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Enclosure No. 2. Sib, — Government House, Wellington, 10th September, 1896. I have the honour to acknowledge your letter of the 19th August, enclosing a copy of one from Mr. Cullen, of Mangaia, relating to the registration of certain property in that island, and to inform your Excellency that I have intimated to the Resident in Rarotonga that I consider your suggestion a good one, and have requested him to take steps to have the property in question duly registered. I regret to find that I received a letter on this subject from the Acting High Commissioner dated so far back as 23rd September, 1895, which has not been acknowledged. The fact is that I delayed doing so until it had been referred to the British Resident at Rarotonga, and that on its return it got lost sight of in the Premier's office. I give this as an explanation of the despatch of 23rd September not having been acknowledged. I have, &c, His Excellency Sir John B. Thurston, Glasgow. High Commissioner of the Western Pacific, Fiji.

Enclosure No. 3. Sic, — Government House, Wellington, 25th October, 1895. I have the honour to enclose copies of a despatch, with two enclosures, received from the Acting High Commissioner of the Western Pacific regarding the registration of land in the Cook Islands. I shall be glad to hear your views and those of the Government of the Cook Islands on this subject. I have, &c, F. J. Moss, Esq., British Resident, Rarotonga. Glasgow.

Sub-enclosure. High Commissioner's Office, Western Pacific, My Loed,— Suva, Fiji, 23rd September, 1895. I have the honour to enclose copy of a letter I have received from the financial agent of the London Missionary Society with respect to the registration of deeds of land owned by the society in the Cook Islands. The registration of deeds in this office is no evidence of title; its only effect is to provide secondary evidence of the contents of the documents in the event of the originals being destroyed or lost. I should be glad to be informed if your Excellency sees any objection to the proposed registration. If there exists any provision for registration in the office of the British Resident at Rarotonga, I am inclined to think the deeds should not be registered here ; otherwise I do not perceive any reason why they should not. I enclose copies of rules regarding the registration of claims to and documents concerning land. These were issued before Her Majesty had established any protectorates in the Western Pacific. I have, &c, The Right Honourable the Earl of Glasgow, G.C.M.G., &c, H. S. Beekely. Governor of New Zealand.

London Missionary Society, 10, Queensland Chambers, Bridge Street, Sib,— Sydney, 24th August, 1895. The London Missionary Society is- the owner of certain lands in the Cook Islands the deeds of which we wish to have properly registered, so that at any future time we may have no difficulty in proving our ownership. I have with me now the. deeds of our land on the Island of Mangaia, in the above group, which are all made out in the Rarotongan language, which have been very carefully translated by the Rev. Dr. Gill, who I think is known to yourself. I now write, therefore, to know if I may forward these documents to you for registration, and at the same time I beg to state that any fees in connection with such registration will be borne and promptly paid by our society. I have, &c, Thomas Peatt, Financial Agent, London Missionary Society. His Excellency Sir J. B. Thurston, High Commissioner for the Western Pacific, Fiji.

My Loed, — Cook Islands, British Residency, Rarotonga, 18th November, 1895. I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of your Excellency's despatch of the 25th October, enclosing copy of a letter from the Acting High Commissioner of the Western Pacific with reference to the registration of land in the Cook Islands, and asking my views and the views of the Government of these islands thereon. A registry of deeds for the Cook Islands was opened on the 17th July, 1891, in accordance with the Provisional Powers Act passed by the Federal Parliament in its first session in that year. The registration was not compulsory, and gave no additional validity to deeds. Many deeds have been registered, and are continually being registered, here for security against loss or accident; but