In referenca to legal procedure and com mercial law, I specially desire to draw the attention of members to papers which were read by M Hugot and Mr Cowderoy. These papers give most interesting details as to the working of the judicial system of tribunals of commerce on the- Continent. TheEe tribunals of commerce seem to b& in operation in France, Germany, and Austria and are in these three different countries on very much the same Unes. The law provides that all cases of a commercial nature shall be tried by these tribunals which are composed almost entirely of merchant, judges, who are elected by'the merchants of tho cities. In France the tribunal consists of not less/ than three judges, none of whom of aecessity need be legal men. In Germany it consists of one lawyer and two merchant judges; in Austria, one legal judga and two merchant judges. T.he working of these tribunals seems to be vory satisfactory indeed, and universal satisfaction seems* to be giVen by their work. It is not necessary for litigants to be repre sented by counsel, except in the case of Germany t but in Austria and France the empioymeutof counsei seem ß to be optional. While we have every reason to be satisfied with the dispensation of justice ia Kew Zealand, and I think I may say specially co in Dun edm, still the course of legal procedure here is some what lengthy and expensive; aid most of us who have been called on to act in cases of arbitration will agrea with ms when I say that in a very great many cases, if the advice and assistance of impartial men of business could be secured, it would save many tiresome legal suits. I trust that some of ourmem berß of Parliament may peruae thesje papers oa " Legal Procedure and Commercial law," and I would hope that some member would move in our House of Parliament in the direction of eeeuring the institution of some such tribunals as exist in these Continental countries. In reference to the last of the subjects which the Conference considered—that of the prevention of wrecks to the south of New Zealand—we are all well agreed that some action in this direction is a matter of great importance, not bo much for our own trade as for the beaelit of Australian ship ping. 