LATE NORTHERN NEWS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 1739, 13 July 1866, Page 3

LATE NORTHERN NEWS.

THE WAIKATO. A correspondent writing to us (New Zealand Herald, July 3) from Waikato draws attention to the fact that but Y ery few natives are now to be seen engaged iu getting gum within the confiscated districts, and argues therefrom an intention of mischief on the part of the natives. We believe that there is uo such intention in the native mmd-with regard to Waikato, at least; and that the absence of the natives at the present moment is rather to be attributed to the fact that they are now pretty generally occupied with the task of getting in their crops. Lucrative as kauri gum digging has proved to them of late, it is not to be expected that tliey would entirely devote themselves to the occupation. That there are some amongst the natives who would be pleased to incite their followers to acts of aggression, it is only natural to suppose; but the influence of these men for harm is, after all, but trifling. An attempt has been recently made to infuse a feeling of mistrust and jealousy into the minds of the natives, by telling them that Government surveyors are engaged in surveying land outside of the confiscated boundary. It isnotlong since that a reference to this alleged grievance was made by a party of natives to a gentleman travelling in the Waikato. It was clearly pointed out to them that the statement had no foundation whatever in fact, and the natives at once admitted that it must have been a'' shave" of some of their own rowdy countrymen, got up for the purpose of creating ill feeling towards the pakeba. Indeed they said that this (crossing the boundary) was the sore point, and perhaps the only one likely to arise between pakeha and Maori with regard to the Waikato district. They looked upon the lands confiscated as gone, but that any attempt at encroachment' would be jealously resisted, and might lead to bloodshed. They had, they said, a copy of the Gazttte, containing the proclamation relating to the boundary of the confiscated lands, which had been sent to them by Sir George Grey. In the case, however, of Mr. Wilkinbod, at Tauranga, we have s seen that the natives were not wishful to make such trespass a casus Mi, but took the more peaceful method of serving the surveyor with a formal notice to desist. At present there are no surveys of country land going on in the Waikato district, the few Government surveyors being principally employed in laying off town allotments, &c.; nor, unless the Government will pay on a more liberal scale for surveys, and, when the money is earned, pay the surveyor what is due to him, is it likely that the lands within the confiscated bonndary will be very speedily ready for sale. There are Government surveyors now in town for weeks whose work has. been duly passed, but who cannot obtain the payment they are justly entitled to, and who will probably remain as long again before they will get paid. Yet these gentlemen have not oply themselves earned money they cannot obtain, but have actually, in the labour employed and paid for by them, advanced money as it were to the Government. Surely such accounts as these, when duly vouched for and passed, should be at once paid. BANK OF NEW ZEALAND. A new banking house is about to be erected forthwith for the Bank pf New Zealand in Auckland, and we find the following description of it in one of the local journals:—The style of the whole is composite, by which we mean that each storey is of itself a very good specimen of one of three different styles. The first storey is Doric, the second is Italian, and the third of the somewhat indefinite style which some art critic has called Palatial, both of these, however, brought into harmony with that which it supports, by accessories more or less ornate. The total height of the building will be sixty «et, that to the coping fifty-six feet. Ihe building will be entered by a swing-door, massive and elaborately carved, flanked on either side by GreClan Pilars, which impart an appearance of strength, which is relieved »om heaviness by the lightness of the ypper storeys. This storey is 18 feet to height. The storey immediately above this is 17 feet 6 inches, and conS'sis of a row of windows with elaborate scroll-work, architraves, and circular pediments, resting upon substantial yet highly decorative trusses. The elect is exceedingly light, The next 0r third storey is distinguished by Windows supporting a massive but ornate cornice, and is 11 feet in height, he general character of the front elevation is very chaste and elegant, how®vsr much a too severe criticism might <j offended with an admixture of styles Which have certainly very little in c °wimon. The effect, too, will be conerably heightened by the material sed for the facing, which is the best quality of Hobart Town free-stone. -Dutin what is certainly more important to the occupants of a building, amely, the internal economy of space, e architect, we think, has been par•cularly successful. Here the object Beems to have been to give as much £°om and ventilation as possible, care ® ln g taken that the position of each partment should be governed by the

