THE PANAMA MAIL SERVICE.

7

E.—No. 2,

To enable this Government to comply with this request, I should be obliged to you if you would transmit to me the moiety of the penalty retained by you for the non-despatch, of steamer to Panama in January and February last, on receipt of which this Government will remit the amount to the official liquidator, together with that portion of the penalty retained by ISTew Zealand. It is observed in your letter of the 9th July last, that a sum of £3,270 16s. 8d. had been paid by Nc you into the Union Bank to the credit of this Government. I shall also be obliged if you will let me sei know if this money is still lying in the Bank. I have, &c, G. Eliott Eliott The Postmaster-General, Sydney. (for the Postmaster-General).

No. 2 of this series.

No. 9. Mr. S. 11. Lambton to the Hon. the Postmaster-General. Sir, —■ General Post Office, Sydney, 15th December, 1869. I have the honor to enclose a copy of a letter received from the Postmaster-General, Adelaide, forwarding copies of statements of accounts furnished by this office of the amount due by the Government of South Australia for the conveyance of mails by the Panama and New Zealand Boyal Mail Steamers, and pointing out a difference of £50 2s. 6d. between the account rendered from information obtained from your department, and one previously furnished, which was prepared from the books of this office; and, with reference thereto, I have to request that you will be so good as to favour me with an explanation of the apparent overcharge made on the first-mentioned statement of account. I have, &c, The Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington, S. H. Lambton, New Zealand. (for the Postmaster-General).

Enclosure 1 in No. 9. Sir, — General Post Office, Adelaide, 30th November, 1869. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of the 16th instant, drawing my attention to your previous letter of the Ist September, with accompanying statement of amounts due by this Colony for conveyance of mails by the Panama Mail Packets, amounting to £296 6s. 7d., and regret the delay that has arisen in replying thereto, which however has been occasioned by the difficulty of checking the items. From your letter of the 29th May last, I was under the impression that the account forwarded therewith was for the entire amount due by this Colony on the termination of the service, but upon referring to the mail records of this office I find that the mails now charged for have been duly received, the only apparent error being the sum of £50 2s. 6d. for the mail of the 23rd June, 1868, and the entire of which mail appears to have been charged for in the account forwarded with your letter of the 25th November, 1868. I enclose a copy of the account referred to, and should be obliged if you could give me any further information as to this item, so that the amount due may be remitted to you. I have, &c., J. W. Lewis, The Secretary, General Post Office, Sydney. Postmaster-General.

Enclosure 2 in No. 9. GENERAL POST OFFICE, ADELAIDE, Dr. to GENERAL POST OFFICE, SYDNEY,

Date. Maiis. Inward. Outward. Total. 1868 une 1 ulyl ... uly2 ... Lugust 1 Lugust 1 September 1 September 2 Weight of Mail, 38fts. Ditto. 35fts. Ditto. 38fts. No Mail Weight of Mail, 22tbs. Soz. ... Ditto. 55fts. Ditto. 31fts. £ s. d. 35 0 0 £ s. d. 38 0 0 38 "6 0 £ s. d. S5 6 0 22 10 0 31 6 0 90 0 0 129 10 0 219 10 0