THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 115

be deemed infected districts within the mean-
ing and for the purposes of the abovemen-
tioned Act.
(L.S.)
Given under my hand, and issued
under the Public Seal of the
Province of Otago, at Dunedin,
this sixteenth day of February,
One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-four.
J. HYDE HARRIS,
Superintendent.
By His Honor's command,
THOMAS DICK,
Provincial Secretary.

Treasury, Auckland,
9th March, 1864.
HIS Excellency the Governor has been
pleased to approve of the appointment of
Mr. RICHARD CAMERON
to be a Clerk in the Savings Bank in Auck-
land.
T. RUSSELL,
In the absence of the Colonial Treasurer.

POSTAL.

Contract for Mail Service between Melbourne
and Dunedin.

General Post Office,
Auckland, 29th February, 1864.

THE following Articles of Agreement, with
Messrs. M'Meckan and Blackwood, for
Conveyance of Mails between Melbourne
and Port Chalmers, are published for general
information.
THOMAS BANNATYNE GILLIES,
Postmaster-General.

ARTICLES OF AGREEMENT made this ninth
day of December, in the year of our Lord
one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three,
between JAMES M'MECKAN and JOHN
HUTCHISON BLACKWOOD, of Melbourne, in
the colony of Victoria, merchants and ship-
owners, and who are hereinafter styled "the
contractors" of the one part, and HER MA-
JESTY'S POSTMASTER-GENERAL of the colony
of New Zealand, on behalf of the said colony,
in pursuance of the provisions of "The New
Zealand Post-office Act, 1858," of the other
part, witness, that for the considerations
hereinafter mentioned, the said contractors,
for themselves, their heirs, executors, and ad-
ministrators, covenant, and each of them, for
himself, his heirs, executors, and administra-
tors, covenants with the said Postmaster-
General and his successors in office, as
follows:-

1. The steamships "Aldinga" and "Al-
   hambra" shall, at the commencement of the
   contract service hereby provided for, and
   during the continuance of the same, be tight,
   stanch and strong, properly manned and
   equipped for sea, and shall be employed, as
   hereinafter mentioned, in the mail service
   between Melbourne aforesaid and Port
   Chalmers in New Zealand.

2. One of the said steamships shall, within
   twenty-four hours after the arrival of the Eu-
   ropean mail at the port of Melbourne afore-
   said, in each month, leave that Port
   for Port Chalmers aforesaid, and shall,
   unless prevented by tempestuous weather,
   call at the Bluff Harbour to land and receive
   mails, and shall deliver the mails at Port Chal-
   mers within one hundred and fifty-six hours
   from the hour of departure from Melbourne.
   Provided, that neither of the said steamships
   shall be required to wait at Melbourne for
   the European mail more than twenty-six
   hours after its due date for arrival there,
   and that one of the said steamships shall leave
   Melbourne for Port Chalmers at the expira-
   tion of that time, unless detained at Mel-
   bourne by the said Postmaster-General, or
   his agent, to wait the arrival of the English
   mail there for any time not exceeding a fur-
   ther period of ninety-six hours.

3. One of the said steamships shall leave
   Port Chalmers on the eighteenth day of each
   month (except the month of February), not
   earlier than two p.m. in the day; and on the
   sixteenth day of the month of February, not
   earlier than two p.m. on that day.

4. All Post-office Mails from England for
   New Zealand shall be taken from the
   European mail-ship, in Hobson's Bay, at
   Melbourne, by and at the expense of the
   contractors.

5. All Post-office Mails from New Zealand
   for England shall be delivered on board the
   European mail-ship, in Hobson's Bay, by
   and at the expense of the contractors.

6. The Post-office Mails for the northern
   ports of New Zealand shall be delivered by
   and at the expense of the contractors, on
   board a steamboat, to be provided by the
   said Postmaster-General, or his successors
   in office, and to be kept waiting at Port
   Chalmers for the arrival there of the steam-
   ship which may be employed in each month
   under this contract in conveying mails from
   Melbourne to New Zealand.

7. A chief cabin passage, free of cost
   either for passage or victualling, in each o
   the steamships employed under this contract,
   shall be provided on all occasions when
   required by the Governor of New Zealand,
   for an agent or clerk of the New Zealand
   Post-office; and, also, a safe and proper place
   of deposit for the mails, and proper accom-
   modation for enabling the mails to be sorted
   on board of the said steamships.

8. The sum of one hundred pounds shall
   be paid by the contractors to the said Post-
   master-General, or his successors in office, if
   on any occasion either of the said steamships
   shall not sail at the appointed time, and an
   additional sum of one hundred pounds shall
   be in like manner paid for every delay of
   twenty-four hours in sailing after the ap-
   pointed time; and the sum of two hundred
   pounds shall be in like manner paid whenever
   either of the said steamships shall not call at
   the Bluff Harbour, unless prevented from
   doing so by tempestuous weather.