B.—No. 2,

No. 11. MEMOEANDUM by Ministers. Hie Excellency having requested Ministers to advise him whether any reduction should be made in the Tauranga force, for the purpose of carrying out the wishes of General Cameron to have a reinforcement towards the front, Ministers are of opinion, that His Excellency haying already ordered Buch reinforcements to be provided from the Auckland Militia and other sources, it is not now necessary to recall any part of the Tauranga force, more particularly after the receipt of the news per " Corio" this day from Tauranga. His Excellency having also requested Ministers to advise whether any Proclamation should be issued assuring friendly Natives at Tauranga that they and their crops will not be interfered with, beg to enclose a Notice to that effect, which, if His Excellency approves, shall be immediately translated for transmission. William Fox. 3rd February, 1864:. No. 12. MEMOEANDUM by MraistKßS. Ministers are of opinion that Colonel Carey should be instructed not to take any offensiv measures at pi-esent, unless to stop war parties going to Waikato. If any such parties arrive by the East Coast, or collect in the District in positions where they can be successfully dealt with, he should stop them by force, otherwise, for the present, merely to hold his position on the defensive. William Fox. Auckland, sth February, 1864. No. 13. COPT of a Letter from Mr. T: H. Smith to the Colo* tax Secreeary. Te Papa, Tauranga, February 11th, 1864. Sic, I have the honor to forward herewith the information required liy the Government as to the Natives of this place who have hitherto implicated themselves in the rebellion. The enclosed sketch and return have been carefully prepared, and may be relied on as containing correct information on the points referred to in Mr Shortland's letter of the 25th ultimo. I received Mr. Shorthand's letter at Eotorua, where I had to attend several important Native meetings. On its receipt I lost no time in coming over here for the purpose of obtaining accurate information on the points referred to, and communicating it to Colonel Carey. I have to express regret that i should have misinterpreted the wishes of the G-overmneut with reference to the information communicated to me by Mr. Baker, in accordance with his instructions. Having, when in Auckland, represented to the Government the importance of stating distinctly to the Natives in this district the intentions of the Government, before even sending a man-of-war down to Tauranga, and having received no other intimation whatever from the Government with reference to the object of the Tauranga expedition, I certainly supposed 1 hat the information which Mr. Baker was instructed to communicate to me " immediately on arrival" was intended to be circulated in the district. As the agent of the Government here, I am mipposed to be informed as to the objects and intentions of the Government in matters affecting the district under my charge, and in a matter of such importance as the military«occupation of a portion of it, it would not be believed by the Natives that I was without such information. T had, then, the alternative of remaining silent, or of giving such information as had been furnished to me by the Government. Had I chosen the former, it would have increased in a tenfold degree, the suspicion which already exists in consequence of the sending of troops here without previous notice. My statement that T was uninformed on the subject is disbelieved, especially having so recently returned from Auckland, and I am charged with purposed concealment. Without presuming to"dictate to the Government on the subject, I beg respectfully to state my opinion that any false position in which the Government or its officer may now stand would have been avoided by placing that officer in a position to state plainly, to those who looked to him for such information, what the intentions of the Government were in sending troops into the district. As regards the assurance given by me in the circular letter referred to in Mr. Shortland's communication, I have to state that that circular was not sent to any tribes in the Bay of Plenty district who are actively engaged in the rebellion, or are known to be aiding or abetting it. It was sent to the Arawa and Ngatiawa tribes, and my object was to counteract the effect which I feared might be produced among the latter—at Te Matata and Whakatane—by the news of the arrival of troops reaching them, unaccompanied by any explanation from Government. When in Auckland, my opinion was asked as to the effect likely to be produced on these Natives, • and others, not implicated in the rebellion, by sending down a man-of-war to Tauranga. My reply was, that if duo notice were given, and the object of doing so explained, no ill consequence* would follow ; but I strongly urged that these precautions should be taken, and I left town under the impression that the course indicated would be followed. I was, therefore, much surprised, after hearing and contradicting a report circulated among the Natives a few days before the arrival of the Tauranga expedition, to the effect that steamers and soldiers were on their way hither, to find that the report was verified.

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PAPERS RELATIVE TO NATIVE AFFAIRS.