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TO THE GOVERNOR OF NEW ZEALAND.

A.—No. 1

cast on the troops under his command by the Colonial Ministers, are entirely satisfactory to His Boyal Highness. It appears to the Field Marshal Commanding in Chief incomprehensible how the Colonial Troops in New Zealand can be ordered by the local authorities to act independently of Her Majesty's Imperial Forces, and without being placed under the authority even of the Major-General Commanding Her Majesty's Troops. Such a procedure His Eoyal Highness believes is quite opposed to every principle and every regulation which has obtained in similar cases with the auxiliary forces of the Empire. Whenever, for instance, the Militia at home are called out for permanent duty, they are instantly placed under the military authorities; it is the same also as regards the Yeomanry, and even the Volunteers, should their services be required by the necessity of the State. Such has been the rule also in our Colonial possessions. Why, therefore, an attempt should be made to act on an entirely different principle in New Zealand, His Eoyal Highness is at a loss to conceive. Ho considers that nothing but mischief can arise to the State from such an attempt to subvert tho fundamental principles upon which the Government have hitherto always acted ; and His Eoyal Highness submits that the interests of the country, and the honor of all the forces concerned, will be best consulted by the present anomalous state of affairs in New Zealand being at once corrected, and the most positive orders issued that the long-established practice obtaining in other parts of Her Majesty's dominions, is on no account to be deviated from. The Under Secretary of State, I have, &c, War Office. W. F. Foestee.

Enclosure 2 in No. 23. Sir E. Lugaed to Sir F. Eogees. Sie,— War Office, 7th February, 1867. With reference to your letter of the Ist instant, and previous correspondence relative to the Memorandum from the Eesponsible Advisers of the Governor of New Zealand, regarding the inaction maintained by Her Majesty's Troops in the disturbed districts of that Colony, I am directed by Secretary Lieutenant-General Peel to transmit for the information of the Earl of Carnarvon the accompanying copy of a further Despatch with its Enclosures (in original) which has been received from Major-General Chute on the subject. General Peel anticipates Lord Carnarvon's concurrence with him in opinion that the Eeports now enclosed completely refute the accusation made against the troops by tho Colonial Ministers. I have, &c, Sir F. Eogers, Bart. Edwaed Lugaed.

Sub-Enclosure to Enclosure 2 in No. 23. Major-General Chute to the Undee Seceetaet of State eoe Wae. Sie, — Head Quarters, Auckland, 30th November, 1866. In continuation of my letter of the Ist instant, No. 342-66, relative to a Memorandum from the Eesponsible Advisers of the Governor of New Zealand reflecting on Her Majesty's Troops, I have the honor to forward, for the information of the Eight Hon. the Secretary of State for War, copies of Eeports I have received from the Officers commanding at Wanganui, Taranaki, and Tauranga, to whom I caused letters to be addressed inquiring whether they had at any time failed to avail themselves of any opportunity of attacking and harassing rebels or had refused or hesitated to afford assistance to the civil power or the Colonial Troops in acting against the rebels. I have, &c., T. Chute, The Under Secretary of State for War. Major-General.

Enclosure. Major Eocke to the Assistant Adjutant Geneeal, Patea. Sie, — Patea, 13th November, 1866. I have the honor to acknowledge your letter of this date. In reply I beg to attach a copy of instructions received dated Bth August, 1866. 1. These instructions have been rigidly carried out at all the posts along the line; as far as Patea is concerned the Major-General is doubtless aware that the enemy have never appeared within several miles of it. Convoys have proceeded every week, guarded only by a small escort, from Patea to Waingongora without a single interruption, extending over a period of nineteen months, and except one or two ambuscades evidently laid for small mounted parties, the enemy have never shown on the road or in the vicinity. It is quite untrue, therefore, to state that communications have been stopped or redoubts fired into. 2. In reply to your second question, and with reference to a Minute addressed by the Colonial Ministers to His Excellency the Governor, I beg to draw attention to those instructions which I received just before the arrival of Major McDonnell with a Colonial Force, of the tenor of which I may assume the Ministers are cognizant. It will be thus seen that the co-operation of the Imperial Troops with the Colonial Forces depended upon Major McDonnell, and that I had no voice in the matter, and thus that the reflections cast upon the Officers commanding posts are, not only most unfair, but that they are based upon entirely false premises. A glance at the instructions given to us will show that should Major McDonnell require aid he was to refer to me, and that I was to form a force of 150 men to co-operate with him, taking command 6