A.—No. la,

DESPATCHES EROM THE GOVERNOR OF NEW

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which is apparent between certain returns of importations of Gold from New Zealand, published in England on the authority of the Commissioners of Her Majesty's Customs, and the Returns published by the New Zealand Government, and transmitted regularly to your Lordship's Department. 2. Your Lordship will perceive from the Memorandum that my Responsible Advisers impute this discrepancy to the fact that much of the Gold produced in New Zealand is sent to Australia for shipment to England, and that on its arrival in London it is classed by the Custom House authorities as Australian produce ; and that they deem it of great importance to this Colony that the Returns officially published in England should correctly show the amount and value of Gold, the produce of New Zealand, imported into London. I have, &c, The Right Hon. the Earl of Carnarvon. G. GREY.

Enclosure in No. 29. Memorandum by Mr. Stafford. Wellington, 16th April, 1867. The attention of Ministers has been called to certain Eeturns of importations of Gold from New Zealand, published in England on the authority of the Commissioners of Her Majesty's Customs. These Eeturns represent the value of the Gold imported into London from New Zealand, from 1857 to 1866, to have amounted to only £1,580,820, while the actual value exported from New Zealand during that period, as shown in Eeturns published by the New Zealand Government, and transmitted regularly to the Secretary of State, was £11,840,298. A similar Eeturn of the Commissioners of Customs represents the value of the Gold imported from New Zealand into London during the latter half of 1866 as having been £68,000, and for the corresponding period in 1865 to only £10,000, while the actual value for the first named period was £1,335,411, and for the corresponding period in 1865 £1,362,423. This large discrepancy is believed to arise from the fact that much of the Gold produced in New Zealand is sent to Australia for shipment to England, and that on its arrival in London it is classed by the Custom House authorities as Australian produce. This system, of course, disproportionately augments the Statistical Eeturns of imports of Gold from Australia, and in an equal ratio reduces those from New Zealand. It is of great importance to this Colony that the Statistical Eeturns officially published in England respecting it should be correct, and Ministers request that His Excellency may be pleased to communicate with the Secretary of State for the Colonies on the subject, in order that the necessary steps may be taken to ensure that the Eeturns published by or on the authority of the Commissioners of Customs shall correctly show the amount and value of Gold, the produce of New Zealand, imported into London. For His Excellency the Governor. E. W. Stafford.

No. 30. Copy of a DESPATCH from Governor Sir George Grey, K.C.8., to the Right Hon. the Earl of Carnarvon. (No. 47.) Government House, Wellington, My Lord,— 27th April, 1867. My Responsible Advisers have requested me to transmit to your Lordship the Memorandum which I have the honor herewith to enclose, and which relates to your Lordship's Despatch No. 56, of the 28th of December last. I have, &c, G. GREY. The Right Hon. the Earl of Carnarvon.

Enclosure in No. 30. Memorandum by Mr. Stafford. Wellington, 17th April, 1867. The Besponsible Advisers of the Crown in New Zealand have read with extreme regret Lord Carnarvon's Despatch No. 56, of the 28th December last. It is with very great reluctance that they feel compelled to animadvert upon it, but they would be unworthy of the trust confided to them by the Colony if they silently submitted to the imputations to which the Governor, themselves and the Colonial Forces are alike subjected in that Despatch. They believe that they can show that those imputations are unfounded, and have without due consideration been invested with authority by the Secretary of State. As the Despatch chiefly relates to the removal of Her Majesty's Eegular Troops from New Zealand, and as His Excellency's Despatches have dealt fully with the strictures on his conduct in connection