THE PANAMA MAIL SERVICE.

7

E.—No. 3a,

As to the charge at present made on inward mails, viz., twenty shillings per pound, it was notified to the Tasmanian Postal Authorities, at the time when this arrangement was communicated to them, that the London Post Office had been requested to make up direct mails for Tasmania and the other Colonies, and that on this being done, these Colonies would bo credited with those rates on their correspondence that were previously credited to New South Wales, the Colonies, in lieu thereof, paying twenty shillings per pound ou the gross weight of tho mails. Pending a reply from London as to the making up of direct mails, any sums that this Colony or New Zealand may have been, or will be, credited with, on account of correspondence for the noncontracting Colonies, will, of course, be recredited to those Colonies. I have, &c, S. H. Lambton, The Under Secretary, Colonial Secretary's Office, Sydney. Secretary.

No. 21. Copy of a Letter from the Hon. E. W. Staffoed to the Hon. J. Dockee. Sic, — Colonial Secretary's Office, Wellington, 25th July, 1867. I have the honor to call your attention to my letter No. 188, of the 16th May last, stating that the draft contract left with you by Mr. Crosbie Ward, between this Government and the Panama, New Zealand, and Australian Eoyal Mail Company, for the Panama Postal Service, had not been returned by you, and that considerable inconvenience had arisen from tho consequent delay in the execution of the contract. As the document in question has not yet been received from you, and as grave inconvenience arises from its continued absence, I have to urge on you the necessity of its being returned without further delay. I have, &c, Tho Honorable Colonial Secretary, Sydney. E. W. Staffoed.

No. 22. Copy of a Letter from the Hon. John Hall to Mr. S. H. Lambton. Sic— General Post Office, Wellington, 30th July, 1867. I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your letter 67-4751 of the sth instant, and in accordance with your request I enclose a copy of my letter of the 16th April last, No. 67-68. With reference to the form of Letter Bill to be used for the mails transmitted by way of Panama, I beg to enclose a Memorandum on the subject from, tho Inspector of mails ; and for the reasons stated therein, I do not think it would be advisable to alter the form of Letter Bill now in use between this Department and the Post Office at Panama. I have, &c, John Hall, The Hon. the Postmaster-General, Sydney. Postmaster-General.

Enclosure in No. 22. Memorandum by Inspectoe of Mails. I still think the New Zealand form of Letter Bill is the best. I attach a copy of the Panama Packet Agent's Acknowledgment of the New Zealand Mails, also a copy of the New Zealand Acknowledgment for the Panama Mails, from which it will be seen that the practice at Panama is to enumerate in detail, according to the different rates of postage. Besides, Article 3 in the Sydney Form is unnecessary, as all letters, &c, contained in the mails for Panama are forwarded thence to destination free of cost to this Department, excepting the items for which credit is given in the Letter Bills. W. Geay.

No. 23. Copy of a Letter from the Hon. H. Paekes to the Hon. E. W. Staffoed. Sib, — Colonial Secretary's Office, Sydney, New South Wales, Ist August, 1867. In acknowledging the receipt of your letter of the 25th ultimo, I have the honor to inform you that, as therein requested, the draft contract left with me by Mr. Crosbie Ward, between the Governments of New Zealand, and tho Panama New Zealand and Australian Boyal Mail Company, for the Panama Postal Service, shall be transmitted to you in a few days. I have, &c, (for the Colonial Secretary), The Hon. tho Colonial Secretary, Wellington. Heney Halloean.

No. 24. Copy of a Letter from Mr. S. H. Lambton to Mr. G. Eliott Eliott. Sic, — General Post Office, Sydney, 17th September, 1867. I am directed to state, with reference to the letter of the Hon. the Postmaster-General of Wellington, dated the 16th April last (copy of which he was kind enough to forward), that by the 3