E.—No. 1.

No. 22. Copy of a Letter from the Hon. J. Dockkr to the Hon. James Pateeson. Sic,— General Post Office, Sydney, 14th May, 1866. With reference to the organization of the new- Postal route to the United Kingdom via Panama, I have the honor to request that you will bo good enough to furnish me with all the information in your power regarding every arrangement which may have been entered into with the Imperial Government on the subject of the charges for the transmission of mails by the above-named route, including the rates of sea postage by the same. I should further feel obliged by being informed what effect this new contract will have upon the transmission of mails by the Intercolonial service, as, at present, two-thirds of the postal receipts of this service are accounted for by this Colony to the Imperial Government. I have, Ac, The Hon. the Postmaster-General, J. Dockee, AVellington, New" Zealand. Postmaster-General. No. 23. Copy of a Letter from the Hon. James Pateeson to the Hon. J. Dockee. Sic,— General Post Office, AVellington, 25th May, 1866. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter noted in the margin requesting information as to any arrangement which may have been entered into with the Imperial Government on the subject of the charges for the transmission of mails by the Panama Steam Postal Service about to be established, including the rates of sea postage by the same; and also what effect this new contract will have upon the transmission of mails by the Intercolonial service, as at present twothirds of the postal receipts of this service are accounted for by New South AVales to the Imperial Government. As regards your first question, I have to inform you that the Imperial Government have consented, for the present, to allow New Zealand to receive the postages coflected on correspondence sent via Panama, to and from this Colony; to cany mails to and from Colon, free of cost, by the AVcst Indian mail steamer, and to defray the cost of transit across the Isthmus of Panama, charging the Colony with the amount. AVith respect to the last paragraph of your letter this Colony proposes to continue to pay to the Imperial Government the commuted allowance in lieu of the two-thirds receipts, so long as that Government continues its contribution towards the Intercolonial mail service between Australia and New Zealand. I enclose a copy of a proclamation recently promulgated by this Government fixing the rates of postage to be charged on correspondence sent via Panama. I have, Ac, James Pateeson, The Hon. the Postmaster-General, Sydney. Postmaster-General. No. 24. Copy of a Letter from the Hon. J. Dockee to the Hon. James Pateeson. Sic, — General Post Office, Sydney, 15th June, 1566. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated the 25th ultimo, and in reply beg to enclose a copy of our rates via Panama, and to inform you that the present Postal Laws of the Colony (which however will shortly bo revised) will admit of no others being levied. 2. I shall feel obliged by your informing me on what principle the rates of postage to British America and other places are fixed at one shilling the half-ounce ; and also whether you are in possession of any information tending to show that such rates will prepay the letters to destination. 3. An account of postages on New Zealand correspondence per "Kaikoura" will be kept as usual, but credit for tw ro-thirds of the receipts will not be given until it is ascertained whether, in lieu of this, the Colony will be credited with a certain portion of the Imperial Government's contribution to the Intercolonial Mail Service between Australia and New Zealand. I have, Ac, The Hon. the Postmaster-General, J. Dockee, Wellington, N.Z. Postmaster-General. English Mails via Panama. The Royal Mail steamship " Kaikoura" will be despatched to Panama via AVellington, with malls for England, the Continent of Europe, and intermediate places, at 3 p.m., on Fridays the 15th of June. Mails will close at noon on the same day. Direct mails will be made up for the following places : —Panama, Lima, A'alparaiso, San Francisco, Honolulu, British Columbia, Jamaica, Barbadoes, Demerara, St. Thomas', New Orleans, New York, Quebec, Halifax, and the United Kingdom. The rates of postage will be as follows : — 4

May 14, 1860.

15

THE PANAMA MAIL SERVICE.