E.—No. 2c

Government to introduce 2,000 or 3.000 more in the same way, bringing up the numbers to to 5,000 or 6,000; and it was also the intention of the Government to bring from the parent country 15,000 more, chiefly agricultural labourers, to be located in a similar manner in other parts of the rebellions districts. Thus there would be located in the Provinces of Auckland and Taranaki at least 20,000 souls and their families. * * * * " That loan they proposed ultimately to pay off wholly or in part by the sale of portions of those that might be in the hands of the rel In a proclamation dated April 30th, 1864, signed by the Governor, printed but not issued in consec; a; nee of an objection raised by the Governor to compelling the rebel natives to give up their arms, is the following passage much of which in the original draft is in Eis Excellency's own handwriting:— " General Cameron and Her Majesty's military, naval, and Colonial forces have conquered Waikato, and are now in possession of all tne pahs and strong places. Meremere, Eangiriri,Ngaruawahia, Paterangi, Rangiawhia, Kihikihi, and Maungatautari have been taken, and are occupied by the Queen's troops. The chiefs and tribes of Waikato have already had opportunities afforded them of obtaining pea.ee and protection, although they have been perverse and obstinate, and by their conduct have justly forfeited all their lands, yet out of consideration for themselves their wives and their children another opportunity will now be given them to return to Waikato as peaceable subjects of the Queen and under her laws and protection." The Governor, in his reply to the letter of the Aborigines Protection Society, under date April 7th, 186 _, v. role as follows : " On (lie other hand, it was thought necessary by an example to shew tliat those who rose in arms against their fellow subjects of another race suffered such a punishment for doing so as might deter others from embarking in a similar career. It is therefore proposed to deprive such persons of a considerable portion of their landed properties, and to provide for tiie future safety of the Colony by occupying such lands with an European population." In a letter dated Ngaruawahia, December, 1863, prepared by flic Governor's direction, the terms of which were fully sanctioned by him and the draft corrected by himself, but not sent for reasons given by His Excellency in his •Memorandum of December 18th, L 863, attached, is the following passage: "All the land of those who have been fighting at Waikato and Taranaki shall belong to the Queen, and it must be understood that in laying down their arms they relinquish all their lands, excepting only such pieces as I shall allow each man. 1 will keep 500,000 acres for them at Waikato and Taranaki and other places where they have been fighting, to live upon!" From these quotations it will be seen that up to April last there was no difference of opinion between the Governor and his Ministers upon the subject of confiscation and colonisation; no passage, as far as the Colonial Treasurer is aware, is to be found in any of His Excellency's despatches and memoranda up to that date which can lead to a doubt upon the subject. Now. however, 11 is Excellency forwards a tracing, No. 1. of part of the Lower Waikato country, which, the quotation from Mr. Domett's Memorandum of the 24th June, he says willfully make known what were His Excellency's views upon the subject of the forfeiture of native lands. Annexed to this Memorandum will be found a calculation, made by Major Heaphy, chief surveyor of the General Government, of the areas of the different piece.-, of land on thai tracing proposed to be t_ the natives. The total area is 164,668 acres, from which there is to be deducted 76,800 acres as unavailable "for settlement on account of the rugged character of the laud," leaving, a balance available for sa.le, settlement. __(-.. of 87,868 acres. If from tliis there be again deducted the very moderate proportion of l-10th for roads and public reserves, il would be just possible to locate 1318 military settlers under the regulations of August 3rd. 1863. The political aspect of this plan is as curious as the quantitative. The land was to have been taken "from the territories of those tribes now in arms against the Government," "the chiefs of Waikato who I l unprovoked a manner caused Europeans to be murdered, &c, were to have such a punishment inflicted on them as would deter other tribes from hereafter forming and attempting to carry out designs of a similar nature." It has been seen that the chiefs of Waikato who had been principally so engaged were the Ngatimaniopotos undl r l.ewi. who occupy the country at the foot of the ranges which bound the great delta formed by the Waikato and Waipa, and the tribes Ngatihaua, Ngatiiuohiitia. &C, residing mainly in the southern portions of Waikato, beyond Ngaruawahia Vet not an acre of their country is proposed to be taken by this confiscation plan of His Excellency; by a curious infelicity of adaptation if stops at Ngaruawahia, and Ngaruawahia is the property, not of fhe more southern tribes, but chiefly of AVilliam Naylor and his people, the most firm and consistently loyal native in Nee Zealand, after Tamati Waka, if even he should be excepted. His Excellency reverses the instructions of Mr. Cardwell and the dictates of natural just ice, and would punish much those who are not guilty and leave unpunished those who are guilty in the highest degree. Had the plan now proposed been always the plan of tbe Governor, why did he write on December 16th, 1868, to AVilliam Te AVheoro as he did, "They (the natives; should quickly determine what they intend to do in this matter, as the General will continue to move to the front without a stop in his progress." The General, on the Bth December, had reported that he was then at Ngaruawahia, and that the Queen's flag was flying there. If Ngaruawahia had been the extreme limit of the Governor's operations for the permanent pacification of the country, why order the Gem nil to coin inue moving on to the front ? Why spill the blood that was spilt at Kangiawhia and Orakau? One answer only can be given to questions of this kind. Plan No. 1 could not have been the plan of the Governor before April last any more than it ever was or is the plan of Ministf rs. In reference to the Plan No. 2, which the Governor says is the Colonial Treasurer's plan, the Colonial Treasurer would simply remark, as regards the tracing referred to, that he did not furnish it to the Governor, and it docs not describe the boundaries as he described them to the Governor ; for he distinctly stated that the line from Tauranga to Raglan, as he always understood it, passed along " the head of the navigation of the rivers Waipa, AVaikato, and Thames." If that lino be traced, it will be found that very little extension iv area was even suggested by Ministers ; that the little that was suggested, as explained to the Governor, was to obtain what was supposed to be a better line of road to AVaipa from Kawhia than could be got from Raglan ; that when it was discovered that the Kawhia road was not so good, that extension was abandoned ; and that the extension to Hangatiki was agreed • * Sec page 3, E. No. 2.

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