E.—No. 3a,

EURTHER PAPERS RELATIVE TO

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subject of the preparation of mails for despatch to and from Australia and New Zealand via Panama, and in reply have to inform you that the Government of this Colony have agreed to the proposal of tho Postmaster-General of Great Britain. I have, &c, J. Dockee, The Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington. Postmaster-General.

No. 10. Copy of a Letter from the Hon. J. Dockee to the Hon. John Hall. Sib, New South Wales, General Post Office, Sydney, 20th May, 1867. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 9th ultimo, forwarding a Memorandum in duplicate of the points of detail agreed upon during your recent visit to Sydney, and return one copy duly signed, as requested. I have, &c, J. Dockee, The Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington. Postmaster-General. (Memorandum printed as Enclosure in No. 53, page 23, of Papers presented 9th July, 1867.)

No. 11. Copy of a Letter from Mr. W. Tueneb to the Hon. JonN Hall. Sic,— General Post Office, Melbourne, 27th May, 1867. In consequence of a notification received from the Government of New South Wales with reference to the despatch of the mails from this Colony for transport via Panama, such mails will be forwarded on the present occasion per " Tararua," to sail to-morrow, and in future will be sent direct to Wellington, in lieu of via Sydney as hitherto. I have the honor to request that you will give directions for the due despatch of the mails arriving at Wellington from this office. I have, &c, William Tuenee, The Hon. tho Postmaster-General, Wellington. Deputy Postmaster-General.

No. 12. Copy of a Letter from the Hon. JonN Hall to the Hon. Postmastee-Geneeal, Sydney. Sic,— Geucral Post Office, Wellington, 29th May, 1867. I have the honor to inform you that the Manager of the Panama New Zealand and Australian Boyal Mail Company, has asked me to agree to some provision for a contingency which does not appear to be as yet satisfactorily met in the arrangement already entered into with that Company, viz., —that of the steamer from Southampton failing to arrive at Colon for several days after she is due there. Captain Benson is willing that in such a case the Company's vessels should wait at Panama until the arrival of tho succeeding mail, say fourteen days ; but, as such a course would cause a considerable loss on the Company's insurance account, he requests that by way of compensation for this loss, this Government should forego all penalties on his vessels from Sydney to Panama, if they succeeded in effecting the necessary connection with the mail steamer for Southampton,—in other words, if their late arrival at Panama, did not extend beyond one or two days. * Captain Benson also requests that if, in consequence of the steamer's detention at Panama, waiting for the mails from Southampton, she should reach Sydney too late to render it practicable for her to take the next return trip, the Company may be allowed to send their next best vessel, the " Otago," to Panama on that occasion. The arrangements proposed by Captain Benson seem to me, on the whole, the best which can be made for the contingency above alluded to; and I propose, therefore, to accede to them, unless I hear from you that they are objected to on the part of the Government of New South Wales. I have, &c, John Hall, The Hon. Postmaster-General, Sydney. Postmaster-General.

No. 13. Copy of a Letter from Mr. S. H. Lambton to the Hon. John Hall. Sib, — General Post Office, Sydney, Ist June, 1867. A Despatch from the Colonial Secretary of New Zealand to tho Colonial Secretary of New South Wales, in which was enclosed a copy of your Memorandum on the subject of the receipt and despatch of mails of non-contracting Colonies by the Panama Steamers, has been forwarded to me. With reference to the last portion of the Minute referred to, I have the honor to inform you that the various Colonies having been already informed of the new arrangement, which will permit them, after the 31st May, to send and receive their mails either through Wellington or Sydney, it is deemed expedient by the Government of this Colony to adhere to it. By the terms of the Circular dated 18th April, to the non-contracting Colonies (a copy of which has been forwarded to you) you will perceive that, whichever alternative they adopt—namely, whether