THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 369

SCHEDULE.

Despatches. - Paris Exhibition. - Notice of Termina-
tion of Commercial Treaty with France.

Colonial Secretary's Office,
Wellington, 19th March, 1879.

THE following despatches from Her Majesty's
Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies
are published for general information.

J. T. FISHER,
(in the absence of the Colonial Secretary.)

[CIRCULAR.]
Downing Street, 30th December, 1878.

SIR, - I have the honor to transmit to you the
accompanying copy of a letter which I have received
from His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales,
relative to the part taken by certain of Her Majesty's
colonies in the Paris Exhibition, together with a copy
of the letter which I have addressed to His Royal
Highness in reply.

I have, &c.,

M. E. HICKS BEACH.

The Officer Administering the
Government of New Zealand.

H.R.H. THE PRINCE OF WALES TO SIR MICHAEL
HICKS BEACH.

Marlborough House, Pall Mall, S.W.,
9th December, 1878.

SIR, - The labours of the International Juries of the
Paris Universal Exhibition having been completed,
and the Exhibition brought to a close, I desire to bring
under your notice the action taken by the various
Colonial Governments in response to the invitation
forwarded to them to take part in the Paris Universal
Exhibition of 1878.

Notwithstanding the numerous calls made upon
the British Colonies of late years to take part in the
various International Exhibitions, the amount of
zeal and energy that have been shown in their
response on this occasion has not been previously
equalled, and is highly gratifying to notice.

Influential local Commissions were appointed by
the representatives of Her Majesty in the several
colonies, the necessary funds were liberally voted by
the respective Legislatures, and administrative and
executive Commissioners appointed to select and
arrange contributions that should be worthy of the
occasion, and to carry out their other responsible
duties.

The success of the general and individual efforts
thus made is shown in the satisfactory results of the
collective exhibits arranged by the colonies.

The aggregate expenditure of the Colonial Com-
missions that has been provided for by the sums
voted by the various Legislatures and Crown Colonies
is estimated at £80,000. The demands made for
space on the part of the colonies, especially the
Dominion of Canada and Australia, were so large
that great difficulty was found in providing for them,
and ultimately a part of the grand vestibule, in
addition to the dome, which was the post of honour
allotted to the Indian Empire, was ceded to some of
the smaller colonies.

The arrangements of the Dominion of Canada,
which included all Her Majesty's possessions on
the American Continent, were carried out by Mr.
Thomas Keefer, C.E., C.M.G., on a scale far sur-
passing any previous representation of British
America.

The cases and fittings of native woods were most
effective and striking, as were the enormous sections
of Douglas pines sent from British Columbia. The
woods and minerals, the products of the fisheries, of
agriculture, and of manufacturing industry so success-
fully arranged by Mr. Selwyn, Director of the Geo-
logical Survey, were of a very important character, and
received high awards from the Juries. The Educa-
tional Department, under the skilful superintendence
of Dr. May and Mr. W. E. Archambault, was par-
ticularly well represented, and gained two diplomas
of honor and six gold medals; and the Ministers of
Public Works and of Agriculture were also honored
with diplomas and gold medals.

The African Colonies were represented by the
Cape of Good Hope, under the management of Mr.
Spencer Todd, C.M.G., and by Lagos, under Mr.
Arthur H. Porter. The unsettled position of affairs
in the colony operated unfavourably upon the South
African exhibition, and prevented the Colonial
Government from devoting to it so large a parlia-
mentary grant as would have been necessary to
secure a really perfect display of the resources of
this colony, and of the great progress it has made
since the date of the last Paris Exhibition. Samples
of almost every South African product were, how-
ever, shown. Three exhibitors of wines gained gold
medals. Wool, mohair, angora hair, hides, and
leather were represented by small but well-chosen
specimens, and the only undressed ostrich feathers
to be found in the exhibition were in the court of
the Cape Colony, illustrating an industry which has