P.—4,

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mails to New York three times in each week, and that all letters, &c, posted or arriving in this country, addressed to the United States, will, after the Ist January next, be forwarded solely by these three lines of vessels, the only exception being in the case of letters, &c, specially directed to be sent by some other vessel. This arrangement will supersede that adopted at the commencement of the current year, of providing month by month for the carriage of the United States mail. The mails for the United States will be made up at this office on the evening of every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, and forwarded to Queenstown for embarkation on board the packets on the following day. I have, &c, The Agent-General for New Zealand. Wm. Jas. Page.

No. 36. The Hon. Mr. Fisher to the Agent-General. Sir,— General Post Office, Wellington, 29th March, 1878. I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 10th December last, enclosing copy of a circular letter which you had received from the London Post Office, advising you of the arrangements which had been made for the conveyance of mails to and from New York during the present year. It is observed that the services of the Cunard steamers, as well as those of the Inman and White Star lines, have now been accepted. I have, &c, The Agent-General for New Zealand, London. J. T. Fisher.

No. 37. The A gent-General to the Hon. the Postmastee-General. Sir, — 7, Westminster Chambers, London, S.W., 17th December, 1877. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 19th October,* in reply to mine of 21st August, advising you of the arrangements which had been made for the transit of the colonial mails across the Atlantic. You have doubtless already learned, by my letter of the 23rd November, that the arrangements for this service have now been satisfactorily concluded for the ensuing year. I have, &c, Julius Vogel, The Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington. Agent-General.

No. 38. Messrs. Gilchrist, "Watt, and Co. to the Hon. the Postmastee-Geneeal. Sic, — Sydney, 15th January, 1878. "We have the honor to request that you will cause to be prepared and forwarded to us a memorandum, stating the hour of commencement, and the hour of completion, and the duration of voyage of each inward and outward trip up to the 31st of December last. We have also to request that a similar memorandum of the voyage of each mail steamer (as shown in the Post Office Time-Table) may be sent in future with your letter advising the payment of subsidy. We have, &c, Gilcheist, Watt, and Co., General Agents for the Contractors, San Francisco Mail Service. The Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington.

No. 39. ' Mr. Gray to Messrs. Gilchrist, "Watt, and Co. Gentlemen, — General Post Office, Wellington, 30th March, 1878. 1 have the honor to forward herewith the statement of the running of the San Francisco mail steamers asked for in your letter of the 15th January last, which has been made out as far back as the date of the last payment of bonus. I beg to call your attention to the memorandum attached to the statement. It wilL be impossible to comply with the request contained in the concluding paragraph of your letter, as the subsidies for the up-trips are scheduled on receipt of telegraphic advices of the arrivals of the steamers at San Francisco, and the particulars of the running are not obtainable until the return of the steamer to Auckland. Particulars of each voyage will, however, be supplied as soon as practicable. I have, &c, W. Gray, Messrs. Gilchrist, "Watt, and Co., Sydney. Secretary. * £\-4b., 1877, BTos. 1 and 2.