C—No. 3

25

The Private Secretary has referred to me your letter to him on this subject, and, I have no doubt, an authority will be transmitted to you by the Zingari for the employment of an Interpreter on such terms as you may deem expedient and reasonable. I have, &c, (Signed,) Donald McLean, Chief Commissioner. J. W. Hamilton, Esq. Colonial Secretary's Office, Auckland, 4th Nov., 1856. Sir, — Referring to your letter of the 9th ultimo, addressed to the Private Secretary, representing the difficulty of your procuring an Interpreter to assist you in conducting purchases of land from the Natives, I have the honour, by direction of His Excellency's Government, to inform you that the stay of the steamer here on this occasion is so short that it would be impossible to despatch one from Auckland, but, if you be unable to advise the Government that you can procure one by the return of the Zingari from the South, an officer will be sent from hence. But, the Government trust that you will use every exertion to obviate the necessity for this, as the expense to be incurred thereby would be considerable. I have, &c, (Signed,) W. Gisboene, Under Secretary. The Collector of Customs, Canterbury. Lyttelton, December 4, 1856. Sm ( — I have the honor to report, for the information of Her Majesty's Government, that, finding the Native Land question had reached a highly favourable point with the Maories for effecting a settlement of it at once, I have felt it right to make every exertion to carry out His Excellency's instructions. I have succeeded in obtaining the kind services of Mr. Aldred, Wesley an Minister at this place, than •whom no other Interpreter can be found among the residents of this Province. From what I learnt from that gentleman of the anxiety of Maories for an immediate settlement, and of their determination to come to no terms after any much longer delay, I have' not waited for any Interpreter to come from the North. I proceed on the 6th to Akaroa. I have, &c, (Signed,) J. W. Hamilton. The Honourable The Colonial Secretary, &c, &c, &c. / Akaroa, December 11th, 1856. Sib, — I have the honor to report, for His Excellency's information, that I have this day obtained the surrender to the Crown from the Maories of their remaining possessions on Banks' Peninsula. The skill with which Mr. Commissioner Johnson's previous negotiations were conducted had left me an easy task to perform. But, without the influence which Paora (Native Assessor) and the principal Maories of Eapaki, Port Levy, and Kaiapoi, lent towards the settlement of this land question, it would probably have remained open for many years to come. The Government are indebted to the Revd. Mr. Aldred, of the Wesleyan Mission, for the kindness with which he has lent his services as an interpreter, and undertaken a tedious and troublesome journey to Akaroa, at a season wh«n he could ill spare the time for it. No other competent Maori scholar caii be found in this Province. The arrangement with the Maories is based on Mr. Johnson's Memorandum of 14th August last. They insisted however on retaining 400 acres for a reserve at Wairewa (Little river J, and unanimously rejected, in the most positive terms, the «£lso offered as payment, unless, this reserve were to be made, as well as that at Onuku and Wainui. The boundaries of the Reserves have been provisionally agreed to. They are to be finally decided upon on the ground itself:—and Mr. Davie, of the Survey Department, who has been present at the meetings with the Maories, is to survey them as soon as the lines are cut through the Forest. I shall proceed to-morrow upon this service ; owing, however, to the density of the Forest, the mountainous character of the country, and the necessity for proceeding by water to the several reserves, it will be necessary to remain ten days or a fortnight in this neighbourhood. The crops now standing on lands not included in the reserves, are to be gathered in before any act of occupation is to be allowed to settlers. I request leave to call your special attention to this fact, —and that you will move His Excellency, previous to the signing of any Crown Grants for portions of this recent purchase, to cause the insertion of a condition guarding the Maori wheat crops to the end of March, and their potatoe crops to the end of May 1857 : or perhaps the Canterbury Land Department should be required to certify that no land so cropped is included in any Crown Grants sent up for His Excellency signature.