D.—4

11

about the 9th or 16th of March, and that the number will probably be about 200 statute adults. In the course of a day or two we hope to be able to advise you the name of the ship we propose for the service. We have, _c, Shaw-Savill-Albion Company (Limited), John Greenway, The Agent-General for New Zealand. Manager.

Sub-Enclosure 4 in Enclosure 4 in No. 16. The Manager, Shaw-Savill-Albion Company, to the Agent-General. Shaw-Savill-Albion Company (Limited), Sir,— Offices: 34, Leadenhall Street, E.C., London, Bth February, 1883. . Eeferring to our letter of this morning, on the subject of emigrants to Auckland, we now beg to inform you that we have just fixed the fine new steamer " Westmeath," 3,190 tons gross register, 1,800 indicated h.p., to embark emigrants at Plymouth for Auckland direct on the 16th March. We shall be happy to take your emigrants by this vessel, and, as our Galbraith informs us that you are willing to pay £15 a head by steamer, we presume you will have no objection to this price being paid us. The steamer will be here next week, and we are sure Mr. Smith will find her, on inspection, all that can be desired. Yours truly, Shaw-Savill-Albion Company (Limited), John Greenway, The Agent-General for New Zealand. Manager.

No. 17. The Agent-General to the Hon. the Minister of Immigration. Sir,— 7, Westminster Chambers, London, S.W., 26th October, 1883. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the Bth September (No. 170), transmitting a copy of the report of the Joint Committee of both Houses on the direct steam service, and directing me, pending further instructions, to make arrangements for sending immigrants as far as possible in accordance with the resolutions adopted by that Committee. I am very sensible of the responsible nature of the duty which you thus confide to me, and still more so of the generosity with which, for the present, you leave the making of the necessary temporary arrangements to me on this side. The Government may depend upon my doing my best to give full effect to the resolutions in the fairest way I possibly can. It is certain that the views of the Joint Committee can, without any difficulty, be brought into practical operation here, so far as the doing of it depends upon me, and I will not allow myself to suppose that difficulties wi 1 be made by anybody else. I shall now complete at once the statement of my views on the immigration question generally, for which you have waited so long, and I will send it to you as soon as I possibly can ; but at this moment I have so much work which must be done immediately that I cannot see a chance of my being able to send you the statement by the San Francisco mail. I have, &c, The Hon. the Minister of Immigration, Wellington. F. D. Bell.

iL._»__:___ai£»j£2c.,vtir iT*riTrn__aM_—it__a__^—» No. 18. The Agent-General to the Hon. the Postmaster-General. g IE _ 7, Westminster Chambers, London, S.W., 2nd November, 1883. Adverting to the statement I have made in a previous letter (31st May, 1883) as to the intention of the Shaw-Savill-Albion Company to build steamers for the direct trade, as well as the New Zealand Shipping Company, I transmit herewith the copy of. a letter I have received from Mr Galbraith, forwarding the designs of the boats now building, together with my reply. The plans themselves are in charge of the purser of the steamship " British King." I had wished very much to be able to accompany these designs with the plans of the fine steamers " Tongariro " and " Aorangi," recently built by Messrs. J. Elder and Co. for the New Zealand Shipping Company. But on applying to that company for particulars they informed me that full information had already been sent out by them to the Government; and therefore, although I have not myself had the advantage of seeing the designs of the " Elder " ships, or the opportunity of offering any suggestion respecting them, you will be able to compare them with the "Denny" ships yourself. ~',,, , -, -, • ~ In any case the colony is to be congratulated on the great strides that have been made in the last two years by the building of so many fine steamships for the direct steam service. ' I have, &c, The Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington. F. D. Bell.

Enclosure 1 in No. 18. Mr. James Galbraith to the Agent-General. c IE _ 15, St. Vincent Place, Glasgow, 31st October, 1883. I send by parcel post to-day plans of steamers building by Messrs. William Denny and Brothers, for Shaw-Savill-Albion Company's line of steam and sailing ships to New Zealand,