MAILS BY THE EGMONT.

West Coast Times, Issue 111, 25 January 1866, Page 3

MAILS BY THE EGMONT.

'io tub i:iutuu oi' Tin: wi:.-jt coast timiw.

Sni, — It is very desirable to know how it occurred that tho steamer E«--mont, which arrived yesterday from Nelson, brought no mail, except a box of newspapers and a small packet. Her arrival yesterday should have placed us in possession of mails from Australia, as well us from all New Zealand ports, north and south, as tho P;innmu Company, to whom who belongs, havo timed her arrival and departure from this port so as to secure regular bi-monthly communication with all Now Zealand ports. The Egmont, in part fulfilment of this arrangement, was, as usual, despatched from this port to Nelson on the I Nth. There t-he mot the following steamers : — Tho Otago, fiom Sydney ; tho Phoebe, from tho Southern' port's ; and tho Wellington, from tho Northern Ports. Tho mails for Ilokitika from each of these vessels ought to havo been transhipped into the Egmont by tho Nelson poßt-oflien smthm-iii™, as tljut viwsd wns uplifted to Jo»\o, and

j did loive, Nelson on the 2'Jnd l*>r <liis port direct ; but, cither i'rom m^lrel or bad management, this was not done, and Iho result, in, very serious inconvenience is felt by most of us here. The circumstances attending the placing on board of tho box and packet alluded to justifies the suspicion that the oflioer or other individual who has the shipping of tho mail at Nelson was, on this particular occasion, in a dcn.su fog. But, whether this suspicion bo correct or otherwise, it may ho safely predicated that severe censure is merited by the Nelson post-office authorities. It is said that the missing mails are on board tho Kennedy, which left at the samo time as the Egmont, bound to the Grey and Holdtika. If put on board that vessel intention lly, or through negligence, the authorities are equally reprehensible- ; and it is to bo hoped that a communication will reach them from (he right quarter, admonishing them to bo more careful in future. Yours respectfully, Ana us. Ilokitiku, 24th January, 1866.