The communication might still, however, be from St. Thomas, the boat destined for Bermuda stopping at that island, when this was necessary, one day, until the boat from Jamaica came up; taking particular care always to be back at St. Thomas, from Bermuda, before the steamers with the outward mails from Europe came down from Barbadoes, in order that the letters from Bermuda for Jamaica, and all places to the westward of St. Thomas, may go forward by the steamer in question. This department, however, for Bermuda may, it is conceived, be best amalgamated and interwoven with the Cape Nichola Mole, Nassau, and Crooked Island (_the Bermuda mail vessels going and returning by Crooked Island_) department; as the practical working of the whole scheme may point out to be most advisable. In the event of packets arriving from England at Barbadoes within a day or two of each other, as is sometimes the case under the existing arrangements, then on the Barbadoes and Demerara stations, let a good sailing vessel, on the arrival of such packet, take the place of the steamer for the voyage. Unless, in case of calm weather, this sailing vessel could do the work thus:--Barbadoes to Demerara, four days; stop there two days, forwarding the mails for Berbice by land; thence with the return mails proceed on by Tobago and St. Vincents in five days, to the packet at Grenada, found, in such a case, either waiting one day longer at Grenada, or else beating up to St. Vincents, there to meet the Guiana and the Tobago mails, and which the packet has time to do. This would occasion little irregularity or delay, because the cause of the detention, should detention occur, would always be known. Moreover, the season of the year when the outward packets arrive at Barbadoes the most irregularly, is during the winter months, from (p. 033) November to March, and in which period the calms--the greatest obstructions, in many cases, to sailing vessels amongst the Windward Islands--are almost unknown. The same temporary substitute could be applied, under similar circumstances, on the stations between Jamaica and Chagres, and between Cuba and Vera Cruz. Even if these places were once or twice in the year to miss a return mail to Europe, it would not be of such great importance, because each place having then two mails every month, the detained mail would go forward by the next opportunity, while it would save to Government, or to a contracting company, a very serious expense, which would otherwise be incurred if they were obliged to have additional steamers for this _probable_ part of the service.