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I would remark, however, that, in reporting from the colony on the suitability of the emigrants, it would be a guide to me in endeavouring to improve the selections, if the names of those considered unsuitable, with details as to the reasons for so considering them, were added to each report. I should then be in a better position to trace how such unsuitable persons were sent out, and to take steps, so far as possible, to prevent a recurrence of the evil complained of. lv stating that lunacy amongst emigrants is alarmingly on the increase, you name the cases of B M , an emigrant by the "Bakaia," and S R , who came to the Plymouth Depot for the purpose of embarking by the " Waitangi." With regard to the former, I am causing inquiry to be made, and with regard to the latter, as you observe, she was not allowed to proceed. As I pointed out in my letter No. 433, of 23rd May, 1878, the official inspection by the Surgeon-superintendent and despatching officer at the Plymouth Depot is one of the safeguards on which I rely in the selection of emigrants, and the non-embarkation of S E—— was not, as you would appear to indicate, merely an accidental occurrence brought about by the interference of the Surgeon-superintendent. In fact, it was the matron of the depot who first called the attention of the despatching officer to S it 's apparent imbecility, and he, of course, referred the case to the surgeon. The case of S E was a peculiar one, showing the difficulty that sometimes occurs in discovering mental defects. She was recommended for a passage by a gentleman who was sending her out to be a servant to his brother in New Zealand ; he had known her from a child, having been in his service, and it may, I think, be presumed that he would not have been a party to sending an imbecile girl out to his brother. There is, however, no doubt that at the official inspection at Plymouth she was found mentally incapable, and it could only be surmised that owing to the novelty of her position, and the excitement attending her leaving England, the latent insanity was developed. The emigrants by the " City of Auckland," who are the more special subject of your remarks, were selected in the early part of the season, when, owing to the late date at which I received instructions as to the number and description of emigrants required, some pressure ensued in having to obtain emigrants to embark by the ships sailing at the earlier dates. I have reason to believe that the adoption of my suggestion, to commence this month to entertain applications for farm labourers and domestic servants, by giving this department more time for selection, will tend to improve the description of emigrants sent out. I shall continue to exercise the greatest care in such selection, introducing improvements in the mode of so doing whenever I see an opportunity. With regard to the cases of single women who come on board the vessel enceinte, and are confined before the voyage is over, I venture to dissent from the view taken that there should be little or no difficulty in detecting such cases at the depot, unless a far more inquisitorial examination is adopted. As mentioned in a previous letter, all the officials at the depot have special instructions to report any suspicious case of* this kind, and single women are from time to time not allowed to embark for that very cause. Although the matron at the depot is not under my immediate control, I have every reason to believe that she is an experienced and a very suitable person for the office she holds. The fact that cases are frequently reported in provincial newspapers in which a domestic servant has been able to deceive her mistress, so far as even to be confined in the house, and even to resume her work before being detected, shows, to a great extent, the difficulties to be met with in these cases. With respect to the nationalities of the emigrants by the " City of Auckland," in which there was an undue proportion of Irish, I would remark that the emigrants by that vessel were selected in the early part of the season, when the fact of an unprecedented number of applications from Ireland had not been sufficiently recognized to render it necessary to take special measures to keep up a due proportion of English, Irish, and Scotch in each vessel. By later vessels, however, I endeavoured as far as possible to make the proportions of the nationalities of the total number of the emigrants somewhat similar to that which I was afterwards instructed by you to adopt. For instance, out of the total number to be sent, I endeavoured to embark, as near as I could, 50 per cent. English, 30 per cent. Irish, and 20 per cent. Scotch; and, in carrying this out in further detail, I estimated that a ship going from Glasgow with 300 emigrants should have 20 English, 120 Irish, and 160 Scotch; while a ship proceeding from Plymouth with a similar total number, should have 210 English, 80 Irish, and 10 Scotch ; so that taking 5,000 (the number first ordered) as the total, I,GOO of which were to be despatched from Glasgow, and 3,400 from Plymouth, the approximate proportionate numbers sent out from both ports would be 2,500 English, 1,500 Irish, and 1,000 Scotch. I can not, of course, as your instructions appear to direct me to do, strictly adhere to the proportions mentioned by you as regards every separate ship, as the Scotch emigrants will prefer going in the ships sailing from the Clyde, and in such vessels that nationality will predominate. But I feel sure that your meaning is that I am to arrange the proportions over the Scotch and English vessels taken together, and I shall carry out your wishes by maintaining, as nearly as possible, the proportions mentioned by you over the total number of emigrants sent during the season. Tour report of the conduct of the Maoris towards the shipwrecked emigrants has afforded me sincere gratification, and I at once caused a paragraph, copy of which I herewith enclose, referring thereto to be inserted in the principal papers of the United Kingdom. I have, &c, JrLirs Vogel, The Hon. the Minister for Immigration, Wellington. Agent-General. 4—D. 2.