•No. I

Capt. Hall had several interviews with the late Postmaster-General, but no decision was •arrived at; other matters of public business having, as Capt. Hall was given to understand, fully occupied the attention of Ministers. During Capt. Hall's absence a change of Ministry has taken place, the whole question has been discussed and several interviews have taken place, and as the time for commencing the service draws so near, permission is asked to run pro. tern., at dates submitted by Capt. Hall, and similar to those laid before the late Government of New Zealand. I beg respectfully to call your attention to the difficulty the non-receipt of the official time table places the Company in in making their arrangements, which of necessity emanate from London, such as placing the ships, arranging for calling at Tahiti, Ac. By advices received per last mail, we learn that the West India Royal Mail Company have applied for permission from the Imperial authorities to be allowed to run their steamers on trunk line direct from St. Thomas to Colon, and vice versa, and not as hitherto calling at Haiti and Jamaica, thus saving two stoppages, three hundred miles of steaming, and gaining two days, this would compensate time occupied in calling at Tahiti if arranged, for the Secretary of the Company states that the necessary permission will doubtless be given, of which, intimation will most likely be received by r present month's mail. We are also advised by last month's mail that there was no reason whatever to doubt that we shall have two ships on the station by May and the other two not later than June or July. I exceedingly regret that the Government of this Colony have not up to the present hour, put me in possession of the time table fixed upon for the service. I have, Ac, The Hon. Colonial Secretary, H. Lawson, New Zealand. • Sub-manager. No. 13. Copy of a Letter from the Hon. Heney Paekes, to the Hon. E. W. Staffobd. No. 16. New South Wales, Colonial Secretary's Office, Sydney, 15th February, 1866. Sic, — I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your letter of 18th January, calling attention to former letters of 20th and 27th of October, to which you had not yet received any reply, and desiring to be informed of the action taken, or proposed to be taken, by this Government on the subject of the Steam Communication Service between Great Britain, New Zealand, and New South Wales, via Panama. The enclosures in your former letters place this Government in possession of a copy of an Act to amend the Panama Mail Service Act of 1864, passed by the Parliament of New Zealand, and also copies of other papers on the subject, including a letter from the accredited Agent of the Government of Tahiti offering a subsidy of 100,000 (one hundred thousand) Francs for the steamers to call at the Port of Papeete on both passages. I have to inform you that steps will be taken without delay to carry out the arrangement ■ already sanctioned by the Legislative Assembly of this Colony. With reference to the proposal that the mail steamers should call at Tahiti, it does not appear to this Government that any advantage could be derived from su'ih an arrangement commensurate with the loss of time that w Tould be sustained. Ido not, however, express a final decision on the proposal made by the Tahitian Government. In the course of a few days 1 will address you more fully on the subject, communicating to you the views of the Government of New South Wales on the adjustment of the Time Table, and other points necessary to be determined before the arrangement can be completed. I have, Ac, The Hon. Colonial Secretary ofNNcrw r Zealand, Heney Paekes. Wellington. No. 14. Copy of a Letter from the Hon. E. W. Staffobd, to the Hon. Heney Paekes. No. 122. Colonial Secretary's Office, AV rellington, 14th April, 1866. Sib, —- I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter No. 16, of the 15th February last, on the subject of the proposed Steam Postal Service between Great Britain, New Zealand, -and New South AVales, via Panama, and to thank you for the information that steps would be

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THE PANAMA MAIL SERVICE.