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Enclosure 3 in No. 70. The Postmaster, San Francisco, to Mr. Ckeighton. San Francisco Post Office, Office of the Postmaster, San Francisco, Cal., Dear Sib,— 28th November, 1892. Replying to yours of the 26th instant concerning certain mails which are said to have been destroyed in a storage car near Wells, Nevada, I beg to state that I am not in possession of any official information concerning the disaster. In response, however, to an inquiry from the Superintendent of Foreign Mails, I addressed a communication to that official, under date of 18th November, stating what I had been able to learn of the circumstances. I beg to transmit to you herewith a copy of that letter. I have to further inform you that a copy of your letter has been transmitted to the Superintendent of the Eailway Mail Service, with request that a specific report be furnished concerning the amount of mail lost and that which was rescued. Upon the receipt of same I will hasten to transmit it to you. In the meantime, I remain, &c, Eobt. J. Creighton, Esq., Samuel W. Backus, Eesident Agent, New Zealand Government, San Francisco, California. Postmaster. Sub-enclosure. The Postmaster, San Francisco, to the Superintendent of Foreign Mails, Washington. San Francisco Post Office, Office of the Postmaster, San Francisco, Cal., Sir,— 18th November, 1892. I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 12th instant. The missing mails for Windsor, Canada, were probably, with the other mails, destroyed by the burning of a storage mail-car on the Ogden and San Francisco R.P.0., near Wells, Nevada, on the evening of 28th October last. This train left San Francisco on the evening of 27th October, and carried all the mails for eastern destinations received ex s.s. " Mariposa " on that date. The Superintendent of Railway Mail Service for this division turned into this office on the 3rd instant the following mails, which were recovered from the wreck—viz. : One package letters and letter-bills for New York, from Adelaide, under date of the 29th of September; one package of letters and letter-bill for Chicago, from Brisbane, under date of the 30th of September; three packages of letters and letter-bill for Windsor, Canada ; from Brisbane, under date of the 30th of September. The letter-bill from Brisbane for Canada contained an entry of four registered articles, but they were not turned into this office. The recovered letters were " officially sealed " where necessary, postmarked, and forwarded to destinations. The letter-bills for Chicago and New York were sent to those offices with an explanatory letter, and the letter-bill for Windsor, Canada, was transmitted with a " bulletin of verification " to that office. I enclose herewith a copy of letter-bill from this office for Windsor, under date of 27th October, showing the number and character of the closed mails forwarded hence on that date. The New York office has advised me of the non-receipt of one bag from Adelaide for London, one bag from Adelaide for New York, and three bags from Queensland for New York. The Chicago, Boston, and Windsor offices have not returned the way-bills of this office. Very respectfully, Hon. N. M. Brooks, Samuel W. Backus, Postmaster. Superintendent, Foreign Mails, Washington, D.C.

Enclosure 4 in No. 70. The Postmaster, San Francisco, to Mr. Creighton. San Francisco Post Office, Office of the Postmaster, San Francisco, Cal., Dear Sir, —- Ist December, 1892. Eeferring to mine of 28th November, I beg to herewith transmit to you a copy of letter just received by me from Samuel Flint, Superintendent of the Eailway Mail Service of this city, which you will find to be self-explanatory. In case I come into possession of any further information, I will at once transmit it to you. Respectfully yours, Samuel W. Backus, E. J. Creighton, Esq., Postmaster. Resident Agent, New Zealand Government, San Francisco, California.

Sub-enclosure. The Superintendent of the Eailway Mail Service, San Francisco, to the Postmastbe, San Francisco. Eailway Mail Service, Office of Superintendent, Eighth Division, San Francisco, CaL, Sir,— 30th November, 1892. Eeferring to yours of the 29th instant, with accompanying letter from Eobert J. Creighton, Resident Agent for New Zealand, relating to the destruction of mail by fire on the Ogden and San Francisco Eailway Post Office: this fire occurred on 28th October in the storage mail-car of that