A—No. 1.

COMMISSION OF HIS EXCELLENCY Silt G. CxREY, K.C.B,

VICTORIA, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Queen, Defender of the faith, To our trusty and xcellbelovcd Sir George Grey, Knight, Commander of Our Most Honorable Order of the Both, Greeting : 1. Whkkeas We did by certain Letters Patent, under the Great Seal of Our United Kingdom of Groat Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the ninth day of February, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Our Reign, constitute and appoint our trusty and wellbeloved Thomas Gore Browne Esquire, Companion of Our Most Honorable Order of the Bath, Colonel in Our Army, to be Governor and Commander-in-Chief in and over Our Islands of New Zealand, as upon relation beino- had to the said recited Letters Patent will more fully and at large appear. Now Know You, that we have revoked and determined and by these Presents do revoke and determine the said recited Letters Patent, and every clause, article, and thing therein contained. And further Know You, that We, reposing especial trust and confidence in the prudence, courage, and loyalty of you the said Sir George Grey, of Our especial grace, certain knowledge and mere motion, Have thought fit to constitute and appoint, and by these Presents Do constitute and appoint you to be Our Governor and Commander-in-Chief in and over our said Colony of New Zealand and its Dependencies, for and during our will and pleasure, And We do hereby authorise and command you to do and execute all things in due manner that shall belong to your said Command, and the trust We have reposed in you according to and in pursuance of the act of the Session liolden in the fifteenth and sixteenth years of our Reign, intituled " An Act to graut a Representative Constitution to the Colony of New Zealand" and according to the several powers and directions granted or appointed you by this Our present Commission and the Instructions and authorities herewith given you or by such further powers, instructions, and authorities as shall at any time hereafter be granted or appointed you under our Sign Manual and Signet, or by our Order in our Privy Council, or by Us through one of our Principal Secretaries of State and according to such reasonable Laws as are now in force in our said Colony or hereafter shall be made by the General Assembly of our said Colony. 2. And Whereas it is expedient that an Executive Council should be appointed to advise and assist you in the administration of the Government of our said Colony: Now we do declare our pleasure to be that there shall be an Executive Council for our said Colony, and that the said Council shall consist of such persons as you shall by Instruments to be passed under the Public Seal of our said Colony in our name and on our behalf, from time to time nominate and appoint to be Members of the same. And We do hereby authorise you should you deem it necessary for the Public service to remove or suspend by such Instrument as aforesaid any of the Members of our said Council. But we do hereby expressly enjoin and require that you do transmit to us through one of our Principal Secretaries of State Exemplifications of all such Instruments as shall be by you so issued for appointing, suspending, or removing the Members of the said CounciL 3. And" We do hereby authorise and empower you to keep and use the Public Seal for sealing all things whatsoever that shall pass the Seal of our said Colony. 4. And We do hereby authorise and EMPOWER you to make and execute in our name and on our behalf under the Public Seal of our said Colony, Grants of any lands legally granted by Us within our said Colony. 5. And We do further authorise and empower you to constitute and appoint Judges, and in cases requisite Commissioners of Oyer and Terminer Justices of the Peace and other necessary Officers and Ministers of our said Colony of New Zealand for the better administration of Justice and putting the Laws into execution. 6. And We do hereby give and grant unto you full power and authority as you shall see occasion in our name and on our behalf to remit any fines, penalties, and forfeitures which may accrue or become payable to us. 7. And We do hereby give and grant unto you full power and authority as you shall see occasion in our name and on our behalf to grant to any Offender convicted of any crime in any Court or before any Judge, Justice, or Magistrate within our said Colony and its Dependencies, a free and unconditional pardon, or a pardon subject to such Conditions as in conformity with any Law in force in the said Colony may be thereunto annexed. 8. And we do hereby give and grant unto you, so far as we lawfully may, full power and authority upon sufficient cause to you appearing to remove from his Office or to suspend from the exercise of the same, any person exercising any such Office within our said Colony and its Dependencies, under or by virtue of any Commission or Warrant, granted or to be granted by Us or in our name or by our authority. And We do hereby strictly require and enjoin you in proceeding to any such removal or suspension to «onform to such instructions as may from time to time be communicated to you under our Sign Manual and Signet, or through one of our Principal Secretaries of State. 9. And Whereas it has been represented to Us that the necessities of our Service in our said Colony occasionally require that you should absent yourself from the Seat of Government in the Province of Auckland, whereby the affairs of the said Province might be exposed to detriment if there were no person in the place who should be authorised to exercise the powers and authorities which we have by our said Commission given and granted to you our Governor: Now We do hereby authorise and empower you from time to time, as occasion shall require, by an Instrument under the Public Seal of our said Colony, to assign, constitute, and appoint any person to be your Deputy in the said Province of Auckland, and in that capacity to exercise, perform, and execute during your pleasure, but no longer, all such powers, directions, and authorities, as are vested in you by this our