just gone to see him again. The General says he will do anything he can now although he has had to send down orders for immediately bringing the troops all up to Auckland, he does not I think mean to be in a great hurry about bringing them away. The home orders are however peremptory that the tenders for shipping are to be opened and determined by the Senior Officer at Auckland,as if they would not trust Chute to revise them. The course I think wd succeed is this: that we should telegraph from Galle, asking that an answer to us be sent to Suez to meet us; by this means we should be able to send you news by the return steamer. However, until Featherston has seen the General again I cannot say that Chute will so frame his orders as to let this (possible)answer reach him through us before the the 18th is actually brought away: and Featherston will not be