P.—4,

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No. 29. Mr. Rose to the Secretary, General Post Office, Sydney. Sir, — General Post Office, Wellington, 21st February, 1878. I have the honor, by direction of the Postmaster-General, to forward, for your information, copy of further correspondence from the Agent-General for this colony in London relative to the payments made by Mr. Edward Cunningham in the matter of the old postal contract and the law expenses in connection therewith. I have, &c, Thomas Rose, The Secretary, General Post Office, Sydney. (for the Secretary.)

No. 30. The Agent-Geneeal to the Hon. the Postmaster-Geneeal. Sic, — 7, Westminster Chambers, London, S.W., 23rd November, 1877. I have the honor to inform you that I have received a communication from the Secretary to General Post Office (copy of letter and reply attached), stating that, inconsequence of new arrangements just concluded for the American Mail Packet Service, the despatch from London of the Australian and New Zealand mails on the evening of every fourth Thursday, and their conveyance by either the Inman or the White Star line, may be relied upon throughout the ensuing year. I feel sure that you will be glad to hear that this question, which appeared likely to be one of great difficulty, has now been so satisfactorily settled. I have, &c, Julius Voget,, The Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington. Agent-General.

Enclosure 1 in No. 30. Mr. Page to the Agent-General for New Zealand. Sir, — General Post Office, London, 19th November, 1877. I am directed by the Postmaster-General to acquaint you that, in consequence of new arrangements for the American Mail Packet Service just concluded, a fixed departure from Liverpool on Thursday in each week, and from Queenstown on the following day, has been secured. The despatch from London of the Australian and New Zealand mails on the evening of every fourth Thursday throughout the ensuing year, and the conveyance of such mails by a steam vessel of either the Inman or the White Star line, may therefore be relied upon. I have, &c, The Agent-General for New Zealand. Wm. Jas. Page.

Enclosure 2 in No. 30. The Agent- General for New Zealand to Mr. Page. Sic, — 7, Westminster Chambers, London, S.W., 19th November, 1877. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of this day, advising me of the new arrangements which have been concluded for the American Mail Packet Service and the departure of the Australian and New Zealand mails during the ensuing year. I beg you will convey to the Postmaster-General my thanks, and an expression of the satisfaction I feel that the Post Office has at length been able to arrange permanently for the despatch of the mails every fourth Thursday, in accordance with the desire so strongly expressed by Mr. Forster and myself on behalf of our two Governments. I venture to ask that the Post Office will cause publicity to be given to the fact that the New Zealand and New South Wales mails will be regularly despatched via San Francisco every fourth Thursday. I have, &c, Julius Vogel, William Jas. Page, Esq., General Post Office. Agent-General.

No. 31. The Hon. Mr. Fishek to the Agent-General. Sib,— General Post Office, Wellington, 23rd January, 1878. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 23rd of November last, and of the copies of the letters which accompanied it, from which I learn with much satisfaction that, in consequence of new arrangements for the American Mail Packet Service, the despatch from London of the Australian and New Zealand mails on the evening of every fourth Thursday, and their conveyance by either Inman or White Star line, may be relied upon throughout this year. I have, &c, The Agent-General for New Zealand, London. J. T. Fisher,