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H.—s

His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales to the Right Hon. the Earl of Carnarvon. My Lord, — Marlborougli House, Pall Mall, S.W., 23rd January, 1877. I beg, as President of Her Majesty's Commissioners for the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1878, to transmit to your Lordship the enclosed printed document containing an extract from the London Gazette of the 23rd January, nominating a Royal Commission appointed by Her Majesty for advancing, so far as Great Britain, the Indian Empire, and the Colonies and Dependencies are concerned, the objects which the Paris Exhibition lias in view. I beg farther to enclose for your Lordship's information the general summary of the French regulations, showing the conditions under which the Exhibition will be administered, and Her Majesty's Commissioners would be glad if your Lordship would officially announce the part to be taken by Great Britain at the approaching Exhibition to the Governor-General of the Dominion and to the Governors and authorities of the Colonial Empire, and at the same time express the pleasure I shall feel in learning that the various Governments have determined to take a prominent part in making a suitable representation. I have instructed Mr. P. Cunliffe Owen, C.8., whom I have appointed Secretary, to place himself at your Lordship's disposal; and he will attend to all communications. I trust your Lordship will be good enough to accredit him to the various authorities requiring information respecting the Exhibition. I have, &c.,. Albert Edward, President of the Royal Commission for the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1878. The Right Hon. the Earl of Carnrvou. Sub-Enclosure 4 to Enclosure in No. 2. His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales to the Right Hon. the Earl of Carnarvon. My Lord,— Marlborough House, Pall Mall, S.W., 26th February, 1877. 1. I have to acknowledge the receipt of your Lordship's letter of the lGth instant, enclosing copies of circular despatches which your Lordship has had the goodness to forward to the different Colonial Governments, intimating the interest which I take in the worthy representation of the colonies at the forthcoming Universal Exhibition, to be held in Paris next year. 2. I have now to request that your Lordship will take the earliest opportunity of communicating to those Governments the printed regulations issued by the French Government, and that I may be apprised through your Lordship, and if possible by cable, of the intentions of the various Governments, and the amount of space that they consider can be profitably occupied in the Exhibition. 3. If I urge the necessity of immediate action, it is to enable me to arrange for the earliest possible transmission to the Colonial Governments of the plans of such space as it may be practicable to assign to them, and thereby to facilitate the necessary arrangements for occupying it. 4. I should explain that the space available for Great Britain and the colonies has been allotted to the collective British Empire, and that it is essential that applications for space from the different parts of the Empire should be made through the Imperial Executive. I shall use my best endeavours to promote the equitable distribution of the available space between the United Kingdom and the colonies, in proportion to their several requirements. Beyond this, I do not desire in any way to interfere with the independence of action of the Colonial Governments ; but I have instructed Mr. Cunliffe Owen, as Secretary of the Royal Commission, to place his services, if required, entirely at their disposal. In offering this assistance, I particularly wish it to be understood that Mr. Owen will take no part, unless asked to do so, in the Executive work of the colonial sections, which will belong to the Commissioners, whom I shall be happy to recognize as accredited by the various Governments. 5. I may add that upon this occasion it will not be possible to erect a separate house in the park by which office accommodation could be provided for the various Colonial Commissioners, as was the case at the Philadelphia Exhibition in 1876. I have, &c., The Right Hon. the Earl of Carnarvon, &c. Albert Edward. Sub-Enclosure 5 to Enclosure in No. 2. The Right Hon. the Earl of Carnarvon to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. Sir, — Downing Street, Ist March, 1877. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of the letter dated the 26th of February with which your Roval Highness has honored me, enclosing the printed regulations issued by the French Government relating to the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1878, and I have the honor to enclose copies of two circular despatches which I have addressed to the various Colonial Governments, requesting, in compliance with the wishes of your Royal Highness, that I may be informed by telegraph of the amount of space likely to be required for the several colonies. I have, &c, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, K.G., &c. Carnarvon.