all the distances stated, there are, be it observed, included in the time allowed, three or four hours to land and take in mails and passengers at every place where the steamers may have to touch; and at the more important stations, at least six hours beyond the longer periods allowed for stoppages for coals and mails, &c. It will be necessary to give six or eight hours at Barbadoes before the departure of the steamer, that Government despatches may be forwarded. In fact, the steamer should always, and only leave that island at sun-rise on the day following that whereon the packet arrived from England, because by doing so, it would reach St. Thomas at daybreak on the second morning (the navigation at that island is rather dangerous during the night), clear it, and reach St. John's, Porto Rico, with daylight, and in consequence Cape Nichola in daylight also, on the second day thereafter.

The old Galatea frigate might be carried up from Jamaica and moored at Cape Nichola Mole, on board of which those mails and specie may be deposited, that require to be disembarked from such steamers, &c., as cannot be detained till the packet arrives to receive them. This, however, will seldom be the case, nor to any great extent; as the homeward-bound packet, whether steamer or sailing-vessel, will almost always be at Cape Nichola before the steamer gets up from the leeward. She may also be used to hold coals for a supply for the steamer to a certain extent.

Let the fact be urged in the strongest manner, that a communication once a month, to any given place, will never pay, nor answer any great or good purpose. Mails, or rather letters and passengers, will not wait for such a length of time, especially when these could, as for example from the Havannah, almost be in England, by way of New York, in the interval that would elapse between the departure of one packet and another, when there was only one packet in the month; but give two each month, and neither could ever be so.

The arrangements, and the extent of the internal Post-office establishments of Great Britain, are upon the most splendid and efficient footing. There is nothing of a similar kind in any other country, either in management, or combination, or regularity, that can equal or even be compared to them. It is, however, much otherwise with all her transmarine mail communications. They are all particularly deficient in combination, limited in their operations, and inefficient as regards the machinery employed to carry the mails. This, in a more particular manner, is the case with the West Indies: the small sailing vessels there employed are generally very unfit for such a service, and the steamers sent out to work them, with the exception of the Flamer, being only of 100-horse power, and besides badly constructed, are wholly unfit for the service in any way; and even the vessel named, which is 140-horse power, though much superior to any of the other three, the Carron, the Echo, and the Albyn, is still too small to perform her work in proper and reasonable time, or to stem the currents and trade winds, to say nothing of tempests, which, as regards the two former, constantly prevail in the seas in that quarter of the world.

It may also be remarked, that to extend or to add to the number of post communications, does not add proportionally to the machinery necessary for the conveyance of these: in other words, if the communications are doubled in number, the machinery used for conveyance is not necessarily doubled, nor the expense consequently doubled. Take, for example, the station between Barbadoes and Jamaica: with two mails each month, this could not be effected with fewer than three steam-boats; but the same number of steamers will, without inconvenience, extend the communication to Havannah, and take in, at the same time, several important places extra. A judicious and proper combination and regularity in all movements can, with the same machinery, and with but little additional expense, perform, in some instances double, and in many instances nearly double work.

The objects for making Fayal, in the Western Islands, a central point of communication, are as follow:—First, it is directly in the course for the West Indies; so nearly so for Rio de Janeiro in the outward voyage (in the homeward it is the best course), that if not actually the best course, as it is believed it really is, the deviation, as will afterwards more clearly appear, is not worth taking into account. It is also the proper course for New York, and even not much out of the way from the direct line to Halifax; while, considering the winds and currents, the Gulf stream, for example, which prevail in the Atlantic, steamers or sailing packets will make the voyage from Falmouth to Halifax by this route as speedily, on an average, as if they were to take the direct course. It is well known, that vessels bound to the northern ports of the United States, go much to the southward of the Western Islands. Secondly, it will save two steam-boats on the North American line, and two more on the South American line, for that distance (not fewer than two would do for each line); which, with coals, yearly, would cost 41,600l. This, alone, ought to determine the point.

These steam-packets should be allowed to carry parcels, packages, and light and fine goods, which could afford to pay a considerable freight. This ought to be limited, however, not to exceed forty tons in each vessel on each of the great lines (except Falmouth to Fayal, which may be 120); and the small sailing vessels in proportion. These things, without retarding the speed materially, would produce a considerable return, but from which must come port charges, &c. If the steamers are allowed to become mere vessels of freight, or for carriage of goods, no regularity in their voyages could be expected. To avoid delay, these articles could be landed and taken to the Custom-house in every island and place, and delivered thence, under the Revenue laws, to each owner.

The greater extent to which combination can be carried on in the mail circle, and the wider that that circle can be extended, so much cheaper the labour of conveyance becomes, and the greater the returns therefrom. Further, not merely the greatest possible speed, but the greatest possible regularity, is the desiderata in the conveyance of mails in any country: the latter, in particular, is more essentially necessary than the former, and is, in fact, the life-spring of all commercial communication.

The work to be performed, in every quarter, must not only be well done, but done within a limited time, in order to render it beneficial and effective. Powerful boats, that can overcome the distance and the natural obstacles that present themselves, can alone do this. Small-power boats can never accomplish the work. Numbers will not overcome the difficulties, nor come, as regards time, within the limits required.

Each packet steamer on each of the great lines, could and should return unto Falmouth alternately, and the boats from Falmouth be prepared to take the longer voyage in their stead. The time each will have to stop at Falmouth will always allow of time for any material examination and the repairs that may be necessary.

Without actual experience it is impossible to place before the public, in a correct point of view, the whole appearance and state of steamers employed in the West Indian mail service, as seen last year—when the whole extent of their voyages was travelled over in more than one of them:—imagine a small ill-contrived boat, an old 10-gun brig, as the Carron is, for example, of 100-horse power, and thirty to forty tons of coals on her deck; with a cabin about thirteen feet by ten, and an after-cabin still smaller, both without