212 TiMEHRI. 



In 1850, on account of new English Mail arrange- 

 ments, and the difficulty in answering a letter by the 

 same steamer, several gentlemen on the East Coast 

 made arrangements for signalling her. A blue and red 

 flag was carried on the Railway engines, and a similar 

 signal hoisted at the stations, whenever the Mail arrived 

 in the night or early morning, so as to give the people 

 along the line notice to go for their letters. Sometimes 

 the Mails were maf^e up before the steamer was signalled, 

 at other times only a very short time was allowed. The 

 colony had to thank ANTHONY Trollope for a little 

 concession iu this matter, he having recommended Mr. 

 Dalton not to close the letter box until the Mail was 

 signalled. 



Anthony Trollope arrived in the colony by the 

 steamer Derwent on the 25th of February 1859 and left 

 on March nth following. This short residence of a 

 fortnight gave him material for his amusing account of 

 the colony in " The West Indies and Spanish Main." 

 His visit here meant a revolution in the economy of the 

 Post Office, he being deputed to make arrangements for 

 the abolition of the Deputy Postmaster General. The 

 following is a copy of his letter to the Governor : — 



Georgetown, Demerara 26th February, 1859. 



Sir, — Your Excellency is aware that the Postmaster-General is 

 anxious to induce the Colony of British Guiana to undertake the control 

 of the two Post Offices, which are now established under His Lordship 

 at Demerara and Berbice. The matter has, I believe, been twice sub- 

 mitted to the local Legislature, and the proposal has, on each occasioa, 

 been rejefted by a majority. 



The Post Offices at, by far, the greater number of English Colonies 

 have now been taken up by the Local Governments. This has lately 

 been done at Barbados and Trinidad. There are many reasons why 

 they should be better managed under the control of a resident Governor 



