SAN FRANCISCO MAIL SERVICE.

31

E.—No. 2.

necessary, in terms of clause 36 of the contract. Steamer to leave Auckland six hundred hours thereafter, or in time to arrive with the English mail at Melbourne in seven hundred and eighty hours after leaving San Francisco. A steamer to leave Melbourne for San Francisco at two p.m. on Friday, the 27th September, 1872, and every fourth Friday thereafter, leaving Auckland for San Francisco one hundred and eighty hours thereafter, or in time to arrive with the mails for England at San Francisco in seven hundred and eighty hours after leaving Melbourne. I have, &c, The Hon. Julius Vogel, &c. &c. M. O'Grady.

No. 25. The Hon. J. Vogel to the Hon. C. Gavan Duffy. Sir,— Melbourne, 27th March, 1872. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 26th instant, enclosing Time Table for the Californian Mail Service, and to state, in reply, that I approve of the same. I have to request that, in compliance with the, terms of the contract, you will furnish the Table to the Contractors. I have, &c, The Hon. the Postmaster-General, Victoria. Julius Vogel.

No. 26. The Hon. C. Gavan Duffy and the Hon. J, Yog-el to Mr. Webb. Sib,— Melbourne, 13th March, 1872. We shall be willing, presuming the contract made with you by us is ratified as therein provided, that you shall make an arrangement with the Australasian Steam Navigation Company for connection between New South Wales and the main line of steamers to San Erancisco at Auckland, and between Queensland and the main line of steamers at Auckland; provided that you make it a stringent condition that the company shall not carry any mails whatever for Honolulu, San Erancisco, or any port or ports beyond New Zealand, by the steamers employed under such arrangement, unless with our joint consent. That all arrangements for subsidies shall be made by our two Governments, subject to the amount of subsidies agreed to herein. That, for the carriage of mails, the company consent to receive one-fifth of whatever subsidy we may obtain from New South Wales, such subsidy being not less than £20,000; and that if they carry the Queensland mails indirectly by way of Sydney, the company shall be content to receive one-fourth of any subsidy obtained, such subsidy being not less than £8,000; whilst, if they carry the mails by direct steamer between Brisbane and Auckland, the company shall be content to receive, out of the subsidy obtained, £9,000, such subsidy being not less than £15,000. Tou should take care to insert in your arrangement all the necessary provisions to give powers to ourselves—and, should other colonies join, to those other colonies also —respecting postal matters. Tou should also provide that the two Governments, on entering into arrangements for subsidies with other colonies, shall have power to bind the company with respect to provisions contained in your agreement. We have, &c., Eor C. Gayan Duffy, Chief Secretary, &c, J. M. Geant, Commissioner of Lands and Survey, Julius Vogel, Wm. H. Webb, Esq., &c, &c, Melbourne. Postmaster-General of New Zealand.

No. 27. Know all men by these presents, that we, William Henry Webb and Ben Holladay, of the City, County, and State of New Tork, in the United States of America, are held and firmly bound unto the Honorable Chaeles Gavan Duffy, the Chief Secretary and Postmaster-General of Victoria, acting on behalf of the Government of Victoria, and the Honorable Julius Vogel, Postmaster-General of New Zealand, acting on behalf of the Government of New Zealand as such Postmaster-General, and their successors respectively in office, in the sum of twenty-five thousand pounds sterling lawful money of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, as liquidated damages, and not by way of penalty or otherwise, to be paid to the said the Honorable Charles Gavan Duffy and the Honorable Julius Vogel, Postmasters-General as aforesaid, or to their successors respectively in office, for which payment well and truly to be made we bind our heirs, executors, and administrators jointly and severally firmly by these presents. Sealed with our seals. Dated this thirteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and seventy-two. The condition of the above obligation is such, that if William Henry Webb and Ben Holladay, of the City of New Tork, or either of them, their or either of their respective heirs, executors, administrators, or authorized assigns, shall well and truly keep and perform a certain contract, bearing even