13

E.—2

San Francisco within six hundred and seventy-one hours, as the case may be, one thousand five hundred and thirty-eight pounds nine shillings and twopence. If not so conveyed, but conveyed from San Francisco to Auckland within five hundred and sixtyeight hours, and from San Francisco to Port Chalmers within six hundred and ninety-five hours, or from Port Chalmers to San Francisco within six hundred and ninety-five hours, as the case may be, one thousand four hundred and forty-two pounds six shillings. If not so conveyed, but conveyed from San Francisco to Auckland within five hundred and ninetyone hours, and from San Francisco to Port Chalmers within seven hundred and twenty-two hours, or from Port Chalmers to San Francisco within seven hundred and twenty-two hours, as the case may be, one thousand three hundred and forty-six pounds three shillings. If not so conveyed, but conveyed from San Francisco to Auckland within six hundred and seventeen hours, and from San Francisco to Port Chalmers within seven hundred and fifty-two hours, or from Port Chalmers to San Francisco within seven hundred and fifty-two hours, as the case may be, one thousand two hundred and fifty pounds. If not so conveyed, but conveyed from San Francisco to Auckland within six hundred and fortyfive hours, and from San Francisco to Port Chalmers within seven hundred and eighty-five hours, or from Port Chalmers to San Francisco within seven hundred and eighty-five hours, as the case may be, one thousand one hundred and fifty-three pounds sixteen shillings and elevenpence. (1.5.) Saul Samuel, as Postmaster-General of New South Wales. (1.5.) Julius Vogel, as Postmaster-General of New Zealand, (by T. Eussell his Attorney). (1.5.) H. H. Hall, (1.5.) Paul S. Foebes. Signed, sealed, and delivered by the above-named Hon. Saul Samuel, Hayden Hezekiah Hall and Paul Siemen Forbes in the presence of Jno. Mackbell, Solicitor, 21, Cannon Street, London. John Widdecombe, 92, Gresham House, London. Signed, sealed, and delivered by the above-named Hon. Julius Vogel, by Thomas Eussell his Attorney, in the presence of Jno. Mackbell.

Enclosure 2 in No. 7. BOND. Know all men by these presents that we, Hayden Hezekiah Hall, of the city of Sydney, in the Colony of New South Wales, Agent there for the United States of America; Paul Siemen Fobbes, of No. 8, "Bishopsgate Street Within, in the City of London, shipowner; Edward Munstee de Bussche, of Ryde, in the Isle of Wight, in the county of Southampton, shipowner; and Edwaed Cunningham, of No. 8, Bishopsgate Street Within, aforesaid, merchant and shipowner; are jointly and severally held and firmly bound to the Hon. Saul Samuel, the Postmaster-General of the said Colony of New South Wales, as such Postmaster-General, and acting for and on behalf of the Government of such colony, and to the Hon. Julius Voq-el, the Postmaster-General of the Colony of New Zealand, as such Postmaster-General and acting for and on behalf of the Government of such colony, in the sum of £25,000 of lawful money of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to be paid to the said Saul Samuel and Julius Vogel, and their successors in their respective offices of PostmasterGeneral of the said Colony of New South Wales and Postmaster-General of the said Colony of New Zealand, for which payment to be well and truly made, we and each of us bind ourselves and himself, our and. his heirs, executors, administrators, and assigns, and every of them, firmly by these presents. Sealed with our seals. Dated this 27th day of November 1873. Wheeeas by certain Articles of Agreement made and entered into on the 27th day of November, 1873, between the said Saul Samuel, as Postmaster-General of and acting for and on behalf of the Government of the said Colony of New South Wales, of the first part; the said Julius Vogel, as PostmasterGeneral of and acting for and on behalf of the Government of the said Colony of NeW Zealand, of the second part; and the above-bounden Hayden Hezekiah Hall and Paul Siemen Forbes, who in the said Articles of Agreement are designated " the Contractors," of the third part: it is witnessed that they, the Contractors, did for themselves, their heirs, executors, administrators, and assigns, and each of them did for himself, his heirs, executors, administrators, and assigns (so far as the covenants and agreements thereinafter contained were to be observed and performed by the Contractors), covenant with the Postmaster-General of the said Colony of New South Wales and his successors, and with the Postmaster-General of the said Colony of New Zealand and his successors, and also as a separate covenant with each of the Postmasters-General and his successors (amongst other things, Article 2), that the Contractors should from time to time and at all times during the period of sis years, to be computed from the 27th day of November, 1874, convey all Her Majesty's mails which, and all other mails, as in the Contract now in recital defined, which the Postmasters-General, or either of them, should at any time and from time to time require the Contractors to convey between Sydney and San Francisco and between San Francisco and Sydney, and between New Zealand and San Francisco and between San Francisco and New Zealand, and from and to all and every or any of those ports, to and from the ports of Honolulu in the Sandwich Islands and Kandavau in the Fiji Islands, and