THE PANAMA MAIL SERVICE.

21

E.—No. 2.

No. 32. Copy of a Letter from Mr. G. Eliott Ehott to tho Secretary, General Post Office, Sydney. General Post Office, Sir,— Wellington, 26th February, 1868. I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your letter No. 6817, of 20th ultimo, stating that a further communication had been addressed to the Tasmanian Government respecting the rate to be charged against that Colony for Mails conveyed via Panama, and I am directed to inform you that it is presumed you are aware that the Tasmanian Post Office is getting credit for postage collected in London on correspondence by this route. I have, &c, G. Eliott Eliott, The Secretary, General Post Office, Sydney. Secretary.

No. 33. Copy of a Letter from Mr. J. Dalqabno to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. General Post o.ffic3, Sic,— Sydney, 30th March, 1868. I do myself the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter (F. 68-41) dated 26th ultimo, and am directed by the Honorable the Postmaster-General to state in reply, that since direct mails have been made up in London for Tasmania and other non-contracting Colonies, as agreed upon in the letter from the London Office dated 19th June last, those Colonies have doubtless received credit for postage collected in London, to which they are fully entitled. The charge of twenty shillings per lb. has of course been debited to the Colonies on all mails to and from, that have passed through this office, and it is presumed that the same course has been adopted by r you in the case of mails passing through the Wellington office. I may add, that a Statement of Account to the 31st December, 1867, has lately been forwarded to the various non-contracting Colonies. I have, &c, Jas. Dalqabno, The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. (for Secretary).

No. 31. Copy of a Letter from the Hon. John Hall to the Postmaster-General, Sydney. General Post Office, Sir,— Wellington, Bth June, 1868. I have the honor to inform you that in consequence of the contemplated acceleration of the mail service between Southampton and Aspinwall, the Panama steamers will, in future, be due in Sydney on the 28th or 29th of each month, according as the previous month may have contained thirty or thirty-one days. The date for the despatch of the steamer from Sydney for Panama cannot at present be fixed later than the 2nd of the month, but it is hoped that a further improvement in this respect will eventually be effected. I have, &c, John Hall, The Hon. the Postmaster-General, Sydney. Postmaster-General.

No. 35. Copy of a Letter from Mr. 8. 11. Lambton to the Seceetaey, General Post Office, Wellington. General Post Office, Sic,— Sydney, 2nd July, 1868. I am directed to acknowledge the receipt of the Hon. the Postmaster-General's letter of the Bth ultimo, intimating that the Panama Mail Steamers will, in future, be due in Sydney on the 28th or 29th of each month, according as the previous month may have contained thirty or thirty-one days; and also that the despatch of the Panama Mail from Sydney will be on the 2nd of each month, instead of the Ist as heretofore. I have, &c, The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, S. 11. Lambton, New Zealand. Secretary.

General Post Office,

No. 36. Copy of a Letter from the Hon. John Hall to the Seceetaey, General Post Office, London. General Post Office, Sic,— Wellington, 13th May, 1868. I beg leave to draw your attention to the frequent delays which have for some months past taken place in the arrival at Colon of the Royal Mail Steamers from Southampton, and which delays have so seriously retarded the arrival of the mail steamers from Panama to New Zealand and Australia as very greatly to detract from the value of this service to those Colonies.