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No. 3. Dr. Featherstok to the Hon. the Colonial Seceetaet. 7, Westminster Chambers, Victoria Street, Westminster, S.W. Sib — 19th February, 1873. I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your letter No. 150, of 6th December, 1872, acquainting me that in accordance with a vote passed by the House of Representatives, Mr. Buller is entitled to draw at the rate of £200 for six months, from Ist January to 30th June, 1873, on which latter date his extended leave of absence will expire. I have, Ac, I. E. Featherston, The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Wellington, N.Z. Agent-General.

No. 4. Extract from Telegram from Agent-General to Colonial Secretart, dated London, 9th April, 1873. Mat I retain Buller as Secretary till end August, salary £400, on understanding his appointment be kept open ? Featuerston.

No. 5. Exteact from Telegram from Hon. Premier to Agent-General, 12th April, 1573. Do not employ Buller —Assembly not tolerate. If not back in time loses appointment Vogel.

No. 6. The Hon. W. 11. Eetnolds to Dr. Featheeston. Sib,— Colonial Secretary's Office, Wellington, 7th May, 1873. It has been brought to my notice that in a letter dated tho sth of July last, Mr. Gisborne drew your attention to the amount of pay drawn by Mr. Buller, and expressed a presumption that that gentleman had not been permitted to draw the full salary allowed him as your Secretary unless you were satisfied that he had performed the duties of the office. Mr. Gisborne then drew your attention to the correspondence between himself and Mr. Buller which had been laid before Parliament, with especial reference to the following statements made by Mr. Buller in a letter dated 6th April, 1871 : — " I may state further that my salary as Eesident Magistrate at Wanganui is £400 a year, but that reckoning Eegistrar's fees and other allowances, my total income from official sources amounts to about £600 a year." In reference to this statement Mr. Gisborne pointed out that he had since received information from the Treasury Accounts that in the year immediately preceding Mr. Buller's departure for England his total income from official sources in the Colony amounted to £535 16s. 6d., and that in each of the two previous years it amounted to a considerably smaller sum; and he requested you to be good enough to call upon Mr Buller for an explanation of the apparent discrepancy between his own statement of his annual income in the Colony from official sources, and the return furnished by the Treasury. Of this letter I cannot find that any notice has been taken either by yourself or Mr Buller, though it is dated ten months ago. I should feel obliged if you would furnish me as soon as possible with a reply to Mr. Gisborne's letter above quoted, with a copy of such explanation as Mr. Buller may have been able to afford as to the apparent discrepancy between his own statement of his official income and that given by the Treasury Accounts ; as well as an explanation of the reason for the long delay which has taken place in replying to Mr. Gisborne's letter. I should also be glad to be informed what sums of money have been paid by you to Mr. Buller since the 31st of December last. I have, &c, The Agent-General for New Zealand, London. William 11. Eetnolds.

No. 7. Dr. Featheeston to the Hon. tho Colonial Seceetaet. 7, Westminster Chambers, Victoria Street, Westminster, S.W., Sic,— 16th May, 1873. In my letter of 18th March last I explained to the Government what my requirements were as regards a staff of officers in order to keep pace with the daily increasing work in this Department. I stated then that provision would have to be made for a private and confidential Secretary, at a salary of £400 a year. Owing to a sudden increase in the official correspondence of the Department, and to the large amount of extra work occasioned by the necessary preparations for the Vienna Exhibition, I found it quite impossible to carry on any longer without the assistance of such a Secretary. Under these circumstances I requested Mr. Walter Buller, who had previously been Acting Secretary to this Department, but had been relieved at the end of last year iv order to enable him to