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No. 2. (Circular.) Sib, —■ Downing Street, sth June, 1894. I have the honour to transmit to you, for publication in the colony under your Government, a copy of Convention between Great Britain and Austria-Hungary for the establishment of international copyright, which was signed at Vienna on the 24th April, 1893, and of which the ratifications were exchanged on 14th April, 1894. I have also to enclose a copy pf the Order of Her Majesty in Council, which was issued on the 30th April last, for giving effect to the provisions of the Convention. I have to draw your attention to Article IX. of the Convention, from which you will observe that if it is desired that the stipulations of the Convention should be made applicable to the colony under your Government, notice to that effect must be given to Her Majesty's representative at the Court of Vienna within two years from the date of the exchange of the ratifications. I shall be glad to be informed at an early date whether your Government would wish the Convention and Order in Council to be applied to the colony under your Government. I have, &c, The Officer Administering the Government of EIPON.' New Zealand. [For enclosure see Neiv Zealand Gazette, loth May, 1895, p. 804.]

No. 3. (Circular.) Sib, — Downing Street, 18th June, 1894. I have much pleasure in informing you that Her Majesty has been pleased to approve of the extension of the Volunteer officers' decoration to officers of Volunteer Forces in the colonies. I enclose copies of the Eoyal Warrant instituting the decoration and prescribing the conditions under which it is to be granted, together with copies of the Eoyal Warrant extending the grant to officers serving in colonial Forces. It will- be observed that the power of conferring this decoration is to be exercised on behalf of Her Majesty by the Governor of the colony in which the officer shall have served, and that the name of the officer to whom the decoration is awarded is to be published in the official Gazette of the colony. In any colony in which the decoration is given it will be necessary to keep a register with the names of the officers on whom it is decided to confer the decoration, and a statement of the services in respect of which it is conferred. The decoration will be similar to that given to Volunteer officers in this country, with the exception that the Eoyal cipher will be V.E.I, instead of V.E., and the cost of the issue will fall on the colonial Governments concerned. The supply of decorations in this country is obtained from Messrs. Garrard, 25, Haymarket, S.W.; and, in order to insure uniformity of pattern and quality, it will be desirable for colonial Governments to obtain the decorations from that firm. I have, &c, The Officer Administering the Government of EIPON. New Zealand.

Enclosures. Extension of the Volunteee Officers' Decoeation Waeeant to the Colonies and India. Victoria E.I. Whereas by our Eoyal Warrant of the twenty-fifth day of July, one thousand eight hundred and ninety-two, we were graciously pleased tc institute a new decoration for the purpose of rewarding the long and meritorious services of officers of proved capacity in our Volunteer Forces in Great Britain : And whereas it has been represented to us by our Principal Secretary of State for War, on the recommendation of our Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies, acting on behalf of the several Governments of our colonies, and of our Principal Secretary of State for India in Council, that the extension of the grant of this decoration for long service to our Volunteer Forces throughout our Empire would be highly valued by them : Now, to attain this end, we have extended, and by these presents, for us, our heirs and successors, do extend, the grant of this decoration to the officers of the Volunteer Forces throughout