D.—2a

10

Up to this date the following ships have been engaged to take emigrants to the ports mentioned, nailing on the dates named: — 1. 3rd June, " Carisbrooke Castle" ... From Belfast to Auckland. 2. sth „ "Rodney" ... ~ London to Wellington. 3. 9th „ "Chile" ... „ London to New Plymouth, Nelson, Westland, and Marlborougn. 4. 15th „ "Waimea" ... „ London to Port Chalmers. 5.20 th „ "Herschel" ... „ Hamburg to Wellington. 6. 23rd „ "Waikato" ... „ London to Canterbury. 7. 25th „ "Helen Denny" ... ~ London to Hawke's Bay. 8. 30th „ "Adamant" ... „ London to the Bluff. 9. „ „ " Invercargill" ... „ the Clyde to Port Chalmers. 10. „ „ " Merope" ... „ Plymouth to Timaru. 11. 7th July, " British Empire " ... „ London to Auckland. I estimate that the above vessels will convey over 2,500 souls to the colony, and at this date about 1,900 out of that number have been finally accepted, and have paid the outfit-money required by the regulations. In accordance with my directions, the Rev. P. Barclay has proceeded to Fair Island, and is now engaged in inspecting its inhabitants, prior to his reporting to me as to their suitability and. willingness to emigrate to New Zealand. In conformity with your instructions, I have authorized him to offer special facilities to those islanders as regards the payment of the ship outfit-money, and the cost of their conveyance from their present home to the port of embarkation. In the absence of any definite instructions, I propose to send them, if they are willing to go, to Port Chalmers. I have received information from Mr. Kirchner that the sailing of the ship "Herschel" will be postponed to the 20th June, but that, as the authorities will not allow passports to agricultural labourers until the harvest is over, he does not expect to send in that vessel more than 100 passengers. He considered that it will be expedient to postpone the sailing of another emigrant ship from Hamburg until October, proposing to send one in that month and another in November. Early in May I engaged, through the New Zealand Shipping Company, the ship " Carisbrooke Castle " for the conveyance of the special settlers emigrating to the Province of Auckland, under the provisions of the agreement entered into with Mr. George Vesey Stewart by the Government of New Zealand. Thirty-seven families of special settlers (inclusive of Mr. Stewart's and the doctor of the ship) will proceed in this vessel, and with them a number of single women and married couples, under the ordinary regulations. Two families belonging to the same party have already started for the colony, and about fifteen more will, I understand, leave for the same place in the month of September. I shall proceed to Belfast for the purpose of personally superintending the embarkation of the passengers by the " Carisbrooke Castle." lam glad to be able to report that the necessary arrangements for the organization of this party, though attended with some difficulty and delay, have on the whole been made in such a manner as will, I trust, eventually prove satisfactory to all those interested in the success of- the new settlement. The operations of the Dublin agency have been reduced lately to so limited a scale that, in view of the new footing on which the Government propose to establish a distinct agency for Ireland, I have given notice to Mr. P. Mason, the special agent at Dublin, that his engagement will terminate on the 30th June next. I have caused new regulations to be prepared as regards the passages of emigrants to New Zealand, in accordance with the terms mentioned in Mr. Vogel's letter of April 30th. Meanwhile I have issued a circular letter to the local agents throughout the United Kingdom, informing them that a modification of the terms under which emigration to New Zealand is conducted will come in force at an early date. The form of petition which it is proposed to be sent in by persons desiring to obtain information as to the colony, and the mode of emigrating thereto, from one of the special emigration agents, has also been drafted. I have engaged Mr. C. Holloway to act as Emigration Officer for the purpose of lecturing and giving information as to the prospects of persons emigrating to New Zealand. He commenced the duties of his office by holding meetings at Twyford and Castle Thorpe on May 17th and 18th, and is to be at Birmingham on the occasion of the meeting of a large number of the representatives of the Agricultural Labourers' Union, after which he will give lectures in Gloucester-shire. I have also arranged with Mr. W. M. Burton to continue his services as Emigration Officer for the whole of New Zealand, as soon as he has completed his work on behalf of New Plymouth. During the month of June he will continue to select emigrants from the agricultural districts of Lincolnshire, acting in co-operation with one of my local agents, Mr. White, of Laceby. As soon as the charter-party has been finally revised, and I have settled the shipping arrangements for the present season, I shall communicate with Mr. Andrew as to the intentions of the New Zealand Government as regards the Scotch agency, and point out to him the position in which it is proposed to place that agency. By an estimate which he has furnished me, at my request, after conference with Mr. Adam, 1 find that he thinks it probable that about 5,000 emigrants can be sent from Scotland during the next twelvemonths. I shall issue shortly special instructions to the Emigration Officers appointed to lecture and select emigrants in the various districts of the United Kingdom. I have received the copies of the conditions under which the settlement of Jackson's Bay is to be established, and will take measures to have them distributed in accordance with the wish of His Honor the [Superintendent of Westland. I have given every facility to Mr. Mathias, and he is now in Germany acting with my agent, Mr. Kirchner, with a view of obtaining emigrants from Pomerania. The demand for female servants in England is so large that increasing difficulty in obtaining single girlw for emigration to New Zealand must necessarily be anticipated. I am inclined to think that the feeling in favour of emigration in the agricultural districts is not