respondence of
individuals, be conveyed with that celerity and regularity which these
could otherwise be, and which it is necessary that they should be.

In carrying a more general plan into effect, no reasonable or
necessary expense ought to be spared by the country. In such a general
plan it will be seen by the subsequent details, that the (p. 029)
steam-boats of the power mentioned, assisted by nine sailing schooners
(at present ten, are employed in less than half the work,) would be
sufficient to convey the mails from Barbadoes to every place of
importance in the western Tropical Archipelago, or connected with it.
This force would give two mails each month to every island and colony
from Demerara to Vera Cruz; taking in Laguayra, Carthagena, Chagres,
Honduras, the principal parts of Cuba and Porto Rico. From Demerara to
Havannah and Chagres, &c. inclusive, every colony and place would be
able to reply to the letters received from Europe, or the Colonies, by
the same packet which brought them; and still that packet remain in
the West Indies a shorter period than the packets now do.

In this department there are two stations, however, of such vital
importance, that the considerable additional expense which will be
required to place steam-boats on them from the outset, ought not to be
taken into consideration. These are, first, the station between
Jamaica and Chagres; and, secondly, the station between Jamaica, Cuba,
and Vera Cruz. The first goes to connect the Great Pacific Ocean, and
the coasts thereof, with Europe and the eastern coasts of America, and
on which former coasts a steam mail communication has been already
concerted. Through the channel from Panama to Chagres will be
concentrated, as it were, into a funnel the whole movements,
travelling and mail communications and money transactions of the
western coasts of America, from California on the north, to Valparaiso
on the south, the whole of which again must converge to and diverge
from Jamaica.[2] The second station, or that from Cuba to Vera (p. 030)
Cruz, is little inferior in importance to the other, that town and
Tampico being the great outlets of the trade and the commerce, but
more especially the outlets of specie from the kingdom or empire of
Mexico. A steamer on this station becomes indispensable, in order to
secure the safe conveyance of specie, because small sailing vessels
would be liable to be attacked and plundered by pirates. Wit