POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE.

Press, Volume XL, Issue 5860, 25 June 1884, Page 2

POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE.

[By Tblkjbaph.]

[FEOM OUB OOEBMPONDHHT.I WELLINGTON, June 24. Tne letter written by the Premier to Sir Dillon Bell asking him to continue to hold, the office of Agent-General for another two years was laid on the tabl»of the House to-day. It contains the followingpassage:—" The manner in which, whu& efficiently performing the ordinary duties of the Agent-Generalship, you conducted important financial operations and sero.ti&tiona of various kinds, gate, aa X kaov the highest satisfaction to : the Governments of Sir J. Hall and Sir P. Whitaker. My colleagues and myself feel strongly the same sense of satisfaction to your meterecent labors and ability shown by you fox dealing with the question of Federation., aud Annexation, and the more prening one of the mode in which the Freaca, Government have acted, and propose toact, with respect to the criminals of thai country. Tho Government heliore that the people of New Zealand shwce those feelings, and would learn with that yon were to be the representative of the colony in London during; tae ;eu» 1885 and 1886 "

The first instalment of the I tarns , Doomsday Book -traa laid befon Pailia. ' ment to-day. The book, it appears, consists of a full list of the freeholders in the colony, giving the name of the owaer,., separating his • properties into country lands and lands in boroughs and town districts, giving the area and value iaeach. county, borough, &c., and the total value ofc his freehold possessions in the colony. Only those whose name commence with the.letter B are dealt with in the present instalment.

A return has been prepared showing the. cost of collecting Customs revenue at each port of entry in the colony. The cost of. collecting taking the entire colony, it [ appears, amounts to £2 12a 4d per oeai In the United Kingdom the average is £&?■ 8j 7d per cent Taking the individual ports, it appears that the cost varied from jei 12s 6d per cent, at Tauranga to £29 <&. 10d at Hokianga. At Dunedin the ceet,. : was j>2 3s 9d; at Chrietchurch and Lyttel-. ten, £2 17e 7dj and at Nelson JB2 16s 7d.. par cent. Some particulars of the Island of Baps, so often referred to recently in connection with the annexation question, are con- ■ tamed in some dispatches published to-day. Sir Dillon Belt in a letter to the Under* Secretary of State for the Colonies, remarks that it is situated in the direofc track between Panama and Sew Zealand, and [ has an exceptionally fine harbor.which must ' become of high importance when the canal is made, and which the .New. Zealand Government are extremely anxious should, not be allowed to pass under the domiaioa of a foreign power. - - Bapa, the' latter adds, is in about 27i degrees sooth list., and 141 degrees west long., about 700iaila» to the south-east of the Society Group, aud two-thirds the distance between Panama and Wellington. Its position, makes the harbor it possesses, which has been described as a perfect one, of the flirt - importance to the Australian colonies is view of the trade that will pass through the Panama Canal. During, the tune of the Panama mail contract with the ETew Zealand Government, in 1863, Captain. Vino Hall, commandingjthe mail steamer Buahine, established a eo&ling station 6a the island for his Company. He fon|&4 one French flag flying and a French . dent there. It seems that the Governor of Tahiti had taken possession a few moniih* before on the ground that the island .iraj one of the " dependencies" of Tahiti, jaa when Eapa was chosen as the coaling eta- ~ tion for the Panama steamers the French resident had been sent there in the Fwfrtcb man-of-wsr transport, La Dorade. Itwa* stated at that time, tflat about Junior July, 1868, a French man-of-war had called at Eapa and obtained e> &+- ---sion of it from some of the chwfcj but that the validity of the oes#» was denied by other chiefs. Sir.Di3ok questions the title of the French totta island, and expresses the opinion W» possession .by a Foreign Power wottldma case of war be a very serious danger wav that part of the commerce of atisawMand New Zsaland which will pass throw* ? the Panama Canal, and would affect the important naval qaMtioUj « coaling statione in the Pacific iew*- la conclusion, he suggests that New Zeatae would be ready to undertake ita.adflfWßtrationif desired by the Imperial QoH** ment. Lord Derby, in reply, ««I!»V "apprehended" that Her Majeatj '+)■'**' vernment were not in a JW i fo%™j t zl any action with regard to the islw»s. W* added that he was in, the Foreign flffice on the/subject- -• , /;