E—No. 5a

horse. Now, considering that nearly all temptation to irregular behaviour, in the Maori society, proceeds in the first instance from the woman and not from the man, it will be seen what a lucrative investment can be made by inter-marrying with a Maori coquette who will be artful enough to inveigle others, without committing herself or husband. In this way much money and property changes hands in New Zealand. I recollect one of the Waitara people being fined £200 for adultery with one of the women of the Puketapu, and this large sum was collected and paid by the tribe. Immediately after this, the tables were turned, and one of the Puketapus was found convicted of a similar offence with one of the chief married woman of Waitara. Expecting to meet with equal promptitude, as from themselves, they laid the damages at £300, hoping to clear 4100 by the transaction, for such it was in every sense of the word. For I was credibly informed, that it was a mere intrigue between the young chief and his wife (never very chaste), that she should so prostitute herself, as not only to bring back to the tribe the original fine, but half as much again, by way of interest. At my suggestion, the £200 were re-paid to the Atiawas, and a full stop put to all further prosecutions for criminal convictions of so outrageous a character. But for that, we should shortly not have had a virtuous woman in the district. At Opotiki there was a very extensive Runanga—indeed there were two, one for the young men, and the other for the adults, this latter one comprising 70 members; I saw them all, and made provisional arrangements with them to accept our better system in lieu of this obectionable and unwieldy one. They chose a very intelligent Chief called Poihipi as Assessor (subject to the Governorapproval), and two sets of 12 each, to act as Runanga for corporate purposes; and I took care that the Protestants and Roman Catholics should be well intermixed in each set. At first, they wished for an Assessor to be appointed for each church, but finally agreed to unite in choosing Poihipi, which they would not have done for any other man in the tribe. The people of this place had thirteen vessels, ten of which were in the river; they had upwards of fifty ploughs, 26 drays and carts, and other implements in proportion. They have miles of good roads, leading to a water mill in the centre, which cost them £800; and some of the bridges, entirely of Maori workmanship, are equal to many on the South Road. The fact of this having been formerly the station of the Rev. Messrs. Wilson and Davies, will partly account for this advancement; in addition to which they receive counsel and encouragement from the Europeans living amongst them, and especially from the Roman Catholic Priest (Key. J. Alletage), who seems to advise them in their worldly affairs with great zeal and judgement. And yet, for want of a few mechanics, their agricultural implements and coasting vessels were falling into a sad state of unrepair; and the Government could do no better service to these industrious but isolated people (as well as to those of Tauranga) than by encouraging a few tradesmen, such as a miller, a wheeiright, a baker, a carpenter, a blacksmith, and a shoemaker (partly for repairing their harness), to go down and settle amongst them. The Runanga promised me to give small sections of land to such parties as might agree to go and occupy themselves partly in their own trades. Few better places could be chosen than Opotiki for working out such a system, nor could Government assistance be rendered them in a more useful oa unobjectioable manner; and from such an example the whole of the Bay of Plenty and the East Cape would soon be sensibly affected. Whereas, if-dlowed to run, as they are at present, in the mischievous work of " Runanga whakawas," all their other and more important affairs will be neglected, and the whole of the Whakatohea and Urewera tribes thrown into a state of internal discord. Their great council of 70 members actually sat during five long nights, in adjudicating a case which ended after all in a verdict of Bs.; and yet, I should think, these are men capable of being raised to anything within the scope of Maori capacity. At Wairoa on the Tarawera Lake I found a model runanga, acting under a very excellent chief called Te Kepa, and in co-operation with Parakaia, the Government Assessor of that place; but then they have the rare advantage of being advised in everything by their missionary, the Rev. Mr. Spencer, and his intelligent and indefatigable lady. These Natives give a hearty attention to improvements of many kinds, in houses, fences, roads, bridges, and mills; and if Te Kepa, who is a Church teacher, could be obtained from Archdeacon Brown, and appointed as chief Assessor, this district would soon feel the effect of the change; for old men like Parakaia are not suitable for that office, however well they might do as the head of a runanga. I wrote a note to Tauranga to that effect, but the Venerable the Archdeacon declined to part with so useful a teacher. And yet, on the opposite side of the lake, amongst the Ngatirangihihi I found the runanga all at fault, meddling, and judgiug, and fining on all hands; and it took me two whole days and nights in getting them into order, and re-adjusting the most unreasonable of cases.

At Rotorua, I met the Arawa and Ngatiwhakaue tribes, to whom I explained the whole of our English system (as far as suitable to themselves): and after due discussion, they wrote a letter of proposal to His Excellency the Governor for the appointment of a Resident Magistrate, when their Runanga Maori would be given up. In consequence of this, and of the general state of good feeling throughout the Bay of Plenty, Mr. Clarke was gazetted for that circuit. At Patatere, each village had its runanga; but all subject, more or less, to the influence of their head Chief, Paora Te Uatai, who lost his life at Taranaki. I spent a night with him on the Thames, and found him to be a very intelligent and agreeable old man. At Maungatautari, our Assessor, Tioriori, sat with me on a case of dispute between some of the Arawa and Ngatihaua, and I could not but admire the judicious and straightforward manner in which he acted. The former party were oast in a sum of £5, whiah was cheerfully paid on the spot. But here also was a runanga sitting independently of the Assessor, and which recently mulcted a resident Pakeha to a very unreasonable amount, but, after explanation, they allowed me to over-rule the judgment. Tioriori is a man of powerful influence in the whole of that and the Upper Waikato district, and should not be allowed by the Government to lapse away into the Maori King party, as he seems at present to be doing. And yet, in his case, a circumstance occurred shewing how strongly the head Chiefs object to the law being canied out when against themselves. At his own instance, a stock-

8

REPORTS AND SUGGESTIONS