E.—No. 7a

force was not sufficient for such a movement, the same opinion must surely be entertained now, when the force has been reduced by I believe nearly 1000 men. 4. My own belief is so clear "that the force in the country is not and never has been sufficient for offensive operations, in a general insurrection, and that a campaigning winter must be disastrous to us, that I hope it will not be deemed impertinent in me to state that belief here. It was right and necessary to occupy Tataraimaka. When this was done the Government had just grounds for believing that its occupation would be made in peace. Now that the contingency of War has arisen, the General should be left perfectly free to choose the time, place, and circumstances when he may strike a decisive blow, and the Troops should not be called upon to do harassing escort duty and suffer the hardships of a winter in tents, merely to keep up a guerilla warfare. F. D. Belt.. Taranaki, 27th May, 1S63.

No. 7. MINUTE BY THE CiOVERXOK. The Governor thinks it his duty to offer the following remarks upon the Memorandum he received last night from his Responsible Advisers, and he feels sure that they will in the present critical state of affairs pardon him for doing so, and make allowances for the great weight of responsibility which he feels rests upon him. With regard to the question raised as to the power, or the contrary, of the Lieut.-General to undertake some decisive operation with the force now at his disposal in this Province, the Governor would remark that on the 25th instant the Lieut.-General, by taking every effective man in the Queen's troops from the Town of New Plymouth, could not collect a force of 500 infantry. The same day the troops marched from the town, which was left to be protected by the Militia and Volunteers, hostile Natives came down to its vicinity, an alarm was raised, and the Colonial Secretary recommended that the troops should be recalled to town. A force of 300 men is required every night for the protection of this town. The Militia and Volunteers consist collectively of about 385 effective men. A consideration of these facts will, the Governor thinks, show how totally impossible it would be, until further preparations are made, to undertake any decisive operation in the field at this point. Ministers appear to consider that the necessity of calling out the Militia and Volunteers depends upon whether any aggressive movement is to be made, or whether a merely defensive position is to be maintained. The Governor thinks he ought candidly to state that in the present condition of the country he cannot concur in this opinion, especially in as far as Auckland is concerned. He does not think that the regular forces now there, even when augmented by reinforcements from Taranaki, are adequate for the protection of the town of Auckland and its outlying settlements, and for the maintenance of our positions on the Waikato river, for so long a time as the tribes inhabiting the banks of that river seem so bent on mischief. Generally, upon the subject of the aggressive movement spoken of by Ministers, the Governor would observe, that if such a movement would cause a general rising, as would most probably be the case, it appears clear it never ought to be made until the settlements which might be endangered by it are put in a thorough state of defence, and this can best be done by having their Militia and Volunteers well drilled, in a thoroughly efficient state, and fit for immediate service. The Governor would submit to his Responsible Advisers that what requires to be done in the present emergency is, not to determine what should be done for the defence of the Colony in the event of a general rising taking place, but forthwith to take such active measures as may probably prevent such a rising, and may place the Colony in a thorough state of preparation for it, if such an event should unfortunately happen. By taking such a course we shall encourage our friends, dishearten our enemies, and place ourselves in a position of security. The Governor feels that he ought to express this opinion to his Advisers, for he has incurred a great responsibility in recommending the Home Government to send large reinforcements here, and he will find it difficult to justify his having done so unless the Colony, by making corresponding efforts, shows its sense of the danger which threatens it. The Governor, in conformity with the views of his Responsible Advisers, will recommend the Lieut.-General to withdraw the force from the Tataraimaka block whenever he thinks it expedient and convenient to do so. G. Geet. New Plymouth, Taranaki, . 28th May, 1863.

No. 9. MINUTE BY THE COIONTAL SECBETAEY. In his Excellency's Minute of yesterday, there omirs one passage which the Colonial Secretary feels himself bound to remark upon.

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COLONIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN NATIVE AFFAIRS.