D.—4a,

2

regards the loan, such instructions will not authorize you to go beyond preparations which will enable your action to be prompt and effective as soon as legislative authority has been obtained. 2. Assuming that the views of the Government are indorsed by the Legislature, there will be £200,000 available for three years' operations, or, in other words, for the introduction of about 5,000 emigrants a year during that period. 3. The Immigration Officers in the different districts have been directed to send in all the nominations received since the suspension of operations last year; and the schedules will be forwarded in another letter by this mail. More cannot be done at present, as some of the documents will not be received here until just before the departure of the mail steamer. 4. I have the honour to request that you will take the matter in hand at once, and that you will, as far as possible, prepare for shipping emigrants as soon as there is a sufficient number available. By the next month's mail you will probably be informed what is intended as to a direct steam service; and you will then be enabled to decide whether at the outset you will employ sailing vessels or steamers. 5. Supposing the authority hereafter sent to you to be to ship about 5,000 emigrants during twelve months, it would, I think, be desirable that about 1,000 single women should be included in addition to those who are nominated or who may come as servants to emigrating families. There might, of course, be difficulty in procuring, during twelve months, so many young women as to whose fitness for domestic service here you would be satisfied; and lam sure you will understand that the Government would expect such satisfaction to be your primary consideration in the matter. 6. Until after the departure of the mail there will be no opportunity of examining the nominations of which schedules are being sent to you. I cannot, therefore, at present judge how far those nominations as regards the nationalities of the nominated conform to the instructions already given to you; but I hope by the next mail to send you suggestions or instructions based upon careful classification of the received papers. 7. You will probably think it advisable that one ship with emigrants should be sent direct from the Clyde; and should you adopt this course you are authorized to secure Mr. Ottywell's services in connection therewith, upon such terms as the circumstances of the case and the work to be done seem to warrant. 8. You will use your judgment as to securing—with respect to the suggested 1,000 young women —a proper class of emigrants for each of the four principal ports —Auckland, Wellington, Lyttelton, and Dunedin. It is desirable that in all cases the bulk of the emigrants should arrive before the winter months ; and, as to those whose names will be forwarded by this mail, it is hoped you will be able so to arrange as to secure their arrival before the next harvest. 9. Generally, you will be so good as to adhere to the instructions contained in Mr. Dick's letter of the 4th November last, a copy of which, for convenience, is appended hereto; and, to the extent I have indicated, you will give effect to the suggestions contained in your own letter of the 13th January with respect to passages for single women. I have, &c, The Agent-General for New Zealand, London. Wm. Eolleston.

Enclosure 1 in No. 2. The Hon. Mr. Dick to the Agent-General. Sic, — Immigration Office, Wellington, 4th November, 1881. I have the honour to inform you that during the last session of Parliament a vote of £20,000 was taken for the purpose of introducing immigrants to the colony; and the Government has accordingly determined to grant passages to a limited number of carefully-selected nominated immigrants. The following are the principles which it has been determined to lay down in considering applications for passages : (1.) Cases where families are separated, the parents being in the colony and the children in the United Kingdom, or vice versa. (2.) Cases where relatives wish to have relations brought out, such as brothers, sisters, &c. (3.) Cases where friends wish to have friends who are not related brought out, or where persons who have succeeded themselves in the colony wish to have their friends and acquaintances to join them. The several Immigration Officers throughout the colony have been instructed in accordance with these principles, and I now enclose schedules of nominations which have been prepared in accordance therewith. In providing passages for the persons named in the enclosed schedules it is desirable, as far as possible, to preserve the proportions of nationalities laid down in the letter to your predecessor, dated the 3rd October, 1878,.and published in Parliamentary Paper D.-la, 1878; but it is not absolutely necessary that the proportions therein stated should be rigidly adhered to if the immigrants who come forward for acceptance are in your opinion specially fitted for colonial life. With regard to arrangements for the passages of immigrants it is not considered necessary to enter into a formal contract for such a limited number. You should, however, endeavour to make arrangements from time to time, as passages are required, with one of the shipping firms trading to the colony ; any arrangements which you may enter into being based as nearly as possible upon the terms of the late contract with the New Zealand Shipping Company, as regards victualling, rate of passage-money, the general arrangements for the comfort and convenience of the immigrants, &c. You should also endeavour to despatch the emigrants by vessels sailing to such ports in the colony as are nearest to the localities where the nominators reside; but the carrying-out of these and other details is left to yojir own discretion. I enclose for your information a copy of the lithograph circular letter which has been addressed to persons in the colony who have been in communication with this department with reference to obtaining passages for their nominees ; and the only remark I wish to make in reference thereto is that, in all cases where nominations have been made in favour of foreigners, the nominators have