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A.—2.

pleted in time, you will be guided by the Commission and Instructions issued to your predecessor, of which I enclose a copy. I have, &c, Governor Sir Hercules Eobinson, M. E. HICKS BEACH. G.C.M.G., &c.

No. 25. Copy of a DESPATCH from the Eight Hon. Sir Michael Hicks Beach to the Officer Administering the Government of New Zealand. (Circular.) Sir, — Downing Street, 30th December, 1878. I have the honor to transmit to you the accompanying copy of a letter which I have received from His Eoyal Highness the Prince of Wales, relative to the part taken by certain of Her Majesty's colonies in the Paris Exhibition, together with a copy of the letter which I have addressed to His Eoyal Highness in reply. I have, &c, M. E, HICKS BEACH. The Officer Administering the Government of New Zealand.

Enclosure 1 in No. 25. H.R.H. the Prince of Wales to Sir Michael Hicks Beach. Sir,— ' Marlborough House, Pall Mall, S.W., 9th December, 1878. The labours of the International Juries of the Paris Universal Exhibition having been completed, and the Exhibition brought to a close, I desire to bring under your notice the action taken by the various colonial Governments in response to the invitation forwarded to them to take part in the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1878. Notwithstanding the numerous calls made upon the British colonies of late years to take part in the various International Exhibitions, tho amount of zeal and energy that have been shown in their response on this occasion has not been previously equalled, and is highly gratifying to notice. Influential local Commissions were appointed by the representatives of Her Majesty in the several colonies, the necessary funds were liberally voted by the respective Legislatures, and administrative and executive Commissioners appointed to select and arrange contributions that should be worthy of the occasion, and to carry out their other responsible duties. The success of the general and individual efforts thus made is shown in the satisfactory results of the collective exhibits arranged by the colonics. The aggregate expenditure of the colonial Commissions that has been provided for by the sums voted by the various Legislatures and Crown Colonies is estimated at £80,000. The demands made for space on the part of the colonies, especially the Dominion of Canada and Australia, were so large that great difficulty Avas found in providing for them, and ultimately a part of the grand vestibule, in addition to the dome, which was the post of honor allotted to the Indian Empire, was ceded to some of the smaller colonies. The arrangements of the Dominion of Canada, which included all Her Majesty's possessions on the American Continent, were carried out by Mr. Thomas Keefer, C.E., C.M.G., on a scale far surpassing any previous representation of British America. The cases and fittings of native woods were most effective and striking, as were the enormous sections of Douglas pines sent from British Columbia. The woods and minerals, the products of the fisheries, of agriculture, and of manufacturing industry, so successfully arranged by Mr. Selwyn, Director of the Geological Survey, were of a very important character, and received high awards from the juries. The Educational Department, under the skilful superintendence of Dr. May and Mr. W. E. Archambault, was particularly well represented, and gained two diplomas of honor and six gold medals; and the Ministers of Public Works and of Agriculture were also honored with diplomas and gold medals. The African Colonies were represented by the Cape of Good Hope, under the management of Mr. Spencer Todd, C.M.G., and by Lagos, under Mr. Arthur H. Porter. The unsettled position of affairs in the colony operated unfavourably upon the South African exhibition, and prevented the colonial Government from devoting to it so large a parliamentary grant as would have been necessary to secure a really perfect display of the resources of this colony and of the great progress it has made since the date of the last Paris Exhibition. Samples of almost every South African product were, however, shown. Three exhibitors of wines gained gold medals. Wool, mohair, angora hair, hides, and leather were represented by small but well-chosen specimens ; and the only undressed ostrich feathers to be found in the Exhibition were in the court of