17

F.—4a,

Weight of the Australian Mails received via San Francisco in transit (overland) to New York and despatched by the following named Steamers to Great Britain: — Date of Despatch. Steamer. Weight of Letters. Printed and Other Matter. 1867. lb. oz. grammes. lb. oz. grammes. Feb. 23 Java ... ... 876 9 or 397,524 6,188 0 or 2,806,311 April 19 Bothnia ... ... 1,092 5| or 495,382 7,007 10 or 3,177,985 May 13 City of Richmond ... 1,095 6| or 496,742 5,907 4 or 2,678,961 July 8 Germanic ... ... 1,078 14 or 489,274 6,861 5| or 3,111,675 Aug. 5 City of Montreal ... 1,037 7 or 493,157 7,119 2 or 3,228,551 Sept. 30 City of Richmond ... 1,060 13 or 481,082 6,405 1 or 2,904,721 6,291 6 or 2,853,161 39,488 6$ or 17,908,204 lb. oz. grammes. Recapitulation: Total weight of letters ... ... ... 6,291 6 or 2,853,161 printed matter ... ... 39,488 6^ or 17,908,204 45,779 12* or 20,761,365 Letters, say f; printed matter, &c, f, instead of T V and H. For a rough estimate in the United States it is found that 50 letters equal lib. ; lib. letters therefore charged 525 cents, equal to 1 cent and a small fraction each; 6 packets printed and other matter (lib. printed matter), at 175 cents, equals nearly 3 cents for each.

Enclosure 2 in No. 29. Special Aeeanoement between the General Post Offices of the United Kingdom and the United States, fixing Rates of Territorial Transit Charges on British Closed Mails conveyed across the American Continent, between Boston or New York and San Francisco. Wheeeas Article X. of the treaty concerning the formation of a general Postal Union, signed at Berne, October 9, 1874, provides that the territorial transit charges on the mails conveyed across the United States of America by the railways between New York and San Francisco shall continue to form the object of special arrangements between the Post Offices concerned : And whereas the territorial transit rates for the conveyance of correspondence in closed mails through the United States, fixed by the eleventh article of the Postal Convention, of 7th and 24th November, 1868, between the General Post Office of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the General Post Office of the United States of America, were, by a notice of one year, terminated on the 24th August, 1876 : The undersigned, being thereunto duly authorized by their respective Governments, and acting for and in behalf of the General Post Offices of the United Kingdom and of the United States respectively, do hereby agree that the territorial transit charges to be paid by the British Post Office to the United States Post Office on the British closed mails conveyed on and after the 24th August, 1876, across the territory of the United States between Boston or New York and San Francisco, shall be six francs per kilogramme of letters, and two francs per kilogramme of newspapers, other printed matter, and patterns and samples of merchandise. This agreement shall be terminable at any time on a notice by either office of one year. In testimony whereof the undersigned have subscribed their names and affixed their seals hereto, at Washington, in duplicate original, this 6th day of October, 1876. Edwaed Tiioenton, H.B.M.'s Minister. Jas. N. Tynee, Postmaster-General of the United States.

No. 30. The Hon. the Postmastee-Geneeal to the Agent-Geneeal. Sir,— General Post Office, Wellington, 17th August, 1878. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 17th June last, relative to the question of transit rates on mail matters conveyed across the American continent, and enclosing copies of correspondence forwarded you by Sir Daniel Cooper and Mr. Forster, Agent-General for New South Wales, with whom you had been in communication on the subject. The information furnished in the enclosures is of a most satisfactory character. I have, Ac, Sir Julius Vogel, K.C.M.G., Agent-General for New Zealand. J. T. Fishee. By Authority : Georgb Didsbuet, Goyernment Printer, Wellington. —1878. Price Is.] 3—E. 4a.