A.—No. 1.

Sub-Enclosure to Enclosure in No. 24. To the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty. The humble Petition of the Provincial Council of the Province of Auckland Sheweth, — That a General Election has recently taken place of Members to serve in the Council of the Province of Auckland. That Petitions from the late Council of the said Province from the Members of the General Assembly elected for districts within the Province of Auckland, and from more than nine thousand of the Northorn Settlers, have been addressed to your Majesty, praying that the Islands of New Zealand may be divided into two separate Colonies. That His Excellency Sir George Grey, the present Governor of New Zealand, has advised in reference to the prayer of the said Petition, " That unless some such arrangement is carried out it will be impossible to bring to a satisfactory termination the difficulties prevailing in the Colony." That an Act has recently been passed by the General Assembly, giving to the Southern Island a majority of votes in the House of Representatives; and that the Southern members have also a majority in the Legislative Council. That the inhabitants of the Southern Island practically are not liable to military service in the Northern Island; and that they are not exposed to the dangerous consequences of a Maori war. That the two races of your Majesty's subjects in the Northern Island of New Zealand may be involved in a war more wide spread and disastrous than any war by which New Zealand has yet been afflicted by the legislation of the peo2ile of another Island, who are ignorant of Native affairs, who are personally secure from the dangers of war, and who have comparatively but little interest in the maintenance of peace. Your memorialists, therefore, pray that they may no longer be subject to Southern legislation > that they may have conferred upon them the power of local self-government, by the erection of this Northern portion of these Islands into a separate and independent Colony, under a constitution calculated to establish and maintain peace, order, and good government in the country. And your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray. G. Maurice O'Rorke, Speaker.

No. 25. Copy of a DESPATCH from Governor Sir George Grey, X.C.8., to the Right Hon. Edward Cardwell, M.P. (No. 8.) Government House, Wellington, Sir,— 9th January, 1866. I have the honor to transmit herewith, for the purpose of being laid before the Queen, the Acts passed during the last Session (1865) by the General . Assembly of New Zealand, together with a report upon them by my Responsible Advisers. I have also the honor to enclose copies of Private Acts passed during the same Session. I have, &c, The Right Hon. Edward Cardwell, M.P. G. GREY.

Air. Stafford, Bth December, 1865.

Enclosure in No. 25. Copy of a Memorandum by Mr. Stafford on Acts passed by the General Assembly, in the Session of 1865. His Excellency's Advisers submit, for transmission to the Right Honorable the Secretary of State for the Colonies, authenticated copies, under the Seal of the Colony, of the Acts passed by the New Zealand Legislature in its recent Session, with observations, explanatory of the object and character of these Acts. Wellington, Bth December, 1865. E. AY. Stafford. Synopsis of the Acts of 1865. No. 1. The Indemnity Act, 1865.—Proceedings having been commenced and threatened against persons in Her Majesty's Military and Civil Service in the Colony, for acts done in the suppression of the Native Insurrection, this Act was passed for the indemnity of all persons so engaged. No. 2. The Arms Continuance Act, 1865, is the usual Act to continue " The Arms Act, 1560," as amended by " The Arms Continuance Act, 1861." No. 3. The Leases and Sales of Settled Estates Act, 1865. —The rapidly altering circumstances of different localties in the Colony frequently rendering leases, exchange and sales of Settled Estates, beneficial to persons interested therein, this Act was passed to enable the Supreme Court of the Colony to empower trustees, not otherwise authorized, to let on lease and sell or exchange Settled Estates. It repeals the 32nd Henry VIII., c. 28.

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DESPATCHES EROM THE GOVERNOR OE NEW