Hill to Merivale (Permanent Under-Secretary)

I have the honour to acquaint you, for the information of Mr
Secretary Labouchere, that, in consequence of a representation recently
received from Her Majesty's Consul General at Woahoo, that Letters and
Newspapers from this Country addressed to California, Oregon and the
Sandwich Islands, reach their destination more expeditiously via New
York and Panama, than when forwarded from Southampton by the West India
Mail Packets, the Postmaster General has rescinded the regulation which
heretofore existed of transmitting this Correspondence by the latter
Packets, and has directed all Letters and Newspapers for California,
Oregon and the Sandwich Islands to be forwarded, in future,
as a rule, via the United States, and only those Letters &c to be
sent by the West India Packets, which bear a special direction that they
are to be so forwarded.

In consequence of this alteration, it becomes necessary to enquire
how the Despatches addressed by the Secretary of State to the Governor
of Vancouver's Island should be forwarded; whether in the Mail for
California via the United States, or by the West India Mail Packet to
Panama, as heretofore, and I request you will have the goodness to
inform me what are the wishes of Mr Secretary Labouchere on this
point.

It is presumed that, in either case, the Despatches pass through
the hands of Officers of the United States Post Office.