A.—No. 2.

No. 8. Copy of a Letter from the hon. c. w. Stafford to his honor f. whitaker. Sir, — Colonial Secretary's Office, "Wellington, 18th January, 1866. I have the honor to enclose a New Zealand Gaiette, No. 3, of this date, containing an Order in Council, proclaiming and setting apart under the "New Zealand Settlements Act, 1863," certain lands in the District of Opotiki. The Resolutions of the House of Representatives last session, on the subject of the confiscated lands in the Province of Auckland, do not directly refer to these lands, which have been confiscated since, but the Government proposes, subject to the sanction of the Legislature, that they should be transferred, aa the other lands have been, to Provincial administration for the purposes of colonization. Should your Honor accept this proposal, it will be necessary that surveyors should at once be despatched to Opotiki for the purpose of laying out a Military Settlement there, in which it is proposed to locate part of the Ist Waikato Regiment, the whole of which regiment it is intended to locate either at Tauranga or on the Opotiki block. I have, &c, His Eo lor the Superintendent, Auckland. E. W. Stafford. No. 9. Copy of a Letter from his honor f. whitaker to the hon. c. w. Stafford. Sir, — Wellington, 19th January, 1866. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of yesterday's date, enclosing an Order in Council, proclaiming and setting apart under the "New Zealand Settlements Act, 1863," certain lands in the District of Opotiki, and proposing, subject to the sanction of the Legislature, that they should be transferred, as the other lands have been, to Provincial administration for the purposes of colonization. I am willing on my part to accept this proposal, and to recommend the Provincial Council to consider its acceptance. In the event of their doing so, I shall be prepared to have the lots required tor the Military Settlors, whom it is proposed to locate there, surveyed without any delay. I have, &c, The Honorable the Colonial Secretary, Wellington. Fredk. Whitakee, Superintendent of the Province of Auckland. No. 10. Copy of a Letter from his honor f. wmtaker to the hon. c. w. Stafford. Sir, — Superintendent's Office, Auckland, February 6, 1866. I have the honor to enclose a copy of a Message transmitted by me to the Provincial Council, recommending them to accept the transfer to Provincial administration of the confiscated lands in the Province of Auckland, for the purpose of colonization ; and also a & >py of the Resolution passed by the Council on the 2nd instant, expressing their concurrence. I have, &c, Fred. Whitaker, The Honorable the Colonial Secretary, Wellington. Superintendent. Enclosure 1 in No. 10. The Superintendent transmits for the information of the Provincial Council a copy of the correspondence that has taken place at Wellington between tho Colonial Secretary and himself, relative to the land confiscated in the Province of Auckland under the "New Zealand Settlements Act, 1863." The Superintendent invites a careful consideration by the Council of this subject, with, a view to an early decision of the question he now submits to them—whether they will concur with him in accepting the proposed transfer to Provincial administration, for the purposes of colonization, of the land referred to ? The further papers relative to the Waikato settlements, laid before the Council at the commencement of the present session, will have informed them of the state in which this matter stood when the present Superintendent came into office, and the eorresjiondence transmitted herewith, together with the accompanying explanatory papers, will place the Council in possession of all that appears to be necessary to enablo them to arrive at a satislactory decision. The Superintendent feels that it is due to the Council that he should explain the cause of his leaving Auckland at a time when the Council was in session. On reference to the correspondence now placed before them, it will be seen that on the Ist December the Superintendent addressed a letter to the Colonial Secretary, inviting attention to the difficult position in which he found himself in reference to the maintenance and location of the immigrants introduced into this Province under the "New Zealand Settlement Act," pointing out that the Superintendent, under the grant made to him of Tuakau land, was disenabled from selling, leasing, or borrowing money, as was arranged, and the consequent failure to obtain the money, which it was calculated would become available from that source; and requesting that the General Government would place at his disposal a sum of £18,000 (eighteen thousand pounds)

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FURTHER PAPERS RELATIVE TO THE SETTLEMENT