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In testimony whereof We have caused these our letters to be made Patent, and the Seal of our said Colony of New Zealand to be hereunto affixed. Witness our Right Trusty and Entirely-beloved Cousin and Councillor, George Augustus Constantine, Marquis of Normanby, Earl of Mulgrave, Viscount Normanby, and Baron Mulgrave of Mulgrave, all in the County of York, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, and Baron Mulgrave of New Ross, in the County of Wexford, in the Peerage of Ireland ; a Member of our Most Honorable Privy Council; Knight Grand Cross of our Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George; Governor and Commander-in-Chief in and over our Colony of New Zealand and its Dependencies, and Vice-Admiral of the same; and issued under the Seal of the said Colony, at Wellington, this twenty-first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine, and in the forty-second year of our reign. (1.5.) Normanby. G. S. Whitmore.

[Extract from Nero Zealand Gazette No. 41, 17th April, 1879.]. Colonial Secretary's Office, Wellington, 17th April, 1879. His Excellency the Governor has been pleased to accept the office of President of the Sydney Exhibition Commission; and has also been pleased to appoint James Hector, Esq., C.M.G., F.R.S., to be Vice-President and Executive Commissioner of the said Commission. G. S. Whit.more.

PEOGEESS EEPOET OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMISSIONEE. May it please your Excellency,— Wellington, 30th June, 1879. The Commissioners appointed by His Excellency the Marquis of Normanby, on the 21st January last, to make arrangements to secure the representation of New Zealand at the Sydney International Exhibition, to be held in the City of Sydney in September next, respectfully submit the fallowing report of the action taken towards the performance of the duties intrusted to them up to the present time : — The Commissioners immediately on their appointment took steps to carry out the object for which the Commission was issued. Since then eight meetings have been held for tho transaction of business, and an abstract of the minutes of the proceedings at these meetings will be found in Appendix A, and in Appendix B will be found an abstract of the correspondence which the Commissioners have had on matters relating to the Exhibition. The first meeting was held on the 27th January, when the Chairman read a circular telegram which he had issued respecting exhibits of wool, and reported that he had applied to the Government for copies of papers relative to the Exhibition, and an indication of the amount of expenditure that the Government was prepared to authorize the Commission to incur. A telegram was read from Mr. P. A. Jennings, Executive Commissioner, Sydney, relative to the arrangements made for the purpose of holding the Exhibition, and offering to reserve 4,000 square feet of space for the representation of New Zealand. It was resolved that advertisements should be inserted in the Wellington papers inviting applications for the office of Secretary to the Commission; also that the Chairman should wait upon the Under Secretary with tho view of ascertaining if Government can provide the Commission with office accommodation. The Colonial Secretary replied to the Commission's application respecting funds, that the Cabinet would approve of an expenditure by the Commission of a sum not exceeding £2,000. On the sth February Mr. Charles Callis was elected as Secretary to the Commission, and was instructed to communicate with the Secretaries of the various Chambers of Commerce throughout the colony, asking the members of the Chambers to act as Local Committees for the representation of the various districts, and to see that only specimens of articles that really excelled in quality should be forwarded for exhibition in Sydney. Subsequently seventeen Local Committees were formed at the following places —namely, Auckland, Thames, Gisborne, Napier, New Plymouth, Wanganui, Wellington, Blenheim, Nelson, Greymouth, Hokitika, Christchurch, Timaru, Oamaru, Dunedin, Invercargill, and Queenstown. Regulations and schedules of articles to be received for exhibition were issued for the guidance of contributors, and also letters addressed specially to the several Committees asking for their co-operation and assistance, by encouraging the inhabitants of their respective districts to contribute such objects of interest as they can command, illustrative of tho products and industry of the said districts, and calling attention to the fact that, in showing to best advantage our chief natural products, our manufactures, and our industries, at the great gathering to be held iv Sydney in September next, we shall practically be exhibiting the resources of the colony to the whole of the world. Special attention was also drawn to a notice that a further exhibition of wool will be held in Sydney iv December for the new season's clip, and asking that every exertion might be used to secure a good display of this important article, more especially as the season was too far advanced to obtain exhibits in any quantity of last season's clip. The Commissioners also stated that they would gladly receive any suggestions from the Local Committees, begging them to afford the fullest information in their power.