十九世紀的英國已經在全球擁有龐大的屬地，如何有效率地保持不列顛本島與海外的聯絡，實為重要的議題。而郵件在當時為最普及的通訊工具，政府獨占的郵政業務，便擔負了這項重要的任務。本文以經由加拿大的遠東郵路為例，討論國防與國益對英國通訊政策的影響。本研究藉由受到政治干預的郵遞經營，說明現實利益糾葛對政策制定的衝擊。

Great Britain ruled or colonized huge territories all over the world in the nineteenth century. It had become a critical issue to keep all parts of overseas and home affairs connected efficiently. The postal service was the primary means of communication at that time, and the Royal Mail under a government monopoly undertook this important task. This case study of the British government’s subsidies to the Far Eastern postal service via Canada analyzes the effects of national security interests upon the British communication policy. It also reveals how conflicts of interest in policy making influenced government intervention in the postal service.