A.~No. 4.

passed between you and your Eesponsible Advisers, and I could only gather from it that you had in Borne way or other communicated to them the contents of my private letters. It so happens, moreover, that it was on the Ist May, the date of your letter, and I believe before receiving it, that I first saw the Memoranda in the public prints. I would also observe, that these secret proceedings took place before either yourself, or your Responsible Advisers were aware that I had forwarded the private correspondence to the Secretary of State for War. With reference to the Ministers' Memorandum of the Bth April having been printed, I have not so much reason to regret its publication for I should otherwise have had no knowledge of the character of your Excellency's proceedings, but I see grave cause for regret in the interests of the public service, that your Excellency should have elicited such a Memorandum by communicating to Ministers the contents of my private letters, and that you should have received it without giving me any intimation whatever of what was going on. Your Excellency must, however, have known that the Memorandum was liable to be published and as it does not appear that you took particular steps to prevent it, although it was evident on the face of the document that it was intended to be published, you must be regarded as a consenting party, and your expression of regret that it was ever printed is now too late. Vonr excuse for not having mentioned to me on the occasion of your visit at the Patea that you intended to communicate the conU ~ of my private letters to the Colonial Ministers is anything but satisfactory, and I would observe that previous to that visit you had had many opportunities of acquainting me with that intention if it had suited you to do so. Pith regard to the rules for the transmission of official correspondence which you have laid down, I do not know from what code of regulations they have been taken, but they are inapplicable to tiie present case, and I have only one remark to make ou the subject. It is my duty to furnish the Secretary of State for War with any information that I think may be useful to Her Majesty's Government regarding the management of affairs in the Colony, as far as they relate to the manner in which the troops are employed. In these confidential communications I always state my opinions unreservedly although they may occasionally be unfavorable to your Excellency and the Colonial Ministers. I shall continue to do so, and I know of no regulation which requires the Officer commanding the troops in a Colony to furnish the Governor of that Colony with copies of the official or private letters which he addresses to the Secretary of State for War. To do so in this Colony, whilst under your Excellency's Government, would evidently be to communicate the contents of his letters to the Colonial Ministers, and through them to the whole Colony. I find that the date of your letter to which I alluded in my letter of the ISth instant, is the 22nd of March, and not 17th March. I have, Ac, D. A. Cameron, His Excellency Sir G. Grey, K.C.B. Lieut.-General. No. 115. His Excellency the Governor to Sir D. A. Cameron, K.C.B. Sir, — Government House, Auckland, 22nd May, 1865. I have the honor to ackowledge the receipt of your letter of this day's date, in reply to mine of the 19th instant. It was with pleasure that I read the commencement of the second paragraph of your letter, in which you say, —" It is not true that I have traduced you to the authorities at home behind your back.' But this pleasure was alloyed by finding that in the tenth paragraph of your letter you state —■ " In these confidential communications to Her Majesty's Government, I always state my opinions unreservedly, although they may occasionally be unfavorable to your Excellency and the Colonial Ministers. I shall continue to do so." You will I am sure excuse me for saying that I find great difficulty in reconciling these two statements. I have, Ac, Lieut.-General Sir D. A. Cameron, K.C.B. G. Grey. No. 116. His Excellency the Governor to Lieut.-General D. A. Cameron. Sib, — Government House, Auckland, 23rd May, 1865. I have the honor to enclose for your information the copy of a despatch which I have this day addressed to Her Majesty's Government, in relation to your letter to me of the 22nd instant. 1 have, Ac, The Hon. Lieut-General Sir D. A. Cameron, K.C.B. G. Grey. No. 117. Lieut.-General Sir D. A. Cameron to His Excellency the Governor. Sib,— Head Quarters, Auckland, 26th May, 1865. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your Excellency's letter of the 19th instant, relative to the instructions lately received from Her Majesty's Government regarding the withdrawal of five regiments from the Colony. In the first part of your letter your Excellency alludes to the force which you state I considered requisite for the defence of the Colony, at the date of the receipt of the recent instructions; but I beg to observe that the letters which you have quoted for the purpose of shewing that my opinions on that subject have changed, were written at a time when the troops were engaged in operations for the

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CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN THE