A.—No. 10.

MEMORANDA BETWEEN HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR AND MINISTERS.

No. 1. The Hon. Mr. Stafford to His Excellency the Governor. Me. Staffoed presents his compliments to the Governor, and has the honor to inform His Excellency that the House of Representatives last night, on the motion of Mr. Vogel, resolved by a majority of two, that the House had no confidence in the present Government, the numbers being respectively thirty-seven and thirty-five. The majority would, Mr. Stafford believes, have been reduced to one, had the newly-elected Member for Egmont had time to arrive in Wellington. Under ordinary circumstances Mr. Stafford would have placed the resignation of Ministers in His Excellency's hands without further remark. There are, however, special circumstances which Mr. Stafford considers it to be his duty to bring before the notice of His Excellency. The late Government was defeated and the present one placed in office within the last four weeks by a majority of three —forty to thirty-seven —every member of the House having voted on that occasion. The result therefore of the division which led to the resignation of the late Ministry, and of that which took place last night, has been to make unmistakeably manifest that no party in the present House is strong enough to command a reliable working majority. This fact would, Mr. Stafford respectfully submits, be in itself a sufficient reason for affording to the electors, as the constitutional final resort, the opportunity of determining to whom the country would prefer to intrust the conduct of its public affairs. But in addition, it requires to be considered that the present Parliament was elected during the tenure of offi.ce of the late Government, which met Parliament in the first Session which succeeded the elections, with a very considerablemajority —amajority which,however, steadily declined during the first and present Sessions, until it ceased to exist. That a great change in the feeling of the country has taken place since the last general election, is beyond question, as instance of which (amongst others) it may be mentioned that when, on joining the late Government, Mr. Hall resigned his seat, he was succeeded by an opponent of that Government. Again, in the case of the most recent election, which was warmly contested, when another member of the late Government resigned his seat in the House of Representatives, an opponent of that Government was elected in his room. The bare majority, therefore, by which the House last night refused its confidence to Ministers, may fairly be assumed not correctly to represent the opinions or wishes of the country : in which case it has long been held as a constitutional rule, that the question whether, in refusing its confidence to Ministers, the House has correctly expressed the opinion of the country, may properly be tested by a dissolution. In relation to this well-established rule, Mr. Stafford would observe, that from the best information which he has received, he has every reason for believing that the result of a dissolution would be the return of a decisive majority in favour of the present Government. Under the circumstances above referred to, Ministers respectfully advise His Excellency to grant a dissolution. E. W. Stafford. Wellington, sth October, 1872.

No. 2. His Excellency Sir G. I\ Bowen, G.C.M.G., to the Hon. Mr. Stafford. The Governor has received Mr. Stafford's Memorandum of this day's date, in which Ministers advise, for the reasons stated therein, a dissolution of the House of Representatives. The Governor will give his full consideration to the important question thus submitted to him, with an earnest desire to come to a decision which shall be right and fair to all parties in the Legislature. But, in the first instance, he would wish to be informed if there is sure ground for believing that the existing Parliament is ready to grant the supplies necessary to carry on the public service until a new Parliament could meet. G. F. Bowek. Government House, "Wellington, sth October, 1872.

No. 3. The Hon. Mr. Stafford to His Excellency the Goyektor. Me. Stafford presents his compliments to the Governor. He has received His Excellency's Memorandum of this day's date, in which His Excellency desires to be informed if there is sure ground for believing that the existing Parliament is ready to grant the supplies necessary to carry on the public service until a new Parliament could meet. In reply, Mr. Stafford respectfully submits to His Excellency that, in accordance with constitu-