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No. 21. Mr. Gray to Mr. Creighton'. Sir,— General Post Office, Wellington, 30th March, 1876. I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 19th January last, enclosing a copy of a communication which you had addressed to Mr. H. 13. Blanchard, of Messrs. Williams, Blanchard, and Co , agents at San Francisco for the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, relative to the early termination of the present agreement regulating the payment of transit charges on Australian and New Zealand mail matter, and with the view of obtaining, if possible, a renewal of the agreement on more favourable terms. I have to thank you for the timely action which you have taken in the matter, and to express the wish of the Postmaster-General that you will keep this Department fully advised of anything that may transpire, and again bring the subject, if necessary, under the notice of the proper authorities. I may state for your information, however, that the Imperial Government have agreed to defray all land transit charges until the end of the present year, when the London Post Office desires that the whole question shall be reconsidered. I have, &c, R. J. Creighton, Esq., W. Gray, Resident Agent for New Zealand, San Francisco. Secretary..

No. 22. Mr. Grax to the Agent-General. Sir,— General Post Office, Wellington, 30th March, 1878. I have the honor to forward herewith, for your information, copy of a communication, together with the enclosure thereto, recently received from Mr. R. J. Creighton, of San Francisco, also a copy of the reply from this office, of even date herewith, bearing on the question of the rates of transit across the American Continent on Australian and New Zealand mail matter. I have, &c, W. Gray, The Agent-General for New Zealand, London. (for the Postmaster-General.)

No. 23. The Agent-General to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary. Sir, — 7, Westminster Chambers, London, S.W., 13th November, 1877. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of the Hon. the Postmaster-General's telegram of the 2nd instant (F.-4b., 1877, No. 16), received the 6th instant, confirming the settlement made with Mr. Cunningham in regard to the postal contract, and authorizing the execution of the deed of release ; and in reference thereto I have to inform you that I at once took steps to finally settle the matter, and that on the 7th instant I received from Mr. Cunningham the sum of £5,000, which amount. I paid into the credit of the Public Account at the Bank of New Zealand. I am glad, therefore, to be able to report the conclusion of a matter which has involved much troublesome negotiation and correspondence. I have, &c, Julius Vogel, The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Wellington. Agent-General.

No. 24. Copt of Release. This indenture made the 29th day of June, a.d. 1877, between the Hon. Saul Samuel, the PostmasterGeneral of the Colony of New South Wales, as such Postmaster-General, acting for and on behalf of the Government of the said colony, and the Hon. George McLean, the Postmaster-General of the Colony of New Zealand, as such Postmaster-General, and acting for and on behalf of the Government of the said colony, of the first part; Paul Siemen Forbes, of New York, in the United States of America, of the second part; Edward Cunningham, of Boston, in the said United States, the said Paul Siemen Forbes, and Edward Minister de Bussche, of Hyde, in the Isle of Wight, in the County of Southampton, of the third part; and the said Edward Cunningham of the fourth part. Whereas by certain articles of agreement made and entered into on the 27th day of November, a.d. 1873, between the said Saul Samuel, as Postmaster-General of and acting for and on behalf of the Government of the said Colony of New South Wales, of the first part; the Hon. Julius Vogel (now Sir Julius Vogel), as Postmaster-General of and acting for and on behalf of the Government of the said Colony of New Zealand, of the second part; Hayden Hezekiah Hall, therein described, and the said Paul Siemen Forbes (in the said articles of agreement now in recital and hereinafter in the recital of such articles designated "the Contractors "), of the third part; and sealed with the respective seals of the Contractors, the Contractors did for themselves, their heirs, executors, administrators, and assigns, and each of them did for himself, his heirs, executors, administrators, and assigns, covenant with the Postmaster-General of the Colony of New South Wales and his successors, and with the PostmasterGeneral of the Colony of New Zealand and his successors, and also as a separate covenant with each of the Postmasters-General and his successors, that they the Contractors, so long as the whole or any part of the services by the said articles of agreement now in recital agreed to be performed ought to