E—No. 3jt

TO NATIVE AFFAIRS. ■ punishing murderers and robbers, whether those offences be committed in Native Districts or in the neighbourhood of English Settlements; and by promising to them such assistance as the British Government may be prepared to give, for the maintenance of order throughout the whole Northern Island. It is my firm belief that the discharge of this duty, as above stated, large and difficult as it seems, would require a less force than will be found necessary to settle the present question at Taranaki, because it is of the nature of military force to generate opposition; but all men, and New Zealanders among the rest, have a respect for Law. 7. That the present quarrel be allowed to die away into a tacit armistice till feelings on both sides are sufficiently calm to allow of negotiations for peace. I should gladly assist in endeavouring to restore confidence among the Natives on some such basis as the above. G. A. New Zealand. To His Excellency Governor Gore Browne.

No. 7. MR. STAFFORD TO THE LORD BISHOP OF NEW ZEALAND. Colonial Secretary's Office, Auckland, 3rd May, 1861. My Lord, — I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your Lordship's letter of the 23rd April. The object of that letter is stated to be " to request that the Territorial right of that community of " Natives which resides at the W T aitara River may be made the subject of a judicial enquiry ;" and from your " Memorandum of the 2nd February last, enclosed in your letter, I learn that you desire " that all questions on the subject of the Native title to land be submitted to a Tribunal having a " status as permanent as that of the Supreme Court, and established with the concurrence of the " Crown, the General Assembly, and the Native Conference." The subject of the establishment of a Native Land Title Tribunal has engaged the attention of the present Government ever since it came into office, in 1856, up to the present time ; and some attempts have been made towards the accomplishment of that object, but unfortunately the difficulties encountered have been hitherto insurmountable. The Government, however, entertains a hope that ultimately some plan of that kind will be established. With respect, however, to the Waitara, the Governor has already made arrangements for the settlement of any questions arising there ; and there is every reason to believe that those arrangements will be successful if only they are not interfered with. A settlement of these questions is urgently pressing, and it would be unwise and dangerous to delay it. I refrain from entering into a controversy on many disputable questions introduced into your Lordship's letter, as I feel assured that no possible advantage would result from a discussion of them at the present juncture. There is, however, one point which I feel it necessary to notice in order to guard against silence being construed into acquiescence. On a former occasion your Lordship claimed on behalf of the Clergy of the Church of England a " special right" of interference, and you now prefer a similar claim on your own behalf. It is impossible to admit any special right on the part of the Bishop of New Zealand or of any of the Clergy of the Church of England, in their capacity as members of a religious body, to interfere between Her Majesty's Government and ber Native subjects. I have, &c, E. W. Stafford, His Lordship the Bishop of New Zealand.

No. 8. THE BISHOP OF NEW ZEALAND TO MR. STAFFORD. Auckland, May sth, 1861. Sir,— I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 3rd May, in which I understand you to object to my proposal, that the Territorial rights of that community of Natives which resides at the Waitara should now be made the subject of a judicial enquiry, Here our correspondence might have ended if you had not introduced a new subject which seems to require a few final remarks. The words to which I refer are these : "On a former occasion your " Lordship claimed, on behalf of the Clergy of the Church of England, a special right of interference, " and you now prefer a similar claim on your own behalf. It is impossible to admit any special right " on the part of the Bishop of New Zealand, or of any of the Clergy of the Church of England, in " their capacity as members of a religious body, to interfere between Her Majesty's Government and " her Native subjects,"