D.—B

2

No. 2. Colonial Treasury, Wellington, 6th September, 1873. PnECErvED from the Emigrant and Colonist's Aid Corporation, Limited, by the hands of Arthur William Follett Halcombe, the sum of seven thousand five hundred pounds sterling (£7,500), in payment of purchase money for ten thousand (10,000) acres more or less, being subdivision A of the Manchester Block, in the Manawatu District, as shown in the official map of the Chief Surveyor of the Province of Wellington, and bounded towards the north-east by a public road, bearing about 303° magnetic, being a continuation of the road known as " Reid's Line," from the Oroua Eiver towards the Rangitikei River; towards the south-east by the Oroua River, by the Timona Native Reserve, and by a reserve of two hundred acres for totara timber; towards the south by the Kawa Kawa Native Reserve, and by sections numbered 101, 111, 112, 118, 119, 124, 125, 129, and 130, on the plan of the township of Sandon ; towards the west by sections numbered 85, 132, and 130, on the plan of the said township, and towards the north-west by a line bearing about 33° magnetic from the north-east corner of the Mingiora Native Reserve, towards the north-east boundary, excepting always the line of railway running through the said piece of land. Julius Vogel, Colonial Treasurer.

No. 3. The Seceetaey to the Treastjey to Mr. Halcombe. Sib,— Treasury, Wellington, 27th November, 1873. Referring to the sum of £15,000 paid to the Colonial Treasury on the Gth September last, in respect of the principal and interest of the debt of the Emigrant and Colonist's Aid Corporation, I have the honor, by direction of tho Hon. the Colonial Treasurer, to advise you as to the manner in which the sum in question has been applied. In accordance with the understanding assented to by yourself on the occasion of your making payment of the sum referred to, £7,500 has been applied to retire principal notes to that amount out of the Series C, due Ist April, 1882, and £5,881 17s. to retire principal notes to that amount out of the Series A, due Ist Apr'l, 1877, the balance of £1,618 3s. being applied to payments of interest duo on £75,000 from Ist April to 6th September, 1873. The retirement of the principal notes above referred to, will, of course, cancel the interest notes of each series appertaining to the principal sums paid off, while tho payment of £1,618 3s. will retire interest notes to that amount in respect of those due on the Ist October last. As, however, interest on the whole debt has been paid only to the 6th September, a balance of £211 os. sd. is still due in respect of the notes last named ; and I am to request that you will be good enough to cause payment of this amount to be made at the Treasury. I enclose the receipt of the Hon. the Colonial Treasurer for the sum of £7,500, paid on Gth September ; also statements of the interest due and paid, and of the notes retired and cancelled. These last will be handed over to your appointee, or will be transmitted to yourself direct, as may be desired. I have, Sec, A. F. Halcombe, Esq., C. T. Batkiit, Agent for Emigrant and Colonist's Aid Corporation, Secretary to the Treasury. Marton.

No. 4. Mr. Halcombe to the Hon. the Pbemieb. Sib, — Wellington, 2nd January, 1874. I have the honor, as representative of the Emigrant and Colonist's Aid Corporation, to request the consideration of yourself and your Government to the altered position in which the Corporation has been placed, with regard to the immigration portion of tho Hon. Colonel Feilding's contract, by the recent action of the Government in granting free passages to all immigrants, and by the legislation of the last Session of the Assembly offering grants of land to the value of £20 for every statute adult introduced into and settled in the colony without cost to the Government. I need hardly remind you, Sir, that in the negotiations with the Hon. Colonel Feilding, which resulted in the contract referred to, the exceptional advantages of a free passage for its immigrants to the colony was offered by the Government and accepted by Colonel Feilding as a very valuable concession, and as a set-off to some extent against the price to be given for the land taken up by the Corporation, and it was one of the chief inducements to the acceptance of the contract. As the lowest rate then charged to Government immigrants from England was £8 per statute adult cash (or £12 if promissory note was given), the exceptional advantage offered to the Corporation by the immigration clause of the contract amounted to £16,000 at least on the 2,000 immigrants whom it is bound, under a heavy penalty, to introduce. Now, in consequence of the action of the Government and the Legislature, not only has the Corporation ceased to enjoy any exceptional advantages in respect to its immigration, as it was on both sides intended to secure under the contract, but it really occupies a worse position than if the immigration clauses were to be struck altogether out of the contract.