convenience of the officers who should occupy them. First there is a lobby, entered immediacy from the street, ® { eel: ' to a corridor 86 feet;by 12, at the end of which are tne pubhc offices. The whole of this will be paved with variegated marble, having a coloured border of the same material, of which it is hardly uecessaw here to say that its great durability is the very best reason that could be given for its use. The public office itself will be 61 feet G inches by 81 feet 6 inches, and 31 feet iu height. These dimensions ropresent an apartment sufficiently spacious for any business that may be estimated for many years to come, and it must also be said a size most convenient for the arrangement of bank furniture, counters, desks, &o. It will be crowned by a very rich coffered ceiliug, provided with means of ventilatiou sufficiently ample and uninterrupted. Over the front door there is to be a cast-iron scroll-work guard,of which the strength will be out of all proportion to its elegant tenuity and lightness. On the right hand as you enter will be a solid stone staircase, with richly carved and fluted " Newell" post, the balustrades, if the expression may not be considered inapplicable to modern staircases, to be of ornamental cast-iron work; the hand-rail capped with cedar, and of course French polished. The rooms assigned to the manager of the bank and the accountant will be on either side of the corridor, each 23 feet 3f inches by 16 feet; the ceiling to be lighted with what are called ornamental " lantern" lights or horizontal lights; the ceiling being coffered, consisting of nine panels, three of which are to be of ground plate glass. Leading from these two apartments of the superior offices of the bank are two strongrooms, 15 feet 6| inches by 12 feet each. On the first floor will be the inspector's room, 20 feet 3 inches by 14 feet, approached through an anteroom of 19 feet by 8 feet 7 inches. There is a board room, 34 feet by 23 feet; also the inspector's office, 29 feet 5| inches by 13 feet 3 inches; a strongroom, 12 feet by 5 feet 6 inches; and an ante-room, 12 feet by 10 feet. The arrangements are, it will be seen from the above figures and statements, all that could be desired either for the comfort of those who shall have to occupy this building for a very considerable portion of the twenty-four hours, or the convenience of the public whose business may frequently take them there. The upper storey consists of eight rooms, which may be occupied as living rooms by one or more of the officers of the bank, or used for the purposes of more extended business, as occasion may require. Lavatories and every domestic convenience is provided. The strong rooms, we need hardly say, are fire-proof, being so massively built as to preclude even the remotest possibility of their succumbing to the "devouring element." There is a passage left right round the building, which will be found most convenient whenever the attendance should be more than usually numerous. The landings of the principal staircase are to be of polished stone. The superintendence of the works is left entirely with Mr. Keals, architect, of Victoria stseet, whose experience in every detail secures the certainty that the building will be completed in a thoroughly efficient and workmanlike manner. The material, with the exception of marble, stone facing, and plate glass, which cannot be obtained here, will be all of Auckland produce. It is not necessary to say that the labour will be Auckland labour. This very elegant building will be a great adornment to Queen street, and an architectural acquisition to the city. The work, we are informed, will be pushed forward with all reasonable speed, so that in less than eighteen months we may boast of one of the handsomest commercial edifices in the colonies. The undertaking is all the more opportune that in these dull times it will have the effect of circularge a sura of money amongst the building trades and workpeople generally. Thtodebstoem—On Saturday, we noticed the effects of the thunderstorm on Thursday last, at Mr. A. Martin's farm, East Tamaki. Since then we have learned that the effects of the lightning and thunder peal, at six o'clock on that evening, were felt elsewhere iu the same neighbourhood. The course of the electric fluid can be traced, in almost a straight line, over Mr. Wallace's farm at Papatoitoi, to Howick and the sea. It would appear that the flash and peal were almost instantaneous, and the concussion or electric shock was so great that several persons were prostrated by it. One of Mr, Wallace's men, who was employed cutting grass at the time, declared that the electric fire was "in his hands," showing a highly charged state of the atmosphere. He sustained uo injury, however, nor did any of the men in the field appear to be at all affected by it. The electricity passed close to the earth, like a ball, over the Tamaki at the bridge, and thence across the country, as we have said, to the sea. The ball of electric fire would seem to have burßt close by Mr. Martin's, and to have branched out in several directions, one of which lodged in the ground at the root of a gum-tree near Mr. Martin's residence, breaking several windows to atoms, and throwing to the ground and stunning one of his sons for some minutes. In the next farm, Mr. White's, several persons were prostrated, and a calf was killed by the shock. Mr. White was sitting beside the stove at the moment when the lightning struck the building. He was sensibly affected by it, and describes his sensation as being similar to that of receiving a very severe shock from an electric battery. He felt the electric fluid pass down through him, and into the floor. Mrs. White, who was looking at him Ht the time, noticed that the muscles of his face became momentarily contracted. Since then, he has suffered severely from headache. Iu the calf-house, at the time, were two of Mr. White's children feeding the calves. They

were kuooked down, and remained senseless for several minutes. Two calves were likewise felled on the earth; one of them, which was drinking out ot the pail, was killed. The impression left on the minds of the young people was that a ball of fire had passed from one side of the cowshed to the other, but they were so confused by the sudden and severe shock, that they were not able to give a very intelligible account. Two young men who were in the field, returning with green feed for cattle on thoir shoulders, were simultaneously thrown down, but did not receive any perceptible shock. Several persons at Howick were likewise thrown down, but no one was seriously injured. From what we can learn, it would appear that the atmosphere was highly charged with electricity. The lightniug was not 'the deadly forked lightning, but of a whitish appearance. It is to this fact, no doubt, that we owe it that no loss of life took place. On Friday evening, and far on into the night, there was very heavy lightning, but no thunder. In Auckland, a gentleman going home from business at a late hour, felt himself enveloped iu the electric fluid, but beyond blinding him for a moment, he suffered no other inconvenience. We would be obliged to correspondents to send us particulars of the state of the weather in their respective neighbourhoods, on the evening of last Thursday, to ascertain whether the thunder-storm was purely local.