51

F.—3

shall, on the said several days appointed in and by the said time-table for the departure from the said Port of Sydney of the said several steamships, place on board the said steamships, to be conveyed from the Port of Sydney aforesaid to the several ports of Auckland, Honolulu, and San Francisco aforesaid, and shall proceed on her said voyage from the said Port of Sydney to Auckland, and thence to San Francisco, by way of and calling at Honolulu, at the day and at the hour appointed in the said timetable for the departure of a mailship upon the said voyage, and upon arrival at Auckland shall deliver the mails placed on board to be carried to Auckland to the Postmaster there, and shall receive and take on board at Auckland all and every Her Majesty's mails which the Postmaster-General of the Colony of New Zealand shall place on board to be carried and conveyed to Honolulu and San Francisco respectively, and that the master of each of the said steamships shall, on arrival at the Port of Auckland upon each and every of the said voyages, immediately land the mails intended to be landed there, and shall, with all possible despatch, upon receipt of the mails to be placed on board the said steamship at Auckland aforesaid, proceed on the voyage from Auckland aforesaid : Provided that it shall be lawful for the Postmaster-General of New Zealand to detain any of the said steamships for any time not exceeding twenty-four hours after notice of its arrival shall have been given to the Postmaster at Auckland, to enable him to make up and place on board the said steamship the mails intended to be carried and conveyed from Auckland aforesaid on the said voyage; and that each and every of the said steamships, upon arrival at the Port of Honolulu upon any of the said voyages, shall remain a sufficient and reasonable time to allow the mails intended to be conveyed thence to San Francisco to be made up and placed on board the said steamship, and shall receive and take on board at Honolulu all mails intended to be carried thence to San Francisco. 4. That, upon arrival at the Port of San Francisco, on her voyage from Sydney as aforesaid, each of the said steamships shall remain at the said port for such time as the said Postmaster-General of the said Colony of New South Wales shall have appointed in that behalf in and by the said time-table, not exceeding twelve clear days, and shall apply to the Postmaster at the Port of San Francisco, and shall receive from him, on board the said steamship, all mails required to be sent to the said Ports of Sydney, Honolulu, and Auckland, at any time before the day fixed by the said Postmaster-General of the Colony of New South "Wales and the Postmaster-General of the Colony of New Zealand, in and by the said time-table, for the departure of each of the said steamships, on her return voyage by way of Honolulu to the Port of Auckland and Port of Sydney as aforesaid, and shall carry and convey in and on board the said steamship all the mails for Honolulu to Honolulu, and the mails for Auckland to Auckland, and all the mails for the Port of Sydney to the said Port of Sydney, and shall well and safely deliver the same to the Postmaster at each of the said ports, or to other the person by law entitled to receive the same, upon their arrival in the said respective ports : Provided that, if they shall think fit, it shall be lawful for the Company in case of need to keep any or all of the said steamers at the Port of San Francisco for the full period of twelve days, as hereinafter mentioned. 5. In the term "mails," to be carried on the said voyages as aforesaid, all boxes, bags, or parcels of letters, newspapers, books, or printed papers, and all other articles transmissible by the post, without regard to the place or places in which they may originate, and all empty bags, empty boxes, and other stores and articles used or to be used in connection with the said mails, shall be considered to be comprehended. 6. That the said steamships shall make each of the said voyages from the Port of Sydney to the Port of Sail Francisco with the utmost despatch, and as nearly as may bo within seven hundred and ninety-two hours, including all stoppages and detention, and so that all mails put on board the said steamships at the respective Ports of Sydney, Auckland, and Honolulu aforesaid by the said several steamships, shall be delivered at the Post Office at the Port of San Francisco within as nearly as may be seven hundred and ninety-two hours, including detention and stoppage at Auckland and Honolulu, from the time of the said steamship's departure from the Port of Sydney on the said voyage; nevertheless, should such voyages be prosecuted with due diligence, payments will be made as hereinafter provided, notwithstanding the provision as to the voyages being made within a specified time ; and shall make each and every of the said return voyages from San Francisco to the Port of Sydney aforesaid within as nearly as may be the like period of seven hundred and ninety-two hours, including detention and stoppage at Honolulu and Auckland, so that the mails put on board the said several steamships on their respective voyages from the Port of San Francisco, to be carried to the Port of Sydney, shall be carried and delivered at the General Post Office, in the City of Sydney, within seven hundred and ninety-two hours, including detention and stoppage at Honolulu and Auckland from the time of the said steamship's departure from the Port of San Francisco on the said voyages. 7. On each of the said voyages to San Francisco the Postmaster-General of the Colony of New South Wales will deliver the mails to be carried from the Port of Sydney ; the Postmaster-General of the Colony of New Zealand, the mails to be carried from the Port of Auckland ; and the Postmaster of Honolulu, the mails to be carried from Honolulu, into the charge and custody of the master of the steamship by which the said mails are to be conveyed on board his vessel; and the said master shall, without any charge other than that herein provided to be paid to the Company, take charge and care of, and the Company shall be responsible for the receipt, safe custody, and due delivery at the respective times at which they are intended to be delivered, of all and every the mails so placed on board of each of the said steamships as aforesaid, as the case may require. And the said master shall take the usual declaration required upon the delivery of a mail to the master of a vessel, and furnish such returns and perform such services in relation thereto as the Postmaster-General of the Colony of New South Wales shall require in respect of mails sent from or received at the Port of Sydney, and as the Postmaster-General of the Colony of New Zealand shall require in respect of mails sent from the Port of Auckland. And the master of each of the said steamships, immediately upon its arrival at the Ports of Auckland, Honolulu, and San Francisco respectively, upon any of the voyages aforesaid, shall deliver from the ship's side all the mails to be delivered at the said ports respectively to the postmaster of the said respective ports, or to such other person as each of them the said postmasters respectively shall in respect of the mails to be delivered to him duly authorize to receive the same. And in the like manner, upon each of the return voyages from San Francisco, calling at Honolulu and