A.—2

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bestowed on the latter, but their Lordships have agreed with the Secretary of State for War upon the following arrangement, viz.: That the corresponding rank of officers of the army and navy respectively should not be disturbed by any rank conferred locally —i.e., by the colonial Government —but when the local rank in a colony is conferred by the Queen such rank should carry the same precedence as permanent rank. You will be so good as to communicate this despatch to your Ministers. I have, &c, The Officer Administering the Government KNUTSFOBD. of New Zealand.

Enclosure. Extbact from Memokandum by the Ministeb of Defence. Difficulties have arisen with regard to the relative rank of Imperial officers serving under terms of engagement in the local forces. Officers seconded from the Imperial army receive a step in local rank, which is conferred by the Queen and notified in the London Gazette. Their rank and precedence are determined by Eoyal Warrant No. 112 a. Officers of the Eoyal navy who accept service similarly receive no step in rank. It consequently happens that officers of the regimental rank of major in the army engaged for service in the colony have the local rank of lieutenant-colonel conferred by the Queen, and become senior to the commanders of the Eoyal navy serving in the local naval forces, although they are junior in service. In the same way officers of the Imperial army holding the regimental rank of captain become majors on accepting military appointments in the colonies, and take precedence of the lieutenants of the Eoyal navy who might otherwise be senior to them. As this question of relative rank does not in any way affect the rank and precedence as between Imperial and colonial officers, it can be dealt with without in any way interfering with the precedence of colonial officers given to Imperial military officers by the Eoyal warrant already quoted. This warrant, it is to be noted, does not refer to the precedence as between naval and military Imperial officers. As it does not appear to be customary to give local brevet rank to officers of the Eoyal navy in the way that it is frequently done in the case of officers of the Imperial army, there would appear to be no means of settling their relative rank under the circumstances stated except some addition to or amendment of the Eoyal warrant. F. J. Saegood, Melbourne, 6th March, 1891. Minister of Defence.

Article 112 a, Royal Warrant, 22nd February, 1890. 112 a. Officers of our army serving in any of our colonies or dependencies (except as provided in Article 112) under commissions signed by us shall have precedence of colonial officers of equal rank; but any such officers holding local rank conferred upon them by the colonial authorities shall take rank with colonial officers according to the dates of their respective commissions. Local or temporary rank granted to an officer of our army on assuming command of colonial forces, or when proceeding to a colony for any special service, shall be conferred by us, and such officer shall have precedence of all colonial officers of equal rank.

No. 10. (New Zealand, No. 23.) Sir, — Downing Street, sth July, 1892. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Lordship's despatch of the 16th of May, transmitting an address of condolence for presentation to the Queen from the New Zealand Conference of the Australasian Methodist Church on the occasion of the death of His Royal Highness the Duke of Clarence and Avondale. Her Majesty has been deeply touched by this expression of sympathy, and has desired me to request that you will convey through the President of the Conference sincere thanks on her own behalf and on that of the Royal Family for this sympathetic address. I have, &c, The Officer Administering the Government KNUTSFORD. of New Zealand.

No. 11. (New Zealand, No. 24.) Sib,— Downing Street, sth July, 1892. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Despatch No. 17, of the 17th May, forwarding an address to the Governor of New Zealand from