—Southern Cross, July 2. TAKANAKI PETEOLEUM. (From the Taranaki Herald, June 30.) Some weeks ago we published an extract from a letter received by the Alpha Petroleum Company frora Dr. Sydney Gibbon, of Melbourne, stating the results of a rough analysis he had made of a sample of Taranaki petroleum. A second letter from Dr. Gibbon on the same subject was received the early part of this week, from which we have permission to publish the subjoined extracts. Not the least gratifying part of the communication is the last paragraph, in which the writer expresses his conviction that a payable well will be found : Melbourne, June 12,1865. " Gentlemen, —In my last letter by the May mail, I gave you, in as brief a form as possible, for the time was then pressing, a resume of my experiments up to that date. Since then I have experimented further, and have now the pleasure to furnish a more distinct and complete statement of the first results, and with it some notes of such subsequent experiments as are likely to interest yon and forward your undertaking' * * * " The specific gravity of the crude oil is 0*9657, water being 1000. This is rather more than the average quantity of the American rock oils. After some preliminary experiments I distilled the following results from 960 parts At and below 304° F.— bright,clear, colourless 300 part 9 B. 1. AThence to 600° P.— nearly colourless 120 parts B. 1. 6. At 600° and above, till distillate became darkened (yellow) 505 parts Last distillate to'dryness, dark colour 24 " "oke in retort 11 " Thus then, a total distillate of 960 parts. 940 parts were obtained from 960 of the crude oil, or 988 per centum but this distillate was impure— it darkened on exposure, and required subsequent treatment to fit it for lamps or for the market, " These products were all mixed as if they had not been separated for the purpose of estimation. The bulk was treated with five per cent, of concentrated sulphuric acid, was agitated, and left to settle. When the impurities thus separated had been drawn off, a solution of caustic soda was introduced—this removed any remaining dirt and other impurities. From the whole amount 780 parts were obtained fit for the rectifying still. * * "It should be noted here that the amounts have been somewhat understated, as there was inevitable loss in working with a small quantity from the obstinate adherence of the oil to the vessels, and when there are many in number a little is, of course, left on the side of each, which becomes a material per centage when the amounts are small. ****** Of the oil thus prepared for rectification, I took 600 parts, and distilled continuously until 528 had come over; the first part (about one-half or more) was clear, limpid, and colourless; then came a somewhat denser and lemoncoloured oil; towards the last, when increased heat became necessary, the oil was darker in colour. Of the latter products, the last portion, amounting to 60, wbb collected separately, gelatinised in cooling, and would make a good lubricand. A similar quantity, which came over before the regeiver was removed, remained at the bottom by reason of its lighter density, and when shaken up made the whole somewhat turbid, and of fuller colour, but still only yellow. Without it, the rest would have been a suitable lamp oil. ###### " I have still some experiments on hand, and if these should yield a result likely to be useful to you, I will not fail to give you the beneSt of it. * * * # * - • " I believe that I have collected and communicated all the information concerning the oil that you may require, When you come to actual manufacture, I shall probably be able to be of further service to you, as it will then be necessary to determine the best proportions of the purifying agents, and to consider the planning of apparatus, as well as to settle more exactly the proportion obtainable of oil of different densities, and consequently adapted for different purposes. * # * .To do this a larger supply of material would be necessary,, as I have now been working under great difficulties through having so small a quantity of material. For example, in addition to difficulties caused by the necessity of economising the sample, it was im-

possible to determine the densities, &o„ of any of the products, which were too small for the purpose, I suppose it will be practicable to send me a keg or drum of the oil. " As to the supply: I feel sure this is no chance find—where this sample comes from there is abundance, and I must repeat my congratulation on your success up to this point, I shall be very glad to hear how you get on, and if any points of interest ariseas they must—either in oil, soil, &c,, J shall take it as a personal favour to myself if you will put aside samples for my collection. Sidney Gibbon, F.C.S,, &c., Analyst. Petroleum at Poverty Bay.—We have received some very reliable and very important information from Poverty Bay, respecting the existence of petroleum in that district. It appears to exist there in large quantities. About ten different outlets from whence this valuable substance issued were lately distinctly seen and examined, The two main ones are situated at an elevation of about 300 or 400 feet above the level of the bay, and the others are at short distances from each other lower down, in a sort of gully, but evidently proceed from the main spring at the top. The ground for the space of some yards round seems quite saturated with oil, and from a cursory examination there appears an almost inexhaustible supply. A bottle oftheliquidhas been forwarded to us, and may be seen at our office. Such is the information given to us in reference to this matter. We have implicit confidence in the gentlemen, one of them representing a foreign house, from whom we have received this information, and we have now to consider, not only what general action can be taken in reference to this matter by the Government, but what is to us a far more important question, what shall we ourselves do in regard to it. There is a duty devolving both upon the Government and upon the enterprising and energetic citizens of Auckland, who have a deep interest in every opportunity presented to them of developing to the utmost the varied resources of the province.