E—No. 3a

THE NATIVE INSURRECTION.

land. I spent this day and many others with them endeavouring to induce them to meet Teira's party, <uid discuss quiety and deliberately, the claims to tlie block of land, but they never would consent to do it, I therefore was obliged to get information from other Natives (and strange to say some who are now opposing the Government, Hapurona and others,) to compare with the representations of the selling party, and the information which I obtained, fully corroborated the statements of the selling party. Hapurona on one occassion had a disagreement with W. King, and declared that he never would. support the opposition. The land was occupied by Tamati Raru's and Rawiri Raupongo's people, before the Ngatiawa migration to the South, and their Pa was at Pukekohatu on the land, whilst William King and his people were living on the North side of the river, and had their Pa at Manukorihi, and on returning from the South, in 1848, they asked permission of Teira and his father to be allowed to build their Pa on the South side, which question had been submitted to a Committee who had decided, that the South side was preferable to the North, in case of an invasion from Waikato. Since i heir return from the South, none of the land sold by Teira and party, has ever been cultivated by William King's people. 7. Having been authorised to pay an instalment for the land, I appointed the 29th November for that purpose, and gave William King a weeks' notice of my intention to do so. On the 28th he came to Town with about thirty followers all armed, on hearing they were at the Kauwau Pa, I went to them, and prevailed on William King to remain until the following day, and supplied them with food for that purpose, and on the 29th they met Teira's party, before His Honor the Superintendent, Lieut. - Colonel Murray, Rev. Mr. Whiteley, and other authorities of the place, when he distinctly admitted, in answer to a question put to him by myself, that the land was Teira's and his supporters, but that he would not allow them to sell it. An instalment of one hundred pounds was paid that day, from which time Teira remained in town, his life having been threatened, having at the request of the others conducted the negotiation. Teira, whatever others may think or insinuate with regard to him, as a man of rank, has a character unsullied, and can prove his line of ancestors to be of no mean origin. 8. Rawiri Raupongo, an extensive claimant in the Waitara district, was frequently forcing the sale of this land upon me privately, being, as he always assured me, afraid to move publicly in the matter, lest he should be served the same as Rawiri Waiaua was; and the opposing party for a time had an impression that he was not a consenting party, for one of William King's principal men, Komene Patumoe, made a statement to Archdeacon Govett, which that gentleman has furnished me with, a copy of which I here insert:— New Plymouth, July 10, 1860. Dear Sir, — I have no objection to give you a written statement of what was said by Komene Patumo« to me, regarding the sale of the Block of land at Waitara. His expression was, that if Rawiri Raupongo had been a consenting party to the sale, they could not have had anything to say against it (Kahore a matou kupu). By this I understood him to mean, that the Natives generally at the Waitara could not have reasonably opposed it. I remain, Sec, (Signed) Tlknrt Govett. Robert Pan is, Esq. 9. In December last a Native called Waitere, from Hangatiki, an active agent in the King movement, called at Waitara on his way to the South, and left secretly a King's flng with a Native called Erueti, the miscreant that proposed the plot to murder me, who has done a great deal of mischief in this district. As soon as William King found out that this flat; had been left there, he accused those who sanctioned it of acting treacherously by him, and finding si ne of his own people favourable to it, he threatened to leave the district. This matter caused a division among the party; William King left his Pa at Waitara, and went to live with Teito, near the Wiiongona, while the other party still carried on the flag question, and commenced to prepare a flagstaff. The two old men, Tamati Raru and Rawiri Raupongo, declared they would lose their lives rather lhan allow of its being erected on their land. Whilst tiiis was going on a large (Kupenga) fishing-net was also being made by the same party. William King went to Tamati Raru and Rawiri Raupongo, and recommended them to obstruct the use of the net (which right by Native custom is vested in the owners of the land) by falling on it with a knife and cutting it in pieces. Teira, who was stopping in town, came to me in trouble for the two old Chiefs, lest they should consent to William King's recommendation and get hurt; I therefore went with him the following day to Waitara, and advised them not to interfere. 10. In January last a report was current that I was going to cut the boundary line of the block of land, and in consequence thereof an armed party out every day, waiting for mo. On hearing of this, I rode down to them and gave them a reprimand for assembling in that way with arms, and told their that they need not be lying in wait for me, that they should have notice, whenever it was decided to survey the land. I had a long discussion with them, during which Edward (William King's son) said that they had determined the land should not be sold, for if they allowed Teira to sell, others would be wanting to sell also. 11. On payment of the instalment of the 29th November last, I read over the boundary of the block of land, in the presence of William King and his party, to which was appended the following, as instructions from His Excellency the Governor:—

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