A.—2

10

No. 18. . No. 112. My Lord, Downing Street, 19th June, 1908. With reference to my despatch No. 99 of the sth instant, I have the honour to transmit to you, for the information of your Ministers, a copy of a despatch from His Majesty's Ambassador at Washington reporting that a Bill has been passed to permit the engagement of foreign vessels in the trade between the United States and the Philippine Islands, together with copy of the Bill. 2. I have to add that the similar Bill, enclosed in my despatch above mentioned, respecting navigation between Hawaii and the United States has not yet been passed by the United States Congress. I have etc., CREWE. Governor, the Rt. Hon. Lord Plunket, K.C.M.G., K.C.V.O.

Enclosure. Sir, British Embassy, Washington, 30th April, 1908. Congress have passed the Bill sent in No. 56 Commercial, of the 6th ultimo, of which Section 3 provided that the provisions of law restricting to vessels of the United States the transportation of passengers and.merchandise directly or indirectly from one port of the United States to another port of the United States shall not be applicable to foreign vessels engaging in trade between the Philippine Islands and the United States. The Act of 1906, which would have applied the coastwise laws definitely to shipping between the United States and the Philippines after April 11th is repealed. The Bill just passed has other provisions leaving to the Government of the Philippines control over the regulations of shipping, among the islands and otherwise leaving their trade unhampered. This measure has been passed with little public attention ; the only comments made thereon are to the effect that American shipping had failed to profit by the repeated respite allowed it in which to show some preparation to provide for the trade to be reserved to it, and that to so reserve the trade would have had the effect of excluding American goods from the Islands by high freight rates. I have etc., For the Ambassador, The Rt. Hon. Sir E. Grey, Bart. Eame Howard.

No. 19. No. 113. My Lord, Downing 20th June, 1908. With reference to my telegram of the 18th of June, I have the honour to transmit to you, for the information of Your Ministers, copies of an Order of His Majesty in Council assenting to the Reserved Bill of the Dominion Parliament entitled " An Act to amend the Chinese Immigrants Act, 1881 " copies of which accompanied your despatch No. 103 of the 14th of December 1907. 2. I shall be glad to be informed when the Act comes into force. 3. I observe that the authenticated copies of this Bill as forwarded in your despatch No. 103 was numbered 7.8,. and the authenticated copy of the other Reserved Bill enclosed in the same despatch was numbered 79, whereas in the plain copies of these Acts, printed by the Government Printer and in the Volume of Acts for 19.07 the numbering of the two Acts is reversed. I have etc., CREWE. Governor, the Rt. Hon. Lord Plunket, K.C.M.G., K.C.V.O.

No. 20. No. 115. My Lord, Downing Street, 26th June, 1908. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your telegram of the 4th of February last, expressing the sympathy of the Government and people of New Zealand with the Royal Family of Portugal on the assassination of the late King and Crown Prince,