No. 9

I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of Sir George Grey's
Circular Despatch of the 12th of April last, transmitting a printed Table, containing a series of questions, intended to ascertain to what
extent, and with what final results the introduction of Penny Postage in
Great Britain in 1840, has been followed by a reduction of inland
Postage, and other improvements in those British Colonies, which are
under the control of their Local Governments.

I have the honor to inform your Lordship in reply to the subject of
that communication that no general Postal arrangements have ever existed
in this Colony. The inhabitants being few in number, and living near to
each other, letters are conveyed within the Colony by messengers
employed for the occasion, and letters from Europe, and foreign
countries are conveyed by the United States Mail Steam Line, by the way
of Panama and California, to Oregon, from whence they are brought in the
Hudson's Bay Company's Express Boats to this place.

As this explanation will probably be considered a sufficiently full
and clear answer to the enquiry, concerning the state of the Postal
arrangements in this Colony, I do not return the Printed Table.