TO ENGLAND VIA CALIFORNIA.

West Coast Times, Issue 608, 5 September 1867, Page 3

TO ENGLAND VIA CALIFORNIA.

In a long letter written by Mr Crosbie Ward to tke " Lyttelton Times," in which "that gentleman gives a very interesting description of the Panama Route, he sayr., referring to the prospect of turning the island of Opara quickly to account as a coaling station, " the mention of Opnra suggests a subject well worth consideration by New Zealand and the colonies interested in the connection with America and Great Britain by this route. It is whether the line to Panama ought not to be superseded by one to Sau Fran - cisco, almost before the present contract expires. There are two facts, one of nature and one of art, which peem to decide in favor of the change. The latter fact is the probable completion within three years of the Atlantic and Pacific Railway, which will connect New York with San Francisco all across the great Continent. I have not the exact plans or figures by me, but shall be able to gather them' for your use in New York. It seems probable, however, that the journey will be made in six days by ordinary, and five days by express trains, and that the passage money across the Continent will be about L 25. The works are known to be progressing vigorously at both ends, and ought to be finished by 1870. The other fact is, that the distance from Wellington to San Francisco is 5864 nautical miles, or 700 miles shorter than to Panama ; the navigation of the oceun which lies between is equally earsy ; and there is this great advantage, that Tahiti lies exactly in the course, 2200 miles from Wellington, ready tv form a most easy'coalingplace, and a most pleasant half-way halting-station. Then consider the postal and practical advantages of the Californian route, when complete. In the first place, the steamer from and to Wellington and San Francisco will take but twenty-five days instead of twenty-seven, and only twenty-three days from or to Auckland ; then, if she be a day or two either early or late iv arrival at San Francisco, there will be no such thing as missing or waiting, for the mail will go across by the train of the clay after arrival. At New York, also, there cau be no delays, since steamers carrying British mails leave almost every day. We can therefore calculate on sending the mails through in an exact number of clays, as follows : Wellington to San Francisco ... 25 days San Francisco to New York ... 5 „ New York to London 12 „ Total 42 days The return passage can bo performed in the same time, and Melbourne and Sydney can accordingly be brought within forty-nine days of London for the bulk of their mails — a result hitherto undreamt of; and not to be equalled on the Indian route until the Euphrates Valley railway shall have joined together the Indian and European systems across Persia, Cabul, A^ia Minor, a_d whatever other lands intervene. As to passengers, it might be objected that a five or six days' railway journey

would be most fatiguing — almost unendurable. But then there is nothing to compel them to go through with the mails,* whether the)- like it or not, as is the case with sea travelling. And there will be wonderful and delightful stopping-places for travellers. Not to mention San Francisco itself and the great cities of the Atlantic States, the rail will actually carry its passengers through the Salt Lake City, the capital of the Mormons.

Incidentally, the adoption of this route will remove one of the greatest postal difficulties which we have now to look forward to. The Indian mail services are to be arranged by the week of seven clays instead of by the month. The Suez mail will therefore arrive at aud leave the colonies every four weeks, and will not harmonise at all with the Panama service, which will still run once a month. The Pacific portion of the line, it is true, is within our control and might be altered ; but the West Indian portion cannot be touched by us, and is not very likely to be altered for our convenience by the British Post Office. But the New Zealand steamers can run to San Francisco just as often and at just such periods as may be required, without any consideration of the other side. Consequently, we can not only carry the mail alternately with the Indian lines, but we can make the intervals between the arrivals and departures of the two mails exactly equal, which is at present impossible.

It may be mentioned, in addition, that San Francisco would be a preferable port to Panama for the convenience of the steamers running to and fro. And the only objection that I can at present foresee to the adoption of this as the ultimate route for our mails is that the United States may fix so high a transit postal charges as to make the sixpenny rate between the colonies and Great Britain unremunerative. It seems to me that the consideration of this question should at once be taken up by the Governments of New Zealand and New South Wales. There is nothing, as it seems to me, in the resolutions of the late postal conference that can prevent the substitution of the San Francisco route for that by Panama, if it be generally approved of, each being but a modification of the same general idea.

(For remainder of News see 4(7i Page.)