Auckland, 1st May, 1861 Sir, Shortly after your Excellency's departure from Taranaki I had a meeting with a party of the insurgent Ngatiawa about 50 in number at Waiwhakaio where about 100 of the friendly natives had assembled to receive them. Several printed copies of your Excellency's terms to the Ngatiawa were furnished to the insurgents, and I asked that section of them, known as the Puketapu, if they were prepared on their part to carry them out. The persons who spoke evinced an earnest desire for peace but they did not consider themselves at liberty to subscribe to the terms without further consideration. The friendly natives urged that the Governor's terms were good, and that it would not be too much to expect that they (the insurgents) should surrender their lands as a payment for the murders, and other injuries inflicted by them on the Europeans. The insurgants were not disposed to regard with favour proposals emanating from the friendly natives who had borne arms against them, they were also afraid to commit themselves to any course which might not be approved by their late allies (the Waikato) and equally afraid of your Excellency's displeasure while terms, acknowledged by themselves to be reasonable, were resisted by them, influenced by these considerations they carefully pursued a middle course which would not implicate them with either party and left during the night after the usual exchange of salutation with the Waiwhakaio natives for their forest retreat at Mataitawa where they have been advised to remain until they are fully prepared to accept the terms. The Revd. Mr. Wilson and Mr. Parris afterwards visited Mataitawa but only saw a few of the natives, the greater number of them were collecting food at their different cultivations in the forest, the have since written to Mr. Parris requesting him to pay them a visit, and such is their anxiety for peace that there is every reason to expect that they will conform to and observe the several conditions imposed by the terms. On the day Your Excellency left Taranaki I sent Hohepa Tamaihengia of the Ngatitoa together with Ropiha of the Ngatiruanui tribe to convey the terms of peace to the southern natives. The Taranaki tribe deputed Komene to come up to see me, and he gave me to understand that all his people were desirous to accept the termas, to avail of the protection of Government, and renounce their alliance with Waikato, which as he remarked was the main cause of their continuing hostilities so long as they had done, with the exception of a small tribe at Warea (the Patukai) who still cling to and avow their allegiance to the King with the exception of a small tribe and Warea, the whole of the Taranake people evince.... (unsigned)Donald McLean To: His Excellency Colonel Gore BrowneCB Governor of New Zealand