—if. Z, Herald, June 27. DESTRUCTIVE FIRE AH] WELLINGTON. (From the N,Z. Advertiser, July 9.) A fire broke out early yesterday morning, at the Thistle Inn, Thornden, by ' which that building was completely destroyed. As usually is the case, the origin of the fire ia unknown. It was first discovered by a lodger in the inn, who saw the flames lapping against the window of his room, while Mrs. Cooper, the wife of tho proprietor, almost at the same moment saw them from her room. Every one was quickly out of bed, and on rushing into the yard it was found that the fire was raging with great violence in a shed adjoining, the house. This shed Was filled with corn and chaff belonging to Mr. Fawns, whose livery stables adjoin the premises, and in it was a chaff-cutting machine; but no one slept there, and in this lies the mystery of the affair. It was nearly half-past five o'clock when the fire was discovered, and it could not possibly have been burning for any length of time previously, as the contents of the shed were of a most inflammable nature. • In a few minutes the inn itself was in a blaze, and so rapid did the flames seize upon it that the inmates had barely time to save their own lives, and only succeeded in getting a few of the more valuable articles out. > The firebell at the Post-office tinkled out an alarm which could be heard only a few streets off, and the glaring brightness of the fire itself was really almost the only warning that woke the town to the imminence of the danger. The engines were not long in getting to the spot, the first being the Northern, under the direction.of Captain Moss himself, but before they arrived a crowd of persons was assembled, and were doing their'utmost to check the conflagration, by pulling down the adjacent sheds, and removing a large heap of firewood stowed at the back of the building. Day had not yet dawned, and in the darkness the flames shot up with fearful brilliancy, lighting up the town from one end to the other. Most happily there was but a light breeze blowing, and yet .great danger existed from the falling sparks that the block of buildings on the Thorndon Quay, just below the inn, would catch fire. To these the Fire Brigade turned their attention, but it was some time before they could get their hose to play upon them. Three engines were on the ground—the Northern, the Liverpool and London, and the New Zealand—but the tide was low, and it was absolutely found that there was not sufficient hose to reach the buildings, and for a long time little could be done, except by volunteers who carried water uninterruptedly in buckets and utensils of all sorts, Indeed, until the fire had nearly burnt itself out, the Brigade were unable to render much assistance, from the /act of the insufficiency of the hose. For this the insurance companies are not a little to blame, because the hoses of the different engines are of different sizes, and those of one engine cannot be coupled on to those of another. A new house in course of erection at the back of the inn was soon consumed, and it was only by the greatest exertions that a cottage near to it was prevented froin taking fire, so close being the danger that the walls were charred and the shingles of the roof smoking, At the windward side of the conflagration are Mr, Fawns' new stables, aud these were for a long time in danger, but were saved by placing sheets of corrugated iron in front, and by pulling down a portion of a shed attaching them to the main building. Mr. Fawns let his horses loose, and by that means saved them; but almost everything else that da had about the place was destroyed. He estimates his loss at over £IOO, and he was uninsured. The inn and stock-in-trade is insured in the Liverpool and London Company for £IOOO, we believe; but we hear that Mr. Cooper

estimates his loss at something much larger than that amount; By half-past six o'clock the danger was over, because the fire, confined to the buildings in which it first broke out, had burned itself out, and not from any very effective assistance supplied through those means which every town ought to possess for the extinction of fires, We guard ourselves from saying that this wns the fault of tho Fire Brigade. They are willing and ready enough, and if they want some organization, it is tho greatest fault that can bo charged to thorn; but the means at their disposal are not sufficient, The fire-bells, in the first place, are neither numerous enough, nor large enough to give a proper alarm, and then, as we said before, the engines are not what they ought to be. Two only could be worked yesterday, that belonging to the Liverpool and London Company lying idle for some unaccountable reason; and because the tide was low, and water was some three hundred yards off- the building the hose was found to be too short, and extra hose could not be added because that of each engine is only suited to itself. Where nearly all the buildings are of wood, and where there are no artesian wells, this is a serious fault, and ought to be remedied at once, as as so much dependence has to be placed on getting water from the harbour. Had there been a strong breeze blowing yesterday morning, nothing that could have been done with the appliances at hand would have saved the block of buildings, from the office of the Inspector of Schools to the Government Printing Office. It ought to be a lesson