C—No. 1

COMMISSIONERS' REPORTS

The amount authorised for this purchase was Seven hundred pounds, with which amount I was furnished by Mr. Commissioner McLean. Three hundred and fifty pounds (£350) of this amount was paid to the Natives of Whangarei, and One hundred and seventy-five pounds (£175) to the Ngatiwhatua in Auckland. The remaining Hundred and seventy-five pounds I kept in my possession, to pay to the Ngatiwhatua of Kaipara when I went there, intending to obtain all their signatures to the Deed collectively for the Seven hundred pounds (£700). In the mean time (Matikikuha I believe the name was) went to Auckland, and received tha One hundred and seventy-five pounds (£175) for the Ngatiwhatua of Kaipara from Mr. Commissioner McLean, so that deed or receipt from him must not be brought separately to account, but appended to the enclosed Deed, which acknowledges a receipt of Seven hundred pounds, while Five hundred and twenty-five (£525) is all that has been actually paid by me ; and I must be charged with the One hundred and seventy-five (£175) in my possession, which was advanced by Mr. Commissioner McLean at Auckland, in lieu of the similar sum which I hold, intended to be paid by myse If. I have, &c, John Grant Johnson, Commissioner for the Purchase of Land. The Acting Principal Commissioner, he, &c, Auckland.

No. 39. MR. COMMISSIONER JOHNSON TO THE CHIEF COMMISSIONER. District Land Commissioner's Office, Whangarei, 20th October, 1855. Sir, — 1 In reply to your letter of the 4th ultimo, intimating that the Chiefs Mate, Te Kiri, and Te More, have offered to dispose of their land at Whangarei, Pakiri, and other places, and requesting that I would direct my attention to an investigation of the exteut and validity of those claims, in order that an early adjustment of them may be effected, I have the honour to inform you that the Chief Mats came to Whangarei a short time since, and that in compliance with your request, I have examined the claims of himself and his followers, and bag to enclose a plan of the same as well as the surrounding district, based on Trignometrieal observations, which I took with a view of laying down the features of the country with some degree of accuracy. The portion offered for sale by the Chief Mata is coloured yellow, and the Government blocks by which it is surrounded, red. The land itself is of only average quality, but the situation is important as it opens an outlet to the Government blocks already acquired. The Ruarangi and the Maunga Karamea estimated to contain sixty-two thousand acres, are rather wanting in this respect. I should estimate the contents of the land offared for sale by Mate at from eight to ten thousand acres (8000 to 10,000), and on account of its imporlant position, I offered to recommend to the Government its purchase for the sum of One tnousand pounds (£1000). This was done previous to the recent instructions on financial matters issued by His Excellency Colonel Gore Browne, but any embarrassment which this matter might have occasioned has been avoided, for Mate treated this liberal offer with great contempt, and, I regret to say, went horns highly dissatisfied, having, as he affirms, been led to understand in town, that the Government were ready to advance him several thousands of pounds, contingent on my being able to certify that his claims were valid. This unforeseen termination of these negotiations will no doubt prevent Kiri and More offering their lands at present. I have written to inform Mate tint a* he rejected my offer, I consider myself no longer bound to make the purchase, I have, he, John Grant Johnson, Donald McLean, Esq., District Commissioner. Chief Land Commissioner, Auckland.

R. 55-141. Respecting land offered bj Kiri and More,

No. 40. MR. COMMISSIONER KEMP (ACTING FOR THE CHIEF COMMISSIONER) TO MR. COMMISSIONER JOHNSON. Land Purchase Department, Auckland, Ist November, 1855. Sir, — In reference to your application for the sum of Seven hundred pounds (£700) to complete tha payment of the Maunga Karamea Block, I beg to state for your information that in consequence of the repeated applications to the Government of several influential persons of Ngatiwhatua tribe residing at Orakei, it has been deemed advisable to postpone the payment of that amount uutil an opportunity shall have been offered to those Natives for visiting Whangarei, and settling their differences with Tirarau, Believing that this would be the prudent course to adopt under the circum-

JMau'kga Kakamea. To postpone the payment of £700 for Maunga Karamea. V. Letter No. 37.

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