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No. 3. Memorandum No. 50, 1873, for the Agent-General, London. To relieve the pressing want of the department, you are requested to secure the services of six engineers, three of whom are to receive salary at the rate of £500 a year, and the other three at the rate of £400 a year, with reasonable travelling allowances in both cases. The terms of their agreement to be the same as those you arranged with Mr. Higginson, and reported in your letter of the 2nd March, 1872. You will be good enough to ask Mr. Bruce and Mr. Hemans to recommend these engineers to you, informing those gentlemen that it is desired the engineers should be young men who have had a few years' experience in the actual construction of railway works as well as in their laying out. Public Works Office, Wellington, New Zealand, Edward Richardson. 24th October, 1873.

No. 4. Memorandum No. 2, 1874, for Agent-General, London. The cablegram sent to you by the Hon. the Premier on the sth instant, of which a copy is enclosed, will have informed you of the total wreck of the ship " Surat," from London, with immigrants and railway material for the Government, and directed you to replace the material, sending it forward with any other that might be ready, by special ship or ships, as being much wanted. Notwithstanding the explanations you have already made in reference to the disproportionate shipments in the same vessels of rails and fastenings, I take this opportunity of pointing out that every effort should be made to keep the proportion as nearly as possible exact. In the case of the " Surat," there are nearly six miles of rails, ten miles of joints, and upwards of twelve miles of spikes. The schedule of shipments forwarded in your letter of the 3rd October (676), states the amount of insurance on the " Surat's " material, but it does not state the name of the Company in which the insurance has been effected. The New Zealand Company not having any advice, it is presumed the insurance has been made in the Universal. As I pointed out in my Memorandum No. 54, 1873, the necessity for full information on this head, I have no doubt that after the receipt of that Memorandum it will have been regularly supplied. In the absence of a resident agent for the Universal, should any papers be deemed necessary for the recovery of the insurance, they will be forwarded to your care in due course; but it is anticipated that in a case of total loss, such as the " Surat's," the papers forwarded to London by Lloyds or the ship's agents will be found sufficient to enable you to make good your claim. Public Works Office, Wellington, New Zealand, Edward Richardson. 10th January, 1874.

Enclosure in No. 4. Cablegram to Agent-General. "Surat" total wreck on coast. Every person on board saved. Replace her cargo railway material with utmost expedition. Hasten besides all orders at home. If enough material ready, charter ship or ships specially. We are very short. Vogel. January sth, 1874.

No. 5. Memorandum No. 5, 1874, for the Agent-General, London. I enclose an original invoice of Messrs. Shaw, Johnson, and Reay, for 446 rails of the various lengths therein specified, and intended to be shipped per " Adamant." I also enclose copy of the Storekeeper's receipt by that ship, from which you will see that although the number of rails received corresponds with the advice, the lengths of the rails do not. Thus there were — Invoiced. Received. 278 rails, each 24 feet. 325 rails, each 24 feet. 156 „ „ 21 „ 116 „ „ 21 „ 12 „ „ 18 ~ 5 „ „ 18 „ Fortunately there is an excess in favour of the Government j but the requirements of the Audit and Storekeeper's Departments demand that in the shipment the material should be tallied by trustworthy persons with the utmost care. Public Works Office, Wellington, New Zealand, Edward Richardson. 10th January, 1874.