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officer of your department, and that it is not possible for you to exercise over him that degree of control which in the opinion of the Government it is essential that you should exercise over all the officers of your department. I trust that any occasion for making temporary arrangements for the discharge of the duties of your office may not again arise; but, should it unfortunately be otherwise, the Cabinet desire that Mr. Julyan should, if he consistently can do so, undertake the supervision of the office until the Colonial Government can be communicated with. Should this not be practicable, the Government desire that Mr. Ottywell be authorized temporarily to discharge the duties of the office during your illness or incapacity. I havo to request that you will communicate with Mr. Julyan, with a view to ascertaining whether it will be practicable for him to give effect to the wishes of the Government upon this point. I have, &c, The Agent-General for New Zealand, London. G. M. Wateehouse.

No. 19. Cablegram to the Agent-General, London. Sydney, Ist March, 1873. " Palmerston " arrived. Orders executed, don't execute again. Don't understand what you call conflicting orders. Our instructions from Wellington cable you complete all orders unexecuted ; charter freight ships bring plant to ports ordered. Hope you are despatching ships with plant. Telegraph shipments, also when balance material Waitaki Bridge leaves. Vogel. Reynolds.

No. 20. Memorandum No. 10, 1573, for the Agent-General, London. Enclosed are copies of two cablegrams received from you, and dated respectively the 7th and (query 18th) February. With reference to the one of the 7th February, you will probably have received a cablegram in reply from Hon. Mr. Vogel in Sydney, relative to your putting all orders at once in hand, as I find by your cablegram of the 18th that you state that nearly all the orders are in hand. The only point which now requires to be noticed is your reference to the three locomotives and the Waitaki Bridge material out ofthe " Palmerston." With respect to these, you will have long since heard that the ship arrived safely at Port Chalmers, and I am glad to be able to inform you that the locomotives have been landed in good order. One is at work, having been transhipped to Auckland ; another has been sent to Southland ; while the third is kept for the Dunedin and Clutha Railway, and is being fitted up in Dunedin. Edward Richardson. Public Works Office, Wellington, 14th March, 1873.

Enclosure 1 in No. 20. The Agent-General to Messrs. Vogel and Reynolds, Sydney. (Cablegram.) London, 7th February. Contractors won't be bound in penalties with strikes; they can complete within time. Full particulars existing contracts already sent. Instructions made absolute will be rigidly adhered to. All orders will be put in hand immediately, but Welsh ironmasters being prevented by strikes tendering, Government will have to pay increased rates. Instructions respecting ordering one hundred thousand worth of Brogden's commission plant conflicting your instructions order plant immediately. Wellington instructions execute order as early as state of market will permit. Which instructions am Ito obey ? Your instructions, by reason of absence of Welsh competitors, will probably entail loss of many thousands. Are three locomotives Waitaki cylinders sent in " Palmerston "to be order again 't Where are locomotives promised in contract in April, and other rolling stock, to be first sent ? Emigration regulations attended according instructions tenders for emigration ships for April invited immediately.

Featherston. Enclosure 2 in No. 20. The Agent-General to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary. (Cablegram.) London, 20th February, 1873. * * * * " Holt " sailed December with fifteen hundred tons rails Canterbury. Wellington ship chartered, first plant ready. All orders in hand except two specifications not ready. Strikes continue. Featherston.

No. 21. Memorandum No. 11, 1872, for the Agent-General, London. In acknowledging the receipt of your letter of 9th January, I take the opportunity of expressing my great regret at finding you have been suffering so severely from illness ; and while I am glad to learn