forming as it does a link between New Zealand and the United States of America — between New Zealand, which is the youngest Biitish colony, and the country which once was Britain's oldest colony. I trust that that link, Ly the growth of trade and by the growth of true friendship, will become year by year a closer tie between us ; and that, though united thus with the New World, we shall not quite forget our ties to the Old World. (Applause. ) The Chairman : I must detain you for yet another toast — one in which all of us, and especially the passengers by the ' Wonga Wonga,' must take an interest The toast is "The health of Captain Beal." (Applause.) We should drmk his health here at the commencement of his voyage ; and I hope, and feel sure, that the passengers will do so at the end of the voyage, with a heartiness at least equal to our own. (Applause.) Captain Beal : I thank you for drinking my health, and for your good wishes as to the voyage. I will only say that every exertion on my part shall be used to secure the success of the undertaking, and to make good Mr. Hall's assertion, that he will be ' • all there. " (Applause. ) The guests returned to the deck ; but no stay was made there, for Captain Beal was anxious to have the ship cleared of visitors, it being two o'clock, and, consequently, time to think only of starting. Most of the visitors had some friend or acquaintance amongst the passengers whom to bid "good-bye." The farewells were not prolonged ; but if the words were few they were heaitily-earnest in well wishing, and the hand-grips were doubtless as eloquent as the spoken words. Shortly after two o'clock his Excellency, with the members of the Colonial Executive, the Superintendent, and most of the other visitors, were on board the 'Janej' and as she left the side of the 'Wonga Wonga,' there were hearty cheers, which were acknowledged by those on board the mail-boat. Lt was necessary, however, for the ' Jane ' to make another trip, taking, we believe, some of the mailboxes ; and it was not until a few minutes before three o'clock that the ' Wonga Wonga,' having swung round from the hulk, began to steam ahead at half-speed. Upon the outer T of the wharf there were probably 300 persons gathered ; and as the steamer passed, cheers from her passengers, and from those on the wharf, formed the final greetings on the departure of the first boat on the^ San Francisco mail route. The ' Wonga Wonga ' made a wide sweep before rounding to the jSTcrt'i Hear! ; but by a quarter after throe she was out of sight of the watchers on the wharf.