F.—4a.

14

Enclosure in No. 18. Schedule of the Amounts passed to the Credit of Messrs. Gilelirist, "Watt, and Co., Sydney, at the Bank of New Zealand, Wellington, by the Government of New Zealand, on account of the San Francisco Mail Service, from the 11th June to the 2nd July, 1877.

W. Geat, General Post Office, Wellington, 17th July, 1877. Secretary.

No. 19. The Agent-Genebal to the Hon. the Posthastee-Geneeal, Wellington. St E ,— 7, Westminster Chambers, London, 6th June, 1877. I have the honor to forward to you copy of the deed signed by the mail service sureties ; also of a letter from Messrs. Mackrell and Co., notifying the execution of the deed by the sureties ; and copy also of so much of a telegram forwarded by me to the Premier as relates to this subject. I thought it desirable to telegraph direct to the Government instead of jointly with the AgentGeneral for New South Wales, to Sydney, because I desired to draw the especial attention of the Government to my letter of 2nd May last. If I had sent a special telegram relating to this letter, and jointly sent the rest of the message, I should not have effected any saving ; therefore I telegraphed the whole direct. I should add that Mr. Mackrell thinks that great care should be exercised in making the alteration in the contract. I have, &c, Julius Vogel, The Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington. Agent-General.

Enclosure in No. 19. Messrs. Mackbell and Co. to the Agent-Genebal for New Zealand. 21, Cannon Street, London, 6th June, 1877. Dear Sib Julius, — Mail Service. We have now to report that the necessary deed of declaration to enable your Government and the Government of New South Wales to make temporary arrangements for the carriage of the mails from Sydney via Auckland and San Francisco and vice versa, instead of by the routes stipulated for in the contracts, and in different times and at different rates of payment, has been executed in duplicate by the sureties, and the deed has gone to New York to be executed by the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. The execution by the Company is not, however, necessary to make the deed effective against the sureties. We send a copy of the deed, and have instructed our agents in New York to forward one original of the deed to the Postmaster-General of your colony when executed by the Company. We have, &c, John Mackeell and Co.

Sub-Enclosure to Enclosure in No. 19. To all to whom these presents shall come, we, the Pacific Mail Steamship Company of New York, in the United States of America, John Franc-is Ure, John Lennox Kincaid Jauiieson, and William Pearce, of Glasgow, in Scotland, engineers and shipbuilders, trading under the style or firm of John Elder and Co., and Donald Robert Macgregor, of Leitli, in Scotland, shipowner and M.P.,send greeting. Whereas by a bond or obligation dated the 23rd day of July, 1575, and sealed with the common seal of us, the , said Pacific Mail Steamship Company, and with the respective seals of us, the said John Francis Ure, John Lennox Kincaid Jamieson, William Pearce, and Donald Robert Macgregor, we, the said Pacific Mail Steamship Company, John Francis Ure, John Lennox Kincaid Jamieson, William Pearce, and Donald Eobert Macgregor, acknowledge ourselves to be jointly and severally held and firmly bound to the Honorable John Fitzgerald Burns, the Postmaster-General of the Colony of New South Wales, as such Postmaster-General, and acting for and on behalf of the Government of such colony, and to

1875. F. 3c. No. 2.

Date. Service. Amount. une 11 >) uly 2 San Francisco to Auckland, s.s. " City of New York," from 25th April to 19th May, 1877 Auckland to San Francisco, s.s. " City of Sydney," from 9th May to 31st May, 1877 San Francisco to Auckland, s.s. " Zealandia," from 23rd May to 16th June, 1877 Auckland to San Francisco, s.s " Australia," from 6th June to 28th June, 1877 - £ s. 1,250 0 1,250 0 1,250 0 1,250 0 £5,000 0 i C C c c c »)