answer, I am sorry to say, only in July; and therefore we shall perhaps have some enforced idleness; and then you must remember that we neither of us can remain for any very long time, especially as Featherston must resume his Government. So let your instructions for heaven's sake be explicit and complete. We have not seen the Crown Agents yet about the Conversion, but shall in a day or two go to them. Our credit generally seems good, and the news of Vogel's having placed the Treasury Bills does a service by showing confidence in us to exist in N. S. Wales, against the disservice done last mail to the letters from Victoria about the refusal to take our Bills at that place. Talking of letters, there is no doubt that very active correspondence is going on from New Zealand with the object of defeating our mission: and unless I am very much mistaken, we are receiving stabs in the dark from those who ought to hold their hand if they cant or wont help us. In all our talks with people here from the day we came, without exception, we have not only refrained from saying a single word against our predecessors in office, but on the contrary have spoken well of them and their services. I have reason to believe a different action has been taken by some of them; and at any rate there is no doubt that Whitmore has been very active (he has an uncle at the Horse Guards), for his opinion as being at this moment strongly adverse to the retention of the 18th was quoted against us by Lord Granville with evident complacency. I must now stop as the time is just on when we have to go to the Queen's Court. I tried to get out of it, but we were assured by Carnarvon that we must go, the invitation being for a special occasion. I shall send you an account next mail of how we performed our Kotoo. Yours very truly, F. D. Bell Hon. William Fox