to the Insurance Companies to see that their engines are better fitted, and to the City authorities to see that more suitable means are provided for giving the alarm on such occasions. We presume that an inquiry will be held as to the origin of the fire, and it seems to us to be very necessary that there should, in order to elicit how it was that a fire should break out in an unoccupied shed at half-past five o'clock in the morning. Of course, suspicions of incendiarism have been given utterance to, but we refrain from comment until after the inquest. SUBMARINE TELEGRAPH ACROSS COOK STRAIT. (From the Wellington Independent, July 5 ) The cable by which telegraph communication is to be kept up between the Northern and Middle Islands reached the shores of this colony per the iron-clipper ship Weymouth, which arrived in Port Nicholson on Tuesday afternoon, after a passage of 93 days from the Downs. Already, much information has been placed before the public on this subject; the reports of Messrs. Sheath and Balfour have been published; nevertheless a great deal of every valuable information has not yet been subjected to their perusal, and we are tempted to revert to the ; matter from the papers that were laid on the table of the House by the Hon. John Johnston, on Tuesday last. In looking over these papers, however, it is needless again to give publicity to the correspondence that at first took place between the General Government of New Zealand and their Agent in London, Mr. John Morrison. This gentleman, in a letter dated 27th November, 1865, states that after maturely considering the character of the Channel, the contingencies affecting the ahore-ends of the cable, and the delay and inconvenience which would be caused by a reference to England for repairs, it was deemed desirable' to adopt a cable similar in construction, but much heavier in iron sheathing, to the proposed submarine cable for the China Seas and Torres Straits, as such ia the description of cable now invariably adopted by the Submarine Telegraph Company and English Government. Acting on the recommendation of the Director of Public Works at Hobart Town, Mr. Morrison stipulated that the manufacturers should ship and submerge the cable at their own risk, and moreover maintain it in perfect working order for twelve months. In the same letter Mr. Morrison states that an engagement had been entered into with Messrs. Shaw, Saville & Co., for the conveyance of the cable by the ship Weymouth for the sum of £2,500; one-half of this amount being payable by Government on the arrival of the ship at Wellington, and the remainder of the cable being successfully laid. The Colonial Secretary, in a letter dated Wellington, 14th March, 1866, tells Mr. Morrison that under the agreement he had entered into with the contractor for the supplying of the cable £13,254 would have become due in February last; and if he had not already drawn on the Government for this amount and the premium thereon, he could do so at thirty days' sight, through the Bank of New Zealand. A great deal of correspondence follows between the contractor and Mr. Morrison ; aud in a letter dated the 24th March last, the former gentleman informs the latter that he has appointed Mr. Edward Donovan to carry out the laying and maintenance of the cable during the period of guarantee. Mr. Donovan arrived by the Weymouth, and we understand that the work of •laying the cable will shortly be pro-, ceeded with. Since the time the contract was entered into Mr. Sheath has made examination of the localities from which the cablo is to be laid; and in a letter addressed to the Hon, the Postmaster-General, on the 27th March, 1866, he savs" A personal in/peetion of the localities proposed as landing places for the Cook Strait Submarine Telegraph Cable, tonds to confirm mo in the recommendation I first made to the .Government of landing the cable in LyaH'a Bay. Pilot Bay was indicated to me as a locality uuinfluenced by any weather. It appears to me far too rooky at the entrance, and as soundings were not taken there, I should, from general appearance, judge it to be very rocky, and therefore unfitted for receiving a cable. On the 24th inst-, I

visited Island Bay, the landing place place suggested by the Wellington Harbour Master. This bay, however, I could not recommend, owing to its rocky indications and general rugged aspect," Again, on the I.3th ultimo; Mr, J, Balfour and Mr. Sheath wrote to the Postmaster General, saying that, accompanied by Captain Sharp, President of tho Marine Board, and Dr. Hector, Director of tho Geological Survey, they proceeded in the Lady Bird, for tho purpose of ascertaining whether White's Bay forms a suitable landing place for the telegraph cable. "The result of our, examination was satisfactory to all of us, the bottom consisting of fine sand, on which the cable can be laid in the line of the only swell which can affect the place, and thus be almost securo from injury. Outside the Bay the bottom is also excellent, as proved by soundings which were taken at short intervals, until on our return the steamer intersected the line formerly surveyed. The bottom of Lyall Bay is sandy and regular, and the exposure somewhat similar to White's Bay, so that the cable can here also be laid in the line of the only dangerous swell, and thus run but little risk. The total length of cable required will not be altered by the proposed terminal changes—or if altered at all, it will be shortened—it will now be entirely free from any but very exceptional risk from ship's anchors, it will lie throughout on an excellent bottom (it is proposed to follow the surveyed line except near the ends); and, though somewhat exposed to surf in shoal water than it would have been on the original line, it will be directly in line of the break so as to run a minimum risk of damage; and we have in consequence no hesitation in recommending that the proposed changes should be made, and that the cable should run from Lyall Bay on the north side of the Straits, to White's Bay on the south side."

PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. ♦ — THE WAITOTARA PURCHASE. Having published letters from Mr. Field, with reference to tbe Waitotara purchase, in which certain charges were brought against Dr. Featherston, we consider it only fair to the latter to give publicity to his vindication of himself. Dr. Feathers ton's letter is addressed to Mr. Stafford, and was transmitted to Mr. Cardwell by his Excellency Superintendent's Office, Wellington, 3rd May, 1866. Sir,—l have to express my regret that, owing to my absence from Wellington, I have been unable sooner to reply to the letters of Sir Duncan Cameron and Mr. Field relative to the purchase of the Waitotara block. Before noticing the specific charges preferred by General Cameron, on the sole authority, it now appears, of Mr. Field, it may be well briefly to sketch the history of this Waitotara purchase. The owners of the block had for many years been pressing its sale upon the Government, but it was only on the occasion of Governor Gore Browne's visit at Wanganui, in May, 1859, that they became so urgent that Mr. Commissioner McLean, who had thoroughly investigated the title to the block, paid them £SOO (five hundred pounds) as an instalment. This sum was given in equal proportions to the five principal chiefs, and was by them immediately distributed amongst their followers. The survey of the block and reserves was at once commenced, and after considerable time completed. A reference to the final deed of purchase will show with what care and accuracy this was done. Not only are the names of the surveyors and the natives who assisted them given, but we are told by whom each line was surveyed, and by what natives almost every pole was erected and every survey peg inserted. Take for example the Pakaraka reserve: " The second (reserve) is named Pakaraka and Paki Ngaio. The upper boundary of this piece of land is Mr. Porter's line. The lower boundary was surveyed by Mr. Porter, assisted by Piripi and others. The side-lines were surveyed by Mr. Stewart with Piripi and others. The survey poles on one side were erected by Piripi and Nare; those on the south-eastern side were erected by Rihari and Motuarama. This block contains three thousand three hundred acres. This block was formerly of larger dimensions, but has now been reduced by Dr. Featherston, Mr. Porter and Piripi laid off the line reducing it, namely the lower boundary line." The chiefs here named have been and still are actively engaged in rebellion. After the survey was completed, the Natives became clamorous for the completion of the sale, and sent one or two deputations to Wellington, to hasten it; but in consequence of Mr. Commissioner McLean's illness and absence at Auckland, the negotiations remained in abeyance for two years. During this period several ot the principal chiefs joined the King movement, became rebels, and insisted on the Waitotara Block l being handed over to King Potatau. A dispute then arose between them and tbe loyal Natives, who called upon the Government to complete the purchase. At length both parties agreed to refer the matter to Potatau, and to abide by his decision. Tbe old chief Aperahama headed the deputation of Kingites and antisellers ; Rio was the advocate of those who maintained that the land had already passed to the 'Queen. A regular court was held by Potatau, and the proceedings were conducted with great form and solemnity. Aperahama having been first called upon by the court, stated his case, and urged Potatau to accept the land—in other words, to take tbe lands under his protection, and to prevent the sale. Rio then pleaded the case of the sellers, and seems to have made a profound impression on His Majesty's Court; for when Aperahama urged his right of reply, the judges informed him that they had heard quite enough, and then after deliberating for some time, gave as thoir final decision, that Aperahama hadn't a leg to stand on ; that he and those he represented had been consent-

ing parties to the sale, and had received an ample share of the first instalment of £500; that the land had been fairly sold, belonged to the Queen and must be handed over. King Pofatau further ordered .Aperahama not only to cease all further opposition to, the sale, but forthwith to remove from the block, and take up his quarters on the other side of tho Waitotara River. Aperahama, on his return from the Waikato at once implicitly obeyed these orders. At about the same time that Aperahama thus quitted the block in obedience to Potatau's mandate, Hare Tipine, another principal chief, who had received £IOO of the £SOO instalment called a meeting of the tribe, and after publicly announcing his intention to join the rebels at Taranaki, formally renounced his claims on the block, and urged the tribe to complete the sale, declaring that in all probability he should never return. All opposition to the sale having thus been withdrawn, the Government had not the slightest excuse for refusing to comply with the demand of the natives that the price should be fixed and the purchase completed. It was net till after many meetings that the sum of two thousand five hundred pounds was, in March, 1863, agreed to as the amount to be paid for the block; and