Most of these letters are from various foreign consular agents in other States informing the Governor of their appointment, or of changes in their countries' consular representation; copies of the Governor's acknowledgements are sometimes included. From 1904, whenever the British Government was asked to recognise a consular agent in Australia, the Secretary of State wrote to both the Governor-General and the State Governor concerned to find out if any objection existed. The Commonwealth always consulted the State before replying; in cases of local application for provisional recognition, the Commonwealth similarly consulted the State, but the State did not always consult the Commonwealth. Because of the diplomatic complications likely to arise if recognition were granted by one Government and refused by the other, the Secretary of State in 1913 asked that full consultation should take place. Some of these letters are despatches from the Governor-General asking whether the local Government has any objection to the issue of exequaturs; some of the correspondence is internal. From 1882 to 1907 these letters are registered in GO51; some outward letters will be found in GO56/3, and registered (1878-1902) in GO57.

These records are part of the holdings of the Tasmanian Archives