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Mr. W. Culpitt to Mr. J. Mackat, "Wellington. (Telegram.) Grahamstown, sth October, 1875. I hate supplied goods to Natives on your account, and you nor any of your employes have asked, direct or indirect, for commission. W". CULPITT. Mr. Mteb Goldwateb to Mr. J. Mackat, "Wellington. (Telegram.) Grahamstown, sth October, 1875. I supplied goods to your orders to Natives. Neither you nor any person in your employ ever asked or received any pecuniary emolument from me direct or indirect. . Mtee Goldwatee. Mr. Heney Deivee to Mr. J. Mackat, "Wellington. (Telegram.) Grahamstown, 6th October, 1875. Foe years I have supplied goods to Natives on your agent's orders. I have never, nor any one in my employ ever, been asked for or given to you, or any one else, any bonus, discount, fee, or reward in any way or shape at any time when payment has been made, or before or after, to my certain knowledge, on oath. • Henet Deivee. Mr. John Gibbons to Mr. J. Mackat, Wellington. (Telegram.) Grahamstown, sth October, 1875. No. 1. No, you have never acted in my behalf in the purchase of timber at Ohinemuri, but warned me against having anything to do with it. No. 2. Tou did not. You were absent from the district at the time. I had bargained for and advanced on that timber in 1869. No. 3. Yes, three years before Fryers and Ruddock. I refer you to your report re Proclamation prohibiting dealing in Native lands, &c. Mr. W. H. Grace acted as agent in the sale to me of the Puewhakatara and Owhataroa portions. No. 4. Yes ; the first intimation I had of Grace abandoning my interest was on hearing of his purchasing the timber for Fryers and Ruddock, and witnessing agreement and part payment. On remonstrating with him about it, he said he had done it because I employed "Wilkinson. I had done so in another case, where the Natives objected to having Mr. Grace employed. John Gibbons. Mr. C. F. Mitchell to Mr. J. Mackat, "Wellington. (Telegram.) Grahamstown, 7th October, 1375. I have received your telegram of the sth. I have supplied the Natives with considerable quantities of goods on your account. Neither yourself, O'Halloran, Crippen, Guilding, or any other person in your employ, or connected with you, have directly or indirectly received commission or any pecuniary advantage from me through such transactions. C. F. Mitchell. Copy of Mr. Wilkinson's Report. Dueing the month of April, O'Halloran and Guilding went to Mercury Bay to see some of the Natives there in connection with the Government land purchases. It was then proposed that Guilding should have the management of matters in connection with the Tairua reserve of 1,000 acres on behalf of the Native owners, and it was to be surveyed forthwith. The said reserve was granted to the Natives at their request when the purchase of block by the Government took place in 1872, Mackay and Preece being the agents on behalf of the Government. The Natives wished to have the 1,000---acre reserve divided, and take a portion at Pukiore (the present reserve), and a small portion of 48 acres somewhere at the entrance of the Tairua River; but this, I believe, was overruled, as it was not thought that the Government would issue two Crown grants, and the whole 1,000 acres was taken at Pukiore, the Government having agreed at the time of the sale of the block to pay for the survey of the reserve. During the visit of O'Halloran and Guilding, it was decided that the reserves should he at once surveyed, and, on Guilding's return to the Thames, Mr. W. Tole was sent by Guilding to Peneamine, one of the Native owners, to meet him and the surveyor at Pakirarahi, the site of the Prospectors' Claim, Tairua, and there to go over the boundaries of the reserve and have it surveyed; this was done, and it was at that meeting, or one directly afterwards, that Guilding asked him to lease the block to himself and Mr. O'Halloran. The terms upon which Guilding wanted the lease for himself and companion were for twenty-one years, at £50 per quarter. This, however, was not wholly agreed to, especially as regards the number of years, Peueamine and Miriama wishing the lease to be a yearly one, or at most three or four years. Although the matter does not appear by any means to be settled, Guilding took upon himself to advance to Peneamine and Miriama £15 in cash, and also to take up an account of some £4 that they owed at Carina's store, Mercury Bay. When the survey should be finished by (Pole, a letter was to be written to the Natives, when they would possibly go over to the Thames or Auckland, and, if the arrangements made were satisfactory to themselves, would, perhaps, sign the deeds of lease. Guilding told them not to go and demand rent from any of the Europeans now living on the block, as that would be payable to himself and co-lessee, the yearly rental from himself and O'Halloran being what the Natives were to receive. The river is navigable for vessels up to a portion of the reserve, the p.s. " Effort " having been up there and discharged passengers and cargo ;* but steamers would hardly get beyond the boundary of the reserve. After making careful inquiry, I could not find out that Mr. Mackay had been in any way connected with the matter, either by action taken by himself or'by communication in any shape or form with the Natives. He, on behalf of the Government, granted the reserve to the Natives at their