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No. 247. The Hon. the Peemiee to the Agent-Geneeal. (Telegram.) Wellington, 13th December, 1898. As no change Vancouver or Sydney-Auckland connection, will not protest London sending accumulated correspondence by intermediate Federal mail. Secondly, Vancouver time-table framed mails catch American line Wednesday. If Pacific running not improved, will consider earlier departure colony.

No. 248. The Agent-Geneeal to the Hon. the Peemiee. Westminster Chambers, 13, Victoria Street, London, S.W., Sic,— 13th December, 1898. Referring to my letter of the 6th October last [not printed] relating to the Vancouver mail-service, I beg to transmit herewith copy of further correspondence with the Imperial Post Office, by which it will be seen that it has been decided to send all correspondence posted up to Friday evening following a despatch of the San Francisco mail, by the route vid Suez and Australia. I have, &c, The Hon. the Premier, Wellington. W. P. Reeves.

Enclosure 1 in No. 248. The Secbetaby, General Post Office, London, to the Agent-Geneeal. Sic, — General Post Office, London, 2nd November, 1898. With reference to the letters addressed to you from this office on the 17th and 23rd September last [neither printed], and to the interview which I had with Mr. Kennaway on the 28th of that month, on the question which it has been found necessary to raise of modifying the present arrangements under which the whole of the correspondence from this country for New Zealand is sent vid San Francisco and vid Vancouver alternately, I am now directed by the Post-master-General to ask you to be good enough to let him know whether you have yet received any reply from the Colonial Government to the inquiry which was understood to be about to be made by telegraph. I am, &c, The Hon. W. P. Reeves, Agent-General for New Zealand. H. Buxton Foeman.

Enclosure 2 in No. 248. The Secbetaby to the Agent-Genebal to the Seceetaey, General Post Office, London. Sic, — 13, Victoria Street, Westminster, S.W., 3rd November, 1898. I am directed by the Agent-General to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 2nd instant, relative to the transmission of the correspondence from this country to New Zealand, and in reference thereto to state that, in reply to a cablegram forwarded to the New Zealand Government on the 28th September last [see No. 228], the Agent-General was informed that a statement bearing on the question would be sent by first mail, and pending its arrival his Government desired that no change be made in the arrangements. The Agent-General expects this statement to come to hand very shortly, and immediately on its receipt he will again communicate with you on the matter. I am, &c, The Secretary, General Post Office, E.C. Waltee Kennaway.

Enclosure 3 in No. 248. The Seceetaey, General Post Office, London, to the Agent-Geneeal. Sib, — General Post Office, London, 9th November, 1898. With reference to the recent correspondence on the subject of the delay sustained by letters for New Zealand posted in time for transmission vid Suez, but kept back in this office at the request of the New Zealand Government to be forwarded by way of Vancouver, I am directed by the Postmaster-General to send to you, as bearing upon the necessity which seems to him to exist for some modification of the present arrangements, the enclosed extract from the New Zealand Herald of the 30th September, 1898. The matter is clearly one of considerable urgency, and the Postmaster-General would be glad to hear from you at the earliest possible moment after the arrival of the statement which you were expecting to receive shortly from New Zealand when your letter of the 3rd instant was written. I am, &c, The Agent-General for New Zealand. W. Roche, for the Secretary.

Sub-enclosure to Enclosure 3 in No. 248. Exteact feom New Zealand Herald of the 30th Septembeb, 1898. " Unfobtunately, the establishment of the Vancouver service has seriously affected the mails vid Suez. We have now mails by this route every week in Australia, and these are brought on to