MR. VERNERsaid, he wished to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, For what reason the outgoing Australian Mails are now arranged to start the day before the arrival of the incoming, and thereby cause most serious inconvenience, and also expense to correspondents with those Colonies?
§ MR. SCLATER-BOOTHreplied, that the arrangement stated in the Question had reference only to the arrival and departure of the Mails from Southampton, whereas an interval of five days was in fact allowed for answering letters if the answers were transmitted viâ Marseilles. The additional postage was only 4d., and he thought there could be no reasonable objection to that charge. The arrangement might produce inconvenience in some quarters; but it had been adopted, after careful consideration and full consultation with the best authorities on the subject, as the one most convenient to the public, and he feared that it would be impossible to make any alteration without great additional expense and considerable inconvenience to the public of New South Wales and Victoria.