THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 913

6. Shortly after the Council had risen, the Clerk of Parliaments brought to me that Bill, together
   with a few others which still required my assent; and I then found that Sir George Grey had refused
   to attach his name to the usual form advising me to assent to the Land Bill.
7. Upon this, while I was quite determined not to veto the Bill, because, taking all the circum-
   stances of the case into consideration, it appeared to me that I should be lending myself to something
   little short of a trick upon Parliament by taking so unusual a course, still I did not feel justified in
   assenting to the Bill without the usual advice of Ministers.
8. In the meantime, the hour for the prorogation was drawing near, and the Speaker, attended by
   one Minister and one or two other members, waited upon me with the Appropriation Act for my
   signature. I felt, therefore, that no time was to be lost, and I at once explained to the Speaker the
   difficulty which had arisen, and suggested to him that he should retain the Appropriation Act until the
   matter was settled, and he kindly consented to wait. I then sent the memorandum, a copy of which I
   enclose, to Sir George Grey; and Mr. Macandrew, the Minister present, took the necessary document
   to Sir George Grey with the view of obtaining his signature, and after some delay he returned with it
   signed. This, of course, at once relieved me from the disagreeable position in which I was placed; but
   I think the occurrence was of such an unusual character, that I should not be doing my duty were I
   not to report it to your Lordship.
   The Right Hon. the Earl of Carnarvon, &c.
   I have, &c.,
   NORMANBY.

No. 9.
The SECRETARY of STATE for the COLONIES to His Excellency the GOVERNOR.

(No. 8.)
MY LORD,-
Downing Street, 15th February, 1878.
I have received your despatch No. 62, of the 10th of December. I approve the action taken
by you in declining, under the circumstances which you record, to refuse your assent to the Land Act
of the last session of the New Zealand Parliament.

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

No. 10.
His Excellency the GOVERNOR to the SECRETARY of STATE for the COLONIES.

(No. 63.)
MY LORD,-
Government House, Wellington, 14th December, 1877.
Referring to my despatch No. 55, of the 16th November last, I have now the honor to enclose,
for your Lordship's information, the copy of a correspondence between Sir George Grey and myself on
the subject of a dissolution, which, at the request of Sir George Grey, has been laid before Parlia- See A.-7, 1877.
ment.
2. Supply has now been granted for the year, and therefore that question is one which no longer
requires consideration. It appears to me, however, on the other hand, that the only reasons which
could justify the Government in pressing for a dissolution are now very much weakened, if they have
not entirely disappeared.
3. At the time that Sir George Grey first asked for a dissolution, Major Atkinson's Government
had very recently been defeated by a small majority, and Sir George Grey's Government had only
escaped defeat on a motion of want of confidence by the casting vote of the Speaker. Parties being
thus evenly balanced, it became a question whether the business of the session could be got through;
and although I myself saw many grave objections to a dissolution, and did not consider the circum-
stances of the case either justified or demanded one, still, at the same time, it might have been argued
that it was the easiest and shortest way out of the difficulty.
4. Now, however, the business of the session is concluded, supplies have been voted, and a loan of
£2,500,000 has been sanctioned by Parliament. The plea of necessity can, therefore, no longer be
urged.
5. If during the recess the Government carry out successfully those measures of retrenchment and
reform which they propose-if, on the meeting of Parliament in the next session, they have prepared a
measure for the redistribution of the representation of the colony which is acceptable to the House and
country, and are also prepared with other Bills of a practical character dealing with the various require-
ments of the country-I have little doubt that, party feeling having had time to cool down, they will,
even in the present Parliament, have fair consideration and support; and should their "Redistribution
Bill" pass, a dissolution would become necessary after the close of next session.
6. Were a dissolution to take place at present, the only real issue before the constituencies would
be, confidence or no confidence in Sir George Grey's Government, as there is now no other question
upon which they could go to the country.
7. The Government have passed many of the Bills, and they have accepted with very slight
modification the Estimates, brought in by the late Government. They have, it is true, increased by
£500,000 the loan which was declared necessary by Major Atkinson, and they have made the Land
Fund general revenue; but those measures are passed, and cannot now be referred to the con-
stituencies.
8. No measure whatever indicative of their policy has as yet been placed before Parliament, nor
has any distinct or definite policy been expressed by them, on which an appeal to the country could be
made.