A.—2,

6

science, is desirous of presenting copies of this work to the more important of the libraries in the British Colonies. " Dr. Sibson's contributions to medical science are of great and permanent value; most of them, indeed, were road before the Eoyal Society of London, and are printed in the ' Philosophical Transactions.' They have been ably edited in their present form by Dr. W. M. Ord, a gentleman of high standing in the medical profession, and with the illustrations fill four octavo volumes."

No. 7. (New Zealand, No. 25.) Sir, — Downing Street, 9th April, 1883. With further reference to the Despatch of the Officer Administering the Government (No. 74, of the 3rd of October), I have the honour to transmit to you, for communication to your Government, an extract of a letter which has been received from the War Office in respect of the proposal of the authorities of the New Zealand University, that students who had passed the first local examination for the degree of 8.A., and are candidates for admission into the army, should be placed on the same footing as graduates and students of the Imperial Universities. As regards the further point raised in the enclosure to the Administrator's Despatch above referred to, you will observe, from another Despatch of this day's date, that the arrangement under which the Colonial Universities were empowered to conduct preliminary examinations for Sandhurst, has been superseded by a system which will admit of more general application. I have, &c. Governor Sir W. E. D. Jervois, G.C.M.G. CB. &c. DERBY.

Enclosure. Extract from a Letter from the War Office to the Colonial Office, dated 9th March, 1883, No £-2-^- -"*-'"• 400' " With reference to my letter of the Bth December last, and to the papers which you forwarded on the 22nd of the following month, relative to the curriculum at the New Zealand University, I have the honour to acquaint you, by direction of the Secretary of State for War, for the Earl of Derby's information, that, in the absence of any information as to the standard of attainment required in the several subjects comprising the first B.A. examination at the above University, it is impossible to decide whether the examination referred to can be accepted as equivalent to the examinations of the Home Universities, as set forth in paragraph 2 (b) of the Eegulations for Admission to the Eoyal Military College at Sandhurst."

No. 8. (Circular.) Sir,— Downing Street, 29th April, 1884. I have the honour to inform you that the question has been raised whether the periodical returns of note issues and reserves published by chartered banks in the Colonies should be verified by a Government inspection of their specie balances, as is the practice in some Colonies. Tbe Lords Commissioners of the Treasury, in a letter of which copy is enclosed for the. consideration of your Government, have expressed the opinion that the practice of such inspection, where it exists, should be discontinued. The Officer Administering the Government of I have, &c. New Zealand. DERBY.

Enclosure. The Treasury to the Colonial Office. (5932-84.) Sir, — Treasury Chambers, 19th April, 1884. I am directed by the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 27191 ultimo on the subject of the Straits Settlements Banks. I am to ask you to acquaint the Secretary of State that the 4th section of the Ordinance No. 10 of 1881, which you enclose, makes, in their opinion, proper provision for the periodical publication of returns of the Hong Kong and Shanghae Bank, without making the Government in any manner responsible for their correctness.