The portion relating to the West Indian Department, shall separately and first be taken as a comparison. Yearly cost by the proposed plan L81,900 Yearly cost by present system:-- Six Mexican packets at L4,200[8] L25,200 Four steamers and coals, say 39,000 Hire ten mail-boats, West Indies 6,000 Ditto mail-vessels, Nassau, Chagres, &c., say 4,000 Assistance navy,[9] equal to, say 3,000 ------- 77,200 ------ Apparent increase L4,700 But against this there is to be placed, the proportion of saving in coals 5,635 ------- Difference _gained_ L935 ------- [Footnote 8: See Appendix No. 1., Calculation of Expenses of Steamers and Sailing Packets.] [Footnote 9: Men-of-war frequently carry the mails from Barbadoes to Jamaica; also in other places.] _Capital._ (p. 049) Capital required by new plan L157,000 By present system:-- Six Mexican packets, at L9500 L57,000 Four steamers, _above_ L20,000, say 86,000 Ten mail-vessels, Windward Islands, L1500 15,000 Mail-vessels, Nassau, St. Martha, &c. 5,000 Aid men-of-war,[10] equal to 7,500 ------- 170,500 ------- Difference: decrease L13,500 ------- [Footnote 10: This assistance is worth more in capital than this sum.] Under the present system, all Demerara, Jamaica (Kingston and Spanish Town excepted), and a large portion of Trinidad, cannot reply to their letters by the same packet by which they receive them. Also Nassau, Havannah, Tampico, Vera Cruz, Honduras, Chagres, Carthagena, Santa Martha, and Laguayra, have only ONE mail each month; while all Porto Rico, all the north side (the most important part) of Hayti, and all the south side of Cuba, are wholly left out; while in all parts the system is imperfect, irregular, and uncertain.