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the Department of the Minister of Education reporting the arrangements which were made for the matriculation examination of the University I have now the honor to transmit to you, for the information of your Government, a copy of a letter from Mr Milman on the subject. It will be observed that Mr Milman expresses an opinion that the Senate may not admit to matriculation candidates " whose examination has been con- " ducted so long after the time fixed by the regulations." It would, however, have been impossible, owing to the late date on which the examination-papers were forwarded to this department, to have held the examination so soon as seems to have been expected, and I shall cause a communication to be addressed to Mr Milman to that effect, and shall communicate further with you on the subject. I have, &c, EDWARD WINGEIELD, (Eor the Secretary of State.) The Officer Administering the Government of New Zealand.

Enclosure in No. 21. The University of London to the Colonial Office. University of London, Burlington House, W., Sir,— October 6th, 1880. I have the honor to acknowledge your letter of the sth instant enclosing a despatch from the Governor of New Zealand and a memorandum from the Department of the Minister of Education on the subject of the matriculation examination in that colony It appears from this memorandum that the matriculation examination, instead of having been held on June 21st, or immediately afterwards, was postponed until September 6th, and that it is proposed that the answers of candidates then sitting should be accepted as though the examination had been held in June. I do not think that the Senate will assent to such an arrangement, or will admit to matriculation candidates whose examination has been conducted so long after the time fixed by the regulations. As I believe that a mail to New Zealand is made up to-morrow, I think it might be convenient if you would be so good as to inform the Governor of New Zealand of the difficulty which will probably arise, and to suggest that it might perhaps be advisable to send out, when the time comes, the papers for the matriculation examination of January next, in case the colonial authorities should wish that examination to be held in substitution for the recent June examination, the arrangements for which have miscarried. I will communicate with the Gilchrist Trustees in reference to so much of the memorandum of the Minister of Education as refers to their scholarships; but may say at once that it was their intention that a scholarship should be awarded "biennially" and not "annually," and that the latter word was, as suggested, left unaltered in the regulations by inadvertence. I may add that all the arrangements in regard to the Gilchrist Scholarships are made by the Gilchrist Trustees independently of the University; and we had no reason to doubt that they had been made in the present case before the papers were, on the application of the Trustees themselves, sent out. I have, &c, Arthur Milman, Edward Wingfield, Esq., &c. Registrar.

No. 22. Copy of a DESPATCH from the Right Hon. the Earl of Kimberley to the Officer Administering the Government of New Zealand. (No. 32.) Sir,— Downing Street, 12th October, 1880. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of Sir H. Robinson's Despatch No. 48, of the 11th August, enclosing copies of the Final Report of the Royal Commissioners appointed under the Confiscated Lands Act for the settlement of the difficulty on the West Coast,