To the Editor.

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 244, 3 October 1872, Page 5

To the Editor.

Sir, -The Australasian public baring been misled by false statements concerning the vessels engaged in the San Francisco Service, t feel it my duty to submit to them the following statement of facts : — A so-called report of a debate in the United States Senate was published in a low-class journal in San Francisco, the 2feios Letter. It would have mattered little had its circulation been confined to California, for there the character of the information given by it is so wellknown as to carry no influence. In future, in all probability, no quotations will be given from it in these Colonies involving anything calculated to lead opinion, now that it is known to be unreliable. The socalled report is really a hashed-up story of a debate that never took place, and a most malicious application of a speech made by Senator Chandler some two years ago in a discussion on the China and United States Mail Service. So far from the Senate having rejected the Bill for granting a subsidy to the il-ani 1 - an Francisco and New Zealand service, the opinion in ' alifornia is that it will pass when it comes before Congress, as it has been favorably reported on, and stands No. 46 in the list of Bills to come before the House. I need not say more, therefore, to show that the whole report is a fabrication. Nor is it necessary to seek for a motive for the publication of the falsehood when it is known that MrWm. M. Neilson, formerly known in Victoria as Mr William Neilson M'Cann has acknowledged in a postscript to the San Francisco Ntißs Letter of Augjst 17 that he " paid to have it transcribed, and caused it to be sent to the Harold (N.Z. )" It may not be generally kuown that Mr Neilson or M'Cann is Mr Webb's personal enemy, most probably through having been dismissed his service, Mr Webb having no confidence ia him on learning his Australian experience.

The ships at present on the line have been much abused, but I weuld ask where is the steamship that has done an equal amount of work with the Nebraska during the past 1 8 months and which sb c still continues to do ? She makes on au average ten knots au hour, witb a consumption of only 31 tons daily of Newcastle coal, as shown by the engineer's report. I write this simply that the public may know who are traducing the service. Most probably the postcript to the San Francisco News Letter, which oomtains many misstate* ments, will be published in some of the New Zealand papers, as it was given to the mail agent by Mr M'Cann, the moment before the mail steamer left, and about two hundred copies were posted to different persons supposed to have influence in the Colony. I need only add that Mr Webb has had to contend with almost unprecedented difficulties since commencing to run the line of steamers, but that these are nearly overcome, and I trust that on the arrival of the Dacotah satisfactory time will be made, and the line regain that public confidence, so many interested parties have endeavored to destroy. Mr Webb has informed me he is determined to carry it through. — I am, &c, J, Harding, Ci/mmandep,

Port Chalmers, 23rd September, 1872.