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E.—3

Enclosure 11 in No. 52. Mr. Lambton to the Assistant Manager, Australasian Steam Navigation Company, Sydney. Dear Sir, — General Post Office, Sydney, 11th November, 1875. Mr. Burns would be glad to be informed, to-day, on what terms you would be prepared, if required, to send the " City of Melbourne " (not the " Cyphrenes ") to San Francisco and back, leaving Sydney, say, on the 20th instant. I have, &c, S. H. Lambton, The Assistant Manager, A.S.N. Co., Sydney. Secretary.

Enclosure 12 in No. 52. Mr. Williams to the Secretary-, General Post Office, Sydney. Australasian Steam Navigation Company, Dear Sir, — Sydney, 11th November, 1875. In reply to your note of this morning, I beg to say we are prepared to despatch the " City of Melbourne" with the mails to San Francisco on the 20th instant, provided timely intimation be given to enable us to make the necessary arrangements to outfit the ship, and prevent our sending her to Melbourne as contemplated. We will require also to know, before naming terms for the voyage, whether we are to run our boat in competition with the steamers of any other line under subsidy by the Government, as we find that the returns of the late voyage of the " City of Melbourne " exhibit a great falling off compared with the average of former trips, owing to the " Vasco de Gama," one of the boats of the assumed permanent contractors, sailing from San Francisco two days before the " City of Melbourne" with the prestige of the American mails. In view of the fact of the agents of the Pacific Mail Ship Company advertising boats for the outward trip for this month with Her Majesty's mails, both in this colony and New Zealand, it is clear we shall get no passengers or cargo; and therefore, before naming terms for a voyage of the " City of Melbourne," we should like to have some assurance from the Postmaster-General respecting the opposition we arc likely to expect, and we will offer accordingly. I have, &c, Wm. Williams, The Secretary, General Post Office, Sydney. Assistant Manager.

Enclosure 13 in No. 52. Mr. Lambton to the Manager, Australasian Steam Navigation Company, Sydney. Sir, — General Post Office, Sydney, 11th November, 1875. With reference to the last paragraph of your letter of this day's date, in reply to mine asking on what terms your Company would be prepared to convey mails to and from. San Francisco by the " City of Melbourne," to leave here on the 20th instant, I am directed to inform you that Mr. Burns regrets he can give you no assurance respecting the opposition your Company is likely to have to encounter in the event of your entering into a contract with him for the " City of Melbourne." I have, &c, The Manager, A.S.N. Co., Sydney. S. H. Lambton.

Enclosure 14 in No. 52. Mr. Hall to the Postmaster-General, Sydney. Sir, — Sydney, 13th November, 1875. I take the earliest opportunity to intimate to you that I have arrived here as the agent and representative of the Contractors for the San Francisco Mail Service, whose authority, dated 14th September, I now enclose. I will be glad that you grant n_e an early interview, that I may lay before you the arrangements for at once carrying out the mail contract. I have, &c, The Postmaster-General, Sydney. H. H. Hall.

Vide Enclosure 2 in No. 77.

Enclosure 15 in No. 52. Mr. Hall to the Postmaster-General, New South Wales. Sir,— Sydney, 13th November, 1875. I have to request, as agent of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, Contractors for the New South Wales, New Zealand, and Californian Mail Service, that I may be permitted to send