A.—4c*

12

[For No. 4, see A.-l, No. 46.]

No. 5. Administrator W. McGregor, C.M.G., Fiji, to the Eight Hon. the Earl of Derby, K.G. (Eeceived Bth May, 1885.) My Lord, — Government House, Suva, Fiji, 20th March, 1885. I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of your Lordship's despatch of the 11th December, 1884, enclosing copies of the Australasian Federal Council draft Bill. 2. It would hardly be short of presumption on my part to enter into a consideration of the draft Bill, as Sir William Des Vcsux will be in England long before this arrives there, and will be able to place his complete knowledge of the whole subject at your Lordship's disposal. Moreover the probability is ereat that the measure will have been dealt with by Parliament before any remarks I might have to make could reach your Lordship. I have therefore decided not to enter into a consideration of the details of the measure. I have, &c, The Eight Hon. the Earl of Derby, K.G., &c. W. McGregor.

No. 6. The Agent-General for Victoria to the Colonial Office. My Lord, — 8, Victoria Chambers, Victoria Street, Westminster, S.W., Bth May, 1885. I have the honour to state that I have received a telegraphic despatch from the Hon. the Premier of Victoria instructing me to inform your Lordship that the Governments of Victoria and Tasmania protest against the provision attached to the 31st clause of the Enabling Bill lately introduced by your Lordship, by which the Legislature of any colony seceding from the Australasian Federal Council is empowered to repudiate the obligations it entered into while acting as a federated State. I am also instructed to assure your Lordship of the continued opposition of Her Majesty's Governments in those colonies to the clause itself as originally proposed. And lam informed by Mr. Service that he has received communications from the other federating Governments in an almost identical sense. I have, &c, The Eight Hon. the Earl of Derby, K.G., &c. Eobert Murray Smith.

No. 7. The Agent-General for Queensland to the Colonial Office. Queensland Government Office, 1, Westminster Chambers, Victoria Street, My Lord,-— London, S.W., 9th May, 1885. I have the honour to inform your Lordship that I have received a telegram from my Government, instructing me to renew their objections to the 31st clause of the Federal Council Bill, and more particularly to that portion of the proviso to that clause which enables the Legislature of a colony which has withdrawn from the Union to repeal, as to such colony, all acts of the Council passed while the Federal Council Act was in operation in such colony. I have, &c, James F. Garrick, The Eight Hon. the Earl of Derby, KG., &c. Agent-General.

No. 8. The Agent-General for South Australia to the Colonial Office. Office of Agent-General for South Australia, 8, Victoria Chambers, Sir, — Westminster, London, S.W., 11th May, 1885. I have the honour to transmit copy of a telegram that I received on the 7th instant from the South Australian Government, and which I had the pleasure of communicating to you verbally on the same day, relative to the 31st clause of the Federal Council Enabling Bill. I have, &c, Arthur Blyth, The Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies. Agent-General.

Enclosure in No. 8. Telegram received this day by the Agent-General for South Australia from the Government at Adelaide, dated 7th May, 1885, 5.30 p.m. (Adelaide time). May 7, 1885. Eepresent to the Imperial Government that the amendment clause No. 31 of the Enabling Bill, permitting colony retiring Council annul previous Act Council, is considered objectionable by the Colonies of Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, and South Australia.

No. 119. The Agent-General to the Premier. Sib,— 7, Westminster Chambers, London, S.W., 19th May, 1885. I transmit to you herewith a Times report of a question put in the House of Commons last night by Mr. W. McArthur, on the subject of the reports recently made by the Anglo-German.