present; and a communication on this subject office, should be fixed for the commencement
will be made by Her Majesty's Secretary of of the same measure in New Zealand.
State for the Colonies to the Government of
New Zealand. Such increased charge has
been levied, for some time past, for the reason
above stated, on Books sent via Suez between
this Country and India, Hong Kong, Mau-
ritius and Ceylon.

I am,
ROWLAND HILL.

The Postmaster General, &c.,
Auckland, New Zealand.

As in the case of Letters, the Book postage
will be collected in advance on either side, and
retained by the Office collecting it.

The same arrangements will be applicable to
Mails transmitted between New Zealand and
this Country by Private Ship.

I am, &c.,
ROWLAND HILL.

The Postmaster General,
&c., &c., &c.,
Auckland, New Zealand.

General Post Office,
November 11th, 1856.

SIR,-Under the new arrangements for the
compulsory prepayment of the correspondence
contained in the mails between the United
Kingdom and the Australian Colonies, which,
as explained in my letter of the 18th ultimo,
will come into operation next year, on the com-
mencement of the Packet Service viâ Suez, an
amended form of Letter Bill will be required.

I have accordingly caused two forms of
Letter Bill, adapted to the purpose, to be drawn
up, one for the mails from New Zealand viâ
Marseilles, and the other for the mails viâ
Southampton, copies of which, and also of
the necessary forms for acknowledging the
mails received at New Zealand from England,
I enclose; and I request that you will be good
enough to give directions to your officers to use
Letter Bills and acknowledgements of this
pattern for the correspondence with this
country.

As far as at present arranged, the first
Packet under the contract with the Admiralty
will be dispatched from Southampton on the
24th February next, and thenceforward the
date of departure will be fixed for the 12th of
each month. On the other side, the first Packet
will leave Sydney on the 23rd January, and
the others will follow on the 11th of each
month.

The arrangements for the compulsory pre-
payment of postage will be carried into effect in
the United Kingdom immediately after the de-
parture of the last Packet viâ the Cape of Good
Hope, which is appointed to leave Southampton
on the 12th January next, and I beg leave to
suggest that the same date, if possible, or a date
as near that period as may be convenient to your

General Post Office,
11th November, 1856.

SIR,-Referring to that part of my letter of
the 18th ultimo, in which I stated that, by the
following mail, I would furnish you with a list
of the rates of postage to be collected in New
Zealand upon letters forwarded to the United
Kingdom for transmission thence to other
British Colonies, or to foreign countries,
enclose six copies of a Table which contains that
information.

The rates set down in this Table are the
sums to be accounted for to this office, and
these sums will be the same whether the letters
reach England via Marseilles, via Southampton,
or by a private steamer or sailing vessel coming
by the long sea route.

In addition to these rates, the letters will be
liable to the postage chargeable for their con-
veyance from New Zealand to the United
Kingdom, according to the route by which they
are sent. That portion will belong to, and
will be retained by the Colony in all cases ex-
cept where the letters are despatched to this
country vid Marseilles Upon all letters so
forwarded, your office will, of course, have to
account to this office for the French transit rate
in the same manner that that rate is to be ac-
counted for on the letters addressed to the
United Kingdom itself, which are forwarded
via Marseilles.

The necessary provision for this arrangement
has been made in the pattern Letter Bill trans-
mitted to you in another communication of this
day's date.

I further enclose a Table shewing the rates
to be accounted for to this office upon newspapers
forwarded to the United Kingdom, for trans-
mission thence to British Colonies or Foreign
Countries.

In conclusion, I beg to remind you that these
rates only apply to letters and newspapers sent
through the United Kingdom.

Upon letters and newspapers addressed to
any of the places mentioned in the Table,
which you do not forwrad through the United
Kingdom, but which you send in the mail made
up at your office for France, or in the Mails
for the Austrian Post Office at Alexandria,
(that is letters marked "via Trieste,") no
postage will be payable by your office to this
department.

I am,
ROWLAND HILL.

The Postmaster General, &c.,
Auckland, New Zealand.