■2.

6

Heney Pabey Liddon, D.D., Canon of St. Paul's, and Ireland Professor at Oxford, 3, Amen Court, E.C. John London, The Eight Eev. the Lord Bishop of London, Fulham Palace. Alexandee McAethue, M.P. for Leicester, Ealeigh Hall, Brixton Eise, S.W. William McArthub, M.P. for Lambeth, Alderman and late Lord Mayor of London, 79, Holland Park. Anthony John Mundella, Eight Hon., Vice-President of the Committee of Council on Education, and fourth Charity Commissioner, M.P. for Sheffield, F.E.S., 16, Elvaston Place, S.W. Heney W. Noeman, General, K.C.B. Member of the Council of India, 27, Lexham Gardens, Kensington, W. Heney W. Peek, Baronet, M.P. for Mid Surrey, Wimbledon House, S.W. Heney Eichaed, M.P. for Merthyr-Tydvil, 22, Bolton Gardens, South Kensington, S.W. William Summees, M.P. for Stalybridge, Sunnyside, Ashton-under-Lyne,

No. 2. The Colonial Office to the Hon. Sir A. H. Goedon, G.C.M.G. Sic,— Downing Street, 28th December, 1882. I am directed by the Secretary of State for the Colonies to transmit to you, for any observations with which you may desire to favour Lord Derby, the accompanying copy of a letter addressed to his predecessor, enclosing a printed paper entitled " Considerations in favour of a Scheme for the Pacification of the Aboriginal People of New Zealand by dealing with their Lands on just Principles for the lasting Benefit of both European and Native Eaces." I am to request that this paper may be returned to this department when done with. I am, &c, Sir A. H, Gordon. John Bbamston.

No. 3. The Hon. Sir A. H. Goedon, G.C.M.G. to the Colonial Office. Sic, — The Eed House, Ascot, 4th January, 1883. I have the honour to return the letter addressed to the Earl of Kimberley which is enclosed in your letter of the 28th ultimo. 2. The rapidity with which the land still held by Natives of New Zealand is at present gassing out of their hands into those of white men is, in my opinion, far from satisfactory ; and I should therefore feel strongly disposed to offer every encouragement to any attempt to inaugurate a better system which is so obviously well meant as that proposed in the letter in question, the names appended to which are a guarantee, not only of the good faith of the enterprise, but of the energy and ability with which it will be conducted. 3. I must confess, however, that I am not very sanguine as to the results of the experiment so far as the Maoris" are concerned, even supposing it to be commercially successful, nor am I confident that it could, in the first instance, be successfully started. 4. I observe no provision for preventing the alienation of the certificates given under the proposed scheme ; but, unless very stringent restrictions indeed be imposed on such alienation (and I can conceive none likely to be really efficient or unsusceptible of evasion), it is perfectly plain that these certificates will, almost as soon as issued, find their way, for a very trifling consideration, into white hands; and the next generation of Maoris would thus be left as completely denuded of both land and money as they are likely to be under any other arrangements. Those deriving benefit from the association would, I think, very soon be exclusively Europeans ; as those concerned in its management would, in fact, at once be from the commencement. The representation of the Maoris on the various boards of management sounds well in England; but any one really well acquainted with New Zealand must be, I think, aware of the illusory nature of such a provision. Even supposing that a Maori member of such a Board were always accompanied by his interpreter, and that all that passed was duly interpreted to him, the impatience which would be felt at the delay thus caused would soon make his position intolerably irksome to him, and from one cause or another he would soon cease to attend the meetings. The results of the enterprise are not unlikely to be profitable to the European shareholders; but I question whether, as regards the Maoris, they would be altogether such as the benevolent projectors of the scheme contemplate. 5. But the success of the undertaking is, in the outset, as it appears to me, questionable. I do not think the Ngapuhi chiefs have sufficient influence with Tawhiao to induce him to assent to the scheme, and without his assent the largest tract of country still owned by Natives would be excluded from its operation. Two influences from opposite sides will be brought to bear upon him to produce in his mind an impression unfavourable to the objects of the association. On the one