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41. Q—Referring to a passage in the Governor's Message No. 5 sug. gesting that no active negociation should be carried on, is that statement in conformity with your recommendation made at that time ? A~At the time I was not in Auckland but in Taranaki. It may have been founded on statements of mine in regard to certain purchases particularly with regard to Taranaki, but those statements were not intended to apply to purchasing operations generally 42. Q —Were there not disputes here in the neighbourhood of the Thames at that time. May not that have been a cause of the statement ? A Ido not know exactly about those in the Thames district, but there were disturbances in the immediate vicinity of Auckland about that time. 43. Q —Are you aware of any instance in which money having been paid for the purchase of land, the same land was afterwards resold for less than was given for it? A—l am aware of one instance at Wairarapa in which the boundaries of the land had not been surveyed previously to its occupation by the settlers. Improvements had been made upon it, and the price which the Government was obliged to pay to secure the improvements was 10s. an acre. The Government had sold the land before it was surveyed. 44. Q —Can you state how that arose ? A—ln the first place the boundaries of the land ought to have been surveyed before the land was sold. 45. Q —ls it the practice to open lands for sale before they are surveyed ? A—l have given instructions to Captain Smith to have these lands surveyed. 46. Q —How many acres were therein this case? A—Only 150 acres. 47- Are you aware of land being purchased from the Natives and afterwards European claims arising to the land? A—l am not aware of any such case with reference to the Piako I made a purchase there quite irrespective of any European claims, and beyond the boundaries of any lands claimed by Europeans. That land has been recently surveyed by Captain Heale, and from all I know he has not made any claim. I have paid to the chiefs of the Thames certain instalments to secure the whole of that district for the Government till the surveys and other details could be carried out. I believe that some of the land which the natives have sold to Webster are included in one of the blocks which I have agreed to purchase. 48. Q —Are you aware that Heale has succeeded to the claim which Webster had ? A —l hear he has. 49- Q —Are you aware of the size of the claims. A —l am not. 50. Q —Do you know where the land is, and the nature of this claim ? I do not. 51. Q —What distance is it from Auckland. A- About thirty miles. 52. Q —Supposing there were a total suspension of land sales for a year or two, would it act unfavourably with regard to future negociations ? A—Yes particularly in Auckland and Wellington. 53. Q What are your reasons for this opinion ? A—The natives in many parts of these Provinces are now disposed to sell their lands. If advantage be not taken of this disposition to sell, the probability is they would not sell at all and that they might join confederacies which are now in existence in opposition to the sale of land, which would greatly enhance the value and prolong the acquisition of land from the natives. The natives are very obstinate in their resistance to the sale of land when they have once made up their minds and determined to do so. Under such circumstances not even the highest prices would induce them to sell. . . , , 54. Q—Does not the money paid go into circulation in the parts ot the country where it is paid ? A—Yes, they mostly spend it. 55 q Do the instructions which are given to bub-Commissioners proceed directly from you? A—Yes, they generally do; within the last eighteen months they have. , , . . _ , 56 Q -Are you aware of instances of purchasers being made or attempted to be made from natives who had already sold to Europeans? A-I am not aware, I have heard of one case at \V angari. , . . 57. Q—Are you aware of what instructions were issued in that case ? A— T\o it was nrevious to my arrival at Auckland. . 58. Q—ln making purchases do you make any distinction between portions of land which may have been purchased by Europeans and others . A Invaribly so.