ZEALAND TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE.

A.—No. 1.

13

Enclosure 2 in No. 13. Mr. H. T. Clarke to Major-General Chute. (G. 325.) Civil Commissioner's Office, g IBj Tauranga, 3rd May, 1867. I have the honor to acquaint you that at the sale of Imperial buildings, on the 2nd instant, a small house, formerly used as an Engineer's Office, the property of the General Government of the Colony, was sold. 1 was present at the auction, and publicly protested against the sale, but without avail. The building to which I refer was numbered Lot No. 4. I have warned the purchaser at his peril against removing or in any way injuring the building. I hold him personally responsible, notwithstanding the guarantee given him by the officers in charge. Abundant proof can be adduced that the building in question was removed, together with the building lately used as a mess-room by the Ist Battalion 12th Eegiment (formerly a Court House), from Te Eiriiti, by order of Colonel Greer. I beg therefore to request that steps may be taken at once to restore the purchase money to Collins, the purchaser. I have, &c, H. T. Clarke, Major General Chute, Commanding Forces, New Zealand. Civil Commissioner.

Enclosure 3 in No. 13. The Assistant Military Secretary to Mr. 11. T. Clarke. (No. 5017.) g rE) Head Quarters, Auckland, 13th May, 1867. I have the honor, by direction of the Major-General Commanding, to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 3rd instant, No. G. 325. The Major-General has instituted enquiry as to the ownership of the building you claim on the part of the General Government, and he sees no reason to disturb the arrangement under which it was sold. I have, &c, Geo. "W. Dean Pitt, Lieutenant-Colonel, The Civil Commissioner, Tauranga. Assistant Military Secretary.

Enclosure 4 in No. 13. The Private Secretary to the Assistant Military Secretart. Private Secretary's Office, Sir,— "Wellington, sth August, 1867. "With reference to your letter No. 5017, of the 13th May last, addressed to the Civil Commissioner of Tauranga, and the correspondence to which it refers, I have the honor, by direction of His Excellency the Governor, to state for the information of the Major-General Commanding, that the Colonial Government are of opinion that the fact of the building in question having been advertised for sale " over a month previously," as stated by Lieutenant-Colonel Hamilton in his letter to the Military Secretary of the 28th April, does not justify the disposal of Colonial property by the Military authorities. I have therefore the honor to request that you will be good enough to move the MajorGeneral Commanding to give the necessary orders for the reimbursement to the Colonial Government of the amount for which the buildings were sold at auction. I have, &c, The Assistant Military Secretary, &c, Feed. Thatcher, Head Quarters. Private Secretary.

Enclosure 5 in No. 13. The Assistant Military Secretary to the Private Secbetaey. (No. GO3G.) Head Quarters, Melbourne, Sir,— 11th September, 18G7. In reply to your letter of the sth ultimo, I have the honor, by direction of the MajorGoneral Commanding to state, for the information of His Excellency the Governor, that two letters have been received from the Civil Commissioner of Tauranga, the one dated 23rd April, 1867, protesting against the sale of the building known as the Officers' Mess, at that Station, by Colonel Hamilton ; the other dated 3rd May, relative to the sale by the Imperial authorities, of a building used as the Boyal Engineer's Office. It is to be regretted that Mr. Clarke did not raise his objection to the disposal of these buildings prior to the day fixed for their sale, or that when he did protest, he did not afford to the MajorGeneral the benefit of any information of which he may have been in possession to prove that the buildings were the property of the Colony, for nothing lias been laid before the Major-General to support this statement; while, on the other hand, by Colonel Hamilton's letter of the 28th, April last, he nad every reason to suppose that the Mess House was considered by Colonel Greer the private property of the 68th Eegiment; and with regard to the Eoyal Engineer's Office, from the report received from the Commanding Royal Engineer on the subject, it would certainly appear that the building was the property of the Imperial Government. 4