5

A.—6,

Moors had either kept no account of the deaths, or purposely misinformed me on the subject. It was not until I had examined several of the labourers that I could be sure of the accuracy of the list I now enclose. 11. I had all the labourers and their families brought up before me, and, with the exception of ten, they appeared to be in good health. I was not able to take down any regular statement from those whom I questioned, owing to the fragmentary nature of their evidence, and the frequent reference from one to the other (in their own language) before any answer was given. In fact, it was only when inspecting the bouses, when I could get some of them apart, that they became communicative. I was guided, however, by the information they gave me when questioning Mr. Moors and Mr. Cornwall. 12. I believe the large number of deaths to have been principally owing to the inferior water supply, and the change from food to which they had been accustomed. It appears as if those who arrived in fair health have been able to stand this change of food and climate, and no longer suffer from it, but that the weaker ones have all succumbed. The mortality has been greatest amongst the women and children. 13. Corn is no doubt supplied to the labourers in abundance. It is grown on Mr. Cornwall's plantation at Magia, and can cost him but very little; and there should be a fair supply of cocoanuts on the estate, and some breadfruit when in season; but even after an occupation of over five months there are no yams, taro, or bananas on the plantation, and Mr. Moors failed to convince me that he had made proper efforts to purchase any. As there is no reef along the coast, and the labourers have no canoes, they are not able to supply themselves with fish. 14. The object Mr. Cornwall had in view was no doubt to establish a plantation at the smallest possible cost, and the well-being of the labourers has been overlooked in the attempt to keep down expenses. Had he kept the weaker labourers and the women and children under his own charge at Magia until they had recovered their health, and sent only a working party of men to Lata to put up houses and plant food, I have no doubt that the rate of mortality would have been very much lower. 15. With regard to Mr. Moors, I think that his own statement is quite enough to show that he is not a proper person to be left in entire charge of a large number of labourers and their families. 16. I very much regret that the " Pacific Islanders Protection Act," which deals so fully with the recruiting and shipping of labourers, gives no power to Consuls or Commissioners to enforce regulations for their proper treatment when employed on the estates of British subjects. I have, &c, Alfred P. Maudslay.

Joane (Native ordained minister), sworn :— When the labourers came here in November they arrived in a cutter from Tasitootai. I was instructed by Mr. Pratt to visit the labourers, as many of them were members of our Church. Several of the labourers had already been tome with complaints of not getting enough food, aud of being severely flogged. One of these men was named Lepaitlau. I then wrote a letter to Mr. Moors, the overseer, telling of the complaints made, and saying that if they were better fed they would work better. I received no answer; but Tv, a Tahitian, living at Gajamali, who trades for Mr. Cornwall, said he heard from Moors, and was instructed to tell me that I was to write no more letters, as I was not master of Lata. When I visited them, about six weeks after their arrival, I found the labourers living in the bush, near the beach; the houses in which they are now living were not finished, only the framework was up. The labourers themselves often told me that they were living in the bush; there were many women and children amongst them. It was on Sunday that I first went to see them. Very few attended my preaching, as most were at work building houses. Tv, the Tahiti man, had told me that I should be allowed to preach on Sunday if I did not take the people away from their work on Sunday, or preach that it was wrong to work on Sunday; and he also said that I was not to bring any one with me when I came to preach. Moors had written this to Tu. I have had continued complaints from all the Tapitenca w rho came here. It was only on Sunday that the men had time to build their houses. About two months ago a Tapitenca woman, Kilokilo, ran away from Lata to the house of Vola, a Samoan of this town, and she came on to my house the same day. Some Tapitenca men came down to fetch her. She was there three days. A week afterwards she ran away again, and came to my house, and said her child, a boy about five years old had died in the bush on her way to my house. Three days afterwards the Samoan found the body in the bush. It had been partly eaten by dogs. I buried the body. The woman said she had run away because she had too much work and too little food. She was at my house three nights. (Statement corrected: It was the first time that she came here that her child died.) She was very ill at the time. Some Tapitenca came for her, and tied her to a pole like a pig, and in that way carried her back to Lata. Before starting, she said that she wished I would write a letter to Mr. Moors, and ask him to cut her head off aud carry that back, aud leave her body to be buried by me, as that would be better than going back there alive. It was Saturday she was carried