was not present at the enquiry but it seems that a dog which had been found killing the sheep was released and recently 12 or 14. more were destroyed. I explained to the assessors and the other natives that our law was to destroy or secure all destructive dogs, especially those who injured sheep, and that the owner of such a dog after being aware of his propensity for sheep killing became responsible for the subsequent injury done by that dog, therefore I trusted none of them would persist in keeping mischievous dogs - they all replied they should not, and that besides two now in charge of the police for killing the last sheep they had themselves destroyed ten. Hair urged a claim for compensation, but Major Wyatt declined declined the admission of the case in a strictly official manner, and preferred reporting the matter to the Colonial Secretary which he has accordingly done. I trust however that with due regard to European interests some leniency will be extended towards the natives in enforcing what may be considered as strictly legal in such cases at least until they are more fully conversant with English legislation, although their code if it may deserve that designation does not in this particular case differ very widely from our own as far as I can judge from comparative cases I have known and analysed. Still there is a rudeness about it that wouad render the gradual introduction of our code more acceptable. It has frequently occurred to me that the holders of sheep and cattle should be ogliged to keep a herd to look after them otherwise they may roam at large destroying the labour of the industrious agriculterist whose crops may be exposed to their ramblings beyond the limits of their proper runs, moreover the sheep unable to protect themselves from vicious starved native dogs are as apt to stray over a native reserve where these dogs are most numerous as on any other part of the district. The next case was a claim by some natives on a log of timber bearing their mark, which was sunk in the river and was taken from there by the Gun boats crew. In this case the natives were given to understand that all loss in the river excepting those immediately fronting their reserves were European property, therefore they could not claim them, this decision was quite satisfactory and they were further informed that although their right was extinct inasmuch as some of those logs imbedded in the river and obstructing the channel were injurious to the navigation there was no apparent objection to their removing them so long as no objection was made by the Europeans to their so doing. The other cases being much in the usual routine of Court business I need not allude to them. I must not however pass over another subject which has been rather overlooked at this Settlement and that is the absence of inquests being held on the bodies of persons dieing suddenly from drowning violence or such other causes as may have