E—No. 7

Walter Butler, Esq

No. 16. CANTERBURY. REPORT FROM WALTER BULLER, ESQ, RESIDENT MAGISTRATE. Christchurch, Canterbury, September 19th, 1861. Sir — I do myself the honor to acknowledge your circular letter of the 7th ultimo, requesting me to furnish a general report of the present state of the Natives in this district, for the information of his Excellency Sir George Grey, who is shortly fxpected here to assume the Government of Jvew Zealand. In compliance therewith I beg to subrpit the following observations The total Maori population of the Province of Canterbury is, approximately, 600, in the proportions of 325 males and 275 females. The children (of 14 years and under) bear a proportion to the whole population of nearly 2a per cent. Of the above number, about sbO belong to my district: the rest are located in the Arahura coast of this Province, and are (I believe) visited by the Assistant Native Secretary at Nelson. The former occupy nine settlements, the more important of which are Kaiapoi, Ilapak', Kokorarata, Wairewa, and Arowhenua. They form a section of the Ngaitahu, formerly a numerous tribe occupyirg the Southern coast of Cook's Strait, but now considerably reduced and scattered along tlie Kasiern and Western shores of this Island. '1 hey are divided into ten principal hapus, namely, Ngaitunhuriri, Ngaiteruahikihiki, Ngaiteirakehu, Ngaitaoka, Ngatimahaki, Ngaiterangiamoa, Ngait'itehuarewa, Ngaiterangowhakuputa, Ngaiterangi snd Ngatimamoe. The Ngaituahuriri is the most powerful section, numbering more than one third of the entire population. The names of the Chiefs and leading men of these hapus are given in the accompanying returns. Between 40 and 50 of these Natives are emigrants from the North Island, who have surrendered their tribal distinctions by inter-marriage with the Ngaitahus, and are now regarded as members of the respective hapus into which they have married. The Ngatimamoe, the original occupants of this district, were driven Southwards on the invasion of the Ngaitahu, and are now almost if not entirely extinct. A partial amalgamation with the conquerors may be inferred from the existence of a hapu among the latter bearing their name ; but 1 have been unable to obtain anything like an authentic account of their previous history. It is currently reported that a small remnant of them, in a wild state, still inhabit the mountainous country in the neighbourhood of Milford Sound. For a full account of the traditional genealogy of tl.e Ngaitahu people, I beg to refer you to my letter to the Native Secretary of Ist M;;rch, iB6O. The Canterbury Natives are, on the whole, in a flourishing condition. They own a considerable number of hcrses and horned cattle. They cultivate annually about 200 acres of land. They conduct a lucrative whale fishery on Bank's Peninsula, and carry on a profitable trade with the Europeans in timber and firewood. Their land reserves, selected with much care and discrimination by Mr. Commissioner Mantell in 1848, have acquired a high marketable value ; with the peninsula reserves made by Mr. Hamilton in 1856-57, they comprise a total area of 7000 acres. Nearly the whole of this land is of excellent quality, and more than one third of it is covered with good forest which, owing to the scarcity of wood in this Province, commands a high price. Taken altogether, their reserves may fairly be estimated to represent a current value of £67,000. Far removed from the scene of the late war at Taranaki, and too isolated to be influenced by the Waikato " King movement" and the other questions which have agitated the Native mind in the North Island, the Canterbury Natives have remained peaceful and undisturbed. They have never ceased to avow their loyalty to the Queen, and their unabated friendship for the pakeha. A convincing proof of their sincerity is afforded in the fact of their having spontaneously contributed a sum of Fifty pounds, raised by individual subscriptions, to the Taranaki Relief Fund. During the existence of war they evinced no sympathy for the insurgents, or apprehension for the final result; and, notwithstanding the untiring efforts of a zealous emissary of the King party (who came from Ahuriri) to excite a feeling in its favour, no visible impression has been made upon them. They are sufficiently aware that, situated as they are, they have nothing to gain and everything to lose by disturbing the friendly relations at present subsisting between them and their European neighbours. They profess full confidence as to the right intentions of the Government towards them ; but, at the same time, complain (and with a sho\v of reason) that until lately their claims have been overlooked and neglected. They have had a vahinhle friend in Mr. Hamilton, the Collector of Customs, who, though not officially connected with them, find but little conversant with their language, has always taken a lively interest in their affairs, and has been ever ready to lend his time and influence to any effort for their amelioration. 'J hey are fully alive to the advantages to be secured by the indiiidualizntion of their Reserves. At Kaiapoi, where this is now being accomplished, tht-y have already given evidence, in their increased industry and eager desire for improvement, to warrant the belief that their admission to individual freehold tenure will lead to a most important change in their socialeondidon. Their great want at present is some belter provision for the administration of our law among them. To supply, in some measure, this need, the rvnanga has become a very popular institution. Every village has its runangtt, with its appointed times of meeting; two or more of their most intelligent men are elected leaders or heads (upoko), and the resident Native Assessor, where there is any, seems to assume ex ojficio the direction of their proceedings. All subjects affecting the interests of the community, as well as private grievances, and disputes between individuals, are

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ON THE ARRIVAL OF SIR GEORGE GREY.