it was not till July, 1863, after the most ample notice had been given to all claimants to come in, that the final deed of purchase was signed, in the presence of the Wanganui chiefs, and the balance of the purchase money (£2,000) handed over to the two chiefs Rio and Piripi, appointed by the tribe to receive it. Instead of distributing it then and there, Rio and Piripi announced to the runanga that, as Hare Tipine and many others of their friends and relatives were at present fighting against the Queen at Taranaki, and might possibly return, when they would wish to make them a present, "they would lodge the money in the bank. The money thus lodged on a deposit receipt, was not withdrawn till May, 1864, when I believe it was fairly and equitably distributed. Having thus given the history of the purchase, I proceed to notice General Cameron's charges and statements in egard to it. In the private letter which General Cameron wrote to the Governor on the 28th of January, 1865, from Wanganui, he says—" Since I have been in this part of the world, I have made inquiries about the purchase of the Waitara Bloclc, and have reason to believe that it was a more iniquitous job than that of the Waitara Block." When challenged by Sir George Grey to inform him "of the nature of the inquiry he had made about the purchase of the Waitotara, what were his reasons for believing that it was an iniquitous job, and upon whose information his opinions were founded ?" General Cameron, instead of meeting the challenge, says in his letter of the 12th of June, 1865—"1t is no part of my duty to collect information for your Excellency on such a subject as the purchase of the Waitotara Block, regarding which you have ample means of obtaining all the information you require, and I therefore decline entering into any correspondence with your Excellency on the subject." And yet General Cameron, in a letter addressed on the 7th of July, 1865, to the Right Hon. the Secretary of State for War, professes to give a detailed account of the purchase of the Waitotara, explaining the way in which he obtained his information in these terms" It was in riding into Wanganui a day or two after the engagement at Nukumaruthat I received the above account, the truth or falsehood of which I had no means of ascertaining, but my informant was a very respectable settler, who had been a long time in the country, and appeared well acquainted with the history of the transaction;" and then on this statement, " the truth or falsehood of which (he says) he had no means of ascertaining," though in his private note of tie 28th of January he had declared that he had made inquiries, General Cameron proceeds to found and forward to the Secretary of State for War the gravest possible charges against officers of the Colonial Government." Ist. With respect to General Cameron's assertion, "that the purchase of the Waitotara Block was a more iniquitous job than that of the Waitara Block," I unhesitatingly affirm that the validity of the purchase has never been in the slightest degree questioned by the Natives. Of this, the following proofs amongst others may be adduced: Ist. A reference to the deed of sale shows that the boundaries, both of the block and of all the reserves, were marked off by the principal chiefs themselves (in the case of the Waitara, it is notorious that the surveyors were turned off the instant they appeared on the block). 2nd. When some time afterwards it was agreed to reduce the Pakaraka reserve, the same chief (Piripi), who had laid it off, pointed out the pegs and assisted in laying off the new boundary. 3. When the rebel Kingites in 1862 begged Potatau to accept the land and to forbid its sale, King Potatau decided that the land had been fairly purchased, belonged to the Queen, and ordered them to complete the sale. 4th. When, in October 1864, the rebels refused me admission into the Weraroa pah, they admitted that it was built on Queen's laud. sth. When the pah was captured, the chiefs who then surrendered, made a precisely similar admission to his Excellency Sir George Grey, adding that neither they nor anybody else had ever disputed the sale of the block. 6th. Maior-General Cameron himself is compelled to confess that the troops under his command were unmolested as long as they were on Queen's land: "That it was not until the troops entered the village of Nukumaru (Hare Tiptoe's reserve) that their advance was op-. posed by the Natives, and that on that occasion a severe engagement ensued between them." 7th. It was not until General Cameron marched upon the Nukumaru Reserve that the road party was interfered with; so {far from the

