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secured by Debentures to be issued under
the Loan Ordinance of the Province.

The Government is not prepared to give
you definite information as to when and in
what amounts the Loan will be required,
but it anticipates that no portion will be
required for the next three months and that
then, if an iron bridge should be decided
upon, a credit or draft upon London for
£1000 would be required, but if a wooden
bridge is to be erected the drafts on account
of the loan would probably not exceed
£300 per month. And it is calculated
that the whole amount will be repaid say
six monthly instalments within an ave-
rage period of three years from the dates of
the advances.

It is proposed to remit to you from time
to time Debentures to cover the amounts
required for the ensuing month, with a re-
quest to you to place the amount of the
same to the credit of the Provincial Trea-
surer, whose cheques would be counter-
signed by the Treasury Clerk.

The Superintendent will be glad to be
informed if the above arrangements meet
with your approval.

I have, &c.,
I. N. WATT,
Provincial Secretary.

A. McDonald, Esq.,
Manager Union Bank Australia,
Wellington.

Union Bank of Australia,
Wellington, 1st March, 1858.

Sir,—I have the honor to acknowledge
the receipt of your letter dated 18th Febru-
ary, accepting on behalf of the New Ply-
mouth Provincial Government the Bank's
offer to advance to it the sum of two thou-
sand three hundred pounds (£2,300) on
overdrawn account, secured by Debentures
issued on the authority of "Loan Ordi-
nance, 1857."

I beg now to state for the information of
the Superintendent, that the arrangements
specified by you, as to the mode of making
the advances appear to me satisfactory, and
I shall on behalf of the Bank be prepared
to place the amount at the disposal of the
Government in such sums as it may re-
quire, on being put in possession of Deben-
tures as aforesaid for like sums, such De-
bentures being repayable within a period
of three years from the date thereof—both
Principal and Interest being made payable
at Wellington.

I have, &c.,
A. C. MCDONALD,
Manager.
I. Newton Watt, Esq.,
Provincial Secretary, New Plymouth.

Colonial Secretary's Office,
Auckland, January 19th, 1858.

Sir,—In reply to your communication
of the 19th ultimo respecting the refusal of
certain Natives to allow a deviation of the
Devon Road by which it has been proposed
to avoid the Mangaone hill, I have the
honor to inform you that the proposed de-
viation crosses land the sale of which to the
Crown has always been disputed by the
Natives in question, and over which it un-
fortunately appears doubtful whether the
Native Title has been properly extin-
guished.

The officers of the Native and Land
Purchase Departments have hitherto failed
in their efforts to overcome this opposition.
These efforts will however be continued
and if your Honor is able to suggest the
use of any proper means as yet untried to
the desired end, I will again bring the mat-
ter under the consideration of His Excel-
lency the Governor.

I have, &c.,
E. W. STAFFORD.
His Honor the Superintendent,
New Plymouth.

[CIRCULAR.]
Colonial Secretary's Office,
Auckland, February 6th, 1858.

Sir,—I have the honor to acquaint you
that instructions have been sent to the
Collectors of Customs to inform them that
all goods imported into the Colony as sup-
plies for any Provincial Government, and
at the public charge, are to be admitted to
entry duty free.

The Collector is to be satisfied in every
case that the goods in respect of which ex-
emption is claimed are entitled to this pri-
vilege.

I have, &c.,
E. W. STAFFORD.
His Honor the Superintendent,
New Plymouth.

[CIRCULAR.]
Treasury, Auckland,
February 13th, 1858.

Sir,—I have the honor to inform you
that the surplus of the Ordinary Revenue
of the year ended 30th June, 1857, distri-
butable amongst the Provinces, will consi-
derably exceed the amount of three eighths
of the Gross Customs Revenue, fixed by
the "Appropriation Act, 1856," as the
minimum amount of the distributive shares
of the Provinces for that year.

The sum of fifty-five thousand pounds
has consequently been carried to the credit
of the Provinces as ascertained surplus for
that year—an inconsiderable balance being