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No. 3. The Colonial Tbeasijkek to the Agent-General. Sib,— Treasury, Wellington, 25th February, 1882. I have the honor to acknowledge the recipt of your letter (No. 835) of the 21st October last, transmitting therewith a copy of a letter you had received from the tinder-Secretary of State, enclosing a correspondence between the Colonial Office, the Crown Agents, and tho Lords of the Treasury, respecting the amount to be remitted from the colony for the sinking fund of the guaranteed loan of one million, together with a despatch from Lord Kimberley to the Governor on the subject. After careful consideration of the whole matter discussed in the correspondence enclosed in your letter, the Government have determined to acquiesce in the views expressed by the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury in their letter of the sth September, 1881, that sinking fund should be paid on the whole million guaranteed by the Imperial Government. I have therefore included in the bank order, in favour of the Foreign Imprest Account forwarded to you by the outgoing mail, a sum of £24,000, representing sinking fund at 2 per cent, per annum for one year aud a-half to the 13th proximo, on £800,000, provision having already been made to the same date for the sinking fund on £200,000 ; and I have to request that you will be good enough, on receipt of thia letter, to pay the said sum of £24,000 to the Trustees of the sinking fund of the loan in question. I have, &c, Thomas Dick, The Agent-General for^New Zealand, London. For the Colonial Treasurer.

Authority: G-eoege Didsbuey, Government Printer, Wellington.—lBB2.