3

H.—lo,

Enclosures. Dear Mr. Westgarth,— 7, Westminster Chambers, 27th December, 1876. I am sure you will excuse me for pointing out that the returns which you publish in your interesting Circular this month about New Zealand, are not quite correct. The population which you give for 1875 is the mean average population, European, during the year. Without that explanation, the return would naturally be held to mean the |total population at the end of the year. The official returns published by the Registrar-General show, at the end of 1875, a population of 375,856, besides an estimated Maori population of about 45,470. The last was obtained from a return of the Ist June, 1874. Altogether, therefore, the population at the end of 1875 could not have been less than 421,326, instead of 358,860, as would be gathered from your Circular. There is, besides, an important error in the returns. The total revenue stated in the foot-note is £2,313,928, instead of £2,813,928. I have, &c, W. Westgarth, Esq. Julius Vogel. Dear Sir Julius Vogel,— 28th December, 1876. I am very much jobliged by your note, received this morning, pointing out several important errors and omissions in the statistics of my Circular regarding your colony. The due corrections will be made in the next issue. It is very important, for the standing usefulness of the circular, to have it revised by an authority like you. I have, &c., Sir Julius Vogel. W. Westgarth.

No. 4 The Hon. the Colonial Treasurer to the Agent-General. Sir, — Treasury, Wellington, 3rd May, 1877. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the Bth March, notifying the steps you had taken for the correction of certain erroneous statements contained in the Stock and Share Circular issued by Mr. Westgarth, of Cornhill. In reply, I have to inform you that the Government is much gratified by the prompt manner in which, prior to the receipt of my letters on the subject, you had taken up this matter. Tou will, no doubt, have informed Mr. Westgarth that the most recent information as to the finance and population of the colony is always obtainable at your office. It is hoped that, with such means of obtaining accurate information, errors of the character referred to may not occur in future. I have, &c, Sir J. Vogel, K.C.M.G., &c, Agent-General. H. A. Atkinson.

No. 5. The Agent-General to the Colonial Treasurer. 7, Westminster Chambers, Victoria Street, Westminster, S.W., Sir — _ 29th May, 1877. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 27th March, No. 28, directing my attention to the unsatisfactory manner in which the revenue of the colony is stated in Westgarth's Circular of last January. I had already, as you are aware by my letter of the Bth March, No. 223, been in communication with Mr. Westgarth on the subject, before I received your letter of the 12th January, No. 9. I now enclose you his Circular of the 11th of May, by which you will observe that he has adopted the plan of including the provincial with the colonial revenue in the body of the table, instead of by foot-note. I have written to him enclosing an extract from your letter, and telling him that I shall be glad to give him access to any information concerning the colony I possess in this office. I enclose copy of my communication and of his reply. I have, &c, The Hon. the Colonial Treasurer, Wellington. Julius Vogel, Agent-General.

Enclosures. 7, Westminster Chambers, Victoria Street, Westminster, S.W., Sir— 29th May, 1877. Referring to a previous correspondence I have had with you, on the subject of the way in which the revenue of New Zealand is stated in your monthly Circular, I have the honor to enclose you a copy of a despatch I have received from my Government on the subject, by the mail of this week. lam glad to see, by the Circular for May, that you have already adopted the method of stating the colonial revenue which the Government suggest. I have only in consequence to draw your attention to the inaccuracy caused by the omission of nearly £30,000 of Special Funds, which are strictly colonial revenue ; including which, the New Zealand revenue amounts to £2,841,953, instead of £2,813,298. I have to ask you to be so kind as to make this alteration in future issues. Allow me, in conclusion, to add, that I shall be happy at any time to give you access to the statistics of the colony, and all other official documents relating to its progress, which may be received at this office. I have, &c, W. Westgarth, Esq. Julius Vogel, Agent-General for New Zealand.