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No. 9. The Hon. Mr. Mantell to the Hon. the Colonial Seceetaey. Sic, — Colonial Museum, Wellington, 16th August, 1875. In reply to your letter of 13th August, I have the honor to lay before you a detailed statement, showing how the estimate of £3,500 for the expenses of the Commission was arrived at by the Commissioners. You will observe that payment for clerical assistance will have to be added to the £3,400 set down. It is not here included, as the amount of work cannot be determined till the labours of the Commission are complete. There may also be a further expenditure for the collection of articles in England, and their carriage to and fro, and for the expenses of a special representative of the colony, amounting in all to, say, £300. The expenditure will not, the Commissioners hope, exceed the limits of their estimate, and the total will be much reduced by the sale of gold and show-cases after the close of the Exhibition. The amount estimated for the purchase of gold is in excess of that expended for the same exhibit at the Vienna Exhibition, but the Commissioners, having consulted Mr. Tolhurst, Manager of the Bank of New Zealand here, are of opinion that, considering how largely gold is produced in America, it will be useless to send specimens unless they are of such a size as to be likely to attract attention. I have, <fee, W. B. D. Mantell, The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Wellington. Chairman.

Enclosure in No. 9. Philadelphia Exhibition Commission. —Estimate of Expexdittjbe. Local Committees — £ s. d. Auckland ... ... ... ... ... ... £200 Taranaki ... ... ... ... ... ... 50 Hawke'sßay ... ... ... ... ... ... 100 Wellington ... ... ... ... ... ... 200 Nelson ... ... ... ... ... ... 100 "Westland ... ... ... ... ... ... 150 Marlborough ... ... ... ... ... ... 50 Canterbury ... ... ... ... ... ... 250 Otago ... ... ... ... ... ... 250 1,350 0 0 Freight and insurance, &c, from provinces to Wellington ... ... ... 50 0 0 Packing, cartage, &c, in Wellington ... ... ... ... ... 100 0 0 Freight and insurance to and from Philadelphia, cost of show-cases, re-packing, &c. ... 750 0 0 Expenses in colony on return ... ... ... ... ... 50 0 0 Gold ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 400 0 0 Travelling expenses, &c, of agent in charge of collections ... ... ... 200 0 0 Contingencies ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 500 0 0 £3,400 0 O Cost of special agent, and collection and despatch of exhibits from England ... 300 0 0 Clerical assistance —not estimated £3,700 0 0 N.B.—Part of the above to be recouped by sale of gold, show-cases, &c.

No. 10. The Hon. the Colonial Seceetaey to the Hon. Mr. Mantell. g IE — Colonial Secretary's Office, Wellington, 31st August, 1875. **""" I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter No. 12, of the 16th instant, in which, in reply to the request contained in my letter of the 13th, you inclose a detailed estimate of the money required for the necessary expenses connected with the representation of New Zealand at the forthcoming Exhibition at Philadelphia, amounting in all to the sum of £3,500. In reply, I have to inform you that Government will place a vote on the Supplementary Estimates for the sum applied for by the Commission. I have, &c, The Hon. W. B. D. Mantell, Daniel Pollen. Chairman, Philadelphia Exhibition Commission.

No. 11. The Hon. Mr. Mantell to the Hon. the Colonial Seceetaey. Sic — Colonial Museum, lGth August, 1875. I have the honor, at the request of the Commissioners, to remind you that a large number of