D.—No. 2. APPENDIX.
No. 4. POSTMASTER-GENERAL TO MESSRS. MACMECKAN AND CO. General Post Office, Auckland, June 6, 1863. Gentlemen, — In reference to the correspondence that has taken place upon the subject of the Contract for employing the " Aldinga" on Melbourne and Port Chalmers line, and especially to the part of your Letter of the 24th March, in which you state that you must respectfully decline adding the rider to the Contract, as suggested in my letter to you of the 21st February, I have no other alternative than to give you notice that your Contract with the Government of New Zealand will determine on the 1st day of January, 1864. The formal notice to this effect will be delivered to you by the Mail Agent. I have, &c, Reader Wood, Messrs. McMeckan, Blackwood, and Co., Melbourne. Postmaster-General.
No. 5. NOTICE TO DETERMINE CONTRACT. To Mr. James McMeckan and John Hutchison Blackwood, of the City of Melbourne, in the Colony of Victoria, Merchants. Whereas by Articles of Agreement made the Twenty-fifth day of November, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, between you, James McMeckan and John Hutchison Blackwood, of the one part, and the Honorable Crosbie Ward, of Auckland, in the Colony of New Zealand, as Her Majesty's Postmaster-General for the Colony of New Zealand, of the other part, it is, amongst other things, provided that the said Agreement shall continue in force during the term of twelve Calendar Months, and after the determination of the said term of twelve Calendar Months, until the expiration of six Calendar Months from the time at which the said James McMeckan and John Hutchison Blackwood, or the Postmaster-General, for the time being, of New Zealand, shall have given unto the other of the said parties, notice, in writing, of a desire or intention to determine the Contract by the said Articles made, and the service thereunder. Now, take notice, that I, the said Postmaster-General, do, in pursuance of the said power to me given, hereby give unto you, the said James McMeckan and John Hutchison Blackwood, notice of my desire and intention to determine the said Contract and the service thereunder, as witness my hand this Sixth day of June, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three. Eeader Wood, Postmaster-General.
No. 6. MESSRS. MACMECKAN AND CO. TO POSTMASTER-GENERAL. Melbourne, 26th June, 1863. Sir,— We have the honor of accepting your letter of the Gth instant, and in doing so have to state that you seem to be under some misapprehension as to the nature of our contract for the postal service between this and Port Chalmers. The contract provides that six months notice may be given by either party from the expiration of twelve months after the time the " Aldinga" left Melbourne on her first voyage under the present service, and should you on the 10th January, 1864, think fit to determine the contract on account of our non-fulfilment thereof, you will require to give us notice then ; but we are in expectation of the service yet meeting your approval. The " Aldinga " has performed her work ably, and we will use our best efforts to carry out the duties required of us, so as, if possible, to satisfy every one ; but you must be aware that the successful working of the contract depends entirely on the regularity of the P. and O. Boats for the conveyance of the down Mails. It will, however, be our study to despatch the Mails with all haste, should they be too late for the "Aldinga." The following statement will, we think, satisfy you that the Mails have not been detained an unr reasonable time at this port. The Mails arrived in Melbourne. Despatched by us. January 14, January 22, February 14, February 14, March 20, March 21, April 14, April 16, May 10, May 16, June 16. June 16. From the above statement, we hope you will be satisfied that nothing has been wanting on our part to carry out the service faithfully. We have, &c, McMeckan, Blackwood, & Co. To the Postmaster-General, Auckland.
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