34

Colonial Secretary's Office, Sir,— Auckland, February 10, 1855. and m reply hi. Excellency, He Officer fcTove" J,T h« directed me to state that those documents have been laid before th Kv! ' . Sriiir the Gover,,ment '» m " 4 * i "» . A V he^ BtK e « iment :. the tro °P s now stationed in Auckland, has recently received notice to be in readiness to embark for England, the Government not consider itself justified, in the absence of imminent danger to the settlement t ° h f Plymouth in incurring the responsibility of detatching any portion "f at regiment t0 laranaki, and a considerable time must elapse, before a portion o the 6jth Regiment, at present at Wellington and at Wanganui, could be detatched on that service ° Assuming troops to be at once available, the Government doubts the exne diency of at present making Taranaki a Military Post. The desturbances hire been confined to the natives themselves, and the Government believes that it is essential to the present safety of, and to the future progiess of the settlement that neither the settlers nor the Government should be drawn into the quarrel, and that the stationing of troops in the district would almost certainly be followed bv the commencement of hostilities, and that the amount of force likely to be available for service in that locality, would be inadequate to protect the properly of numerous settlers scattered over a considerable extent of country, in the event of the district becoming the scene of a protracted native war. Looking also to the unfavorable nature of the Country for Military opera, tions, and to the difficulty of access bv sea, the Government thinks that every effort should be used ; to avoid the risk of hostilities with the natives in the Taranaki district. The Government is of opinion that an officer of intelligence and conversant with the native character, should, as soon as possible be despatched to Taranaki, charged with the duty of occupying himself constantly among the various parties,' by persuasion and argument, in endeavouring to keep the peace, and to remain in the district until relieved or recalled. The Government will also authorise the Resident Magistrate to incur such reasonable expense as may be necessary, for the construction of a stockadeor blockhouse as a place of refuge, if the Magistrates think the erection of such a building under all circumstances expedient, and also the expense of such other precautionery measures as may be deemed necessary for the safety of the settlers, and he will be instructed to take such means as may be necessary for the safe keeping of the arms, &c., deposited in the settlement, at the same time care should be taken that they be kept in repair and in readiness for immediate use in case of emergency. With this object in view it is important that the Magistrate without making any demonstration of preparation, should be prepared to select from amongst the community those who may be most able and willing to make use of arms in case of need. As it appaers that the natives, in various parts of the country, have been supplied with atms and amunition, notwithstanding the provissions of the Arms Ordinance, a circular will be addressed to every Residennt Magistrate and Justice of the Peace in the Colony, ,calling uponhim to use his utmost enc'e ivours to prevent and punish infringement of that ordinance, for as long as arms are put into the hands of the natives, it will be impossible to answer for the peace of the country. As the disturbances in Taranaki appear to have had their origin in a dispute about the title to land, the Land Purchase Department will be instructed to use great caution in entering into any negociation for the purchase of land, until the views of the various claimants should have been ascertained. As regards the purchjse of lands from the natives, the Government is of opinion that to make Taranaki a Military Post would tend to operate unfavor-