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(2.) That Ministers always keep up communication with a Governor temporarily absent. (3.) That he never stated that they were under positive obligations to do so, but merely that they had not done so; and he left people to draw their own inferences. (4.) That Sir James Prendergast says that he wrote himself, but his one short letter contained nothing of importance. IV. As to the issue of the Proclamation of i. Sir Arthur Gordon. Sir Arthur Gordon says, concerning this, — The Ministers and Sir James Prendergast say that they did not know he was just returning; but they must have suspected it from what Mr. Murray said to Sir John Hall, and, unless they desired to remain without official knowledge, they would have made more inquiries. Wellington, September 21, 1883.

(2.) That a mere temporary absence on leave, or on a friendly visit to a neighbouring Governor, is totally different from the case of a Governor leaving the colony to take up, for a period of several months, the duties of a distinct office held by him. In the former case he leaves a. Deputy appointed by himself; in the latter an Acting-Governor takes his place by virtue of a separate commission from Her Majesty. (3.) The statement was made in a manner to invite inferences of one kind only. (&.) Sir James Prendergast has stated, and Sir Arthur Gordon has not denied, that in his (Sir James Prendergast's) letter he stated that he did not write more fully because Mr. Murray was writing, and sending all the newspapers. he 19th October, 1881, on the eve of the return of a. That, whatever impression Mr. Murray intended to convey to Sir John Hall, Ministers never had an idea that Sir John Hall had gathered from Mr. Murray's remarks that there was any reason to believe that Sir Arthur Gordon was likely to return when he did. b. That, if Sir Arthur Gordon wished Ministers to know of his intended return, his proper course was to tell them. He cannot now reasonably blame them for having acted without the knowledge of that which, apparently, was designedly withheld from them. c. Ministers repudiate the unjustifiable and offensive suggestion adopted by Sir Arthur Gordon, that "Ministers were about to take advantage " of Sir Arthur Gordon's " absence to precipitate a crisis in Native affairs on the west coast of the North Island :" for even had they been aware that Sir Arthur Gordon was expected, Lt would in no wise have altered their conviction that it was their duty at once to deal with an emergency which, in their opinion, the public interest required should be dealt with without delay; and they would have acted accordingly. FitED. Whitakek.

No. 6. The Eight Hon. the Earl of Deeby to Governor Sir W. F. D. Jeevois. (Now Zealand, No. 68.) Sin,— Downing Street, December 10th, 1883. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Despatch, No. 71, of the 22nd of September last, enclosing copies of memoranda by Sir James Prendergast and your Ministers, in reply to certain statements made by Sir Arthur Gordon in a letter to this department of the 81st March last, having reference to papers laid before the Imperial Parliament relating to Native affairs in New Zealand. I request that you will inform Sir James Prendergast and your Ministers that I have forwarded copies of these papers to Sir Arthur Gordon; and that, in doing so, I have intimated to him that Her Majesty's Government do not think that the points referred to in the correspondence to which these memoranda especially relate are of sufficient public interest in this country, to justify the communication of further papers to Parliament on the matter. I have also informed Sir Arthur Gordon that, in my opinion, the controversy may now with advantage be allowed to drop. If your Ministers, or Sir Arthur Gordon, should, however, consider it necessary that there should be any publication of this further correspondence, it would seem more convenient that the papers should be produced in the New Zealand Parliament; and I need hardly add that anything which it is thought important to place on record in this department will, of course, be carefully recorded. I have, &c. Governor Sir W. F. D. Jervois, G.C.M.G. Deeby.