F:—B

Sub-enclosure 1 to Enclosure in No. 12. His Excellency the Deputy Governor, Brisbane, to the Secretary of State for the Colonies. Sir, — Government House, Brisbane, Queensland, 18th May, 1898. I have the honour to enclose for your information copy of a letter from the Hon. the Chief Secretary, transmitting a copy of a resolution on the subject of the proposed Pacific telegraphcable, adopted at the Postal Conference of representatives of the Australasian Colonies held at Hobart in March last. I have, &c, S. W. Griffith, Deputy Governor. The Eight Hon. the Secretary of State for the Colonies.

Second Sub-enclosure to Sub-enclosure 1 in No. 12. The Chief Secretary, Brisbane, to His Excellency the Deputy Governor, Brisbane. Sir, — Chief Secretary's Office, Brisbane, 11th May, 1898. I have the honour to enclose herewith, for transmission to the Eight Hon. the Secretary of State for the Colonies, a copy of a resolution on the subject of the proposed Pacific submarine telegraph-cable, adopted at the Postal Conference of representatives of the Australasian Colonies held in Hobart in March last, and to request that you will be good enough, in forwarding the resolution to the Secretary of State, to inform Mr. Chamberlain that this Government is strongly impressed with the importance, as well from a national as from a commercial standpoint, to the Australasian Colonies of the establishment of a means of telegraphic communication with Great Britain entirely independent of the existing system, and free from foreign control. We are prepared to afford all possible assistance to the project for the construction of a submarine cable across the Pacific Ocean to Canada, and are therefore thoroughly in accord with the opinion expressed by the Postal Conference. ' I shall feel obliged, accordingly, if you will ask the Secretary of State to urge upon the Imperial Government the desirableness of taking prompt action, with a view to some definite arrangement being concluded between Great Britain, the Dominion of Canada, and the Australasian Colonies which would insure the carrying-out of the undertaking in question. I have, &c, The Hon. Sir S. W. Griffith, G.C.M.G., James E. Dickson, Deputy Governor. For the Chief Secretary.

Third Sub-enclosure to Sub-enclosure 1 in No. 12. Resolution adopted at the Postal Conference of Representatives of the Australasian Colonies held at Hobart in March, 1898. " That this Conference reaffirms the opinion that, in the interests of Australasia, the Pacific-cable project should be consummated as speedily as practicable, and that the Governments of the various Australasian Colonies be requested to represent to the Imperial and Dominion Governments the foregoing opinion, together with the proposal of the Premiers as agreed to at their recent Conference held in Melbourne—viz., that if Great Britain and Canada would each contribute one-third of the cost the colonies would be prepared to contribute the remaining third."

Sub-enclosure 2 to Enclosure in No. 12. The Agent-General for Victoria to 'the Undeb-Secbetaby of State for the Colonies. Victoria Office, 15, Victoria Street, Westminster, S.W., Sib,— 2nd August, 1898. •» I have the honour to forward herewith a copy of a letter addressed to the Premier of Victoria by the Melbourne Chamber of Commerce, together with a copy of the resolution therein referred to, relative to the Pacific-cable question. I have also to inform you that I am instructed by my Government to place these - documents before the Secretary of State for the Colonies, and to urge upon him, on behalf of Victoria, that, in view of the importance of the issues involved, no other project should be allowed to interfere with the prosecution of the establishment of the Pacific cable. I have, &c, The Under-Secretary of State, Colonial Office, S.W. Andeew Clarke. ... ■

Second Sub-enclosure to Sub-enclosure 2 in No. 12. The Secbetary, Chamber of Commerce, Melbourne, to the Hon. the Premier, Melbourne. Sir, — Chamber of Commerce, Melbourne, 6th June, 1898. I have the honour, by direction of the president and council of this Chamber, to forward to you copy of a resolution, arrived at by the council at their last meeting on the subject of the long-projected Pacific cable. I am respectfully to say that the terms of a recent Press telegram intimate that the Committee of the Imperial Government, which had been dealing with this matter, had reported unfavourably on the question of a cable via the Pacific, notwithstanding the strong and general opinions expressed at conferences and by the heads of the colonies most interested, and the weighty evidences in favour of the project which this Chamber has been assured were put before the Imperial Committee.

4