H.—l9.

Enclosure 7 in No. 7. Count D'Abbans to Major Gudgeon. Vice-Consulat de France en Nouvelle-Zelande, Wellington, Sir,— le 4 Septembre, 1888. When acknowledging, with thanks, the receipt of your letter of the 3rd instant, containing two enclosures, I have the honour to suggest to you to ask Inspector Thomson to make a report of the circumstances of the embarking of the convict Gasparini on board the s.s. " Wakatipu " on Saturday, the 11th August last, at about three o'clock. Detective Chrystal was also on the wharf. It would be of use to ascertain officially what took place between the moment the said convict left the cab and the moment he went on board, about fifteen minutes later; which persons were there, and which interviewed the said convict; which messages were handed to Detective Walker for being delivered to Sydney; what thing was in a parcel, wrapped in paper, carried by the convict, Ac. As I was myself on the wharf, I have noticed circumstances which will be recorded in a despatch I am preparing for the information of His Excellency the Governor of New Zealand. I have, Ac, Major Gudgeon, Commissioner for New Jouffroy d'Abbans. Zealand Constabulary.

Enclosure 8 in No. 7. Inspector Thomson to the Commissioner of Police. Sir, — Police Department, District Office, Wellington, Bth September, 1888. Referring to the attached correspondence, I have the honour to state that I was on the Wellington wharf on the afternoon of the 11th ultimo, when Detective Walker brought down the prisoner Gasparini in a cab for the purpose of taking him on board the steamer " Wakatipu," then nearly ready to sail for Sydney. Upon the detective and prisoner getting out of the cab in front of the steamer, Mr. Jellicoe, Gasparini's solicitor, accompanied by the Italian Consul (the Hon Mr. Fisher) and Mr. George Robertson, interpreter, came up and spoke for a few minutes with the prisoner before he went on board ; and I assume that the reason the prisoner's custodian, Detective Walker, did not prevent this conversation was owing to the fact that a prisoner's solicitor has invariably free access to his client while the latter is in custody of the police, and is, in fact, the only one, as you are aware, who is privileged to confer with a prisoner alone, as any other person who is permitted to converse with a prisoner must do so in the presence of a police official. During the interview in question I was standing sufficiently near to hear all that was said to Gasparini; and, so far as I can recollect, nothing was said to him beyond directions from Mr. Jellicoe to him to send word, immediately on his arrival in Sydney, to a certain firm of solicitors there, who had been instructed by wire to act for the prisoner, and directions from the Hon. Mr. Fisher to send also for the Italian Consul, Sydney, on arrival of the " Wakatipu " there. To enable Gasparini*to do so Mr. Jellicoe wrote each address on a separate card while talking, and gave same to him, and I believe he also gave the address of each of these parties to Detective Walker, with a request that he would have them communicated with as soon as he delivered up his prisoner at Sydney; but this, of course, can be ascertained from the detective, also re the contents of the parcel carried by the prisoner, of which I know nothing. The foregoing is the substance of what was said to Gasparini within my hearing (so far as I can remember), but I may state that during a portion of the conversation I was talking to Detective Walker while delivering to him an official document that I had received a short time previously from the French Consul, appointing the detective temporarily a military warder under the French Government, for the purpose of enabling him to escort the prisoner Gasparini to Sydney. The whole conversation in question, lam of opinion, lasted only about five minutes (certainly not more than ten), although to the French Consul, if he was annoyed at the, interview taking place, the time would naturally seem longer ; but, as all that was said on either side was interpreted by Mr. George Robertson, he could give the most reliable account of the conversation, and, as he is a Government Officer, I would respectfully suggest that, if thought necessary, he may be requested to do so. I did not observe Detective Chrystal on the wharf at the time referred to, but if he was about there he was not sufficiently near to hear anything of the conversation between Mr. Jellicoe and his client. I have, Ac, J. Bell Thompson, Major Gudgeon, Commissioner of Police. Inspector Ist Class.

Enclosure 9 in No. 7. Commissioner Gudgeon to Police Inspector Thomson. Sir, — Police Department, Commissioner's Office, Wellington, 21st September, 1888. I am instructed by the Acting-Minister for Defence to request you to state whether the authority from the French Consul to Detective Walker to act as a French military warder for the purpose of taking charge of and conveying the prisoner Gasparini to Sydney, was handed by you to Detective Walker before or after ±he interview of the Italian Consul with Gasparini on the Wellington wharf, on the occasion of the embarkation of Gasparini on the 11th ultimo. I have, Ac, W. E. Gudgeon, Inspector Thomson, in charge of Police, Wellington. Commissioner.

For the information of the Commissioner. I handed the document in question to Detective Walker during the progress of the interview, and near its termination.—J. Bell Thomson, Inspector of Police.—22nd September, 1888. 3

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