D.—2

6

No. 18. The Agent-Geneeal to the Hon. the Ministee for Immigbation. (No. 1398.) 7, Westminster Chambers, Victoria Street, Westminster, S.W., Sic,— 30th June, 1874. Eeferring to your letter No. 75-74, of 9th April, forwarding copies of reports by the Immigration Officer at Napier upon the ship " Invererno," I note that His Honor the Superintendent was of opinion that it would bo desirable, in the case of future shipments, to send a smaller number of families with young children, and a larger proportion of single women and single men. I will endeavour, as far as possible, to give effect to His Honor's wishes. I have examined the certificate of the emigrant Johannes Blanguist, to whom special reference is made, and Ido not find any allusion to his being either deaf or dumb. I have, however, written to Messrs Honeman and Co., of Copenhagen, the agents by whom the emigrant was introduced, requesting an explanation of the circumstances under which the passage was granted, and I will communicate to the Government the reply received from those gentlemen. I have, &c, I. E. Featheeston, The Hon. the Minister for Immigration, Wellington, N.Z. Agent-General.

No. 19. The Agent-Geneeal to the Hon. the Ministee for Ihhigeation. (No. 1404.) 7, Westminster Chambers, Victoria Street, Westminster, S.W., Sic,— 10th July, 1874. Eeferring to your letter No. 81-74, of Bth April, on the subject of the introduction into the colony, by the ship " Queen of the Age," of certain French emigrants, I have the honor to forward the original certificates of the persons enumerated in the report from the Immigration Officer which accompanied your letter. You will observe that, having regard to the circumstance that these persons had not been long resident in England, the certificates are satisfactorily completed. Some of the persons named applied for assistance to the Societe Francaise de Bienfaisance, and were accompanied to this office by the Secretary of that institution, M. J. B. Ferd. Guillot. Since the receipt of your letter, I have made personal inquiry of that gentleman, and I find that the persons referred to received pecuniary aid from the society. Mons. Guillot states that the men represented themselves to be mechanics, according to the statement in their application papers, and he has no reason for believing that they ever followed the profession of ballet dancers. The manner of their performance, as described in the newspaper reports, tends to show that they could not have been trained to that profession; and I have little doubt that the Immigration Officer, in his second report on this subject, states correctly that there is reason for believing that the majority, if not the whole, of the male adults, about nine in all, have trades as mechanics, as represented at the Immigration Agency in London, and that most of them are likely, ultimately, to settle down to their ordinary callings in some part of the colony. I enclose a report of the society referred to, which was left at this office by Mons. Guillot when he called with the persons who were assisted from its funds. I have, &c, I. E. Featheeston, The Hon. the Minister for Immigration, Wellington, N.Z. Agent-General.

No. 20. The Agent-Geneeal to the Hon. the Mutistee for Ihmigeation. (No. 1426.) 7, "Westminster Chambers, Victoria Street, Westminster, S.W., Sic,— 10th July, 1874. Eeferring to your memorandum No. 35, of 12th February, I have the honor to state that a reply to Mr. O'Eorke's memorandum No. 204 was forwarded some time since. With reference to the arrangements at this office for carrying out the work relating to emigrants nominated in the colony, I have the honor to state that until the beginning of the present year only one clerk was regularly employed in the department. In March last I found it was impossible to overtake arrears of work without additional assistance, and a second clerk was engaged ; and during the past month it was found necessary to transfer from another branch of this department a third clerk. The special duty of this officer is to keep the registers of nominations. These contain very complete information under the following headings : — Nomination. —No. of list. No. of application. When received. Particulars of Nominee. —Surname. Christian names. Age. Single or married. Occupation. Eesidence. Amount deposited in colony. Amount secured by bills. Application Forms. —When issued. When returned. Payment hj Nominee. —On account of passage, —for bedding, &c. Ship in which passage taken.— Name. Port of departure. When sailed. Sent arks. A separate register is kept for each province. Copies of the forms used in the Nomination branch were forwarded with my letter No. 1390, of 30th June last.