determination to resist any attempt on the part of the Southern Ngatiawas to return to his district. One of them in particular, who returned the first native to this district, named Taonui, who possesses considerable influence, used a very emphatic expression, when talking with me one day on the subject; which was, -"when the bird once deserts its nest, it never again returns to it." Such is the case with the Ngatiawa. They are quiet now where they are. Let them stop there, and let those I have returned also remain quietly in their lands. Te Pakeru remarked once, when speaking to Katatori, - "I have returned to your land, not that you should annoy the Europeans, but live in peace with them." And so far have the Waikatos either considered them selves pledged to maintain their faith with these people to occupy the district undisturbed from their having returned with a promise to enjoy their land again or from a threat to occupy a country that it might cause some difficulty to retain peaceably, or from what is still more probable, a superstitious fear that their doing so would subject them to the vengeance of the reputed witches and priest-craft, or Maketu natives; which his district has been reputed to possess, and they did not choose to reside there. Such, however, is the present state of the Waikato claim, that when advanced, or spoken of, it is only mentioned in relation to their dead relatives, who were lost in the wars here; which, according to their custom, substantiates a claim frequently recognised