Hokianga October 7th 1870 My Dear McLean Hau gave me your note the other day, but as I have been, and am still, in the thick of a very arduous land Court I have not had time to callect my sences to write to you, so you must take this as an apology for a letter, no more. Amongst the claims now on hand are seven very fine flax fields all of which will be working soon after the ownership is settled which will be an incalculable benefit to the district they comprise about twenty five miles along the coast from south of Hokianga to some miles north of Whangape, but the claimants and opponents number hundreds for several of the claims, but as there are no pakehas backing up or exciting either party I feel confident that I shall knock them all off in a few days, but if each party had only a good lawyer encourageing them to hope for success from some occult management which they do not understand, and which is totally extrinsic of native usage and custom, I should certainly have to give these claims up in despair. Hau is decidedly inclined to be a fast young man, and to become a M. P. before his time, I think that, thanks to your most invaluable patronage, he is now in a position in which if he is industrious and proves really usefull he has a fair chance of establishing himself in a respectable and appropriate walk in life, the only consideration which could move me to advise him to leave his present position and turn legislator would be the support that his one vote would certainly give you, particularly in native affairs, I have not at the present time been able to decide the matter as to how to advise him in consequence of some unexpected circumstances regarding my private affairs, and on which in a great measure must depend whether he could receive my support or advice to go into the house. I think it an even chance which would be the best for him to do, to turn M.P., or hold to his present trade, so far as his private interest is concerned, and this being my opinion a consideration for yourself would turn the scale and cause me to give him my consent, I must however wait a short time before I can decide as to whether I can manage the matter, I shall not be long before I make up my mind, not as to whether I am willing, but I shall know whether other circumstances which have a good deal deranged my future plans will allow me, as to his going in, i.e. being elected, there would be no doubt. In mere despair of finding any better man the people here are making up their minds to McLeod. One hundred and thirty native voters that I know of have promised to vote for him (they are duly registered and qualified) they have promised him their votes the present ministry, and this question he must answer plainly at the hustings, in which case they will not break their promise to him. he will also I think have a considerable number more native votes by and by if he adhere to the above conditions, he is however a flighty unsteady minded man, or at least he is thought so here, and almost anyone except Carleton would be preferred to him. I think the junction of Mangonui with the Bay of Islands is against Carleton, but anyway I don't think he has much chance. A letter from the Bay of Islands says that there is a probability of H.T.Kemp proposing himself as a candidate, I think it a pity we did not know this before, the natives having now pledged firmly to McLeod on the conditions I have stated, Kemp would have a very considerable support from the Europeans and the native votes he could have had also, which would have certainly turned the scale. As it is his appearance would if anything be in favour of Carleton as the votes wd. be somewhat more divided. I do not think however that Carleton can win in any case. The native votes will which ever way they go most probably turn the scale. I think if you hold on for a couple of years longer and I am not worn out and worked up I shall take a turn under your standard just to see there is anything in me before I die. That blessed Manawatu Petition has arrived together with all the evidence. I wonder what the evidence can do for me? I remember every word of it. I have not had yet a moments time to look at it, and know no more than a ma Bull what to say to it, except that it is all a pack of lies which I take it for granted it must be before seeing it, seeing the quarter it has emanated from, I would rather face a battery however than report upon it as I know that the minions of the Evil One will weigh every word I may write with the view of getting me into a fix. If I had heard the case alone, or presided even, I should have handled it in such a manner from the beginning as would have enabled me to set petitions at defiance, but as the case was I was in a muddle half the time as to my worthy Chiefs ideas of how the final wind up was to be brought about, I mean the of the matter, and so what with not being able through the whole affair to plan my own course (even the latter adjournmts were Fentons proposal) I felt like a fish out of water the whole time, and so if I bungle the report on the petition it can't be helped, I shall certainly either say almost nothing, or a very great deal, if the latter I shall consider I am running a muck, or devoting myself to the Imperial Ends for the good of my country like an old Roman, but sooth to say I don't feel a call that way just now, I might if I get vexed - but when I can even look at the Petition I can't say, I am hearing claims all day, and sitting up all night writing as a rule every second night while the court lasts - and when it closes I shall have at least four weeks close writing, which will give me just time to jump on my horse and off to the Bay to hear forty claims, several of which are enigmas compared to Manawatu, I shall have just ten days there to hear the forty claims, write all the evidence, make out the orders of Court, and an immence lot of other writing, besides attending all the tie to correspondence from all quarters, and off to Auckland to hear a re-hearing case, which, as there are I believe Lawyers on both sides, and pakeha agents, and possibly