D.—No. In.

No. 16. Intercolonial Eoyal Mail Company. Sydney and New Zealand. Sydney, May 13th. 1864. Sib,— •In the absence of Captain Hall, (who is on his voyage to England,) we have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 3rd instant, addressed to him in answer to his letter to you of the 20th April last, in which, for the reasons therein stated, you give notice that the payment of the subsidy for the line from Nelson to Otago in continuation of the Cook's Strait Intercolonial Line, will cease in three months from the date of your letter, that line having become unnecessary tor the Postal arrangements of the Colony. In Capt. Hall's letter to you, before referred to, he has gone fully into his reasons for objecting to "forego the subsidy at present paid to Cook's Strait Steamer for service south of Nelson," and has intimated his intention of referring the question at issue between you to his Directors : and we can only await their instructions upon the subject. AVhile reiterating, in accordance with our instructions, Capt. Hall's position—that the contract for the extra service before referred to, can only be terminated with the original contract ; nevertheless we beg to assure you that we shall at all times, on behalf of the Company, be most anxious and willing to meet your wishes in every respect, in carrying out the Postal arrangement to the satisfaction of the Government of New Zealand ; and in making any alterations therein 3 rou may suggest, which may not be prejudicial to the interest of the Company represented by us. AYe have Ac. rj- , (H. Lawson. S.gned.j B T HALr ; The Hon. the Postmaster General, New Zealand. No. 17. Intercolonial Eoyal Mail Company, Sydney and New Zealand. Sydney, June 15th, 1864. Sir,— AVith reference to the dates of Cook's Strait Steamer south of Nelson being overrun by those of West Coast steamer, we have the honor (pending receipt of letter from the Directors on this matter) to request, in pursuance of suggestion made to meet the case —that the Cook's Strait steamer should leave Sydney 15th of each month, instead of 25th, as hitherto : thus giving Nelson the English Mail about the 22nd, instead of 30th. as of late ; returning from Nelson the 3rd, and arriving at Sydney the 10th. We have, Ac. c . , C H. Lawson. Signed. | R T Hai ' The Hon. the Postmaster General, At-.,Ac, of New Zealand. . No. 18. The letter from the agent of the Company in Sydney dated 15th June, lSI.il-, was replied to by Mr. (lillies from Nelson on the 12th July, sanctioning the proposed arrangement, but no copy of the letter was forwarded to the Postmaster General's Office, Auckland. No. 19. Intercolonial Royal Mail Company, Sydney and new Zealand, Sydney, July 23rd, 1864. Sir,— I have the honor lo acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 12th, instant, agreeing to alteration of date of sailing of Strait's steamer from Sydney, from 25th to 15th of each month, with the arrangement that in the event ol the European Mail arriving late, the Auckland steamer should wait as hitherto to bring on the .Mails. In reply, 1 beg to inform you that arrangements have been made to have a steamer in readiness to carry out the alteration next month, and that in order to effect the change in the best manner, and facilitate course of correspondence between Straits Ports and Sydney, and also prevent disappointment which would occur without some such provision, 1 have given instructions for S. S. " Otago" leaving

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NEW ZEALAND MAIL SERVICE.