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No. 15. His Honor the Chief Justice to the Hon. the Colonial Seceetaey. Sic,— Greymouth, 20th February, 1875. I have the honor to inform you that I am desirous of retiring from the active duties of the office of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from and after the 31st of March next. I think I understood you on recent occasions to say that arrangements were already in contemplation of the Government for the appointment of my successor, and providing for the discharge of the judicial duties in the Supreme Court at Auckland in the event of my resignation. Upon receiving, therefore, the notification that the exigencies ofthe public service do not require my tenure of the office of Chief Justice after the 31st March next, I shall be prepared to tender my resignation to His Excellency the Governor. I have, &c, Geoeqe Alfeed Aeney, The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Wellington. -Chief Justice. P.S. —I go hence to-morrow for the Bluff, Invercargill, and Dunedin.

No. 16. His Honor Mr. Justice Chapman to the Hon. the Colonial Seceetaey. Sic, — Dunedin, 22nd February, 1875. I have already communicated to you unofficially my desire to retire from the Bench at the end of the month of March, and I now repeat the same in an official form. It is almost unnecessary for me to state that I fulfil the two conditions required by " The Supreme Court Judges Act, 1874," to entitle me to the retired allowance of half my present salary. First, I am within a few months of 72 years of age; and secondly, I have actually served more than the prescribed time. I was first appointed Judge of the Supreme Court of New Zealand by the late Lord Derby, then Lord Stanley, in June 1843, and I was sworn in at Auckland on the 2Gth of December, 1843. From that date I continued in office until the 13th of March, 1852, when I left the colony. My second commission bears date 23rd March, and I was sworn in on the 15th of April, 1864, so that the whole period of my service exceeds nineteen years, out of which, however, I was absent from the colony on leave for eighteen months. I have therefore to request that you will be good enough to place this my resignation before His Excellency tho Governor in Council. The period from the end of the vacation (10th March) until the end of the month will enable me to dispose of some business now before the Court. I have, &c, The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Wellington. H. S. Chapman.

No. 17. • The Hon. W. H. Eetnolds, Acting Colonial Secretary, to His Honor Mr. Justice Johnston. (No. 117.) Sic, — Colonial Secretary's Office, Wellington, sth March, 1875. I have to inform your Honor that His Excellency the Governor in Council has been pleased to assign to you the Judicial Districts of Canterbury and Westland, and that the necessary Orders in Council will be found published in the New Zealand Gazette. I have, &c, Hia Honor Mr. Justice Johnston, Wellington. William H. Beynolds.

No. 18. The Hon. W. H. Beynolds, Acting Colonial Secretary, to His Honor Mr. Justice Gillies. (No. 115.) Sic, — Colonial Secretary's Office, Wellington, sth March, 1875. I have the honor to inform you that His Excellency the Governor in Council has been pleased to appoint you to be a Puisne Judge of the Supreme Court of New Zealand, and to assign to you the Judicial Districts of Auckland and Nelson. Your commission, under the hand of His Excellency and the Seal of the Colony, is enclosed. Your salary will bo at the rate of £1,500, and you will be allowed a sum of £2 2s. per diem when travelling on the public service on land, but at the rate of ss. per diem when at sea. His Honor Mr. Justice Johnston has been empowered to administer the oaths to be taken by your Honor under " The Promissory Oaths Act, 1873." You will be at liberty to nominate your secretary, and I have to request your Honor, when doing so, to supply his Christian names in full. His salary will be at the rate of £150 a year, and he will be allowed to draw at the rate of 10s. a day while travelling on the public service on land, and at the rate of 2s. 6d. a day when at sea. I have, &c, His Honor Mr. Justice Gillies. William H. Eeynolds,