Te Para Para (?) 15 Jany. 1862 Dear Sir, I have latelly been over the Te Para Para (?) block; and, whilst there, Mr. Swainson has informed me that the natives have pulled down one of his survey stations. Te Tahaua is the name of the native principally concerned. It is true that the Station was on native land, just outside the Crown boundary; but Mr. Swainson explained to the natives that the reason he put his station on their land was, because it was a high point and there was no point on the adjoining crown land equally favourable for his work; and that it was/not erected with any view to survey their land, but simply for the purpose of enabling him to survey the Crown land. Having explained these circumstances to you, I should be extremely desirous of your endeavouring to obtain the consent of the natives to allow survey stations for such purposes to be erected where necessary on their land. Should you deem it impolitic just now to urge the matter with the natives; I hope you will be good enough to assure them that the erection of a survey station on their ground was not done with any view of interfering with their land; and that it was very wrong in them to pull down the station without first appealing to you or some proper authority on the matter. In addition to this subject, Te Tahana wishes to purchase about 100 acres of 5s. land: I explained to him through Mr. Swainson that I was quite prepared to certify to the land for him just the same as I would for a European he then said that he ought to have it for 3s/6d; this of course is altogether out of the question; as it was fully explained to him that there were only 2 prices of land. I may mention that Te Tahaua is evidently very disaffected; his remarks as the interview I refer to, clearly showed this. Yours very truly, William Fitzherhert D. McLean Esq., Chief Land Purchase Commissioner, Wairarapa. P. S. Mr. Swainson informs me that the Trig Station pulled down was not one erected by him; but one of those erected by Captn. Smith when he was trigging the Valley. This renders it a matter of great importance for it is only by those that we can connect our present work.