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evening train, and the mail is despatched on the morning train ("Lucania" and "Campania" generally arrive in New York before midnight on Friday), the departure from here will be Wednesday, but should the mail arrive in time for the Friday evening's train from New York, which was the case once this year, and the mai arrive here on Wednesday, a day ahead of time, the time of departure may be made 2 p.m. on Wednesday. If the overland train is continued, as is probable, it will be well to calculate on this change, in event the " Campania " and " Lucania " are returned to the course. By the "Etruria" and " Dmbria" bringing the mails we can hardly look for the Wednesday day of departure from here. Yours, &c, J. D. Speeokels and Beothees Company, Per L. F. Cockeoet. P.S.—A further delay of six hours put the sailing off until Friday at 9 a.m. Mr. James Mills, Managing Director, Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited), Dunedin.

No. 28. The Secbetaby, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Eesident Agent for New Zealand, San Francisco. Post and Telegraph Department, General Post Office, Sic,— Wellington, 23rd January, 1896. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 11th December last and enclosures, advising me of the acceleration of the train-service between the Atlantic sea-board and San Francisco, and informing me of the action taken by you in the direction of changing the sailing date of the steamers from your port to the Wednesday instead of the Thursday. In reply, I beg to inform you that the Postmaster-General desires that every advantage should be taken of'the accelerated train-service, and that, if practicable, Wednesday should be substituted for Thursday as the sailing-day, as suggested. My letter of the 20th idem, in reply to yours of the 14th November, will have informed you that I had written to the Union Steam Ship Company, asking that arrangements might be made with Messrs. Spreckels and Brothers Company for a Wednesday departure of the steamers from San Francisco, and I now enclose copy of their reply, and copy of letter from Messrs. Spreckels to the Union Steam Ship Company on the same subject. From these you will gather that the contractors are quite willing to adopt Wednesday as a sailing-day. Mr. Mills, managing director of the Union Steam Ship Company, is a passenger by the " Monowai," and I have taken the opportunity to ask him to arrange with Messrs. Spreckels and Brothers Company to change the sailing-day to the Wednesday if it is still reasonably certain that the accelerated train-service will be continued, and that the London mails will continue to be despatched by the fastest steamers on the Atlantic line. I have, &c, H. Stephenson Smith, Esq., W. Geay, Secretary. Eesident Agent for New Zealand, San Francisco.

No. 29. The Seceetaby, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Managing Dibectoe, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin. Post and Telegraph Department, General Post Office, Sic,— Wellington, 24th January, 1896. I have the honour to acknowledge, with thanks, the receipt of your letter of the 10th instant, covering one received from Messrs. Spreckels and Brothers Company regarding the proposed alteration in the sailing-day of the mail-steamers from San Francisco to Auckland. I have, &c, The Managing Director, Union Steam Ship Company W. Geay, Secretary, of New Zealand (Limited), Dunedin.

No. 30. The Hon. the Pbemieb to the Agent-Geneeal. Sic, — Premier's Office, Wellington, sth February, 1896. I have the honour to enclose herewith copy of a letter, of the 9th ultimo, from the Eesident Agent for New Zealand in San Francisco, in reference to the despatch of the colonial mails from San Francisco. You will observe that the selection by the British Post Office of the " Aurania " and the " Umbria " for the transport of the New Zealand mails to New York is likely not only to delay the mails, but also to neutralise the advantages which are secured by the acceleration of the train running between New York and San Francisco, representing a gain of twelve hours in the overland transit. I shall therefore be glad if you will represent to the London Post Office the propriety of arranging for the despatch of the colonial mails to New York by the swiftest vessels, such as the "Campania" and the "Lucania." I have, &c, The Agent-General for New Zealand, London. E, J. Seddon. 2—F. 6.