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2. In the instructions referred to, I contemplated the possibility of other firms entering into the trade, and of giving them a fair share of the business ; and in respect to those already engaged, I of course assumed that they would do what was required by the Government, and I endeavoured to make my opinion clear, that considering the large amount of business at your disposal, you should be in a position to control these Companies, and not to accept their dictation. Other competitors, surely, could be found should these fail to meet your requirements ; and it is clearly your duty, under such circumstances, to make arrangements independently of them to carry out the wishes of the Government. 3. The Province of Taranaki attaches great importance to ships being sent direct to New Plymouth with immigrants, and I cannot understand why ships cannot be obtained for that port, considering that for many years vessels did trade there regularly from London, and that no circumstances which lam aware of render the anchorage less safe at present than during the period referred to. As the Shipping Companies amongst whom your business is divided were not willing to lay a ship on for New Plymouth, you have probably endeavoured to find some one else who would do so. I hope you have succeeded in this, and that by this time a vessel is on her way. If not, you will please consider my instructions positive to secure a direct ship immediately upon receipt of this letter, with others to follow, in accordance with my instructions in a letter No. 57, of 12th March, 1874. I have, &c, The Agent-General for New Zealand, London. Julius Vogel.

No. 72. The Hon. J. Vogel to the Agent-Geneeal. (No. 130.) Sic, — Immigration Office, Wellington, Bth May, 1874. I have the honor to forward to you herewith, two copies of the " New Zealand Handbook," which I have already advised you I was having prepared. It has been printed here solely for the sake of enabling the editing to be effected with greater facility. 2. I have decided that the book shall be printed and published in England, because probably you will be able to get it done to greater advantage, and because, as the work is meant chiefly for circulation at home, it is desirable to avoid the trouble and cost of shipping so large a number of copies as must necessarily be printed. 3. Another reason which influences me in deciding to have the work printed in England is, that you will be able to get the illustrations better executed there. 4. I append a list of photographs which will be forwarded to you by this mail. You will observe that two or three from Hawke's Bay will probably be sent to you direct by the Superintendent of that Province, and that several of those which were exhibited at Vienna, and thence returned to you, are suggested as suitable to be added, to be included as illustrations of the book. If you have in your possession any others which you may think it desirable to be added, I should be obliged by your adding them. You may find it too expensive to use all these photographs, in which case I leave it to your discretion to omit some. In case you should omit any, I shall be glad if you will make the omissions in fair proportions as regards the Provinces, remembering their relative importance and size. 5. I send you also, to be reproduced for the book, two maps which have been corrected for railways, road lines, &c, to date. 6. As regards the mode or modes of reproducing the various photographs and the maps, I must ask you to be good enough to decide. The Heliotype process will be found, possibly, too expensive or not suitable. Dr. Hector thinks that wood engraving will probably prove to be the best process, reduction or enlargement being effected as may be necessary. I desire that the photographs and maps should be reproduced in a style equal to good average English work, whatever may be the style you desire to adopt. 7. With respect to the matter of the book, Ido not, of course, submit it to you for revision. But you are at liberty to add anything you may think desirable, with the view of informing emigrants, or those who may desire to emigrate to New Zealand, how they can best avail themselves of the machinery of your department. 8. I must necessarily ask you to cause to be prepared, as the printing progresses, a useful Index to the contents of the book, as well as to insure that the blanks in the " List of Papers and their Authors " shall be filled in correctly with the numbers of the pages. Generally I shall be obliged if care is taken to insure accuracy of typography. 9. As to the number of copies to be printed, I leave you to exercise your discretion, merely saying that I think the number should be very large, and that I desire you to send 5,000 copies to my care, in Wellington, for circulation in the Colonies. 10. I suggest for inquiry, whether it might not be well to incur the cost of stereotyping the work, so that you might be able to procure copies in such numbers as you found necessary, instead of ordering a very large impression at the outset 11. I desire that the Handbook should not be given away: publications that do not cost anything are rarely valued by their recipients. But I should wish it to be given in certain cases, where a desire is shown to possess it; and I think that you should forward it to any Athenaeum, Mechanics' Institute, or Library, the managers of which,may apply for it, requiring them to pay only the postage or other cost of carriage. To the Press generally throughout the United Kingdom you should send a copy. 12. You should also place on board each emigrant vessel six copies for the use of the emigrants. 13. I leave to your decision the publishing price of the book. 14. I think that a plan which is adopted in the United States might be followed with great advantage —that, namely, of allowing a stated small profit per copy to travelling agents, who undertake to