No. 108

I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch No 47
of the 14th of July, transmitting a Memorial from the Inhabitants of
Vancouver Island praying that assistance may be granted from the
Imperial Treasury towards the establishment of a postal communication
with the Colony. I have also to acknowledge your despatch No. 76 of the
30th of November enclosing a similar memorial adopted at a public
meeting at New Westminster.

Her Majesty's Government are very sensible of the benefit which the
two Colonies would derive from the establishment of a line of Mail
Steamers to Panama or even to San Francisco, and they have not failed to
give the wishes of the Memorialists their careful consideration. But I
regret to inform you that they do not feel themselves justified at
present in applying to Parliament for a subsidy from Imperial Funds
towards improving the arrangements under which correspondence is
conveyed between this country and Vancouver Island and British Columbia.