always looked on you, not only as my friend, but as my Patron; and so you have been, and I have never been backward to acknowledge it. Amongst all your friends you have never had one who has written or spoken more than I have done, in support of what I knew or imagined to be your proveedings or wishes in reference to Native Affairs. We have had so many viws in common on these and other cognate subjects for the past 28 years, that I have found no seruple in doing so; and therefore I have felt it no small affliction - independent altogether of material advantages - to be thus sumarily deprived of your goodwill, without the satisfaction of knowing the reason why. Gisborne tells me, in one of his letters, that he had ventured to speak to you on the subject, and that you had said how very difficult it was to provide suitable employment for anyone connected with the Government. Having been so many years in public service, I did not think that such an objection would be applied to myself; and if I could only have pulled agreeably with Mr. Febton at the time I was Crown Agent in the Native Land Court, I suppose I might have been in the Government still. But that it was impossible to do, with any respect to my own feelings. When Mr. Fox engaged me as Special Commissioner in 1864, he kindly promised me that as far as he was able, my employment in Government service should be permanent. Otherwise I should never have relinquished a