E.—No. 4.

19

MELBOURNE POSTAL CONFERENCE.

Number of Letters by each Route. _N ame of Colonj\ Date of Despatch of Mails. Date of Arrival in London. Time occupied in reaching London. Via Suez. Via Panama. Via Torres Straits. NEAV ZEALAND ... Do Do VICTORIA Do Do SOUTH AUSTRALIA Do Do WESTERN AUSTRALIA Do Do NEW SOUTH WALES Do Do. QUEENSLAND Do. Do. TASMANIA Do Do From ... May 25th, 1867. Marine Post Office June 8th, „ Do. ... NoMail ... May 28th, 1867. Melbourne... „ 28th, „ Do. ... No Mail ... May 29th, 1867. Adelaide ... „ 22nd, „ Do. ... No Mail ... June 4th, 1867. Albany ... I NoMail ... ... I Do. ... I May 25th, 1867. Sydney ... | June 1st, ,, Do. ... ! No Mail ... j May 21st, 1867. Brisbane „ 27th „ Do. ... NoMail ... May 25th, 1867. Hobart Town ... NoMail Do July 20th and 25th, 1867 „ 27th, NoMail July 20th and 25th, 1867 „ 27th, No Mail July 20th and 25th, 1867 ' „ 27th, NoMail July 20th and 25th, 1867 NoMail Do. July 20th and 25th, 1867 „ 27th. NoMail July 20th and 25th, 1867 „ 27th, No Mail July 20th and 25th, 1867 NoMail Do. 7,294 46,290 11,340 1,586 (Estimated.) 19,361 72 1 NoMail NoMail NoMail No Mail NoMail 56 daj-s, via Suez and Marseilles. 49 „ ,, Panama. No Mail, „ Torres Straits. 53 days, ,, Suez and Marseilles. 60 ,, „ Panama. No Mail, ,, Torres Straits. 52 days, ,, Suez and Marseilles. 66 ,, ,, Panama. No Mail, ,, Torres Straits. 46 days, „ Suez and Marseilles. No Mail, „ Panama. • Do. „ Torres Straits. 56 days, ,, Suez and Marseilles. 56 ,, ,, Panama. No Mail, ,, Torres Straits. 60 days, „ Suez and Marseilles. 61 ,, ,, Panama. No Mail, „ Torres Straits. 56 days, ,, Suez and Marseilles. No Mai], ,, Panama. Do. „ Torres Straits. 17,715 2,628 No Mail 10,451 "85 NoMail 3,593 NoMail ' No Mail Totals 98,275 22,147 S II M M A B Y. Average Time occupied by the Homeward Mails from each Colony in the Eirst Seven Months of 1867. prom Via Suez. and Marseilles. j Via Panama. Via Torres Straits. j Loss or Gain by the Panama Route as Loss by Torres Straits Route as compared with Suez Route. compared with Suez Route. NEW ZEALAND ... VICTORIA SOUTH AUSTRALIA WESTERN AUSTRALIA NEW SOUTH WALES QUEENSLAND TASMANIA L Days. 54 l-7ths days { 53 4-7ths days No Mails sent ... ... ... 4-7ths gain 46 2-7ths „ 63 l-7th „ v Do. ... ... ... j 17 loss 45 2-7ths ,, 79* ,, Do. ... ... ... 33. i loss, or under proper arrangements about 23 days' loss 40 2-7tlis „ : No Mail sent No Mail sent 49 5-7ths ,, 60 3-7ths days Only one Mail received. Time 78 days 11 loss 53 2-7ths ,, I 62 J „ Only one Mail received. Time 70 day s+ 9 ., 49 2-7ths „ : 63J ,, No Mail sent ... ... "... 16 „ Days. 28J loss. 16. „ Average Number of Letters received monthly from Australia Proper, 89,520. Average Number of Letters received monthly from New Zealand, 28,133. * This would probably have becu reduced to 69 days if the steamer from South Australia had been fitted to the departure of the Packet leaving Melbourne with the Panama Mails, t The average time occupied between Queensland and London in si- voyages made via Torres Straits in lSGti was 66§ days.