No. 49

I have had the honor to receive Your Lordship's Circular
Despatch of the 7th March respecting the General inconvenience
caused to your department by the irregularity and lateness of
the dates at which the annual "Blue Books" of the Colonies are
received.

2. On account of the great distances between the Settlements,
the want of facilities for communicating with some of them, and
the time taken in doing so, it is more than usually difficult in
this Colony to comply with the regulations for the completion of
the Returns during the first quarter of the Year. The materials
for preparing some of them cannot be received in Victoria before
April.

3. I presume that the Book for 1870 will be the last forwarded
from this Colony to Your Lordship's Department, as in future the
local statistics will be included in those of the Dominion; but
these last Returns I hope to be able to transmit in June.