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A.—2

affectionate feeling for Her Majesty the Queen. In addition to this, the officers and myself were specially invited to their respective villages to see them dance and hear them sing. (d.) We were also well entertained by the Chief Magistrate and by the foreign residents. On Tuesday, the 19th, came the crowning feast of all, given by Makea at her palace. It consisted of a native feast, with dances and singing, most of the songs being composed for the occasion in our honour. The decorations, the crowds of well-looking natives, men and women, pretty native girls with flowers and wreaths and their nice gentle manners, cannot but be remembered by us all. (<?..) Mr. Moss, the British Eesident, expressed himself as much pleased that we should have detained a little, and assured me that our visit had been of great advantage to him and his work. Certainly it has been a very pleasant duty to perform. 12. On the 21st, after completing the running survey of the island, and taking on board fresh meat, &c, I left Earotonga at 3.30 p.m. for Palmerston Island, doing quarterly passage-trial, and hove-to off Palmerston at 5.50 p.m. on the 22nd. 13. Anchored off the reef at Palmerston Island at 7.30 a.m. on the 23rd May, and landed and communicated with Mr. Masters, the licensee of the island, and arranged with him about the rent of the island, as requested by the late British Consul at Earotonga, who had been instructed on the subject by His Excellency the High Commissioner for the Pacific in Fiji. Found a very good anchorage with wind anywhere between north-north-east and south-south-east. Palmerston is worked by Mr. Masters and his family, no other labour being employed. Copra is the sole product. Mr. Masters has lived for over thirty years on the island, having in that long time been away but twice, each time to Aitutaki. He is a fine hearty old Englishman, a native of Birmingham. His family are all well grown and'strong, numbering fifteen, and they, with the sons' wives and daughters' husbands and one or two children, make up the total population of thirty-two souls. They all speak English, and are carefully brought up by Mr. Masters himself, English being the only language spoken, among themselves. There are thirteen islands in all on the reef, and they are growing eventually to form one ring-island round a deep lagoon. There are about 230,000 cocoanut-trees planted. 14. I left Palmerston at 4 p.m. on the 23rd, and shaped course for Niue or Savage Island, it being on our course for Tonga. Experienced light to moderate trade on passage, and arrived under lee of Niue at 4.30 p.m. of the 25th. Exercised at target-practice. I landed in the evening for an hour, and found everything quiet, and the people prosperous. Mr. Lawes, the missionary of the place, told me that he had a strong suspicion that leprosy had appeared among the natives, one man having died, and two of his family showed signs of the disease. I waited at Niue until after dark, wishing to do the night practice with 2 F. and machine-guns. Having dropped the target, and while waiting to get proper distance, a heavy rain-squall came down on us, the electric searchlight was bearing on target short-circuited, and the result was that target was lost, and I proceeded for Tongatabou. 15. Experienced fine weather, with light to moderate trade, until arrival at Tonga on the 27th at 3 p.m. On the 28th H.M.S. "Cordelia" arrived with His Excellency the High Commissioner on board. I left Nukualofa, Tonga, at 8 a.m. on the 31st, and arrived here at 11.30 p.m. on the 2nd instant. Experienced fine weather on passage, with light to moderate trade-winds. I propose cleaning boilers, overhauling engines, after quarterly passage-trial, and leaving here on the 12th instant for Noumea. I have, &c, C. L. Kingsmill, Lieutenant-Commander. Bear-Admiral Lord C. T. M. D. Scott, C.B.

No. 21. (New Zealand, No. 37.) My Lord, — Downing Street, 17th August, 1891. I am directed by the Secretary of State to transmit to you, for the information of your Government, the document specified in the annexed schedule, on the subject of the appeal of Donnelly and others v. Broughton, from the Court of Appeal of New Zealand. I h P.yP (yO 'eo'beet g. w. hebbebt. The Officer Administering the Government of New Zealand.

Date. Description of Document. ! th July ... j Judgment of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. I