letter, that in proposing this change it was the intention to have four mails a month to San Francisco; two from New York on the 5th and 20th, via Kingston; and two via Havana, on the 9th and 24th. In his letter of the 17th of April, the postmaster of New York says: "Mr. Roberts also informs me that the steamers of the 5th and 20th will be direct steamers, forming a connexion with the steamers on the other side, and he anticipates running through in eighteen days. Those of the 9th and 24th will be via Havana, this side, and touch at San Diego, Monterey, &c., on the Pacific; thus making four mails per month-in my opinion, a very excellent arrangement.' Under these circumstances, I gave my assent to the change, with the understanding, of course, hitherto existing, that there was to be no additional expense for these additional trips. Your suggestions relative to further changes in the service this side of the isthmus will be carefully considered. I take it for granted, however, that on this point the United States Mail Steamship Company will also address the department before any action in regard to it is taken here. I have called on the Hon. Mr. Gwin for his views as to the expediency of your being permitted to omit San Diego and Monterey from your main line, in accordance also with your suggestion, on condition of your supplying those offices and others named by you as being on the route, by a regular coasting line of steamers from San Francisco, without change of pay. Of course, I should not feel myself justified in making this change except on some such condition. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, WM. H. ASPINWALL, Esq., N. K. HALL. President Pacific Mail Steamship Co., New York, N. Y. POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT, June 3, 1852. SIR Enclosed please find a copy of the letter from the Secretary of the Navy in answer to my note of the 1st inst., transmitting to him a copy of my letter to you of the 31st ult., in regard to the proposed change of arrangement on the New York and California lines. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, WM. H. ASPINWALL, Esq., N. K. HALL. President Pacific Mail Steamship Company, New York. PACIFIC MAIL STEAMSHIP COMPANY, New York, June 7, 1852. SIR: I have the honor to inform you that I have not been able, owing to the continued absence of Mr. Law, to return to you the schedules of running under the recent proposition made to the department and confirmed by your recent letter. Our agents have been apprized of the change, and will be governed by your recent orders. I hope to-morrow to forward the schedules to you. Hon. N. K. HALL, WM. H. ASPINWALL, President. Postmaster General. PACIFIC MAIL STEAMSHIP COMPANY, SIR Mr. Law returned to the city last evening. He does not regard the department's letter of May 31 as conforming, in some particulars, which he will explain, to the joint letter we addressed to you on the 25th May. I have the honor to refer you to him for further particulars, and will defer, until otherwise instructed, any instructions to our agents with reference to the change. With high respect, your obedient servant, Hon. N. K. HALL, Postmaster General. W. H. ASPINWALL, President. POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT, June 10, 1852. SIR: Your letter of the 8th instant is received, declining to carry out the arrangement between New York and Aspinwall, and New Orleans and Aspinwall, contemplated by the conditional order of the 31st ultimo, on the ground, as it is understood, that the Secretary of the Navy and Postmaster General will not hold themselves liable, either directly or indirectly, for any additional expense in the matter. In order, therefore, that no time may be lost in making the existing arrangement better known to the public, I enclose a schedule blank, which you will be pleased to fill with the proper dates of arrival and departure at the several points named, and return at your earliest convenience. The postmaster of New York will be instructed to forward no California mails by the irregular steamers, except with positive assurance that they will go forward from Aspinwall and Panama without delay, and without additional expense to the department. I am, respectfully, your obedient servant, GEORGE LAW, Esq., W. H. DUNDAS. President U. S. Mail Steamship Company, New York. POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT, June 10, 1852. SIR: Your letter of the 8th instant came to hand yesterday. Today we have received from Mr. Law a letter declining to carry out the arrangement contemplated by the conditional order of the 31st ultimo, on the ground, as it is understood, that the Secretary of the Navy and the Postmaster General will not hold themselves liable, either directly or indirectly, for any additional expense in the matter. In order, therefore, that no time may be lost in making the existing arrangement better known to the public, I enclose a schedule blank, which you will be pleased to fill with the proper dates of arrival and departure at the several points named, and return at your earliest convenience. The postmaster of New York will be instructed to forward no California mails by the irregular steamers, except with positive assurance that they will go forward from Aspinwall and Panama without delay, and without additional expense to the department. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, WM. H. ASPINWALL, Esq., W. H. DUNDAS. President Pacific U. S. S. Co., New York, N. Y. NAVY DEPARTMENT, June 12, 1852. SIR: I have the honor to enclose herewith copy of a letter* addressed to this department by George Law, esq., president of the United States Mail Steamship Company, in relation to the decisions of the Postmaster General and the Secretary of the Navy of the 1st and 2d instant, and to ask whether it is the intention of the Post Office Department to make any further change in the mail line between New York and New Orleans, and between New Orleans and Aspinwall. