A.—No. 4.

No. 298. sth April, 1809.

him whether this report is well founded or not, as such a statement on your part was not warranted by any intimation or instruction which you had received from the Government. I have, &c, W. S. Atkinson, Esq., E.M., Alex. C. P. Macbonaxd, Turanganui, Poverty Bay. (for the Under Secretary.)

No. 28. Mr. AY. S. Atkinson to the Hon. E. W. Stafford. Sic,— Turanganui, 21st April, 1869. I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your letter this day (number and date as per margin) requesting me to inform you whether (when recently asking Ropata and others of tho Ngatiporou tribe to enlist for service on the AVest Coast) I stated that Mr. McLean was in favour of their doing so. In reply, I beg most distinctly and emphatically to deny having in any way used Mr. McLean's name for the purpose of inducing the Natives to enlist. My instructions would not have warranted such a course: and I endeavoured, as I always have done, to carry out my instructions to the letter. I have &c, The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, W. S. Atkinson, Wellington. Resident Magistrate.

10 PAPERS RELATIVE TO THE AGENCY OF MR. McLEAN.