B.—No. 5

December last, to your Honor, has been mislaid, and requesting to be furnished with a copy thereof, I have the honor, in accordance with such request, to transmit you herewith a certified copy of the letter referred to. I have, &c, Reader Wood, In the absence of Mr, Domett. His Honor the Superintendent, Otago.

No. 8. THE SUPERINTENDENT, OTAGO, TO THE HONORABLE THE COLONIAL SECRETARY. Superintendent's Office, Dunedin, April 11th, 1863. Sir,— I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter, of the number and date quoted in the margin, forwarding a copy of a letter on the subject of certain Returns required in connection with the " Otago Loan Ordinance, 1862." I have, &c, J. Richardson, Superintendent. The Honorable the Colonial Secretary, A uckland.

No. 88, March 21st, 1863.

No. 9. THE SUPERINTENDENT, OTAGO, TO THE HONORABLE THE COLONIAL SECEETABY. Province of Otago, Superintendent's Office, Dunedin, 14th April, 1863. Sir, — Referring to my letter of the 11th instant, I have now the honor to furnish the infoi'mation required by your Despatch of the 6th December last. 1. I forward a Return shewing the actual number of arrivals in the Province for the Quarters ended December, 1862, and March, 1863, distinguishing those who arrived from Britain and the Australian Colonies ; most of the latter, exclusive, of course, of the women and children, may be classed as diggers. 2. I enclose a copy of a letter from the Commissioner of Crown Lands as to the approximate value of the Waste Lands of the Province ujion which the repayment of the Loan will be principally secured. 3. As I cannot contemplate either a sudden or early decline in the amount of gold produced, or of the exhaustion of the Gold Fields, and of the consequent re-emigration of great numbers of the digging population, it is manifestly impossible for me to say that the security for repayment will be damaged in any way. I have, ifec, John Richardson, Superintendent. The Honorable the Colonial Secretary, Auckland.

Enclosure 1 to No. 9. Return of the number of persons who have arrived in the Province of Otago during the Quarters ended 31st December, 1862, and 31st March, 1863, including families and children ; distinguishing those who have arrived from Great Britain and those who arrived from the Australian Colonies, most of whom may be classed as Diggers :—

QUARTER ENDED 31ST DECEMBER, 1862.

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PAPERS RELATING TO

October. j November. December. Total. Great Britain Colonies 523 3,836 | 779 1.646 451 1,259 1,753 6,741 4,359 2,425 I 1,710 8,494