AGENT-GENERAL, LONDON.

23

D.-No. fi

that lam not disposed to accept it, if it be such as I have represented. There is no finality about it, and such conditional engagements are, to my mind, pregnant of future disputes. I have, &c, I. E. Featheeston, The Hon. W. Gisborne, Wellington, New Zealand. Agent-General.

No. 19. The Agent-Geneeal to the Hon. the Colonial Seceetaey. (No. 206.) 7, Westminster Chambers, Victoria Street, Westminster, S.W., Sir,— 4th April, 1872. I have the honor to report the arrival of Mr. Birch on the I.lth March, and of Mr. Seaton on the 20th March. Mr. Birch, previous to leaving Dunedin, drew upon me, through the New Zealand Bank, for £100, and on his arrival claimed a further sum of £50 on account of the expenses of his journey to England ; but as in your memorandum No. 63 you informed me that it was never contemplated " that Mr. Birch should proceed other than by sailing ship," and instructed me, therefore, to take care " that the minimum payment for an overland through ticket was not exceeded," I did not feel myself justified in paving more than the £100. It is, however, right to mention that Mr. Birch was unavoidably detained a month, in America, in consequence of the railway between San Francisco andNNcrw r York being blocked up by snow, and that whereas Mr. Friberg's travelling allowance of 18s. per diem commenced from the day of his leaving Napier, no such allowance had been granted to Mr. Birch. Mr. Seaton, who came by a sailing vessel, only claimed £55 for the expenses of his voyage to London ; and though I pointed out to him that in the case of Mr. Farnall, who is also coming by a sailing vessel, you had allowed him £80 for his passage, Mr. Seaton declined to make any further claim. I fear that some misconception as to the terms and conditions upon which Messrs. Birch and Seaton have come to Europe, exists between them and the Government, and that I also have failed to glean from the correspondence the real intentions of the Government in regard to them. From your letter of the 21st November, addressed to these gentlemen, I inferred that they were coming to England on private business, and that you had merely accepted the offer of their services during their sojourn here, in case I could render them available in promoting emigration. But Messrs. Birch and Seaton declare that they have not come on private business, but at the request of the Government, and upon the understanding that they were to act as Emigration Agents, and to receive an adequate remuneration for any services they might render, and that the fixing of the amount of such remuneration had, at their own request, been left by you to myself. Previous to their arrival I had engaged a sufficient number of Agents competent to diffuse information by means of lectures, &c, respecting the Colony as a whole, and I had also appointed some one hundred and twenty local xlgents accustomed to the work, and whose remuneration depended upon the number of eligible emigrants they might each procure, that remuneration being fixed at 10s. per statute adult for married couples and single women, and 255. per adult for single men, so that the whole field was fully well occupied, and I experienced some considerable difficulty in availing myself of the services of Messrs. Birch and Seaton, without interfering with the operations of the local Sub-Agents. I have, however, for the present requested Mr. Birch to work the Northern Counties of England and the Southern Counties of Scotland, and have allotted to Mr. Seaton the Western Counties of Scotland. Pending instructions from you, I have agreed to give them the same remuneration as you have given to Mr. Friberg, viz., 18s. per diem for travelling expenses, and 10s. for every statute adult emigrant selected by them and approved by myself. lam bound to say that unless they are more successful in procuring emigrants than I anticipate they will be, this remuneration will be wholly inadequate to compensate them for their expenses and labour ; and I should be glad if tho Government would themselves assign them a fixed salary as long as they deem it desirable to retain their services. I would further venture-to point out, in reference to your very distinct announcement to Messrs. Birch and Seaton," that there is no engagement as to the payment of their return passages," that it would be unusual and unfair to refuse to pay the return passages of gentlemen who have been sent by the Government on a special mission. I have, &c, I. E. Featherston, The Hon. W. Gisborne, Wellington, New Zealand. Agent-General.

No. 20. The Agent-General to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary. (No. 203.) 7, Westminster Chambers, Victoria Steeet, Westminster, S.W., S.r,— 4th April, 1872. I have the honor to inform you that the following vessels with emigrants will sail for New Zealand during April and May : — " William Davie," from Glasgow to Otago, sth April, with from 100 to 120 emigrants. " Schiehallion," from London to Wellington, 9th April, with 130 emigrants, intended to be forwarded to Picton. " Celestial Queen." London to Auckland, 17th April, with from 120 to 150 emigrants. " Halcione," London to Wellington, 24th April, with from 150 to 200 emigrants. " Merope," London to Lyttelton, Ist May, with 200 emigrants.