Natives objecting to the road being made, they voluntarily allowed it to be carried through their reserves. Even that arch rebel Hare Tipine, who is still in arms against the Queen, when lie heard that it was the intention to avoid his reserve, sent me word that I might take the road through any part of it, and that no opposition would be offered to the road being carried to the Waitotara Eiver. The party who drove off the road party on the 24th of January, 1865, without injuring any of them, were not Waitotara Natives, but strangers on their way to join the rebels in their attack upon General Cameron at Nukumaru. Bth, When a band of Waikatos came to Waitotara to purchase supplies from storekeepers connected with the road parties, the Waitotara Natives compelled them to leave all their arms on the north side of the river, before they would allow them to cross—saying that they would not allow the road parties to be molested as long as they were engaged on the south side of the river. Surely these facts sufficiently show that there is not the slightest foundation for General Cameron's opinion, that the purchase of the Waitotara was a more iniquitous job than that of the Waitara. The only question that has, as far as I am aware, been raised in connection with this purchase, is, whether certain Natives resident in Wellington were not entitled to some small present out of the purchasemoney. But though these Natives, at my request, went to Wanganui for the purpose of preferring their claims, and actually lived ten days or a fortnight with the sellers at Pakaraka, they never uttered a word about their claim. It is equally easy to dispose of General Cameron's other charges and statements, for there is scarcely a particle of truth in any one of them. General Cameron states that " the land (i.e., the Waitotara Block) was hurriedly sold (by the Government), without the usual notice by advertisement, to a few speculators in Wellington, at ten shillings a acre; the sum realised being £13,000, the amount paid to the natives being £2,500. Hare Tipene and other chiefs protested against the sale at the time," &c. I annex a return to show bow little truth is contained in this circumstantial statement. It shows ..that the usual notice of sale was given, the notice required by law being not less than one month, nor more than three. It also proves that instead of being sold to a few speculators in Wellington, thirty out of the thirty-eight purchasers were settlers resident at Wanganui, nearly all the remaining eight being residents it is true in Wellington, but who bought the land for the purpose of locating themselves upon it. By the same return it will be seen that the sum realised, instead of being £13,000, was only £5.259. I have clearly proved that none of the chiefs ever questioned the validity of the sale, that Hare Tipine especially, after formally at a great meeting handing over all his claims to Rio and. others, insisted upon the sale being completed. The assertion that they protested against the Government selling lands, which they admitted belonged to it is too absurd to require notice. General Cameron next states, " that the Government, anticipating opposition to the occupation of the block, commenced a road from Wanganui to the Waitotara." It seems a sufficient answer to this to say that if such had been the case, the last thing the Government would have attempted would have been the formation of a road through a block in dispute; but General Cameron himself writes, that to the construction of this road the natives madeno serious opposition, until General Cameron had occupied Hare Tipine's reserve. " In it," says General Cameron, " the Weraroa Pah was constructed, as a protest against the further continuance of the road." The Weraroa is not in Nukumaru Reserve, but on Queen's land, adjoining the Perekama Eeserve on the Waitotara river, and was constructed, not as a protest against the continuance of the road,-but solely and expressly for the purpose of disputing the passage of the river by the troops. With respect Jo the General's account of the death of Eio, there was no more connection between his murder and the sale of the Waitotara, than there is between the Goodwin Sands and Tenterden Steeple. Even General Cameron's respectable settler, Mr.'Field, confesses that "when Eio was killed by the Waikatos, it was not till after he had made himself con spicuous on the occasion of General Waddy's reconnaissance of the Weraroa, and was as much in revenge for his having been with the troops in the Waikato, as for his acting as a spy and his connection with the sale of the land;" and further adds, addressing the General, " during your own operations your forces were not interfered with, till you crossed the Nukumaru Eeserve boundary, but there you were attacked at once, as trespassing on land to which the Government could havenopossibleßhadowofaclaim." This amounts virtually to an admission that if General Cameron had avoided treading upon the native reserves, he and his army might have marched all over the block without encountering any opposition from the natives. I thus noticed, and I trußt satisfactorily rebutted all the charges made by. General Cameron in reference to this transaction, and having further proved that General Cameron had ample means of ascertaining the truth or falsehood of all the statements contained in his letter to Lord de Grey, I submit that I have a right to complain of the unfair and ungenerous course pursued by Mr. Secretary Cardwellin publishing such grave accusations in a Parliamentary Blue-book, without first affording me an opportunity of replying to them; and also that I have a perfect right to call upon Mr. Cardwell to lay this communication, immediately on its receipt, before Parliament. ' I have, &c., I. E. Peathebston, Superintendent?