PURCHASE OF THE SEVENTY-MILE BUSH.

D.-No. 7,

9

indebted to your Honor for the services you have already rendered to the Colony in the matter. I feel certain that Dr. Featherston will fully appreciate the cordial co-operation you have shewn in aiding the Government to acquire for settlement the lands situated on the Wellington side of the border of your Province. I have, &c, His Honor J. D. Ormond, Napier. W. Gisborne.

No. 4. His Honor J. D. Orjiond to Hon. W. Gisborne. Sir,— Napier, 20th April, 1871. I regret to have to report to you, that at a meeting lately held with the Native owners of the Seventy-Mile Bush, for the purpose of settling the purchase of that block, the price they demanded was so much in excess of what I considered reasonable that no conclusion was come to ; Mr. Locke attended on the part of the Government, and used every exertion to close the transaction, but the Natives were firm in demanding £30,000, whilst the extreme offer I had authorised Mr. Locke to make was £15,000. The Natives, notwithstanding, insist that the land is sold to the Government, and that the conclusion of the purchase must remain open until the price can be agreed upon. As it is of great importance to complete this piu-chase before the meeting of the General Assembly, I propose to take advantage of the expected visit of the Hon. the Native Minister to this Province, and arrange a meeting of the Natives to see if some conclusion cannot be come to by his assistance. I enclose herewith the copy of an agreement with the Native owners of the blocks under negotiation, in which they acknowledge that £1,300 has been advanced by the Government, in part payment for the blocks in question—this sum includes cost of survey, cash advances, and all expenses the Government have been put to in connection with the negotiation. Some vouchers included in the above amount have yet to be sent in. • • • • I have, <fec, The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Wellington. j. D. Ormond.

Enclosure in No. 4. (Memorandum by Natives) We the undersigned aboriginal Natives of New Zealand do hereby acknowledge that we are indebted to the General Government of New Zealand in the sum of X1,300 sterling, being for moneys advanced to us by Jno. Davies Ormond, Esq., General Government Agent at Napier, in the Province of Hawke's Bay, as part payment for that portion of land situate in the Provinces of Hawke's Bay and Wellington, and known as Tamaki, or the Seventy Mile Bush ; and for moneys paid by him, the said J. D. Ormond, for surveys, charges of Native Lands Court, and other expenses connected with the negotiation for the sale of the said land to the said Government of New Zealand ; the said portion of land above mentioned, and known as Tamaki, being subdivided into blocks, as follows, namely :—Puketoi No. 1, Puketoi No. 2, Puketoi No. 3, Te Ahuaturauga, Maharahara, Manawatu No. 1, (Umutaorao) ManawatuNo. 3, (TeOhu) Manawatu No. 4, (Teratu) Manawatu No. 4a, (Tepapakuku) Manawatu No. 4b, (Otanga) Manawatu No. 5, (Ngamoko) Manawatu No. G, (Tuatua) and Manawatu No. 7 (Rakaiatai). And we hereby acknowledge that we hold ourselves responsible for the repayment of the said above mentioned sum to the said General Government of New Zealand, and we do hereby agree to repay the same with interest up to the date of such repayment on the demand of him, the said John Davies Ormond, or of any duly authorized agent of the said Government. In witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names this eighth day of April, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-one. Signed by Karaitiana Takamoana and 23 others. Signed by the said aboriginal Natives, the above agreement having first been read over, translated, and explained to them in the presence of James Grindell, of Napier, Licensed Interpreter; and Alexander Mackay, of Tamumu, settler.

No. 5. His Honor J. D. Ormonb to the Hon. Mr. M'Lean. Sib,— Napier, 17th June, 1871. I have the honor to enclose for your information a copy of an agreement to sell certain lands in the Seventy-Mile Bush, comprising in all about 250,000 acres, and in respect of which negotiations have been long pending; this agreement is signed by the principal claimants or owners, who were deputed by the others to arrange the terms of sale. A meeting of all the Natives interested is being arranged, and will probably take place within the present month, when T expect to close the whole transaction. Although the sum of .£16,000 is stated in the agreement to sell, to be the purchase money, it is not actually so ; there are other liabilities connected with the purchase, such as survey, advances formerly and lately made to Natives, bonuses to chiefs. <fec, which will bring the actual price to nearly £18,000. I am quite aware that this sum is larger than was expected, and is certainly more than under ordinary circumstances would have been given ; the purchase, however, has been one of great difficulty. The Natives have been led by some interested Europeans to put an undue value on the land, and have taken full advantage of the information given by these parties that it was important to us to have these lands for purposes connected with the colonizing scheme of the Government. So much is this the case 2