A.-6, 1877.
912
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.

No. 6.
His Excellency the GOVERNOR to the SECRETARY of STATE for the COLONIES.
(No. 60.)
MY LORD,-
Government House, Wellington, 10th December, 1877.

I regret to have to inform your Lordship that Sir George Grey has advised me to communi-
cate with Sir William Jervois, and to request him to postpone indefinitely his visit to New Zealand, on
the ground that the financial condition of the colony will not admit of any defensive works being
undertaken at present.

2. The correspondence which has taken place upon the subject has been laid before Parliament,
   and I now enclose printed copies for your Lordship's information.

3. When the Government refused the services of the Government steamer for the purpose of
   conveying Sir William Jervois from the Bluff to Port Chalmers, Lyttelton, Wellington, and Auckland,
   it appeared to me that there was an evident inclination of throwing difficulties in the way of the work
   being properly carried out, as, taking into consideration the character and size of those harbours, it
   would have been difficult, if not impossible, for Sir William Jervois to have made the necessary
   examinations without having a steamer at his disposal. The Government made no offer of providing
   any other accommodation, nor is there any other steamer, which would have been suitable for the
   purpose, which could have been procured without incurring very considerable expense. The Govern-
   ment did not inform me of the nature of the service which would prevent the "Hinemoa" being
   placed at the disposal of Sir William Jervois, and I am aware of no service of such an urgent character
   as would have rendered her being so employed the least inconvenient to the public service.

4. Under these circumstances, I think that I was justified in presuming that it was intended as an
   intimation of their disapproval of the service upon which Sir William Jervois was to be employed, and
   I considered it undesirable that he should visit this colony, if he were not to be treated with the
   consideration due to Her Majesty's representative in a neighbouring colony. I thought it, therefore,
   right at once to raise the question as to whether they did or did not wish the service to be continued.

5. Much as I regret the decision at which the Government have arrived, I consider it is much
   better that the visit of Sir William Jervois should be indefinitely postponed, rather than that he
   should have come here and had difficulties thrown in his way, which would necessarily have impeded
   his work being properly carried out, and that the consideration due to the position which he holds
   should not have been accorded to him.

The Right Hon. the Earl of Carnarvon, &c.
I have, &c.,
NORMANBY.

No. 7.
The SECRETARY of STATE for the COLONIES to His Excellency the GOVERNOR.
(No. 1.)
MY LORD,-
Downing Street, 5th February, 1878.

I have received your Despatch No. 60, of the 10th December, enclosing copies of a paper laid
before the New Zealand Legislature, containing your correspondence with your Ministers in reference
to their wish that Sir W. Jervois, R.E., should postpone indefinitely his proposed visit to New Zealand,
to report on the harbour defences of the colony; and I approve the course which you have taken in
this matter.

Governor the Most Hon.
The Marquis of Normanby, G.C.M.G., &c.
I have, &c.,
M. E. HICKS-BEACH.

No. 8.
His Excellency the GOVERNOR to the SECRETARY of STATE for the COLONIES.
(No. 62.)
MY LORD,-
Government House, Wellington, 10th December, 1877.

I have the honor to inform your Lordship that this morning Sir George Grey asked me to
hold an Executive Council at half-past twelve o'clock, the prorogation of Parliament being fixed to take
place by commission at half-past two o'clock.

2. At the Council, Sir George Grey advised me to refuse my assent to "The Land Act, 1877,"
   which had been passed by both Houses of Parliament, on the ground that there were provisions in the
   Bill which the Government did not approve.

3. The Bill had been introduced by the late Government, and it had been taken up by Sir George
   Grey, and was carried through all its stages as a Government measure.

4. No intimation whatever had been given to Parliament that the Government intended to adopt
   the very unusual course of advising me to veto the Bill, and nearly the whole of the members of
   both Houses had left town on Saturday-night, on the assurance that, although the printing and
   preparing the various Acts which had been passed would prevent Parliament being prorogued till this
   day, Monday, there was no necessity for their remaining, as all the business of the session was over.

5. No doubt some amendments in the Bill had been carried against the Government, and that might
   have been a very good reason for the Government throwing out or dropping the Bill in its passage
   through Parliament; but the proposal that I should refuse my assent to a Government Bill, after it had
   passed both Houses, simply because the Government had failed to see the point of certain amendments,
   or had been unable to resist them, seemed to me so extraordinary a proceeding that I at once refused
   to veto the Bill.