E.—No. 4.

No. 5. ASSISTANT NATIVE SECRETARY, TAKANAKI TO THE HONORABLE THE NATIVE MINISTER. New Plymouth, March 10th, 1862. Sir,— With reference to your letter of the 1st February last, conveying to me instructions to assist Eaniera Ngaere, in settling an account of his with Mr. Hulke, I have the honor to report that I have succeeded in bringing to a close the whole transaction, both for the lease and mortgage. In consequence of the irregular and complicated nature of the accounts, I had some difficulty in bringing them to an understanding. Eaniera manifested considerable displeasure towards Mr. Hulke for having deceived him, but I informed Eaniera that the Government considered he was to blame for signing documents without knowing their full purport. It was proved by Mr. Hulke's own admission that Eaniera never asked Mr. Hulke for a loan of money, but that Mr. Hulke urged him to take it; consequently I made the following deductions in the account: —In the transaction for the mortgage, Eaniera was charged £1 2, expenses ; £5, procuration charge ; and £7, the cost of deeds, &c. The former sums I refused to allow, and 30s. of the latter, which reduced the expenses to £5 10s. Od. This and the sum of £88 which Eaniera acknowledged to have received makes the sum of £93 10s. Od. For this sum, I recommended Eaniera to pay interest, at the rate of £15 per cent, per annum (the rate of interest on good land security), instead of £20 per cent, per annum, as charged in the mortgage. The rent account was settled, by a balance in favour of Eaniera of £35 11s. 0d., up to March 9th, 18G2, after allowing interest on the before-mentioned sum, at the rate proposed. At the request of Eaniera, who was very anxious to be free of Mr. Hulke, I have borrowed for him the sum of £90, bearing interest at the rate of £10 per cent, per annum, secured by mortgage on his land, after paying off the previous mortgage to Mr. Hulke. The lease of the land to Mr. Hulke has been cancelled, and a new lease for the hundred acres granted to Messrs. Dorset and Tait, at a rental of £75 a year. I trust this arrangement will meet the approval of His Excellency's Government. I have, &c, Eobert Parris, Assistant Native Secretary. The Honorable the Native Minister, Auckland.

No. 6. THE HONORABLE THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL TO RESIDENT MAGISTRATE, TARANAKI. Attorney-General's Office, Auckland, 7th February, 18G2. Sib,— The newspapers of Taranaki report that Hapurona was recently imprisoned at New Plymouth (under what circumstances I do not clearly gather) and that he was liberated by the authorities. Presuming that you are acquainted with the facts of the case, I am instructed by the Honorable the Attorney-General to request that you will have the goodness to report to him on what warrant the prisoner was confined, and under what authority he was released from confinement. I have, <fec, Francis D. Fenton, Assistant Law Officer. The Eesident Magistrate, Taranaki.

No. 7. RESIDENT MAGISTRATE, TAHANAKI, TO THE HONORABLE THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL. Eesident Magistrate's Office, New Plymouth, 11th February, 1862. Sir,— In answer to Mr. Fenton's enquiry respecting the newspaper report of Hapurona's imprisonment and liberation, I have the honor to state that Mr. Parris, the Assistant Native Secretary, informed me the evening of Saturday, the 25th January, that Hapurona was placed in Jail by the Sergeant of Police for violent and disturbing conduct, and requested me to permit him to go at large till the following Monday morning, on his promise then to appear to answer any charge that might be preferred

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NATIVE AFFAIRS.