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Hon. N. K. HALL, WILL. A. GRAHAM. Postmaster General. PACIFIC MAIL STEAMSHIP COMPANY, SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your favor of 10th instant, and much regret that the want of a proper understanding should prevent the arrangement being carried out which is obviously so much for the interest and credit of all concerned. We have dates this morning which are only twenty-six days old from San Francisco, and eleven days old from Panama; and this, too, although the Oregon, on her way from San Francisco to Panama, touched at three way ports. *MEM-Letter referred to is substantially the same as addressed to the Postmaster General by Mr. Law on 8th June, 1852. On the other hand, I observe that the mail steamers which left Panama for San Francisco on the 27th ultimo with the mails hence of 9th (say 10th, the 9th being Sunday,) ultimo, took also dates from New York of the 15th ultimo, say five days later than those by the mail, owing to the zigzag of the latter via Havana; and I do not see how it will be possible to prevent mail matter going by express men, who overtake the mail in this manner at Panama. We use every possible diligence in preventing mail matter going up from Panama in the steamers, and cannot discover that any does go; but as we know it does go from here, we cannot doubt it is smuggled on board as baggage in trunks, &c. Our schedule will be the same on the Pacific whatever be done on this side of the Isthmus, viz: we leave Panama on the arrival of the Atlantic mails, and leave San Francisco for Astoria on arrival of the same mails at the former place. Our days of departure from San Francisco are the 1st and 16th of each month-our Oregon boat leaving Astoria in time to connect at San Francisco on these days, except when prevented by unavoidable accident, or by weather. I will again see Mr. Law, and endeavor to have him explain his meaning so that you may understand it. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, Hon. N. K. HALL, Postmaster General WM. H. ASPINWALL, President. POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT, June 14, 1852. SIR: Your note of the 12th instant, enclosing the copy of a letter from George Law, esq., in relation to the late conditional order for a change of arrangement on the New York, New Orleans, and Chagres line, and asking whether it is the intention of the Post Office Department to make any further change in said line, is received. In answer, I have the honor to inform you that the proposition for the change contemplated by the order referred to having come from the United States Mail Steamship Company, and that company, by Mr. Law's present letter, having declined to carry the arrangement into effect, on the ground, as it is understood, that the Secretary of the Navy and Postmaster General will not agree to submit the matter to Congress hereafter upon a question of increased compensation, it follows, as a matter of course, that until further order the line will continue unchanged. For the information of the Navy Department, I take the liberty of enclosing a copy of Mr. Law's letter to this department of 21st July, 1851, referred to in his letter to you of the 10th instant. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Hon. W. A. GRAHAM, W. H. DUNDAS, Secretary of the Navy, Washington, D. C. POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT, June 14, 1852. SIR: Your letter of the 12th instant is received. In his letter of the 8th instant, Mr. Law says: "Upon the terms and conditions prescribed in the letters from the Post Office and Navy Departments of the 1st and 2d instant,s I do not consider it compatible with the interest of this company to carry out the proposed arrangement," &c. It is not perceived that the order, as made, differs from Mr. Law's proposition essentially in any respect, except it be in the fact, that the Secretary of the Navy and Postmaster General decline to be responsible, either directly or indirectly, for any additional expense in the matter; in other words, that they decline to join in submitting the subject to Congress hereafter, upon a question of increased compensation to the company. If the matter must be submitted to Congress, would it not be advisable that it be done at once? I am, respectfully, your obedient servant, WILLIAM H. ASPINWALL, Esq., W. H. DUNDAS, Pres't Pacific M. S. S. Co., New York, N. Y. OFFICE OF THE U. S. MAIL STEAMSHIP COMPANY, SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 10th instant. The impression of the department that this company declines to carry out the proposition for such increased service as shall be required for direct mails between New York and Aspinwall, New Or leans and Aspinwall, and New York and New Orleans, via Havana, each twice a month, "on the ground that the Secretary of the Navy and the Postmaster General will not hold themselves liable, either directly or indirectly, for any additional expense in the matter," is not, as the case is understood by the company, the actual attitude in which the matter stands. In my letter to the department of the 21st July, 1851, embodying this proposition, it was alluded to as an experiment intended to meet the public wants, and a general demand for increased mail facilities between the Atlantic and Pacific portions of the United States beyond the stipulations of the existing contract, which, being voluntary on our part, and requiring the employment of several additional steamers, we claimed the right, should it prove too onerous and expensive to the company, to discontinue, and to return to the existing schedule upon giving the department one month's notice. In relation to compensation, I said: "Still, desirous of promoting to the utmost the interest and convenience of the public, we are entirely willing to perform the additional service, in the confident expectation that a sense of justice will induce Congress to make such further provision as may be considered a suitable compensation for it." |