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F.—3

sent to him by the Earl of Carnarvon on the 23rd March last, he had entered into communication with the Governors of New South Wales and New Zealand, with regard to the conveyance of mails to and from Fiji by means of the colonial mail packets on the line between Sydney and San Francisco. In his despatch Sir A. Gordon transmits specimens of the postage stamps in use in Fiji, with a request that letters bearing a sufficient number of such stamps to represent the rate of postage to England may be considered as having been duly prepaid in the colony. The Postmaster-General assumes from this communication that the Government of Fiji has came to an arrangement with the Governments of New South Wales and New Zealand to pay over to the latter, out of the revenue collected from the sale of Fijian postage stamps, so much of the postage as represents the sea rate between Fiji and San Francisco, or otherwise to indemnify the two colonies providing the packet service, so that New South Wales and New Zealand will no longer look to the Imperial Government for payment on account of the mails conveyed by their packets from Fiji. In order to prevent any misunderstanding on this point, I am to request that Lord Carnarvon will be good enough to address a communication to this effect to the Governor of New South Wales, with reference to this despatch of the 18th November last, and the reply dated the 26th January last, made by this department to the Colonial Office. In the meantime, Lord John Manners has given orders to treat as prepaid all letters bearing Fijian stamps of sufficient value, reaching this country in the mails from Fiji. I have, &c, R. G. W. Herbert, Esq., &c._ &c, Colonial Office. John Tilley.

Enclosure 3 in No. 4. Sir Hercules Robinson to the Earl of Carnarvon. My Lord, — Government House, Sydney, 30th June, 1875. With reference to your despatch of the 23rd March last, transmitting a copy of a letter from the General Post Office, suggesting that some arrangement be arrived at between this colony and Fiji as to letters prepaid in Fiji by means of local stamps, I have the honor to forward a copy of a letter from the Sydney Post Office, from which it will be seen that an arrangement has already been made between the Post Offices of New South Wales and Fiji, under which correspondence bearing Fijian postage stamps is delivered free of charge in New South Wales. As the London Post Office has agreed to account in equal proportions to this and the New Zealand Post Office for the postage accruing upon correspondence to and from Fiji, carried by the Colonial' Pacific Mail Packets, it is presumed that, as soon as the Fiji Government intimates to the Home Government the description of postage stamps introduced in the new colony, such labels will be recognized in England, and the London Post Office will take the necessary stdps to recover the amount so collected in Fiji and payable to the Australian colonies. I have, &c, The Right Hon. the Earl of Carnarvon. Hercules Robinson. Sub-Enclosure to Enclosure 3 in No. 4. Mr. Lambton to the Principal Under Secretary, Sydney. Sir, — ■ Sydney, 22nd June, 1875. Adverting to your blank cover minute of the 9th instant, referring, for the PostmasterGeneral's consideration, a despatch from the Right Hon. the Secretary of State for the colonies, dated the 23rd March last, transmitting copy of a letter from the Imperial Post Office, in which it is suggested that some arrangement might be arrived at between the colonies of New South Wales, New Zealand, and Fiji, in respect to letters prepaid in Fiji by means of local stamps, I am directed to inform you that, so far as this colony is concerned, an arrangement has already been made between the Post Office of New South Wales and Fiji, under which correspondence bearing Fijian postage stamps, and received here in closed mails from that colony, are delivered free of charge in New South Wales; and correspondence from New South Wales for Fiji is delivered free of charge there. I am to observe that, in a despatch from the Colonial Secretary of Fiji, addressed to this department on the 19th October last, it is stated that " the postal rates of New South Wales are adopted there, the use of the former Fijian postage stamps (now bearing the letters V.R.) being continued for the present;" and that it is possible that the want of a similar communication to the Imperial Postal Authorities has given rise to the practice of collecting postage on correspondence received in England from Fiji, notwithstanding that the same bears Fijian postage stamps. I have, &c, The Principal Under Secretary, Sydney. S. H. Lambton.