My dear McLean, Before I touch on other matters I should tell you that I forgot to say in Message No. 2 that the Govr. would gladly keep a register for native lands if the Maoris chose to divide them. They ought also to know that the Survey must be paid for as I have no funds out of which to pay it. They could do this by giving land to the Surveyor or we would take land and pay him. Richmond goes down to you and takes this with him. He will discuss the war question with you at length but when you come to speak of the terms on which I would make peace I think it desireable to lay a stress upon what we will not do rather than to say positively what we will do. I think the chiefs should be reminded that we went to Taranaki when the natives were very few in number and that they returned to take advantage of the Queen's protection, that the two populations are consequently so mixed that we can have but one law, viz. the Queen's law. That W. King must submit to that law, lay down his arms and destroy fighting Pahs. - that a Committee of chiefs should define the lands belonging to the different chiefs and that they should each hold or sell as they please. Say nothing of King going beyond the Waitera but say that we will not have a place made on terms likely to be broken. That we must have a permanent and consequently a peace. With regards to the others on the South of N.P. we must have the murderers and compensation and that English law must be extended from the South of Tatoraimaka to the Waitera. Compensationfor sheep driven off and houses burnt may be indefinite because we have also destroyed their pahs but it will leave a door open by which they may offer the lands which are so necessary to consolidate the settlement. Richmond is very ready to meet our views about the payment of important chiefs and by putting the hospitals which cost £2000 off the native civil list and adding the present cost of assessors and pensions we shall have £3400 available, another hundred might be taken out of ''the presents for natives'' so that you might have £3,500 in all. More we shall never get. Richmond will tell you that the papers you want are at the printers but you and he together will be able to make up the English part of Teire's case easily enough. On the native party nobody can help you. Adieu and believe me, Yours sincerely, T.G.B. I hear the Waikatos have all left this neighbourhood silently without apparent reason! Do you know anything of this? I think the Chiefs should request an annual or biennial conference just before the meeting ends.