Native Department were put in such a position as to be above all political and party influences - St. John will be able to give you any amount of information and political scandal when you see him. I was sorry that I did not see Locke on his return from the Ngatiraukawa meeting I however have seen Hans Tapsell he seems very "Pouri" he says Locke was too much in a hurry to come away and did not quite finish the "korero" - Hans is of opinion that Waikato mean mischief and to use his own expression "if they had