B.—No. 3.

liow the General Government proposes that thh debt should be met ? for I assume that the object of your-Government is to maintain the credit of the Province. It would be monstrous to suppose that it would deliberately refuse its assent to action taken by a Province to meet a debt, merely because it held ihe opinion that the Province should not have incurred that debt, when the effect of such refusal would damn ihe credit of the Province. Or, if you have no other plan to suggest by which this debt could be better met, nill you inform me upon what further stipulations—beyond hypothecation of land— you will agree to advise the assent of His Excellency to the Loan Ordinance ? I trust that you will favour me with a reply without delay, as I 'eel keenly that the matter is one of vital importance toth« Province, and in which delay may ultimately be as injurious as disallowance. I have, &c, J. A. K. Menzies. Superintendent. The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Auckland.

No. 34. THE SUPERINTENDENT, SOUTHLLND, TO THE COLONIAL SECRETARY. Superintendent's Office, Southland, March 16th, 1864. Sir,— I have the honor to enclose herewith authenticated copies of two Bills, in duplicate, intituled respectively the "Debenture Ordinance No. I, 1864," and the "Appropriation Ordinance No. 1, 1864." The one is a Bill to raise a Loan of =£40,000, to complete the Bluff and Invercargill Railway, the other to appropriate the sum for that purpose. As I have mentioned, in another communication^sent by this mail, this sum will complete the Railway, and leave some little margin. The contracts have all been taken with the exception of some minor ones for stations, and are in progress, so that the liabilities may be considered to exist. The Provincial Government has transmitted a Plan of a tract of land, nearly all of which il arable and of good quality, which it proposes to sot apart in security for the repayment of this loan. I trust 'hat you will have no hesitation in recommending those Bills for the assent of His Excellency the Governor. I have, &fi., J. A. R. Menzies, Superintendent. The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Auckland.

No. 35. THE COLONIAL SECRETARY, TO THE SUPERINTENDENT, SOUTHLAND. Colonial Secretary's Office, Auckland, Cth April, 1864. Sir,— I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your two letters of the 14th and 16th ultimo, respectively, andj in reply, to inform your Honor that the tracing of the Land set apart by the Government of Southland as security for the proposed Loan of Forty Thousand Pounds has been referred to the Receiver of Land Revenue, at Invercargill, for his report as to its value, and, when such report U received, your Honor will be again communicated with. I have, &c, William: Fox. Ilia Honor the Superintendent, Southland.

No. 36. THE SUPERINTENDENT, SOUTHLAND, TO THE COLONIAL SECRETARY. Superintendent's Office, Southland, 23rd April, 1864. Sir,— I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter, of the 6th instant, informing me that a ttacing of the land set apart as security for the proposed Loan had been referred to the Receiver

(No. 104.)

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PROVINCIAL LOANS.