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Enclosure in No. 8. (No. 3-1877.) Memorandum: for His Excellency the Goyebnoe. In reply to Lord Carnarvon's despatch of the 20th September, Ministers desire to point out that, while the late Postmaster-General requested His Excellency to convey the thanks of the Government to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, for his action with reference to the threatened imposition of extra charge on mails via California, he, at the same time, explained the objections to Fiji as a place of call for the mail steamers. The Government of New South "Wales, acting for both colonies, has lately concluded an arrangement with the contractors, which only awaits the sanction of their Parliament, whereby the mail steamers in future will cease to call at Fiji or any port in New Zealand but Auckland. Ministers desire to say they were quite satisfied with the service, and the change was not of their seeking, but was forced upon them, and, to save the service from breaking down, they reluctantly yielded to the change. The Government of New Zealand would be anxious to assist in maintaining mail communication with Fiji by means of a subsidized service to connect at Auckland with the San Francisco steamers. Ministers hope that the Imperial Government will not make it a condition of renewing the convention with the United States that Fiji should necessarily be a port of call, owing to the determination of the contractors to discontinue sending their vessels to a Fijian port. Government Buildings, 9th March, 1877. H. A. Atkinson.

No. 9. Copy of a DESPATCH from Governor the Most Hon. the Marquis of Normanby to the Eight Hon. the Earl of Carnarvon. (No. 20.) Government House, Wellington, My Lord, — New Zealand, 10th April, 1877. I have the honor to enclose the copy of a memorandum which has been addressed to me by my Government on the subject of improved telegraphic communication between the Australian Colonies and the rest of the world. 2. The interruption of telegraphic communication which took place last year in consequence of a breakage in the cable between Australia and Singapore strongly demonstrated the necessity of a duplicate line, and at the Conference of the various Australian Governments lately held in Sydney tins question received careful attention. 3. The necessity of constructing a duplicate line with as little delay as possible was universally admitted, and the respective merits of various routes were considered —among others, that of a line from the United States of America to the northern part of New Zealand, which in some respects, it is presumed, would afford advantages not offered by any other route. 4. The preliminary arrangements and inquiries as regards the line, which are necessary before any definite decision can be arrived at, are intrusted to the Hon. George McLean, who represented the New Zealand Government at the Conference. 5. The construction of this line of telegraph, although it is believed to be the best that could be adopted, would entail an expenditure which, unaided, these colonies would be unable to undertake. It is, moreover, believed that the proposal is one which would receive considerable support in the United States, and that that Government would probably not be unwilling to join with the colonies, and to afford material support in the construction of this line. 6. Under these circumstances, I would venture to hope that Her Majesty's Government would not be unwilling to bring the proposal under the consideration of the Government of the United States, and I trust that your Lordship will be able to give the question the benefit of your support. I have, &c, The Eight Hon. the Earl of Carnarvon. NOEMANBY.

Enclosure in No. 9. A Cable via the United States. Memorandum for His Excellency. His Excellency is aware that, in January last, a Conference of representatives of the Australasian Governments was held at Sydney, to consider the Telegraph Cable question, especially as to obtaining a duplicate system of communication with Europe and the rest of the world; and that the Commissioner of Telegraphs, Mr. George McLean, was the representative of New Zealand.