A.—No. 1

10

DESPATCHES FROM THE SECRETAY OF STATE

from you that it was the desire of the Colonial Government yet further to diminish the force, to take measures for carrying that desire also into effect. The discretion left to General Cameron was so far from being absolute, that as it was correctly interpreted by himself, it would not have justified his retarding in any degree the immediate execution of his instructions. It was in deference only to your own authoritative protest that he reluctantly consented to the delay which has actually occurred. This circumstance was, I presume, known to your Ministers. lam unable therefore to explain, and you do not assist me to explain, their Minutes, forwarded to me in your separate Despatch. Some misunderstanding evidently prevailed at the time when those communications were addressed to you; and Ido not now discuss them, because I cannot but believe that I shall soon hear that that misunderstanding has been dispelled. You will take care that your Ministers and the Assembly clearly understand that there is no change in the views of Her Majesty's Government. Having accepted with cordial satisfaction the Eesolutions passed by the Assembly of New Zealand in December last, their desire is, that the policy embodied in those Eesolutions may be completely carried into effect. I have, &c, Governor Sir George Grey, K.C.B. EDWAED CAEDWELL.

No. 4. Copy of a DESPATCH from the Eight Hon. Edward Cardwell, M.P., to Governor Sir George Grey, K.C.B. (No. 78.) Downing Street, 25th September, 1865. SIR,- — (Eeceived at Wellington, Bth December, 1865.) I have now received, and forward to you, the answer of the Secretary of State for War, to whom I communicated your Despatch of 23rd May, No. 73. Officers commanding Her Majesty's Troops in the Colonies are required to report to the Secretary of State for War —not through the Governor, and consequently through this Department —but directly ; and in the 195 th section of the Bules and Eegulations of Her Majesty's Colonial Service the following provision is made for cases in which those officers may think it incumbent upon them to make reports affecting the Governor of the Colony, or the orders given by him : — " The respective officers employed under the War Department are in all " cases, without exception, to give timely notice to Governors of any communi- " cations which they may intend to send home affecting such Governors, or the " orders given by them, so that Her Majesty's Government may be simul- " taneously made acquainted with the opinions of the Governors as well as those " of the officers in question on any matter on which it is requisite that the views " of both should be known." It is much to be regretted that this regulation was not observed by General Cameron, and that copies of the Despatches in question were not sent to you by him, before the Despatches themselves were sent to Earl de Grey. One of the mischievous consequences of this departure from the rules of the service on his part, probably has been that you, not unnaturally, have suspected that reports had been made by him unfavourable to yourself and your Ministers to a greater extent than you will find to have been the case. At the same time, however, I must observe, that the following Circular instruction was issued in 1858 by my predecessor in this office, viz.:— " When the Civil Governor of a Colony shall have occasion to report upon, " or bring under the consideration of the Secretary of State for the Colonies, " proposals involving military as well as civil considerations, or questions which " can only properly be decided by the Secretary of State for War, or with the " concurrence of the two Secretaries of State, the Governor will in that case " first communicate with the Officer commanding the Troops on such proposals "or questions; and having obtained that officer's opinion or observations " thereupon, he will transmit the same with his own report to the Secretary of " State."

Sept. 20, 1865.