H.—2l

1875. NEW ZEALAND.

LEAVE OF ABSENCE TO DR. BULLER, C.M.G., (FURTHER PAPERS RESPECTING).

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

No. 1. The Agent-Genebal to the Hon. the Colonial Seceetabt. 7, Westminster Chambers, Victoria Street, Westminster, S.W., Sib,— llth July, 1873. I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your letter of 7th May, No. 47, and to state, in reply, that, from the time of Mr. Buller's arrival in England to the end of last year, he not only acted in a secretarial capacity, but gave me valuable assistance by collecting a mass of information relating to the manufacture of New Zealand flax and other colonial industries. He has also carried out my instructions in other matters connected with the colony, in which I found his special knowledge of real value to me. I considered that he was fully entitled to the maximum remuneration named in the Hon. Mr. Gisborne's letter of 12th April last, No. 3, namely, £400 per annum, and I paid him accordingly at that rate. With regard to the apparent discrepancy between Mr. Buller's statement of the amount of his income from official sources at the time of his obtaining his leave of absence, and the amount shown by the Treasury accounts for the year immediately preceding his departure for England, I have the honor to state that, on receiving the Hon. Mr. Gisborne's letter of Sth July, 1872,1 communicated it to Mr. Buller, and received from him at once the explanation of the matter, which he now repeats, and which appeared to me perfectly clear and satisfactory. Till receiving your letter of the 7th May, I was fully under the impression that Mr. Buller's explanation had been forwarded to the colony, and I regret very much that this delay should have occurred in answering Mr. Gisborne's letter. With regard to the sums of money paid to Mr. Buller since the 31st December last, I have to state that, in compliance with the authority received from the Government, I paid over to Mr. Buller, on the 18th February, the sum of £200, voted by the Assembly, and that since the Ist March last, Mr. Buller has been drawing salary at the rate of £400 a year as Secretary, under the arrangement fully reported to the Government in my letter to the Colonial Secretary, dated 16th May. I have, &c, I. E. Featheeston, The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Wellington. Agent-General.

No. 2. Dr. Bullee to the Agent- Genebal. • 7, Westminster Chambers, Victoria Street, Westminster, S.W., Sib,— Bth July, 1873. It will be in your recollection that, immediately on your showing me the Hon. Mr. Gisborne's letter of Sth July, 1872,1 gave you an explanation, in writing, of the " apparent discrepancy "to which your attention was directed, and that, on my speaking to you on the subject afterwards, you informed me that my explanation had been forwarded to the colony. As, however, you have shown me to-day a letter from the Colonial Secretary, stating that he cannot find that any " notice has been taken of Mr. Gisborne's letter, either by yourself or Mr. Buller," I beg to repeat the substance of that explanation, and shall feel much obliged by your forwarding this letter to the Government, with any observations you may be pleased to make, by the outgoing mail vid Brindisi.