have preceeded you. To William Hobson, the first Governor, the Chiefs of Ngapuhi, surrendered to the Queen, the sovereignty of the Island; which was called the Treaty of Waitangi; and by the Queen's gracious command, that Treaty has been protected, that its provisions should not be ignored. Although many troubles have arisen in the Island, the Queen's authority has not been lost, neither has her regard for the Native race diminished. We are, even now, mutually engaged in maintaining her authority and her laws. Welcome, then, in peace, and in the joy of our hearts, that you should have paid this visit to Ngapuhi. In the days of ignorance, this was the Pa from whence our fathers fought the soldiers of the Queen. At the present time, there stands upon that