§ MR. DIXON-HARTLAND (Middlesex, Uxbridge)asked the Postmaster General, Whether it is intended to despatch any part of the English mail for South Africa by Continental route to Lisbon, there to be put on board the Cape mail steamers; and, if so, on whom will fall the extra cost of 2½d. per letter in addition to the present 6d. charged for letters to South Africa?
§ THE POSTMASTER GENERAL (Mr. RAIKES) (Cambridge University)The Cape Colony has granted permission for the steamers of one of its mail contractors—the Union Steamship Company— to call at Lisbon on the outward voyage from England; and it has asked the Post Office here to send mails by the Continental route to Lisbon, there to be put on board the Cape steamers. This request involves two questions—first, whether we can acquire the right to send mails through the Continent by the trains of the International Sleeping Car Company, which are not per se mail trains, and without the use of which the route offers no advantages; and, secondly, if we should use those trains, who is to pay the cost of the mail transit, which will probably be considerable? These questions are under consideration. The Post Office has not yet acquired the right to send the mails by the private express trains referred to, and it is in correspondence with the Cape Colony as to the payment of expenses. In the meantime, it is, of course, not intended to send any mails to South Africa vid Lisbon; and, for my own. part, I am not disposed to recommend the Treasury to incur any additional expense on account of these mails, if the effect of such an arrangement would be to place the commercial interests of this country at a disadvantage in competing with those of other nations on the Continent.