Her Majesty has been graciously pleased to confirm and allow that Ordinance. You will communicate Her Majesty’s decision to the inhabitants of New Zealand, by a Proclamation, to be issued in the usual and most authentic manner.

2. Although I should not wish to dictate practical amendments in a case in which I am disposed to defer in a great degree to your local knowledge and experience, there are some provisions of the Act on which I think it right to make some suggestions.

3. In the 12th Clause, which requires persons depasturing cattle on the Waste Lands of the Crown to send in a return of such cattle in their possession on the 1st September in each year, and on which return the payments are to be calculated, no precaution is taken against the subsequent depasturing on Crown Lands of cattle acquired after the 1st of September, or of cattle which at that date may have been depastured elsewhere. It appears to me that, without some regulation on that point, the Public Revenue might in such cases be easily defrauded, unless some peculiar circumstances should exist in the case of New Zealand of which I am not aware.

4. I further perceive that, by the 33rd Clause of the Act, the Wardens of the Hundreds are authorized to raise an Assessment, not exceeding 5s. a head on Great Cattle, and 1s. a head on Small. Such an assessment would appear to me to be very high, if levied to its full extent; but at the same time I do not attempt, at this distance, to express a confident opinion on such a point, in opposition to the views of yourself and of the Legislative Council. You may probably have seen sufficient reason to feel satisfied that the power thus given by the Act would not be abused, and I think it enough to draw your attention to the subject.

5. You express your opinion, that great benefits would result from regulations which would entrust to Officers elected by the Inhabitants of a Hundred, the appropriation of that portion of the Land Revenue raised within such Hundred, which is applicable to the execution of public works, such as roads, bridges, &c. I agree with you in the general principle of the measure which you propose, and I cannot more clearly indicate to you my own views on this subject, than by referring you to those which are expressed by the Committee of the Privy Council in their Report on the Australian Constitution. I enclose a copy of that Report, and it will explain to you the policy which I should desire to see adopted in New Zealand on this subject. As it might be doubted, however, whether the proposed faculty of dealing with part of the Land Sales Revenue could be bestowed on the Hundreds consistently with the Royal Instructions, I transmit to you an additional Royal Instruction, under the Royal Sign Manual and Signet, by which Her Majesty has been pleased to empower you to devolve upon the Wardens or Officers of the Hundred, the expenditure of one-third of the gross proceeds of the Revenue raised within the limits of that division.

I have, &c.,
(Signed) GREY.
Governor Sir George Grey, K.C.B.,
&c., &c., &c.

VICTORIA R.

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS

To our Governor-in-Chief of New Zealand, or to the Officer exercising the said Office of Governor-in-Chief for the time being: To our Governor and Commander-in-Chief in and over the Province of New Ulster, or to the Officer exercising the said Office of Governor and Commander-in-Chief for the time being: To our Governor and Commander-in-Chief in and over the Province of New Munster, or to the Officer exercising the said Office of Governor and Commander-in-Chief for the time being: or to our Lieutenant-Governor of the Province of New Ulster, or to the Officer exercising the said Office of Lieutenant-Governor for the time being: or to our Lieutenant-Governor of the Province of New Munster, or to the Officer exercising the said Office of Lieutenant-Governor for the time being.

Given at our Court at Osborne House, Isle of Wight, this twelfth day of August, 1850, in the fourteenth year of our reign.

WHEREAS, by the Thirteenth Chapter of certain Instructions under our Signet and Sign Manual, approved by our Privy Council, and accompanying certain Letters Patent, under the Great Seal of our United Kingdom, bearing date the twenty-third day of December, one thousand eight hundred and forty-six, provision was made respecting the settlement of the Waste Lands of the Crown in the two Provinces of the Colony of New Zealand, and therein respecting the Sales of the said Lands, and respecting the reservation thereon of certain Rents and Royalties; And whereas, the thirty-first clause of the said chapter is in the words following, that is to say:—

“Thirty-first. A separate account shall be kept by the Treasurer of each of the said Provinces of the gross proceeds of the said Lands Sales, Rents and Royalties, and of all the costs, charges, and expenses of and incident in any way to the sale, survey, administration, and management of the said Demense of Us, in right of our Crown, and after deducting from such gross proceeds all such costs, charges, and expenses, the net balance shall be by Us held in trust for defraying the cost of introducing into the said respective Provinces Emigrants from the United Kingdom, or in trust for defraying the costs of such other Public