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DEPARTURE FROM AMERICAN PORTS. No. 2. The Agent-General to the Hon. the Premier. Sir, — Westminster Chambers, 13, Victoria Street, London, S.W., 6th May, 1898. I beg to state that I have arranged with Messrs. R. W. Cameron and Co., of New York, to inform me by cablegram when the homeward New Zealand mails via San Francisco and Vancouver leave New York, and by what steamer they are being sent. I have, &c, The Hon. the Premier, Wellington. W. P. Reeves.

No. 3. The Resident Agent for New Zealand, San Francisco, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Sir,— San Francisco, 17th May, 1898. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of the 6th April [see No. 108, F.-6,1898] upon the question of a rearrangement of the dates of departure of the colonial mails from this port in order to afford additional time to correspondents in the eastern states to reply by return mail to communications received. I understand that no change is likely to be made during the currency of the existing contract, but that the matter will receive consideration when the new time-tables are compiled. I have, &c, W. Gray, Esq., H. Stephenson Smith, Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Resident Agent.

No. 4. The Hon. the Premier to the Agent-General. (Memorandum.) Premier's Office, Wellington, 15th June, 1898. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 6th May last, advising that you had arranged with Messrs. Cameron and Co., of New York, to inform you by cablegram when the homeward New Zealand mails vid San Francisco and Vancouver leave New York, and of the name of the steamer conveying them. The Hon. W. P. Reeves, W. C. Walker, Agent-General for New Zealand, London. For the Premier.

INTEKPEOVINCIAL SERVICES IN CONNECTION WITH THE SAN FEANCISCO AND VANCOUVER SEEVICES. No. 5. The Managing Director, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited), Sir, — Dunedin, sth February, 1898. I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of your favour of the 26th January [No. 113, E.-6, 1898], asking the terms on which we are prepared to renew the San Francisco interprovincial service, and also provide a coastal service for the Vancouver mails. Under the new time-table which you have enclosed, the interprovincial service will be even more onerous than in the past, as it will not fit in with our regular service, and will disarrange our connection with the through trains to and from New Plymouth. It will be necessary to have special sailings from Onehunga for the inward San Francisco mail and the outward Vancouver mail, while an extra service will be required to convey the inward Vancouver mail from New Plymouth. A special steamer will also be required each alternate Wednesday in connection with the southern train to convey both the outward San Francisco and Vancouver mails. For these services we shall require the same subsidy as hitherto—viz., £3,000 per annum for distributing both the inward and outward San Francisco mails; and a like amount (£3,000) for a similar connection with the Vancouver service. I may say that we hope, in about two months, to replace the "Mahinapua" with the "Rotoiti," which has been built on the Clyde especially for the service between Wellington and Onehunga; so that, with the " Takapuna " and "Rotoiti" on this line, the mail-connection will give you no cause for complaint. .1 have, &c, James Mills, The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Managing Director.