10

A.—2

No. 8. (Circular.) Sib,.— Downing Street, 26th April, 1898. With reference to my telegrams communicating to you the rules for the observance of the duties of neutrality to be in force during the existing state of war between Spain and the United States of America, I have the honour to transmit to you a copy of a letter from the Foreign Office embodying those rules, together with copies of Her Majesty's Proclamation of neutrality. I have to request that you will cause both documents to be immediately published throughout the colony under your government, referring to the Proclamation or notifications, you may have already issued on receipt of my telegraphic instructions on the subject, and that you will not fail to conform to Her Majesty's commands. I have, &c, J. CHAMBEELAIN. The Officer Administering the Government of New Zealand. [For enclosure, see New Zealand Gazette, 25th April, 1898, and 23rd June, 1898, pages 681

and 1019.] No. 9. (General.) My Lobd,— Downing Street, 29th April, 1898. With reference to my circular despatches of the 28th August, 1895, and the 15th August, 1896, and to my general despatch of the 6th February, 1897, 1 have the honour to transmit to your Lordship a copy of the correspondence noted in the margin, respecting a proposal of the Eoyal Society to hold, during the present year, an International Convention to consider the report of the Eoyal Society's committee upon the preparation of an International Catalogue of Scientific Literature. I also enclose copies of the report referred to. As soon as the date of the Convention is fixed I will communicate with you further, and I have to request that you will be good enough to inform me whether your Government will be prepared to send a delegate to the proposed Conference. I have, &c, J. CHAMBEELAIN. Governor the Eight Hon. the Earl of Eanfurly, K.C.M.G., &c.

Enclosure No. 1. Sib,— The Eoyal Society, Burlington House, W., 6th April, 1898. Adverting to Professor Foster's letter of the 15th August, 1895, relating to the subject of a proposed International Catalogue of Scientific Literature, I am now directed to forward copies of a report upon the subject, drawn up by a committee appointed by the Eoyal Society at the request of the International Conference which was held thereon in the summer of 1896, and to request that you will be so good as to transmit copies to the several colonial Governments which took part in the Conference above mentioned. I am further directed to inform you that the Eoyal Society committee think it very desirable that an International Conference should again meet for the purpose of considering the report, and Her Majesty's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs is being approached with a view to such a Convention being summoned for this year. The Eoyal Society committee therefore trust you will see your way to invite the several Colonial Governments who accepted the invitation to the Conference of 1896 to appoint delegates to an International Convention, with powers to authorise the establishment of an organization for the conduct of the catalogue. A list of those Governments is appended. Since it is very desirable to take action in the matter without delay, an early date has "been suggested for the meeting of the Convention, and Tuesday, the 12th July has been mentioned, but, in the event of this date being considered to give too short a notice of meeting, Tuesday the 11th October is proposed. It is suggested that the number of delegates to be sent by each Government might perhaps, as in 1896, be left to the several Governments for decision. The reports under reference are being forwarded to the Colonial Office direct from the society's printers. I have, &c, Eight Hon. J. Chamberlain, M.P., &c. Eobeet Harbison, Assistant Secretary.

The Governments of the following colonies accepted invitations to the International Catalogue Conference of 1896: Canada, Cape Colony, Natal, New South Wales, New Zealand, and Queensland,