F.—6.

14

Enclosure in No. 44. The Eesident Agent for New Zealand, San Francisco, to the Manager of the HamburgAmeeican Packet Company, New York. Sir, — San Francisco, 16th May, 1896. I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of your communication of the 11th instant, as well as to confirm the telegrams that have passed between us in regard to the detention of the steamship " Normannia " at your port in order to make connection with the New York Central and Hudson Eiver Eailroad express from the Pacific Coast. The courtesy of your action in making this connection again places the Government of New Zealand under an obligation to your company, which, I feel assured, will be appreciated at its true worth; and it will afford me much pleasure to •direct the attention of my Government to the cheerful and liberal spirit in which the HamburgAmerican Packet Company has rendered a valuable service to its interests. Again expressing my highest appreciation of your actions, I have, &c, H. Stephenson Smith, Eesident Agent, New Zealand Government. Emil Boas, Esq., Manager of the Hamburg-American Packet Company, New York.

No. 45. The Eesident Agent for New Zealand, San Francisco, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Sic,— San Francisco, 25 th May, 1896. I have the honour to report for your information that I am in receipt of a communication from Mr. Kennaway, Secretary to the Department of the Agent-General in London, under date of the 29th of April, informing me that, on account of the Cunard Steamship Company having already arranged the time-table for the departure of their steamers from Liverpool, it will be impossible at present to so re-arrange the same that the " Campania" or "Lucania " can be substituted for the " Umbria" to convey the outward mails for the colonies; and, further, directing my attention to the fact that the information contained in my communication to you of the 9th of January last, stating that the " Aurania " would be used for this purpose, was erroneous. Upon review of the information in my hands at the date of the letter referred to, I find that I have inadvertently confused the " Aurania " with the " Umbria " in the first portion of that communication, which is regretted; but the record of the voyages of the " Umbria" since then has demonstrated that the remarks then made in reference to the " Aurania " apply with equal force to the "Umbria," as her arrivals at New York have always been two or three hours too late to connect with the fast express leaving on Saturday at 4 p.m., and which reaches this city upon Wednesday evening. I have, &c, W. Gray Esq., H. Stephenson Smith, Secretary of the Post and Telegraph Department, Eesident Agent. Wellington, New Zealand.

No. 46. The Hon. the Peemiee to the Agent-Geneeal. Sic, — Premier's Office, Wellington, 3rd June, 1896. I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 16th April last, informing me of the negotiations which will be undertaken by the Secretary of the General Post Office, London, with a view to arranging for the despatch of the Colonial mails via San Francisco from the United Kingdom to New York by the swiftest steamers. I have, &c, The Hon. W. P. Eeeves, E. J. Seddon. Agent-General for New Zealand, London.

No. 47. The Seceetaby, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Besident Agent for New Zealand, San Francisco. Post and Telegraph Department, General Post Office, Sib,— Wellington, 11th June, 1896. Eeferring to your letter of the 9th January last, acknowledged on the sth February, in reference to the selection by the British Post Office of the " Aurania " and " Umbria " for the transport of the New Zealand mails to New York, I have the honour to inform you that the matter has been represented by the Agent-General for this colony in London to the British Post Office, and that, from the reply received, there seems to be some misunderstanding about the " Aurania." You would learn from the Hon. Mr. Eeeves's letter that the " Aurania " had not carried the New Zealand mails for more than a year, and that the difference between the performances of the " Campania " and " Lucania " and those of the " Btruria" and " Umbria" are not so marked as the difference between the performances of the last-named steamers and the " Aurania." I have, &c, H. Stephenson Smith, Esq., W. Gray, Secretary. Eesident Agent for New Zealand, San Francisco.