The Address.

His Worship The Mayor (Mr. J. H. Upton), addressing His Excellency, said:—"Your Excellency, I have the honour to request that you will permit me, in the name of the citizens of Auckland, to present you with a loyal address."

The Town Clerk (Mr. P. A Philips) then read the address as follows:—

To the Right Honourable the Karl of Onslow, Grand Cross St. Michael and St. George, Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Colony of New Zealand.

May it please Your Excellency.—On this the fiftieth anniversary of the foundation of the colony of New Zealand, we, the Mayor and Councillors, representing the citizens of Auckland, desire to offer Your Excellency our hearty congratulations on the state of advancement which the colony has reached, and we most respectfully request that Your Excellency will he good enough, on our behalf, to convey the same to Her Majesty the Queen. On this day "fifty years ago Captain Hobson arrived at the Bay of Islands with Her Majesty's commission as the First Lieutenant Governor of this Colony, as part of Her Majesty's dominions. The life of this colony is almost coincident with the reign of our gracious Queen, and we venture to hope that Your Excellency will give to Her Majesty such an account of the natural beauties and of the material condition and resources of our country as will enable her to regard it as one of the most bountiful and happy of Her Majesty's possesions. At the time of the proclamation of the Queen's sovereignty, the European settlers were few in number and weak in resources, and the work of colonisation was carried on in the presence of a numerous and warlike native population. Since that time fierce wars have raged between the two peoples, but now, happily, all is peace, and we live in the most friendly relationship with the native race. Under Her Majesty's beneficent rule we enjoy complete political freedom, and the highest offices in the colony are open to all citizens who by their ability and integrity, may deserve to attain thereto. Our system of primary education is absolutely free to all. No child in New Zealand is permitted to be left without the elements of a sound education, while by means of secondary schools and university colleges, the advantages of higher education are obtainable in every part of the colony. Though placed at the Antipodes, we earnestly cultivate feelings of attachment to our mother country, and we respectfully request that Your Excellency will be so good as to convey to Her Majesty the assurance of our affectionate regard for her royal person, and of our unswerving loyalty and devotion to her throne.