Lord Granville; and that orders of October were hurried out the moment they heard by telegram there were to be Commissioners coming, expressly in order to be able to say (as they all have done) "It's too late, the troops are gone." Lord Granville tried to induce us to go into other subjects. But we declined, until the troop question should be settled; and now that I fear we must give up all hope about that, I am very much puzzled as to what we ought to do. The Act seems expressly to make any action on our part about a Defence Force contingent on our getting an Imperial regiment for it speaks of such a force as being "in addition" to Imperial troops: but I did not remember these words, and cannot feel sure they were intended by the Assembly to prevent absolutely the raising of a Colonial force here if we failed in the troops. But independently of this, I confess I see no use in going on with the Colonial regiment unless we get the other. We can get as many men as we are likely to want out there, if Te Kooti is really done for as the telegram by Galle two days ago says: and as our only object in getting the 70000£ authority was to meet the reproaches of the Imperial Government if they utterly abandon us we can afford to let them reproach us as they choose. We (F and I) shall look with extreme anxiety to the reply you make to the October dispatch. Now or never is the time to have no "phrases". You know how entirely I go for the maintenance of the conversion, but even it may be bought too dear. At any rate the moment has come when we shall either have to submit unconditionally to the Colonial office, or to declare that we wont accept such a position as the English Government places us in. We must say whether we will have