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Yes, he arrived in Nelson in August. A meeting of the purchasers was called, and the opinion alluded to, or extracts thereupon, was read by Mr. Fox, the Company's Nelson agent. A deputation, of which I was one, was then appointed to confer with Colonel Wakefield and Mr. Fox, which led to the ultimate adoption of the July resolutions as a final agreement between the Company and its purchasers, the principle of money compensation in part, or in the whole beinc abandoned. Did you hear any thing of an opinion favourable to the claims of the land purchasers having been obtained by the Company ? No, not until years afterwards. Is it your belief that the promulgation of this legal opinion by Colonel Wakefield operated so as to induce the land purchasers of Nelson to compromise their case with the Company ? With some of them no doubt. After reading the hgal opinion, did Colonel Wakefield make it an essential condition of his acceptance of the arrangement, that the Nelson purchasers should take compensation in land, and not in money ? Clearly so. The abandonment of money compensation was agreed to only after very serious discussion, and the expression of great disappointment and dissatisfaction. Then it is your belief that the production of the legal opinion had very great weight in inducing the Nelson settlers to come to a compromise with the Company, and release that body from its legal iabilities towards them ? That was no doubt the case with those who were previously desirous to obtain money compensation. It did not affect those who were content to take land, and accept the adjustment as settled irrespective of the money point. By the Chairman : Did the Local Government ever interfere with the Company's management of the Nelson settlement ? It has always been understood that Governor Hobson interfered with the selection of the site of the settlement. How many acres of land are there in the Blind Bay district available for the purposes of settlement ? About acres. How many acres in the whole have been purchased under the scheme ? 106,731 acres. How many by private purchasers, not reckoning the Company's private estate ? 86 631 acres. Did the Company ever pay for that land termed its private estate ? Not that could be ever discovered. The purchasers vainly required statements of accounts —none have ever been afforded them, although promised '' by the next ship " year after year. The Trust Funds accounts have been compromised without any statement. All reckoning has been withheld. It is therefore out of my power to answer the question. Had you not the accounts appended to the Company's reports ? Those Reports, it is trne, reached Nelson, but it was denied by the Company's Agents that they were acccounts as between the Company and its Nelson purchasers. They were stated to be accounts between the Directors and shareholders only, with which the purchasers had nothing to do. I have not examined any of the Company's reports and accounts since the passing of the Resolutions of July. Then when the Company speak of giving up its private estate at Nelson, purchased at the rate of 30s. per acre to what land does it refer? To one hundred allotments in the Nelson Settlement alleged to be purchased by it. Did the Company deal with these allotments as pnvate estate ? And what became of them ? Yes, they were selected as all the other allotments were. They have been subsequently absorbed in the compensation awarded to the purchasers, with some some exceptions, which have been reserved by the Government for public purposes.