A.—2.

If I. The Governor shall forthwith communicate these Our Instructions to the Executive Council, and likewise all such others, from time to time, as he shall find convenient for Our service to impart to them. IV. The Executive Council shall not proceed to the despatch of business unless two members at the least (exclusive of the Governor or of the member presiding) be present and assisting throughout the whole of the meetings at which any such business shall be despatched. V. In the execution of the powers and authorities vested in him, the Governor shall be guided by the advice of the Executive Council, but if in any case he shall see sufficient cause to dissent from the opinion of the said Council, he may act in the exercise of his said powers and authorities in opposition to the opinion of the Council, reporting the matter to Us without delay, with the reasons for his so acting. In any such case it shall be competent to any Member of the said Council to require that there be recorded upon the Minutes of the Council the grounds of any advice or opinion that he may give upon the question. VI. The Governor is to take care that all laws assented to by him in Our name, or reserved for the signification of Our pleasure thereon, shall, when transmitted by him, be fairly abstracted in the margins, and be accompanied, in such cases as may seem to him necessary, with such explanatory observations as may be required to exhibit the reasons and occasions for proposing such laws; and he shall also transmit fair copies of the Journals and Minutes of the proceedings of the Parliament of the Dominion which he is to require from the clerks, or other proper officers in that behalf, of the said Parliament. VII. The Governor shall not pardon or reprieve any offender without first receiving in capital cases the advice of the Executive Council, and in other cases the advice of one, at least, of his Ministers; and in any case in which such pardon or reprieve might directly affect the interests of Our Empire, or of any country or place beyond the jurisdiction of the Government of the Dominion, the Governor shall, before deciding as to either pardon or reprieve, take those interests specially into his own personal consideration in conjunction with such advice as aforesaid. VIII. All Commissions granted by the Governor to any persons to be Judges, Justices of the Peace, or other officers, shall, unless otherwise provided by law, be granted during pleasure only. IX. The Governor shall not quit the Dominion without having first obtained leave from Us for so doing under our Sign Manual and Signet, or through one of Our Principal Secretaries of State, except for the purpose of visiting the Governor-General of Australia, or the Governor of any neighbouring Colony or State for periods not exceeding one month at any one time, nor exceeding in the aggregate one month for every year's service in the Dominion. X. The temporary absence of the Governor for any period not exceeding one month shall not, if he have previously informed the Executive Council, in writing, of his intended absence, and if he have duly appointed a Deputy in accordance with Our said Letters Patent, nor shall any extension of such period sanctioned by one of Our Principal Secretaries of State and hot exceeding fourteen days, be deemed a departure from the Dominion within the meaning of Our said. Letters Patent. XI. From and after the date of the Coming into operation of Our above-recited Letters Patent of even date, the Instructions issued to the Governor of the Colony of New Zealand under the Sign Manual and Signet of Her late Majesty Queen Victoria, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of March 1902 shall, without prejudice to anything lawfully done thereunder, be revoked. Given at Our Court at'St. James's this Eighteenth day of November 1907, in the Seventh year of Our Reign..

New Zealand, —Commission passed under the Royal Sign Manual and Signet appointing the Right Honourable Lord Plunket, K.C.M.G., K.C.V.0., to be Governor and Commander-■in-Chief of the Dominion of New Zealand, dated 20th November, 1907. Edward R. & I. Edward the Seventh, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India : To Our Right Trusty and Well-beloved William Lee, Baron Plunket, Knight Commander of Our Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, Knight Commander of Our Royal Victorian Order, Greeting. We do, by this Our Commission under Our Sign Manual and Signet, appoint you, the said William Lee, Baron Plunket, to be, during Our pleasure, Our Governor and Commander-in-Chief in and over Our Dominion of New Zealand, with all the powers, rights, privileges, and advantages to the said Office belonging or appertaining. 11. And We do hereby authorise, empower, and command you to exercise and perform all and singular the powers and directions contained in Our Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Our United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster the Eighteenth day of November 1907, or in any other Letters Patent adding to, amending, or substituting for the same, according to such Orders and Instructions as you have already received, or may hereafter receive from Us. 111. And We do hereby appoint that from and after the date of the coming into operation of Our above-recited Letters Patent of the Eighteenth day of November, 1907, this Our present Commission shall supersede Our Commission under Our Sign Manual and Signet bearing date the Ninth day of March 1904, appointing you to be Our Governor and Commander-in-Chief in and over Our Colony of New Zealand and its Dependencies.

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