MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. 7. Extracts from Papers by Mr. White, Interpreter in the Native Office. It was in the war of these brothers that the ancestor, of Wi Kingi came from Waikato to Waitara. and took a wife from the youngest female branch of the family of Teira, and lived with her at an old pa called Manukorihi, on the north bank of Waitara. This old pa was abandoned in 182G, but, up to this time, Wi Kingi's relatives lived there and were the last to leave ; hence his hapu, or branch of the Ngatiawa are called to this day Manukorihi. Up to the year 1826 Wi Kingi's relatives had never cultivated on the South side of Waitara but once, which was allowed for the following reason : A number of the Ngatiawa went out of the Waitara in their canoes sea-fishing; a gale came on and swamped all but one ; this canoe, with the men, landed at the Sugar Loaves, and, according to Maori Jaw, they staid for some time before they went home to weep over their lost associates. As the people in Manukorihi pa fully believed all the party were dead, they wept for their husbands, brothers, fathers. &o, but not so with Wi Kingi's relatives, —these at once passed over to the spot on which the pa Te Kuhikuhi was built, and begun to clear it, when the men in the one canoe saved, came back to Waitara • and they were allowed to cultivate by Teira's ancestors the portion cleared, and live on it for one season, This leads us on to another point in the history of King's claim to the land sold by Teira. As the portion above alluded to is in the portion sold, just before the Pukerangiora pa was besieged by the Waikatos, William King went to Kapiti and put himself under the protection of Rauparaha at Mana. This act, also, had a reason, as Rauparaha is descended from the Tainui migration, and as Wi Kingi was related to them he was safe ; hence, therefore, on the intended attack on Pukerangiora word was sent to Wi Kingi to leave ; he did so, and saved himself among his relations ; but, after the purchase of the Taranaki district, including the Waitara, Wi Kingi returned to Waitara, and again lived on the North bank, near Manukorihi. But as some of the. Waikato, under Re'wi and others, w-ere still cultivating in the vicinity (but only for the crops then in the ground), this was given as an excuse by Wi Kingi for asking Teira and Ihaia to be allowed to come over to the south side to the Kuhikuhi (those portions formerly cultivated by his ancestors on the mishap with the canoes of the Ngatiawa), as he was afraid of the Waikatos attacking him. The request was granted—he and his people have lived there ever since. * * * We will not enumerate any purchases of land made by Government, but confine ourselves to the purchases made by " Citizen." Apihai Kawau is the head Chief of the branch of the Ngatiwhatua tribe at Auckland. Under the penny-an-acre proclamation, "Citizen" may remember that he purchased a piece of land up the Waitemata river for a person named Chisholm, from Hauraki as minor Chief of the Ngatiwhatua, and that the consent of Te Kawau was not asked, nor did he sign the deed to Chisholm. Again, " Citizen" bought another piece of land for Brigham up the same river from Tautari, who is a minor Chief of the same tribe, when the consent of Te Kawau was not asked, nor was his name signed to the deed. Again "Citizen" bought a block of land up the same river for Henderson and McFarlane from Tuhaere and Keene, when the consent of Te Kawau was not asked, or his name to the deed. Again, " Citizen" bought a piece of land for Fulton, up the Waitemata, from Manihera, a returned slave from Ngapuhi, a minor Chief of the Ngatiwhatua at Kaipara, Nopera being the head Chief of this portion of tho Ngatiwhatua, yet Nopera's name is not to the deed. Again, is not Te Kanae Chief of the Ngatitamaoho, and was not Epiha Putini a Chief who was brought up from a child by Te Kanae—yet " Citizen" bought a piece of land for Newman at Raratonga from Epiha, and the consent -was not asked, nor was his name signed to the deed. We could multiply instances to fill a book, but these will suffice, and when these claims were brought before the Commissioner of Land Claims, not one of them, or a boundary, was disputed, notwithstanding "Citizen" in some instances gave new names to boundaries of the blocks he purchased for private individuals. If facts are proofs, then the above examples show that a minor Chief can sell his land to any one he likes without the senior Chief's consent. The recognised head of the Ngapuhi is Tamati Waka Nene, of the parent stem, but there are many sub-tribes of Ngapuhi—no less than about forty-five. The original Chief in Mamari was called Nukutawhiti ; and, when a very old man, his grandsons quarrelled about the division of land. To put an end to this, the old patriarch went with them to Ohaeawai, and there caused a ditch to be dug East and West ; the West side of which was for one part of the family, and the East side for the other. Referring to the hapu of the Ngapuhi tribe on the West side of the boundary line so laid off, we will see how far it is true that the head Chief was the only person who could alienate by sale. At the heads of Hokianga the Chief Moetara, of the Kaitutae hapu, sold a piece of land,to a Mr. Oakes, and also a piece to Captain Kent, also a piece to tho Wesleyan Mission. The head Ngapuhi Chief at that time—Muriwai—was not asked, nor did he receive payment. Mr. Jellicoe bought a piece from the Ngatitoro ;. Mr. Manning also bought a piece from another sub-tribe, Te Hikutu ; Captain Herd bought a piece from Muriwai; Mr. Poynton also bought a piece from Te Popoto ; Mr. Fishwick bought a piece from Tengahengahe ; Mr. McDonnell bought a piece from Te Ihutai; Mr. White bought a piece from Te Patupo ; Mr. Russell bought a piece from Ngatihao ; Mr. Cassidy bought a piece from Te Mahurehure'; Mr. Pearson bought a piece from Ngatikaihoro ; Mr. Wright bought a piece from Urikopura ; but these will suffice, out of about 120 purchases. It will be seen that out of these there are only two which were sold by the head Chief-or his tribe ; one to Captain Herd by Muriwai, and the second by his successor, Nene Waka, of the Ngatihao tribe, to Russell. 'These last two purchases were the only blocks over which as Chief Waka or Muriwai exercised control, or for which they got a portion of payment, as the evidence taken by Commissioners Godfrey and Richmond in 1843 will testify.

Miscellaneous,

Mr. J. White, June 1860.

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