latent pakeha interests on each side, will be far more troublesome and probably take more time than the forty cases at the Bay of Islands and the twenty odd very important ones I have on hand now all of which I shall have gone through in a few days more, and for nearly all of which certificates will most probably be ordered and nothing more heard of opponents. You may fancy than what a quantity of time I have to write and consider a report every word of which will be consulted over by those amiable creatures Hadfield and Travers, with the purpose of finding an opening for their ''dagger of mercy'' well, all I can say is that I shall do it when I can, and how I can, but as to hearing the case again there is no reason for it, and it would be to no purpose, for unless all was done to please Hadfields Clients, the same agitation would be kept up, and to sum up, I would rather resign my commission than sit to hear it again to accomodate the views of Bishop Hadfield, and Mr. Travers. if there is to be murder about it, it may as well be done now as after another hearing, and I really believe that if Hadfield and Travers do not change their present course there will be. In reading the blue books I sometimes see speeches made on native affairs which shew such gross ignorance in the speakers that it puts me in fury, My son young as he is could often teach them what they neither know or dream of, and I declare if some of the philantropic ideas I have seen broached in the house were let to have their fling and be embodied in a law, we should want nothing more to make a nice rebellion, certainly in the north. I see you have been trying to save the natives from the chance of being disposessed of too much land by unfair means, or any means, and it is doubtless most necessary that they should have an ample sufficiency reserved for them, and it is most likely the case in most of the Southern districts that they do not know how to take care of themselves, here however the case is very different the natives are almost carefull of land for their own good as the following incontrovertible fact will shew, and it is a remarkable one - in the district of Hokianga from Mannganui on the South to Whangape on the North side and inland to a great distance, the natives during the last forty years have not sold of first rate level land fit for agricultural purposes - they have repeatedly refused from £2 to £4 per acre, and I myself saw them only a couple of years ago refuse £40,000 in Cash for ten thousand acres, only half of which was first rate land and the rest decidedly bad, they have not grown as much as a basket of potatoes on this land for some forty years to my knowledge and it is still lying idle and has not yet been claimed in the Land Court, and taking the whole Bay District from sea to sea and up to Mangonui I only know of one block of a thousand acres which has been sold by natives of late years which can be called first rate land such as would be likely to pay as an agricultural or grazing farm. The purchases made by the Government I do not allude to, and indeed excepting the Victoria valley which I have heard is very good, and Okaihau partof which is pretty fair, I do not know where the Govt. have any good land. The natives have tens of thousands of acres of the most magnificent land, hundreds of thousands indeed which they cannot possibly improve themselves and it would be a good thing if they would sell some of it but they won't, and it is from this cause alone that allmost all the inhabitants (Europeans) in this part of the country have been forced to become traders and huxters, and grog sellers, and have caused the natives to acquire the same peddling, little minded, shilling hunting habits, to a great degree, I think therefore there is no fear of the natives being pauperised and deprived of their lands up here especially as I take care as far as I see it necessary to place restrictions on a sufficient quantity of their lands to prevent their selling. I wish they would sell more than they do of really good land so that they should have farmers scattered among them by whose example they would learn how to make the best, and most profitable use of their own lands. I am quite recovered of a severe illness, a typoid fever, but I am in continual severe pain from something I have cracked or dislocated in my shoulder, a horse fell with me before you were here with the Governor and I got a bad knock, and instead of getting better with time it has got worse, possibly from not giving it any rest, so that one way or another what with mental and bodily troubles and hard work and Petitions, I am am in rather a bad way just now, I am living in hopes however and hoping to pull through allmy troubles in time, but if not it cant be helped. I have been so disgusted by that Manawatu affair and see so little chance of an ending (unless you can get Bishop Hadfield ''translated'' into English) that I sometimes waver very much in my mind as to whether I shall stick to the land Court much longer. I get thinking of quiet rural pursuits and of getting an honest living, and a one, by planting potatoes and feeding sheep and cocks and hens, and that sort of thing. I am almost tiered of everything. I hope however most sincerely to see you and your friends at the helm for many a day yet and that before you resign it you will have won the palm, and left the country past those dangers we have had so continually to encounter hitherto, and which are not passed yet. As long as Hadfield is in the country you must keep a standing army. And so ends this present scaulation. Yours ever sincerely. F. E. Maning. White has managed to let 3,000 acres Govt. land slip through his fingers through not attending the court at Waitangi in March last. The land was not marked as Govt. land in the map officially supplied me and there was no evidence not even hearsay that it was Govt. land. this has never happened before, and wd. not have happened now if W. had not been appointed for his non appearance made me think all was right, it is too late for a rehearing but something should be done. F.E.M.