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my property —I wanted to sell it. I wanted to get a temporary loan. I wanted a temporary loan in such a way that I could call it in and transfer the property when I wanted to. 107. If you do not remember going to any other person, unless possibly to Mr. Edmond Smith, did any one try any other institutions on your behalf ? —Not that I am aware of. 108. Now, about the petition. It has been given in evidence that you wrote this petition. Is that so ?—I sketched the petition in a rough way. 109. You wrote it in manuscript?—Yes. 110. Where did you draw it up? —At home. 111. Where is " home " ?—Mount Eoyal. 112. When you drew it up, to whom did you send it first ? —The rough sketch I sent to Mr. Begg, junior, and then I sent it to Mr. Turnbull, and when it came back—l do not write very distinctly— I got a young fellow at the station to copy it, and sent the copy to Wright, Stephenson, and Co., asking them to type-write it. 113. You said you sent it to Mr. Begg, junior?—The rough draft. He sent it back to me. 114. Why did he send it back to you?—To ask my advice. 115. Why did you send to to him?—To revise. 116. Then he revised it and sent it back to you ?—Yes, to Mount Eoyal. 117. To whom did you send it then?—To Mr. William Turnbull, at Clinton. 118. What instructions did you give to him about it ?—To examine it, and if anything he saw or thought was not the right thing, to alter it; and make any additions he thought necessary, and send it back to me. 119. Did he make any additions to it ? —lf he did, from memory, I think he said that the petition expressed the true state of things. 120. Did Mr. Begg, junior, when revising it, make any additions ?—Yes, he scratched out a great deal. He shortened it very much. 121. Did he add anything to it ?—He shortened the petition. 122. You are the author of the petition as it stands?—Yes, I am the author of the petition, barring the alterations made. 123. What became of the petition after it was revised and corrected ? —Wright, Stephenson and Co. had it type-written, and forwarded to Mr. Turnbull. 124. You asked for two copies to be type-written ?—Yes ; I thought Mr. Turnbull might have a copy in the township and one for the country—that it would be better to have two copies for signatures. 125. And two type-written copies were sent down to Mr. Turnbull ?—Yes. 126. What did Mr. Turnbull do with the petition then?—He might have had one at the hotel. He sent one of his men—a lad—out with the petition. 127. What for? —To get signatures. 128. What was the man's name? —I never saw the man, to my knowledge. 129. Anyhow, Mr. Turnbull sent a young man out to get signatures?—To get signatures. 130. What did you do with the other copy?—He would very likely have it in the hotel. 131. And did the young man who was sent out get the signatures ?—I never saw or spoke to the young man. 132. Was this young man paid?—Very likely. Mr. Turnbull told me that he would probably have to charge me horse-hire for it, and probably the man's wages. 133. Did he say what the wages would be ?—He never said anything about the wages. 134. Did he ever come upon you for the money ?—Yes; I gave it to him without his coming for it. I gave Mr. Turnbull the money for the young man. 135. For the man who took out out the petition?—He told me what it was for. 136. How much did it come to ? —Twelve pounds sterling. 137. How long was he at it? —I suppose he was about two or three weeks. The weather was broken, and he was put to great trouble and inconvenience. The creeks were swollen, and Mr. Turnbull told me he had great trouble about it. 138. Dr. Fitchett.] That included the horse-hire ? —lt included horse-hire, of course. 139. Mr. Scobie Mackenzie.] I think in your evidence you state that various persons had spoken to you—settlers in the district — asking for this land?—Yes. 140. Did they speak to you personally ?—Yes, personally. 141. Where? —In the hotel, where I was waiting for Mr. Adams. He was down at Conical Hills. 142. When?—l was at Clinton- on Saturday, and stayed the Sunday. 143. This was when you were in Clinton?—Yes, in Clinton; staying in the hotel. It must have been on the 26th August, 1893. 144. Then, on the 26th you were staying at Clinton ?—I was staying there a day or two before. 145. And it was there that the men asked you to get this land thrown open?—Yes; everybody there was in great excitement over this land, and a lot of people came to me at the hotel and asked me about it. 146. At this time the petition was being got up ?—Yes. 147. Did any one see you before the petition was got up ?—I was not in the district at all before. 148. Did anybody ask you to get this land purchased by the Government prior to the getting up of the petition ?—I cannot answer your question unless I give you authority for the statement lam about to make. Mr. Turnbull told me over and over again that there was a great demand for land in the district. I did not care to sell my laud piecemeal; and when I was told by Mr. Turnbull and Mr. A. C. Begg that people were making inquiries about it I said, "Now is the time for putting the land in the market."