E.—No. 2.

been erected on the block, and a trench dug by the insurgents across the road from New Plymouth, immediately upon which Colonel Gold gave orders for the destruction of the Werohia pa, but William King's pa, the Kuhikuhi, was not destroyed for some days afterwards. The Native Minister thinks it right to communicate at once to the Governor what he has heard from Mr. Parris on the above points, but he has instructed that officer to furnish him with the precise dates and further detail, for which a reference to original documents in New Plymouth is necessary. F. D. Bell. Camp, Tataraimaka, April 12, 1863.

Enclosure 4 in Despatch No. 1. MINUTE BY HIS EXCELLENCY. The Governor has just received the Native Minister's Memorandum regarding the Waitara. He thinks the questions raised have been misunderstood. The questions were as follows :— That William King and more than two hundred of his people had valuable houses and other buildings, and cultivations upon the land agreed to be bought by the Government from Taylor; and that they had been in occupation of these for about twelve years. That many of them asserted a claim to some portions of this land. That the Government nevertheless agreed to purchase it from Te Teira, —and publicly notified to the natives as follows :— "Te Teira's title has been carefully investigated and found to be good. It is not disputed by any " one. The Governor cannot, therefore, allow Wiremu Kingi to interfere with Te Teira in the sale of " his own land. " Payment for the land has been received by Te Teira. It now belongs to the Queen." Immediately after the issue of this notice at New Plymouth the Government proceeded to take possession of the land. Assuming these facts to be true, as the Governor still does, for Mr. Parris distinctly admitted them to him, and they are not now denied, the further question arose : —Even if Taylor's title were good, and there was some flaw in the title of King's people (which however is still generally denied by the Natives) was it a wise or becoming thing, and a proper subject to risk a war upon, to allow Her Majesty to avail herself of a flaw in the titles to land of some of her subjects, to purchase from another of her subjects the lands they claimed, although they had occupied them in peace for twelve years, had built houses on them, and had cultivations on them ? Ought Her Majesty to make such a purchase, in which she 'gained for an inconsiderable sum, a property worth much more, and acquired against their will and consent the houses of more than two hundred of her subjects, which they had occupied in peace and happiness for years, and who were not even accused of any crime against Her Majesty or Her laws, but some of whom had on the contrary risked their lives in rendering Her services in former wars 1 This is the question upon which the Governor has now to decide. What course should be pursued ? It arises from the alleged facts, which have been above detailed. All the other events detailed in the Native Minister's Memorandum must almost necessarily have followed, when possession was taken of land so purchased. G. Grey. New Plymouth, 12th April, 1863.

Enclosure 5 in Despatch No. 1. MEMOKANDUM addressed to his excellency by the honorable native minister, detailing CONVERSATION WITH TE TEIRA AND IHAIA. The Native Minister begs leave to lay before the Governor some information he received yesterday from Te Teira and Ihaia. Those Chiefs had come in from Waitara merely to see Mr. Parris about a horse taken during the War ; but, as Mr. Parris was on the point of starting for Tataraimaka, they came to see Mr. Bell instead. After the matter of the horse had been disposed of, Teira inquired the particulars of Tamati Teito's declaration, that he would return to the disputed land at Waitara. Presently the conversation turned to the time when Mr. Bell had met the Ngatiawa Migration at Waitotara, near Whanganui, on their way up from the South, and to the discussions that then took place as to the location of the Tribe on the North Bank of the Waitara, in accordance with the agreement between Mr. McLean and William King, at Waikanae, before the migration left.

7

THE WAITAEA.