C—No. 1

Reporting proceedings & negotiations at Ahunri, and enclosing receipts for deeds deposited with the Sub-Treasurer there.

I trust that his Excellency's Government will concur in the advisability of concluding these purchases as speedily as possible, and that with this view I may be empowered to carry on the negotiations with all possible activity, and that means may be found of supplying the requisite funds, even should it be necessary to exceed the estimate made for land purchases in the Ahuriri district during the current financial year. The results to be anticipated from a speedy completion of these purchases are such as to induce me to hope that I may be entrusted with authority to conclude them, if possible, upon my return to Ahuriri. For this purpose, I would venture to suggest that a maximum price per acre should be fixed, which I may be authorised to give for the land, according to quality as — For fern hills, and the inferior description of pastoral land, For medium pastoral land. For grassy hills and terraces. For plains, and medium agricultural land worth 10s. per acre. For the best description of agricultural land, such as would be reserved by the Provincial Government as Suburban or Special Agricultural Lots (as the Aorangi plain). I have, &c, G. S. Cooper, Donald McLean, Esq., District Commissioner. Chief Commissioner, Auckland. i

No. 19. THE DISTRICT COMMISSIONER TO THE CHIEF COMMISSIONER. Ahuriri, November 29th, 1856. Sir,— I have the honor to acquaint you for the information of his Excellency's Government, that since my arrival here I have paid, according to instructions, the final instalments for the purchases made from T-ueha in April, 1855, at Tutae Kuri and Scinde Island, atnountiug to the sums of £100 and £25 respectively, as per copies of Deeds enclosed herewith. Te Moananui declined to receive the final instalment for the Cape Kidnapper Block, because I refused to make a payment for certain lands belonging to him near the Ruahine Mountains, included in Blocks for the purchase of which no negotiations have ever been opened. I have reason to think that this demand was made advisedly by Te Moananui, knowing that it would not be acceded to, in order to afford a pretext for refusing to take the balance of the Cape Kidnapper Block, as he imagines that by adopting this course he wdl be able to get back a part of the land. No allusion, however, was made to this subject, either by himself or any of the Natives who take his side in the land question ; and I did not think it advisable that I should open a discussion. But from what fell from Tareha, and other Natives interested in the payment, I have no doubt that on my return an application will be made for the money, which I left in the hands of the Sub-Treasurer for the purpose. These Natives left for Taupo within a short time after my arrival. Their journey and its object, form the subject of a separate letter of this day's date, which I have dope myself the honor of addressing to you. The final payment for the Mata Block, was the occasion of a great deal of discussion, arising chiefly from an attempt made by Te Moananui to obtain the money for himself. This, of course, I was obliged to resist ; and I finally made the payment to the party for whom it was originally intended, although some dissatisfaction was exhibited by their relatives. I enclose a copy of the Deed. I found the Hapuku and his followers so unwilling to divide the payment for the Maraekakaho and Otaranga Blocks, that I considered it advisable to pay the £1000 intended for these two Blocks, for the Maraekakaho in full. The division of this money gave rise to a good deal of grumbling, and Te Hapuku in order to satisfy the other claimants, gave up his share of the payment to be divided amongst them. This removed the difficulty and the purchase was concluded. I would venture to suggest that the conduct of Te Hapuku, in thus abandoning his right to payment for his share of the land—whereby he has actually ceded a considerable piece to the Government for nothing—is deserving of notice at the hands of his Excellency's Government. I trust that the course which I adopted in this case may meet the approval of his Excellency's Government, as had I strictly adhered to the division of the money, as per schedule to your letter of the 7th October last, no payment could have been made upon either block ; whilst by the course I adopted, 30,000 acres of valuable land have been acquired for settlement, and as will be seen by another letter, there is now a probability of procuring an additional supply of land in the centre of the District, which would not have been the case had I not made this payment. I have the honor to enclose a copy of the Maraekakaho Deed. The original Deeds were deposited, in obedience to your instructions, with the Sub-Treasurer, whose certificates I have the honor to enclose. I regret to say that in consequence of no payment being made for the Cape Kidnapper Block, and of the mode in which Te Hapuku divided the money paid for the Maraekakaho Block, I have been unable to recover any sums on account of advances made to Te Moananui and Te Hapuku.

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COMMISSIONERS' REPORTS