ZEALAND TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE.

7

A.—No. 1

Enclosure 1 in No. 7. Copy of a Memorandum by Mr. Stafford. Ministers advise that the Legislative Council be informed that, in accordance with the request expressed in their Address, the accompanying Eesolutions will be sent to the Secretary of State for the Colonies. Ministers will submit a Memorandum on the subject in time for transmission by the next mail to England. 26th October, 1865. E. W. Stafford.

Enclosure 2 in No. 7. Copy.of a Memorandum by His Excellency the Goveenoe. The Governor has received from his Eesponsible Advisers a Memorandum upon the subject of the Eesolutions of the Legislative Council of yesterday's date, reflecting in strong terms upon the retention of Her Majesty's regular forces in the Colony. The Governor trusts that he may be made acquainted with the views of his present Eesponsible Advisers upon the periods at which the whole of Her Majesty's regular forces now in New Zealand are to leave the Colony, in order that an understanding may be come to upon the subject before the General Assembly is prorogued. Government House, Wellington, 26th October, 1865. G. Grey.

Enclosure 3 in No. 7. Copy of a Memoeandum by Mr. Stafford. Ministers desire to express their views on the question raised by His Excellency's Memorandum of the 26th instant, and certain Eesolutions passed by the Legislative Council. Ministers would, however, in the first place, direct His Excellency's attention to the fact that the Eesolutions were passed near the close of the session by one branch of the Legislature only—the Legislative Council. That about one-half of the members were absent from the place of sitting, comprising all the members of that body (except the Speaker) most deeply interested in the question, from their connection with the districts lately the seat of war. Ministers did not desire, at that period of the Session, to use the power they might have used, ot placing gentlemen in the Council to ensure a more general expression of opinion, notwithstanding that the late Ministry whom they superseded had added ten new members to the Council. Ministers deem it right to state these facts in order that a proper estimate may be arrived at of the value to be attached to the Eesolutions, with respect to the questions raised by them. Ministers would also observe, that they can scarcely think that those Members who did support the Eesolutions were aware of the implied censure cast on His Excellency with respect to action taken in a grave emergency under a sense of individual responsibility on this question resting peculiarly on the Eepresentative of the Crown. The only occasion on which His Excellency appears to have interposed to delay but for a few months the departure of a portion of Her Majesty's troops was in May last; and Ministers desire to state that they entirely agree in the sufficiency of the reasons advanced in His Excellency's Despatches to General Cameron of May and June last, for delaying the removal of the troops referred to from the recently disturbed district in which they were stationed. With respect to the whole question, Ministers would observe that the late Ministry had been unable to obtain the consent of the present Parliament to the measures they deemed necessary to ensure the success of their plans for raising a Colonial army. The present Parliament, elected five years ago, before the rapid expansion of the population of the southern portion of New Zealand, does not now fairly represent the whole country, a Bill being now before the Legislature to add thirteen Members to that part of the Colony. The present Parliament being also about to expire by effluxion of time, it was deemed desirable, and was the evident wish alike of the House and the country, that the decision of the question of the future defence of the country should be left to the new Parliament. That question must now in a few months bo decided. The position of the present Ministry is this : When they came into office some ten days since, they found that of the five regiments which the Imperial authorities had desired to be sent home, one was on the eve of embarking, and orders had been issued by His Excellency for the immediate despatch to England of the remaining four regiments. Ministers were satisfied to leave these arrangements undisturbed, especially as the whole question involved would necessarily require to be decided after the country generally had expressed its voice with respect to it at the approaching elections ; and in the meantime, as stated by the First Minister in the House of Eepresentatives, Ministers have made provision for a sufficient force to repress any outrage that may occur on the part of the Natives. When the new Parliament has been assembled, and the whole question of the future defence of the Colony remitted to its consideration and decision, Ministers will be prepared to propose such measures as in their judgment will provide for the future defence of the country. At the same time, Ministers deem it their duty frankly to state, that they are firmly convinced that the Colony, in its present exhausted state, after three years of a most expensive war, is as utterly unable to raise and maintain a standing force of the amount contemplated in Mr. Weld's Memorandum of the 20th March last, as it has been to pay the contribution of £40 a head demanded in respect of the Imperial troops, and that no propjosal to provide for a force of that amount would be entertained by the next Parliament. Ministers submit that, pending the decision of the next Parliament on a question of such supreme importance to the Colony, all the arrangements which they found in operation when they came into office a few days since should remain undisturbed. Wellington, 27th October, 1865. E. W. Stafford. 2