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and death of the late Premier, this subject has not been considered by the Canadian Government, and, on account of the present illness of the new Premier (Sir Mackenzie Bowell), I regret to add that it will not be possible for the Cabinet to deal with the matter in time for the outgoing mail. If, however, the views of the Cabinet are not yet known, I have reason to believe that the Premier and other Ministers hold personally very decided opinions in favour of the principle of State ownership, and I feel warranted in saying that they will be glad to learn that the Governments of the Australian Colonies hold the same views. The joint Commission which I have ventured to suggest in this letter would, of course, be provisional only The object would be to have every detail considered by a properly constituted authority, with the view of bringing the project, in a form in which it could be worked out, before the several Governments for their acceptance. I have, &c, The Hon. the Premier of New Zealand. Sandfoed Fleming.

No. 32. The Minister of Tbade and Commebce, Ottawa, to the Hon the Peemiee. Sic, — Ottawa, 7th January, 1895. Under date of Bth December* last, my predecessor transmitted to you an advance copy of Mr Fleming's report upon the proposals received from cable-manufacturing companies in answer to advertisements published in England in furtherance of the resolutions adopted at the recent Colonial Conference—official copies having since been forwarded through the usual channel. I take the liberty of calling your special attention to the memorandum Mr Fleming submitted in addition to his report—a further copy of which 1 enclose—and to his letters to me of the 28th ultimo and sth instant, further on the subject, copies also herewith, and I would be much pleased to receive and place before my colleagues an expression of your views upon the suggestions made as to the manner in which best to arrive at an understanding as to the ultimate mode of carrying out the project in hand, the feasibility of which has now been so thoroughly established, if the Governments interested decide to undertake the work. I also have the honour to forward herewith a copy of the report of Mr Fleming and Mr Mercer on their mission to Hawaii, another copy having been forwarded officially some days since , also a short supplementary report of Mr Fleming on cost of a cable of greater capacity than that referred to in the tenders heretofore reported upon. I have, &c. W B. Ives, Minister of Trade and Commerce. The Hon. the Premier of New Zealand, Wellington.

Enclosures m No. 32. I.—The Pacific Gable Ebpokt op Special Commissioneb on the Mission to the Hawaiian GoVEBNMENT. May it please youe Excellency,— Ottawa, 15th November, 1894. You were pleased, by Order in Council of the 10th September last, to instruct me to proceed to Honolulu to enter into negotiations for obtaining the exclusive use of an island for telegraphic purposes, in accordance with the resolutions of the Colonial Conference which was convened, at Ottawa on the 28th of June, 1894. On the same date, the 10th of September, a communication was sent to the President of the Hawaiian Eepublic by the Minister of Trade and Commerce notifying him that your Excellency's Government had been pleased to nominate me as a Special Commissioner to proceed to Honolulu for the purpose of submitting to the Hawaiian Government matters in relation to the project of connecting telegraphically the Dominion of Canada with the Australian Colonies , moreover, that my departure was only delayed until the arrival of a gentleman from England, appointed by the Eight Hon. the Secretary of State for the Colonies, to accompany me on the mission. I was at the same time informed by letter from the Minister of Trade and Commerce that Mr W H. Mercer, of the Imperial Colonial Office, had been selected by the Marquess of Eipon to take part in the negotiations for obtaining from the Hawaiian Government neutral landing-ground on one of the islands in the Hawaiian Archipelago, for the proposed Pacific telegraph cable. Mr Mercer arrived at Ottawa on the 18th September. On the following day we left for Honolulu. We reached our destination on the 6th of October We were received by Mr. A. G. S. Hawes, Her Majesty's Commissioner and Consul-General, and by Captain May, of H.M.S. " Hyacinth." These gentlemen had received instructions from the Foreign Office and from the Admiralty to render every possible assistance in promoting the object of our mission. The President of the Eepublic, Mr Dole, and the Attorney-General, Mr. Smith, were absent from Honolulu during the period we remained there. We had frequent conferences with other members of the Government —the Foreign Minister and Acting President, Mr Hatch, the Minister of Finance, Mr. Damon, and the Minister of the Interior, Captain King. On all these occasions the British Commissioner and Consul-General, Mr. Hawes, was present, and took part in the discussions. We remained in Honolulu about two weeks, in which period we reached the understanding with the Hawaiian Government which is set.forth in the accompanying papers. We then returned to Canada. In order that no time should be lost in submitting the result of our mission, we prepared a statement when on our voyage from Honolulu. On the morning of our arrival at San Francisco this statement was sent by post to the Minister of Trade and Commerce at Ottawa. I have the honour to append this statement, which is dated at sea, the 25th October, 1594, together