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Enclosure. Sir,— Foreign Office, 21st July, 1885. Article XVIII. of the International Telegraph Convention requires that adhesions to that Convention should be notified to the signatory Powers by the country in which the last conference was held; and this duty therefore at present devolves upon Great Britain. As New Zealand, South Australia, Victoria, the Cape of Good Hope, Natal, and New South Wales are parties to this Convention, I am directed by the Marquis of Salisbury to request you to move Her Majesty's Secretary of State for the Colonies to cause the Governors of those colonies to be informed that the Colony of Tasmania has given its adhesion to the International Telegraph Convention, such adhesion to date from the Bth of July, 1885. I am at the same time to request that it may be further stated that the Colony of Tasmania will rank in the fourth class of States contributing, under Article LXXVI. of the Convention, to the expenses of the International Telegraph Office, the value of the franc being given as lOd. I have, &c., The Under-Secretary of State, Colonial Office. Philip W. Currie.

No. 3. (New Zealand, No. 49.) Sir, — Downing Street, 4th August, 1885. I have the honour to enclose for your information, and for communication to your Government, copy of a despatch which I have addressed to the Governor of New South Wales, together with copies of the two telegrams referred to in that despatch. I have, &c, ERED. STANLEY. Governor Sir W. E. D. Jervois, G.C.M.G., C.8., &c.

Enclosure 1. My Lord, — Downing Street, 4th August, 1885. Referring to your telegram of the 4th ultimo, on the subject of the mail service, and to my reply of the 23rd ultimo, I have the honour to inform you that Her Majesty's Government will immediately give notice to the Peninsular and Oriental Steamship Company to discontinue the present service at the conclusion of their contract, and are preparing to call for tenders for the services to India and China. The tenders are to be sent in by the 31st of March, 1886. I would remind you that on the last occasion it was made a subject of complaint that the Peninsular and Oriental Company, having already obtained the Imperial contract, were enabled to place the colonies at a disadvantage in negotiating their contracts; and I give you this early information of the proceedings of Her Majesty's Government in order to obviate any similar cause of complaint on this occasion; and I would point out that it may be of advantage to the colonies to arrange that the tenders for their services should be sent in not later than the date fixed by the Home Government for sending in the tenders for the India and China services. I have, &c., Fred. Stanley. Governor the Right Hon. Lord Augustus W. F. S. Loftus, G.C.8., &c.

Enclosure 2. Telegram from Governor of New South Wales to Colonial Office, dated 4th July, 1885. This Government propose to ask Parliament for extension of present contract with Orient Company, to terminate, concurrently with Victorian contract with P. and 0., in January, 1888. Negotiations with Victoria opened suggesting joint contract with both companies for weekly mail on similar basis as existing contract between this Government and Orient Company, such contract for nine or ten years, periodical review every three years as to delivery, time of mails, that all Australian Colonies might join. Governor.

Enclosure 3. Telegram from the Secretary of State for the Colonies to the Governor of New South Wales, dated 23rd July, 1885. Referring to your telegram of 4th July, it is understood that Colonial Governments propose to arrange for mails to point on China line. If so, you may consider that Her Majesty's Government withdraw from proposal contained in my telegram of February 3 for single contract entire service. Inform Australian Governments despatch follows by mail as to calling for tenders simultaneously.