THE PANAMA MAIL SERVICE.

17

E.—No. 2

No. 15. Copy of a Letter from Mr. G. Eliott Eliott to the Secretary, General Post Office, London. General Post Office, Sir, — Wellington, 17th January, 1868. I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your letter noted in the margin, forwarding copies of an amended Table of Rates of Postage to be accounted for by New Zealand upon correspondence forwarded to other British Colonies, and to Foreign Countries, through the United Kingdom, in the mails sent via Panama, and to thank you for the same. I have, &c, G. Eliott Eliott, The Secretary, General Post Office, London. (for the Postmaster-General.)

Not. 1, 1867.

No. 16. Copy of a Letter from the Hon. John Hale to the Secretary, General Post Office, London. General Post Office, Sir,— Wellington, 13th August, 1867. I have the honor to inform you that representations have been made to this Department that serious inconvenience is sustained by many persons in New Zealand, in consequence of correspondence sent from hence via Panama, addressed to Brazil, Uruguay, La Plata, and other places on the East Coast of South America, being sent to London before being forwarded to destination., It is stated that there are steamers running regularly every month from St. Thomas to Rio Janeiro, and that if the letters above mentioned were sent by these steamers, their delivery would be greatly expedited. I shall feel much obliged by your informing me whether arrangements can be made for this purpose. I have, &c, John Hall, The Secretary, General Post Office, London. Postmaster-General.

No. 17. Copy of a Letter from Mr. F. Hill to the Hon. John Hall. General Post Office, Sir, — London, Ist January, 1868. I am directed by the Postmaster-General to inform you that, upon receiving your letter of the 13th of August last, he wrote to the Postmaster-General of the United States with the view of ascertaining whether arrangements could be made for giving effect to your wishes in regard to the transmission, by means of the United States Packets which touch at St. Thomas, on their way from New York to Rio de Janeiro, of correspondence from New Zealand for Brazil and the River Plate. In reply, the Postmaster-General states, that as the United States Post Office has no means of collecting any United States postage on the delivery of letters for Brazil, it will bo necessary for the New Zealand Post Office, should it desire to avail itself of the United States Packets for the transmission of the correspondence to Brazil, to collect in advance the United States postage, viz.: 10 cents, or sd. sterling, per half-ounce on letters, and 2 cents, or Id., on each newspaper. To these rates, of course, the British sea postage, 4d. per half-ounce for letters, and Id. for each newspaper, for conveyance from Colon to St. Thomas, must be added, making altogether a postage of 9d. per half-ounce for letters, and 2d. for each newspaper, to be accounted for by the New Zealand Post Office. This postage must be brought to account in. the letter bill for the British Post Office Agency at St. Thomas; and the correspondence should be tied up in separate bundles, properly labelled. Upon each letter and newspaper the combined British and United States postage, for which credit is given in the letter bill, should be distinctly marked in the usual manner. The packet in question proceeding only as far as Rio, no letters for Uruguay, or other countries beyond Brazil, can be forwarded by them. I have to add that due notice should be given to this office of the date at which you propose to commence the new arrangement, in order that the United States Post Office, and the agents of this department may be informed accordingly. I have, &c, The Postmaster-General, Wellington. F. Hill.

No. 18. Copy of a Letter from Mr. G. Eliott Eliott to the Secretary, General Post Office, London. General Post Office, Sir,— Wellington, 17th March, 1868. I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your letter of Ist January last, with reference to the transmission of correspondence from New Zealand for Brazil and the River Plate, by means of the United States Packets which touch at St. Thomas on their way to Rio do Janeiro, and to inform you that this Department will commence on the Bth July next, to forward correspondence for the places referred to, in accordance with the instructions contained in your letter. I have, &c, G. Eliott Eliott, The Secretary, General Post Office, London. (for the Postmaster-General.)