THE NEW MAIL ROUTE

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 14, Issue 1142, 8 April 1870, Page 3

THE NEW MAIL ROUTE

(From the "Sydney Herald," March 14.) The Californian, New Zealand, and Australian mail line commence the service on the 26th insfc. Mr. H. JEL Hall has, fortunately, succeeded in chartering two of the finest boats in the colonies, namely, the Wonga Wonga and City of Melbourne, and, judging from the extraordinary demand for passages, the public appeared to have entered most heartily into the scheme. The first boat to leave will be the Wonga Wonga, under the command of Captain T. S. Beal, late of the P.N.Z. Company. She is now in port, and will be slipped, cleaned, and the necessary alterations made to meet the requirements consequent on the number of passengers proceeding by her." The number of passengers booked up to the present time are 52 in the saloon, 33 in the cabin, and 65 in the steerage, independent of an allowance for twenty steerage passengers in Auckland. Of this number two-thirds are booked through for England. The providing of the steamer with the necessary adjuncts of stewards and attendants will be carried out by Messrs. Barren and Austen, . antl will be on a most liberal scale, and it is iTadersfcood that nothing will be found wanting in this department that can in any way conduce to the comfort of all on board. JMr. Hall also gives the inducement to passengers proceeding on this route to remain in any port on the line for two months, their through tickets being available for the succeeding boats. Mr. Hall's arrangements have been so far completed that no great detention will be experienced by passengers at the ports of transhipment ; so that passengers requiring speedy transit will be landed in England within the specified time. We may also state that, in addition to the largo number of passengers leaving by tho Wonga Wouga, 23 have taken their passages by the City of Melbourne, which will leave on the 27th of April, under the command of Captain Grangex 1 , of the. A. S. N. Co. Subjoined are the dates of departure, arrivals and return of the colonial steamer ; — From Sydney, Wonga Wonga, March 26 '■ City of Melbourne, April 27 ; Wonga Wonga, May 28 ; City of Melbourne, June 30 ; and afterwards the steamers will leave on the 30th of each succeeding month. The departures from Auckland will take place on 2nd April, 4th May, 4th June, 7th July, and the 7th of each succeeding month. The steamers will arrive at Honolulu in fifteen days, by contract time, from Auckland, meeting the San Francisco steamers — which proceed direct, and generally make the passage in ten days. The outward mail leaves San Francisco on the 10th of the month, reaches Honolulu on or about the 20th, on which date the colonial steamers leave, reaching Auckland in 15 days and Sydney in 21 days, landing passengers in about 47 days, and telegraphic intelligence in 30 days from England.