Auckland 5 Septr. 1862. Sir, In reply to your Excellency's note of the 22 July requesting me to furnish you in an official form with a statement of the instructions received from you in reference to the fulfilment of promises made to Natives by your predecessors and to the instructions to myself and other officers of the Native service in reference to promises by yourself, I have to state that shortly after you assumed the Govt. of New Zealand I was instructed by you to see that every promise of whatever kind made to the Natives by your predecessors was to be strictly fulfilled and all officers of the Native Service were enjoined not to make any promises in your name that were not faithfully carried out. The enquiries you frequently made and positive directions you gave in reference to certain cases showed the great importance attached by you to this subject. During your first visit to Taranaki it was represented to you that the Natives of the Hua district were entitled to 101 Crown grants for lands purchased by them under a preemptive right in a block which they had ceded to the Crown. I was then directed to instruct the Commissioner of Crown lands at Taranaki to have grants immediately prepared for the Natives. A legal difficulty arose as to the issue of those grants and others of a similar nature & your responsible advisers promised to prepare a bill to legalize such grants as would not be covered by the Waste lands act 1858. This measure however was not brought forward in consequence of the press of other matters during the last session of your administration. I herewith enclose certain correspondence relating to the subject. I have the honor to remain Sir Your Ex. Obt. Servt., (Donald McLean)