JUNE 11.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 1639

Despatch.—Letters Patent constituting Office of Governor of Dominion of New Zealand, and Royal Instructions relating thereto, and Commission appointing Governor.*

Office of the Minister of Internal Affairs,
Wellington, 9th June, 1908.

HIS Excellency the Governor has been pleased to direct that the following despatch from the Secretary of State for the Colonies, together with its enclosures, shall be published in the New Zealand Gazette.

JOHN G. FINDLAY,
Minister of Internal Affairs.

(New Zealand.—Miscellaneous.)
Downing Street, 22nd November, 1907.

My LORD,—With reference to the Royal Proclamation of the 9th September last, substituting the title of the Dominion of New Zealand for that of the Colony of New Zealand, I have the honour to transmit to you Letters Patent passed under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom, constituting the Office of Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Dominion, together with the Royal Instructions accompanying the Letters Patent, and a Commission passed under the Royal Sign Manual and Signet appointing you to be Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Dominion.

You will observe that clause 6 of the existing Royal Instructions of the 26th March, 1892,* as to the reservation of Bills, has been omitted from the New Instructions, and that a clause corresponding to clause 7 of the Commonwealth of Australia Royal Instructions of the 29th October, 1900, has been substituted.

I have, &c.,
ELGIN.

Governor the Right Honourable Lord Plunket,
K.C.M.G., K.C.V.O., &c.

NEW ZEALAND.

Letters Patent passed under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom, constituting the Office of Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Dominion of New Zealand.

Letters Patent dated 18th November, 1907.

EDWARD THE SEVENTH, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India: To all to whom these Presents shall come, Greeting.

Preamble. Recites Letters Patent of 21st February, 1879.

WHEREAS by certain Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Our United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-first day of February, 1879, Her late Majesty Queen Victoria did constitute, order, and declare that there should be a Governor and Commander-in-Chief in and over the Colony of New Zealand and its Dependencies (therein called the Colony), and that appointments to the said Office when vacant should be made by Commission under the Royal Sign Manual and Signet:

Recites Imperial Act 26 & 27 Vict., c. 23.

And whereas by an Act passed in the Session held in the Twenty-sixth and Twenty-seventh years of the Reign of Her late Majesty Queen Victoria, entitled “An Act to alter the Boundaries of New Zealand,” the Colony of New Zealand was defined as comprising all Territories, Islands, and Countries lying between the one hundred and sixty-second degree of East Longitude and the one hundred and seventy-third degree of West Longitude and between the thirty-third and fifty-third parallels of South Latitude :

Recites Governor’s Proclamation of 21st July, 1887.

And whereas by a Proclamation bearing date the twenty-first day of July, 1887, issued by the Governor of New Zealand under authority of Letters Patent passed under the Great Seal of Our United Kingdom, bearing date the eighteenth day of January, 1887, the Islands situate in the South Pacific Ocean between the parallels of 29 degrees and 32 degrees South Latitude and the meridians of 177 degrees and 180 degrees West Longitude, known as the Kermadec Group, were, from and after the first day of August, 1887, annexed to and became part of the Colony of New Zealand :

Recites Governor’s Proclamation of 10th June, 1901.

And whereas by a Proclamation bearing date the tenth day of June, 1901, issued by the Governor of New Zealand by authority of an Order by Us in Our Privy Council dated the thirteenth day of May, 1901, made by virtue and in exercise of the powers vested in Us by the Colonial Boundaries Act, 1895, the Boundaries of the Colony of New Zealand were on and after the eleventh day of June, 1901, extended so as to include the Islands of the Cook Group, and all other the Islands and Territories which were then or might thereafter form part of Our Dominions situate within the following boundary-line, viz. : A line commencing at a point at the intersection of the 23rd degree of South Latitude and the 156th degree of Longitude West of Greenwich, and proceeding due North to the point of intersection of the 8th degree of South Latitude and the 156th degree of Longitude West of Greenwich, thence due West to the point of intersection of the 8th degree of South Latitude and the 167th degree of Longitude West of Greenwich, thence due South to the point of intersection of the 17th degree of South Latitude and the 167th degree of Longitude West of Greenwich, thence due West to the point of intersection of the 17th degree of South Latitude and the 170th degree of Longitude West of Greenwich, thence due South to the point of intersection of the 23rd degree of South Latitude and the 170th degree of Longitude West of Greenwich, and thence due East to the point of intersection of the 23rd degree of South Latitude and the 156th degree of Longitude West of Greenwich :

Recites Royal Proclamation of 9th September, 1907.

And whereas by Our Royal Proclamation bearing date the ninth day of September, 1907, We did ordain, declare, and command that on and after the Twenty-sixth day of September, 1907, the Colony of New Zealand and the territory belonging thereto should be called and known by the title of the Dominion of New Zealand :

And whereas it has become necessary to make provision for the office of Governor and Commander-in-Chief in and over Our Dominion of New Zealand :

Revokes Letters Patent of 21st February, 1879. Constitutes the Office of Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Dominion. Boundaries.

I. Now, therefore, We do by these presents revoke and determine the above-recited Letters Patent of the Twenty-first day of February, 1879, but without prejudice to anything lawfully done thereunder. And We do by these presents constitute, order, and declare that there shall be a Governor and Commander-in-Chief in and over Our Dominion of New Zealand (hereinafter called the Dominion), comprising the Territories, Islands, and Countries forming the Colony of New Zealand as defined in the above-recited Act, passed in the Session held in the Twenty-sixth and Twenty-seventh Years of the Reign of Her late Majesty Queen Victoria, entitled “An Act to alter the Boundaries of New Zealand,” together with the further Islands and Territories included within the Boundaries of the Colony of New Zealand by the above-recited Proclamations of the Governor thereof, dated respectively the Twenty-first day of July, 1887, and the Tenth day of June, 1901 ; and that appointments to the said office when vacant shall be made by Commission under Our Sign Manual and Signet.

Governor’s powers and authorities.

II. We do hereby authorise, empower, and command Our said Governor and Commander-in-Chief (hereinafter called the Governor) to do and execute all things that belong to his said Office according to the tenor of these Our Letters Patent, and of such Commission as may be issued to him under Our Sign Manual and Signet, and according to such Instructions as may from time to time be given to him under Our Sign Manual and Signet, or by Our Order in Our Privy Council, or by Us, through one of Our Principal Secretaries of State, and to such Laws as are now or shall hereafter be in force in the Dominion.

Publication of Governor’s Commission. Oaths to be taken by Governor. Imperial Act 31 & 32 Vict., c. 72.

III. Every person appointed to fill the Office of Governor shall, with all due solemnity, before entering on any of the duties of his Office, cause the Commission appointing him to be Governor to be read and published at the seat of Government, in the presence of the Chief Justice, or some other Judge of the Supreme Court of the Dominion, and of the Members of the Executive Council thereof, which being done, he shall then and there take before them the Oath of Allegiance, in the form provided by an Act passed in the Session held in the Thirty-first and Thirty-second years of the Reign of Her late Majesty Queen Victoria, intituled “An Act to amend the Law relating to Promissory Oaths”; and likewise the usual Oath for the due execution of the Office of Governor, and for the due and impartial administration of justice; which Oaths the said Chief Justice or Judge is hereby required to administer.

Public Seal.

IV. The Governor shall keep and use the Public Seal of the Dominion for sealing all things whatsoever that shall pass the said Public Seal, and until a new Public Seal shall be provided for the Dominion the Public Seal used as the Public Seal of the Territories, Islands, and Countries

*A.-2 of 1893, page 2.