Whangaroa, 1st October, 1855. My Dear Sir, I have to offer you my best thanks for your firm support which has placed me in a position to effect something extensive for this district yet. Your timely letter to Chapman of Aotea, has settled the question between the natives and I, they are all agreeable to take the £300 previously offered --- the Karioi natives will not allow me to pay the Aoteas as they only wait the arrival of some absentees to witness the payment of Karioi --- and the only fix I am in at present is want of funds which I hope you will be able to supply when I send a formal application. I have just returned from Tawatahi, the survey of which is completed; it is not yet protracted on paper, a report will be forwarded to Auckland as soon as I get rid of some troublesome friends who want me to survey 5 different places at once, I have had to contend with many difficulties here which I had not anticipated and I have much pleasure to say that they are gradually vanishing before me and if you will only give me time Whangaroa will be in proper trim before I leave. The work instead of diminishing is gaining on me, every piece of land I survey is increased by New land offered Aotea and Kawhia will keep me occupied for 6 mos. Letters are being sent me from the Harihari natives who complain bitterly of Hone Pumipio tikanga which seems to nail the entire sum for himself alone. I am told Ngati ikairo of Kawhia have agreed to sell their interest in that district. Takeni of Waikato rendered me great assistance in settling boundaries of the block just surveyed --- He intends visiting you at Auckland with some of the claimants who think they can make better terms with you, but if you deal with them I fear you will have another party who will give us trouble, they are willing that the money should be paid here. I drew an order on you for £22, which I am afraid will not be met as you left for Taranaki, and I omitted to acquaint of the reason why I adopted this unusual mode of proceeding which was because the natives have been nearly taking the money for Karioi 3 weeks ago, and I was anxious to pay them the most of the money at once. The expenses of surveying here is very heavy indeed although I get labour for 3/s 5/s being the sum paid by private individuals and some of the blocks are very small which makes the work more tedious, the claims are however in a measure distinct and I cannot reasonably expect them to sell their property according to my view which would be to cut straight lines through everything. I am, My Dear Sir, Very faithfully yours, J. Rogan. 8th Octr. I received a copy letter from Mr. Kemp on Saturday night stopping for the present all negotiations with the Natives for the purchase of land which gave me surprise and disappointment. as I have seen my way through the difficulties here. Another piece of land is surveyed since and in a fortnight I hope to report to you the completion of the surveys for which instalments have been made. Your note from Taranaki just reached me as I despatchd a package for Mr. Kemp. I sincerely hope you will succeed in settling satisfactorily the Taranaki question. The people there seem to think nothing will succeed but fighting, how pugnacious they are, now the red jackets are amongst them. With all due deference I believe fighting will not succeed even in Taranaki. We should have the discontd spirits from all parts of the Island sneaking quietly towards the scene of action and joining the enemy, with whom we cannot cope in the cover of the forest and Huatoki would be a second Kororarek before long. I am sorry to say McInnes is not advanced in the knowledge of surveying as I could wish in fact he has only been with me in the field altogether 4 days but his foot was the great cause and I could not reasonably expect him to travel barefoot. I was obliged to leave him behind again last week for the same reason. On my return last Saturday I was astonished when a native told me he had injured a boy by throwing a paddle at him which caused a great noise amongs the natives. The circumstance was this, he was in a small canoe preparing to cross the creek near our house, one of Hakopa's lads was on the shore holding the bow of the canoe and for mischief rocked her so as to throw your cousin into the water and wet his trousers, in the heat of the moment he unfortunately threw the paddle at the boy who was running off and caught him (the boy) a blow on the head which of course knocked him over, the parents were absent at the time and it was as well some of the troublesome folks were away also --- The lad is not seriously hurt although he has a cut in his skull about an inch or two. Hakopa waited quietly until I came home and after several hours talking with Mc. Innes and the parents I managed to settle the matter quietly by Mc. Innes promising to pay him £5 as compensation. £10 was the sum demanded and I consider £5 an imposition but we were in the hands of the Philistines and I was anxious to save a reference to the Court at Auckland which would have compromised us and which would have been the result, had we not closed with the fellow for the above sum. Some of the people here of the beachcombing class appear to think the amount excessive and others think that the matter was settled cheap for Mc. Innes. The Natives make loud complaints to me of his manner towards their women and I have not hesitated to talk with him in plain terms on the subject, which is of course a great liberty on my part. At the same time I quite believe he has committed no direct fault in the place and the natives I'm sure feel so too. Yet you are aware that the Natives having once suspected will always remain suspicious. I regret very much to be finding fault because it never affects much good, but I feel bound to make you acquainted with the matter as you made it a special request that I should do so. We are all quiet now and are making preparations to commence another survey which when completed will leave only one or two small instalments to complete Whangaroa after which I suppose you will hold a Committee and call the forces together at Auckland for the purpose of receiving an honorable discharge because if the purchase of land is to be stopped even for a time there will be no use for Dist. Commr. in the interim. The case of the young man who was killed at Auckland some time ago was against us here as he was a near relation of the parents. Hauraki is surveyed and it will require you to settle the payment as there are several parties who claim the land, but Potatau and Takenis people as you say are the owners which I have ascertained a long time ago. W. New was just a day too late for the steamer.