3

D.—3

after the last meeting of the "Waste Lauds Board, I wrote to Mr. Farnall asking him to expedite matters at "Wellington, and he wrote, in reply, that no official intimation had been received there. The longer lam delayed here, of course the later will be our return to this country —I will find myself, with my new party, arriving here at the commencement of winter, homeless and houseless, and exposed to our severe rains, which will give bad impressions at the start; —and I believe in first impressions. Would you kindly telegraph to me here if you think the agreement can be sent me down from "Wellington in time to leave by the Pr'isco mail on 2nd July. I have, &c, The Hon. D. Reid. G-eo. Vesey Steavart. 11l 1 _ *«j t ■ _ * .a*. «. [V I & r*

Enclosure in No. 5. Mr. G. V. Stewart to Mr. D. A. Tole. Sir, — Mount Stewart, Katikati, Ist June, 1877. I beg to bring before the notice of your Board the delay that has occurred in getting my affairs concluded between your Board and the Government. All was concluded between us in April, and you promised to telegraph to Wellington to expedite matters ; and though I had made my arangements to leave for London by next week's mail, I now find myself as far off the conclusion of the business as I was two months ago. The surveyor from Auckland has been in my house for the last six weeks waiting for official instructions to commence, and he informs me that in consequence of the unfavourable weather it will take from two to three months to survey and map these lands. The map has to be attached to my agreement with the Government, and I cannot sign this agreement till such map and surveys are completed. Therefore at the earliest date I cannot leave this till the August mail, reaching London towards the end of September, and you have bound me to pay down the purchase-money by the Ist October. I need not point out that this is a hardship to me, and a great drawback to the new settlement, as we could not reach this country till the end of our New Zealand summer, the very worst season for the landing of agricultural immigrants, as they will be exposed to our severe winter rains before their homesteads could be erected. I should therefore feel much obliged to you to ask your Board to lay these matters before the authorities at Wellington in the strongest possible manner, and to give a further extension of time for payment of the money if required. I have, &c, D. A. Tole, Esq. Geo. Vesey Stewart.

No. 6. The Hon. the Secretary for Crown Lands to Mr. G. V. Stewart. Sir, — General Crown Lands Office, Wellington, Bth June, 1877. I have the honor, by direction of the Hon. the Secretary for Crown Lands, to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the Ist instant on the subject of recent arrangements respecting the extension of the Katikati Settlement, and in reply to inform you that the Government is most anxious to render any assistance in advancing the settlement. But as the 8,000 acres proposed as the extension of the block was sold by the Auckland Waste Lands Board on the condition that the first moiety of tho payment was to be made in cash, and the second on the introduction of immigrants to be settled on the land, the Government cannot agree to waive that part of your agreement which requires that a certain number of immigrants shall be introduced and settled on the land unless you are prepared to pay a money equivalent. I have, &c., G. Vesey Stewart, Esq., Katikati, near Tauranga, Auckland. J. Giles.

No. 7. The Chairman, Waste Lands Board, Auckland, to the Under Secretary of Crown Lands, Wellington. Sir, — Crown Lands Office, Auckland, 15th June, 1877. I have the honor, at the instance of the Waste Lands Board, to forward to you the accompanying copy of a resolution embodying the price, terms, and conditions upon which it is proposed, with the sanction of His Excellency the Governor, to sell to Mr. George Vesey Stewart an additional area of 2,000 acres of land for special-settlement purposes, adjacent to the Katikati Block, District of Tauranga. I beg to request that I may, at your earliest convenience, be informed of the decision of the Government with regard to the present recommendation of the Board. I have, &c, D. A. Tole, The Under Secretary for Crown Lands, Chairman, Waste Lands Board. Wellington.

Enclosure in No. 7. Copy of Resolution of Waste Lands Board. Resolved, That the Waste Lands Board is prepared to recommend to Government the sale to Mr, George Vesey Stewart of an additional area of 2,000 acres of land adjoining the Katikati Settle.