A.—2

2

New Zealand for about thirty years, and they have accumulated a great amount of money and property, and they wished me to come out to them, as they had left everything in their will to me and my boy, as you will see by a copy of one of their letters I have sent you. I would have gone out to them immediately, and I wrote them to that effect, but I never received any answer from them. My husband then took typhus fever, so that prevented me from writing again for a time. Again I wrote to the minister of the Presbyterian Church, and again I got no answer. The church is close to my uncle's residence at Auckland, and it was the church that they attended ; and I wrote to their agents, but I received no answer from them. You will see my uncle has sent the agents' address and the trustees' address, likewise explains the banks that his money is lodged into. Ever since my husband's death, I have had to take a situation to support myself and my son. lamat a loss to know what to do. I have been advised to ask you for your assistance. Trusting that you will help me, I remain, &c, Mrs. John Brown, At Mr. John Johnstone's, 21, Woodvill Terrace, To the Hon. Evelyn Ashley. Lochend Eoad, Leith, Scotland.

Dbae Maey Ann,— Tamaki West, Auckland, May 20th, 1880. We received your letter you sent. You would like to come out here ; and we.would like to have you and your boy here, for we are both getting very old and frail; and we would like to have you both here; and you would have a comfortable home; and what we have you would have at our deaths ; but we would have your company, and your love, and that would be a blessing to us both ; and I willed it all to you; and the will lies with Jackson and Eussell, and is lying under his care for you; and Jackson is one of the trustees, and Mr. Miller is the other, Queen Street, ironmonger. There is money in the Bank of New Zealand and the Post Office Bank also; but we would like to have a letter from you, for we are wearying to hear from you. So no more at present from your loving uncle and aunt, Peteb and Maby Fekguson.

No. 3. (Circular.) Sir,— Downing Street, Ist March, 1884. Applications are from time to time made to this Department for information with regard to the state of the law in the Colonies in respect of the authentication of signatures to documents (powers of attorney, for instance) executed in England or elsewhere out of the Colonies, with the view of making such documents receivable in the Law Courts of the Colonies or by public officials and others; and I request that you will be good enough to furnish me with a brief statement of the practice or law on the subject in force in the Colony under your Government, with a reference to any laws and the sections of such laws prescribing the course to be pursued. I have, &c. The Officer Administering the Government of DERBY. New Zealand.

No. 4. (Circular.) Snt, — Downing Street, 21st March, 1884. I have the honour to transmit to you, for communication to your Government, copies of a Despatch, with its enclosures, which I addressed to the Governor of New South. Wales, and of his reply, with its enclosure, respecting the use of a flag known as the "Australian Colours," on board vessels and boats belonging to the Australian Colonies. The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty have requested me to bring this matter to the notice of the Governments of the other Australian Colonies, with a view to their taking a similar course to that adopted by the Government of New South Wales, for stopping the use of this flag; and I should be glad if you would move your Government to take the necessary steps for this purpose, should it appear that such flags are worn by vessels belonging to the Colony under your Government. I have, &c. The Officer Administering the Government of DERBY. New Zealand.