154

THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.

Legislature in the formation of a new Ministry;
while Mr. Waterhouse would have an opportunity of
fully explaining the motives of his conduct.
If the Governor were able to remain long enough
in New Zealand, he would himself deal with the
whole question so unexpectedly raised; but, as
Ministers are already aware, this is impossible, for
the instructions of the Secretary of State are im-
perative that the Governor should proceed without
delay to Victoria.

• It will, of course, be the duty of the Governor to
consult at Auckland with the Chief Justice, who will
so soon succeed him. Meanwhile, he cannot be a
party to suddenly breaking up the Ministry by
accepting the resignation of the Prime Minister, who
will doubtless, as urged by his colleagues, reconsider
his position.

G. F. BOWEN.
Government House, Wellington,
28th February, 1873.

Memorandum for His Excellency the Governor.

MR. WATERHOUSE has the honor to acknowledge the
receipt, this morning, of His Excellency's Memo-
randum of yesterday's date, communicating His
Excellency's remarks upon Mr. Waterhouse's letter
of the 20th instant, submitted to His Excellency, at
His Excellency's request, in the shape of a Memo-
randum, upon the 27th instant.

As His Excellency does not mention the state-
ments made or implied in the Memorandum with
which His Excellency feels compelled to differ, it is
not in Mr. Waterhouse's power to remark thereon.
Mr. Waterhouse feels it his duty respectfully to
express regret that His Excellency should make the
reference to Mr. Waterhouse's colleagues which he
has done. Mr. Waterhouse would, with all defer-
ence, submit that so long as he occupies the position
of Premier, it is he and not His Excellency who is
the mouthpiece of the Ministry; and he feels bound
further to observe that the numerous interviews
which His Excellency has had with Mr. Water-
house's colleagues, and the formal meeting which,
prior to the receipt of Mr. Waterhouse's resignation,
His Excellency arranged to have with them, but to
which Mr. Waterhouse, although Premier, was not
invited, have not been in accordance with recent
constitutional practice.

Mr. Waterhouse, in his Memorandum previously
referred to, has not called in question His Excel-
lency's right to regard his resignation as involving
that of the Ministry. He has only inferentially
called attention to the exceptional nature of his con-
nection with the Ministry, in the hope that His
Excellency would continue to Mr. Vogel that con-
fidence which His Excellency must have placed in
him when he originally intrusted to him the task of
forming an Administration.

Mr. Waterhouse cannot recognize that his resigna-
tion at the present moment will be attended with the
inconvenience to the public interests of the Colony
which His Excellency predicts. No actual necessity
exists for His Excellency proceeding to the seat of
his new government via Auckland and Sydney. By
adopting that route, His Excellency is not likely to
reach Melbourne prior to the middle or end of April;
while his departure from Wellington to Melbourne
direct would give His Excellency ample time to make
all necessary arrangements for overcoming the pre-
sent Ministerial crisis, and enable him to arrive in
Melbourne earlier than by the indirect and longer
route.

Mr. Waterhouse feels it to be his duty to persist
in his proposed course, and to leave his resignation
in His Excellency's hands. At the same time, he
cannot allow that it is the duty of Ministers to advise
the summoning of Parliament, as suggested by His
Excellency. His Excellency, in the first instance,
intrusted the formation of the Ministry to Mr. Vogel,
because that gentleman possessed a parliamentary
majority. Mr. Waterhouse has no reason to believe
that Mr. Vogel's parliamentary influence is less now
than at the day of prorogation; and undoubtedly it
does appear to Mr. Waterhouse, that if Mr. Vogel
was competent to be intrusted in the first instance
with the formation of an entire Ministry, he is equally
competent to suggest a person to fill the office lately
held by Mr. Hall, being the only Ministerial portfolio
now vacant.

Mr. Waterhouse regrets that while His Excel-
lency refuses to accept his resignation, he should yet,
as Mr. Waterhouse learns while writing, be ignoring
him in the government of the country. His
Excellency's Aide-de-Camp, when delivering His
Excellency's Memorandum this morning, by His
Excellency's instructions requested that the corre-
spondence should be regarded as terminated, and be
forthwith published in the Gazette. Mr. Water-
house rejoined that the correspondence not being
complete its publication would be premature, and
that he could not sanction it. Mr. Waterhouse now
learns with regret that His Excellency forthwith
sent for one of Mr. Waterhouse's colleagues, and
by his means sought to obtain the publication which
Mr. Waterhouse, as Premier, had declined to sanction.
Mr. Waterhouse respectfully submits that by such a
proceeding His Excellency has practically sanctioned
his resignation.

G. M. WATERHOUSE.
Wellington, 1st March, 1873.

Memorandum by the Governor.

THE Governor acknowledges the receipt of Mr.
Waterhouse's Memorandum of the 1st instant.
He has read with much surprise the remarks
therein relative to communications between the
Governor and the other Ministers now in Wellington;
for Mr. Waterhouse is fully aware that the only
object contemplated was most friendly, namely, to
dissuade him from a step which the Governor, in
common with Mr. Waterhouse's colleagues, regrets
extremely, both on public grounds and also for Mr.
Waterhouse's own sake.

As for the Governor's visit to Auckland, it is
well known that it is very important that he should
be present, if possible, at the Maori meetings to which
he has been invited; but he has always intended to
return to Wellington before leaving New Zealand, if
the exigencies of the public service should require it.

With regard to the concluding paragraph of the
Memorandum under acknowledgment, the facts of
the case are very simple. Major Pitt informed Mr.
Waterhouse that the Governor wished to speak to
him on public business; Mr. Waterhouse took the
unusual step of declining to attend this summons;
when the Governor was compelled to request one of
the other Ministers to say to Mr. Waterhouse what
he (the Governor) had proposed to say himself.

Mr. Waterhouse will feel that, however desirous
the Governor may be to further his wishes by re-
leasing him from his official duties, this cannot be
done until a new Prime Minister has been appointed.
In conformity with the advice tendered by Mr.
Waterhouse, Mr. Vogel, on his return to the Colony,
will be requested to undertake that office. Mean-
while, no advantage would be derived from a pro-
longation of this correspondence.

G. F. BOWEN.
Government House, Wellington,
1st March, 1873.