FURTHER PAPERS RELATIVE

ambition and pride—the strongest of their passions—enlisted on the side of order and loyalty. They become great pari passu with their cause. March 3, Wednesday—Held adjourned Court Thisis the first timel haverequired a second day's sitting. I find that the census will not be reliable as far as the children are concerned. The ideas ofthe Maori are so very vague as to the age at which a person becomes adult that, as I employ Maori agents, the proportion of children and adults will differ in almost every settlement. Nor xvill the information I obtain myself be much better, for I gather it from Maori lips. I cannot see everyone myself. About Whatawhata I find that only the very young children are put doxvn amongst the children, but the boys and girls are classed amongst the adults. The natives at the late Kangiaohia meeting collecteel £67 for the press. The money is sent, they say to Mr. Davis. A man made an application to-day for a summons for a second hearing; so I explained that they could not have a case tried twice. March 4, Thursday—Aeljourned Court, thebusiness not being finished yesterday. The fact is there are considerable arrears. One day xvill always suffice xvhen the system is in regular operation. After the judicial business xvas finished, a number of very young men made an application to me against the native probationers. After a patient hearing, I found that (apart from some slight mistakes resulting from ignorance and inexperience) their conduct had been good and firm, and the complaints arose from the dislike these young people felt to the restiaint under which they were note held. I explained to them that I found no wrong in the probationers' conduct, and that they had better submit willingly to law than under the influence of compulsion. They said that they were quite xvilling to submit to the decision of the Court when the European magistrate presided, because everything xvas clear and just, but the native magistrates were not so good. I told them that experience was required, and so on, and that in the meantime I xvould always listen to any complaint of error. The native magistrates followed on the same side, and the complainants expressed themselves satisfied. Worked at the census. Some stupid xvomen have been spreading the report that I am numbering the people who adhere to King and those xxdio belong to the Queen. I have, however, as yet, seen no reason to cause me to discontinue. Nor am lat present apt to think that any great risk xvill be run by perseverance; but I fear I cannot get any information in the disturbed districts. However, I sent back Waata and Ngatitipa to xvork on Waikato, as I think his presence might create some jealousy up here. I take on Takerei Taneti, and Mohi instead. Moreover, their local knowledge and influence is greater. Three Europeans attended the Court as listeneis or parties. I find these settlers are all strong supporters of the new system, and their influence is beneficially exerted. Indeed no one xvill profit more than they by the establishment of law, especially accompanied, as it must be, by material advancement. Perused the records of the proceedings of the native magistrates during my absence, —also their correspondence,—and gave my opinion on each, with instructions, &c. The division of the land is gaining strong hold on the minds of the natives. I should like to know the opinion of the Government on the ideas stated in my previous diary, as well as on all the memoranda therein contained. Pulled up the river and slept under a food-stage, the houses being uninhabitable from fleas. March 5, Friday—Waihakari. Started up the river. The detentions at the rix'er side by parties who insiston presenting us with cooked food are very annoying,—butone is obliged to comply xvith these Maori etiquettes, or give offence. Obliged to stop at Pirongia, the settlement of Ngatitekehou, from the heavy rain from the N.E. which had permanently sot in. The people mustered, notwithstanding the rain, and wanted me to hear several cases. I declined, telling them that they must go to the nearest Court-house and take out a summons. lam now in a district that I have never yet visited, so that I have again to begin xvith my teaching from the beginning. Irregular applications for hearings out of Court, or for friendly arbitrations, are never made now in the old elistriets, viz., Waikato and Lower Waipa. The houses here are very miserable, and the people appear as poor as they possibly can be. The amount of cultivation is certainly smaller than it xvas five years ago, and I have no doubt that before winter the people xvill be eating fern root: indeed they say so themselves. I never saxv so much xvretchedness. In my opinion, they have retrograded through the xvhole of this district. March G, Saturday-—Found the hut and everything so wretched that, although heavy rain still continued. I startetl to walk overland to the house or Mr. Turner, about five miles. The canoe came up in the afternoon, and pulled on to Te Kopua. Mr. Turner's account of the natives here agrees with my own observation. Waipa has risen ten feet, and the rain stiil continues. March 7, Sunday—Walked in the evening to Te Kopua, an extensive and very miserable settlement. Took possession of a house, xvhich turned out to swarm with fleas. I forgot to mention that I came up here in compliance xvith a letter from a part of Ngatimauiapoto and Ngatimatakore. March 8. Monday—Te Kopua. The people came to express their desire to have law, and their xvillingness to build a Court-bouse. I told them the usual things, and added that if they showed their earnestness by building a Court-house I xvould visit them, but that arbitrations out of doors were nothing but Maori meetings, the decisions of which were obeyetl or not as the parties thought proper; that the decisions of a magistrate in a Court-house must always be obeyed or the goods of the refusing party would be distrained. They understood this, and so the mutter rests. When a tribe builds a Court-house it is now received as a sign by nix elf and everyone else that they have accepted law. Pulled or rather poled up the river on our way to Axvatoetoe; arrived there at 4 p.m. Hopa and several people came to talk to me previous to the meeting, which is arranged for to-morrow. They pressed me to consent to the erection of a Court-house and the establishment of law. I told them that the place was too remote, and a European magistrate could not visit them regularly. They said they were the Queen's subjects and had a right to have law administered amongst them; that this necessity was so strongly felt that, as I knew, great numbers of the Maories were trying to find out a way of governing themselves; that every one feltthat murders and xvrongs must be stopped amongst them as well as amongst Europeans; that they did not wish to join the new party, because they were ignorant,

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