D.—2a

6

captain and officers of the ship, on whose appointment I can only exercise a power of veto, and the surgeon, matron, and other officers for whose appointment I am responsible, have one and all discharged their duties to the satisfaction of the Government. AVith respect to officers for whose appointment I am responsible, I submit that all that can be fairly expected of me is that I shall take every precaution to appoint fit and proper persons to the various posts ; and that it would bo unreasonable to hold me responsible for the manner in which they may have discharged their duties during the voyage. The remedy, as I have already pointed out, rests entirely in the hands of the Government by withholding the promised gratuities, and forbidding the further employment of persons who have not acquitted themselves to the satisfaction of the Government. In conclusion, I beg to submit (Enclosure 3) copy of a letter received from Messrs. Shaw, Saville, and Co. (dated 14th March, 1873), in reply to the charges preferred against them by the Hon. Mr. Waterhouse. I have, &c., I. E. Featherston, The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Wellington. Agent-General.

Enclosure 1 in No. 2. A.—List of Vessels despatched to Auckland by the Agent-General for New Zealand. " Celestial Queen," A.l. 14 years, 843 tons; sailed April 20, 1872, arrived July 30; duration of passage, 94 days ; has previously made one passage to Auckland and one to Otago, but not under the Act. " City of Auckland," A.l. 16 years, 780 tons ; sailed May 31,1872, arrived September 3 ; duration of passage, 92 days ; has previously made three passages to Auckland under the Act. " Queen Bee," A.l. 13 years, 726 tons; sailed July 20, 1872, arrived October 29 ; duration of passage, 97 days ; has previously made two passages to Auckland, two to Otago, one to AVellington, and one to Nelson, three of them under the Act. " Agnes Muir," A.A.L, 851 tons ; sailed September 5, 1872 ; owned in Glasgow, and previously sailed from thence to Otago under the Act. " Warwick," A. A.1., 1,005 tons ; sailed November 3, 1872 ; has previously made one voyage to Auckland and one to Otago, but only one of them under the Act. "Durham," A.A.1., 998 tons; sailed November 29, 1873. "Parsee," A.A.1., 1,281 tons; sailed January 14, 1873. The " Durham " and " Parsee " have previously been employed in India and China trade, and therefore never under the Passenger Act until their present voyages. List of Vessels despatched to Wellington by the Agent-General for New Zealand. " Schiehallion," A.A.L, 602 tons ; sailed April 13, 1872, arrived July 9; duration of passage, 85 days ; previously made the passage to Auckland without immigrants. " Halcione," A A.L, 843 tons ; sailed April ,26, 1872, arrived July 27; duration of passage, 89 days; built in 1869 for New Zealand trade, and has made four voyages to AVellington with Government emigrants. " Bebington," A.A.L, BS9 tons; sailed July 1, 1872, arrived October 25 ; duration of passage, 111 days; has previously been employed in India and China trade, and not previously under the Act. " Glenlora," A.A.L, 764 tons; sailed August 8,1872 ; purchased last year, 1872, specially for the New Zealand trade, and was not previously under the Passenger Act. " Jessie Readman," A.A.L, 962 tons; sailed September 22, 1872, arrived December 15; owned in Glasgow, but despatched by Shaw, Saville, and Co. to Otago in 1870, and again in 1871; in 1870 she was under the Act, but not in 1871. "Forfarshire," A.l. 14 years, 1,238 tons; sailed November 15, 1872; purchased in 1872 specially for the New Zealand trade, and was not previously under tho Passenger Act. For Hawke's Bay. " Ballarat," A.l. 12 years, 685 tons ; sailed June 15, 1872, arrived September 15 ; duration of passage, 87 days; has previously made four passages to Auckland, one to Nelson, and one to Wellington, three of them under the Act. "Chile," A.A.L, 768 tons; sailed September 13,1872; has previously made six passages to Otago, one to Southland, and three to Auckland, six times under the Act. List of Vessels despatched to Otago by the Agent-General for New Zealand. " Wild Deer," A.l. 16 years, 1,016 tons; sailed February 1, 1872 ; from Glasgow under the Act. " William Davie," A.l. 17 years, 841 tons; sailed April 10, 1572 ; from Glasgow under the Act. "Hydaspes," A.L, 2,098 tons; sailed June 22, 1872, arrived September 20; duration of passage, 89 days ; purchased in 1868, and has previously made two voyages to Canterbury, both of them under the Passenger Act. "May Queeu," A.A.L, 733 tons; sailed July 29, 1572, arrived October 24; duration of passage, 86 days; has previously made three voyages to Otago, one of them under the Act. " Christian McAusland," A.A.L, 962 tons; sailed September 5, 1872, arrived December 5; duration of passage, 87 days; owned in Glasgow, where she previously sailed from under the Act. " Zealandia," A.A.L, 1,116 tons; sailed October 8, 1872 ; built in 1869 for Shaw, Saville, and Co., and previously made three voyages to Canterbury, two of them under the Passenger Act. " Charlotte Gladstone," A.L, 1,304 tons; sailed November 2, 1872 ; has previously made one passage to Melbourne and two to Canterbury with Government emigrants.