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The very general response which this appeal elicited among friends of the Colony resident in this country was as gratifying as it was unexpected ; for, knowing the risks which are incurred in lending valuable pictures and works of art to public exhibitions, I could not have felt surprised at a general disinclination to assist. On the contrary, the promises of friendly aid were so numerous that it soon became apparent to the Commissioners that the space in the Exhibition allotted to the New Zealand Court, which had originally appeared too large, would prove wholly insufficient to meet their requirements. Under these circumstances (with the concurrence of my co-Commissioner), I applied to the representatives of the adjoining South Australian Court for a share of their unoccupied space, an application which was readily acceded to. Among the objects thus contributed, I may mention more particularly a splendid collection of New Zealand birds, brought from the Colony by Mr. James Brogden, and mounted at his own expense in plate glass show cases, and in the best style of modern art; also a painting of New Zealand scenery (valued at 200 guineas), lent by Mr. Alexander Brogden, M.P. Mr. Dawson Rowley, of Brighton, kindly agreed to exhibit the unique specimen of the moa's egg in his possession, and sent it up to London for that purpose; but having regard to the great value of this specimen, and to the risk incurred in the tranmission of such an object to Vienna, I was reluctantly compelled to decline the offer. Mr. Larkworthy, the Managing Director of the Bank of New Zealand, Mr. Commissary Jones, C.8., and other gentlemen, dismantled their drawing-rooms in order to place New Zealand pictures at my disposal; Dr. Lauder Lindsay forwarded his geological and other collections; and many others showed an equal amount of zeal in the cause. I ought not, however, to omit the names of Mr. C. Thorne, of Mark Lane, Mr. Forbes, of Dundee, and Mr. Lockhart, of Kirkcaldy, through whose joint and untiring efforts (added to the contributions in the same branch from the Colony) I was enabled to make a magnificent display of the Phormium tenax, in the raw and manufactured states, more especially with relation to the adaptability of this fibre to the purposes of textile fabrics. Having made my selection of the proffered collections, and ascertained (from the packing lists) the nature of the contributions to be expected from the Colony, I at once caused a preliminary classified list to be prepared, and forwarded this to Mr. Cunliffe Owen, the Secretary to the Royal Commission, for publication in the first edition of the Official Catalogue of British Exhibits. The next step was to secure the services of a qualified agent to make the necessary preparations in the New Zealand Court, to receive the exhibits as they should arrive, and to superintend their classification and arrangement for public exhibition. With a view to economy on this head, I entered into a joint arrangement with the Commissioners of two other Colonies (Victoria and Queensland) to employ Mr. Phillips Bevan, a gentleman in every way fitted for such a post, to take the entire charge of the Australian and New Zealand Courts, and to act generally as Colonial Agent at the Exhibition. I may here mention that the manner in which Mr. Bevan has executed the task allotted to him, proves that our choice was a fortunate one. His report is appended hereto (Enclosure 1), and it has afforded me pleasure to convey to him officially an expression of my satisfaction and approval. (Copy herewith—Enclosure 2.) At this stage of my proceedings I received from Professor yon Hochstetter (to whom I applied in anticipation of your instructions) a cordial assurance of his readiness to co-operate with me in every way for the benefit of the Colony. He willingly agreed to undertake the charge of Dr. Haast's skeletons of Dinornis, and to superintend their articulation and setting up; a task which he afterwards performed in a very skilful manner. Having in my interim reports mentioned the arrival of the various consignments of exhibits from the Colony, it is unnecessary for me to refer again to that subject, beyond stating that everything was safely received, without (so far as I am aware) sustaining injury or damage of any kind whatever. Having given the necessary instructions to Mr. Bevan for the arrangement of the New Zealand Court—adopting in the main the recommendations conveyed in Dr. Hector's valuable memoranda on the subject—and having intrusted to Mr. Carter the duty of receiving and personally superintending the packing of the exhibits here, I entered into a contract with Messrs. Sage and Co. (the well-known casemakers) to furnish the necessary show-cases, at a certain fixed hire, giving me the option of their purchase at a price agreed upon, in case they should be required by the Government at the close of the Exhibition; and further, that the contractors should bear the whole risk of transmitting the cases to and from Vienna. This arrangement, as the result has proved, was a very advantageous one for the Colony, the amount of breakage in transitu, owing to the rough usage of goods on some of the Continental lines of railway, having been considerable. With regard to the exhibits themselves—both those sent from the Colony and those contributed here—l deemed it right to adopt the precaution of insuring them against loss by fire or shipwreck, notwithstanding the high rates of premium that were charged. Before the opening of the Exhibition, in pursuance of the instructions of the Government, I employed skilled draftsmen to prepare suitable show-cards (12 inches square) to accompany all the principal exhibits; each of these cards having a conspicuous heading to distinguish the Colony, and a concise description of the object, with the name of the exhibitor, in English, German, and French. By means of these legible labels, a person passing through the Court could form a tolerably fair idea of the origin and character of the objects presented to his gaze. But

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