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No. 18. MEMORANDUM by the Colonial Secbbtaet. His Excellency having called the Colonial Secretary's attention to the fact that a quotation made by Mr. Whitaker in a Memorandum of this day's date,' from a pencil alteration of a draft notice to Natives, prepared in December last, contains two words which are not in His Excellency's hand-writing in the original" without delay," the Colonial Secretary begs to take the entire responsibility of the error, and regrets in copying the pencil marginal note for his colleague, Mr. Whitaker, he did not observe that the two words alluded to were not in his Excellency's hand-writing. The Colonial Secretary requests therefore that His Excellency will allow him to strike the words from the quotation, the rest of which is in His Excellency's hand-writing. William Fox, Auckland, 17th May, 1864. No. 19. MEMORANDUM as to verbal alteration in Memorandum of 17th May, on Co>'hsca.tio3 of Natite Lands. In reply to the Ministerial Memorandum of the 17th May, the Governor begs to state that ho would prefer that Memorandum remaining in the form in which it was transmitted to him ; but he will attach to it the Colonial Secretary's explanatory Memorandum of the same date, explaining the manner in which the words " without delay" were stated to have been in the Governor's handwriting. • .*ij The Governor's anxiety that this Memorandum should remain in tho form in which lie received it is, that tho error to which he drew the attention ef the Colonial Secretary is not, in his belief, the only one connected with the alteration which Ministers have attributed to the Governor, as will appear from his reply to their Memorandum of the 17th instant. G. Cbet. Government House, 25th May, 1864. No. 20. MEMORANDUM by the Gotek.vok. The Governor has considered his Responsible Advisers' Memorandum of the 17th May. It will be to him a subject of deep regret if, in his alleged zeal for one race he has overlooked the interests of the other. In his belief the interests of the two races are inseparable ; a strict adherence to the course which justice and generosity requires is the only manner in which those interests can be permanently promoted ; to that course he has endeavoured to adhere. In as far as the Governor understands the Memorandum of his Advisers, it advances no solid objection against the justice or generosity of the course he thinks should be now pursued : it rather seems intended to show that he at one time held opinions different from those he now holds. But even if this were the case, it would not shake him in the view he has taken of the manner in which the pressing difficulties he has at this moment to meet should be encountered. If he has taken a wronc view, let this be made clear to him, and he will without delay abandon it. But he thinks that there is a material misunderstanding upon the part of his Advisers on this subject. His views have never varied as to tho propriety and necessity of confiscating large portions (if the territory of the W«ikato, Ngatimaniapoto, and Ngatiruanui Tribes ; portions which in extent should be made, in as far as possible, to vary with the degree of guilt of the several Tribes, or sections of Tribes. He has always felt strongly the necessity of such confiscation, and has perhaps expressed himself strongly in regard to it. Ho thinks all the documents quoted by Ministers will show this. The Governor understands the Secretary of .State to express the same views when ho says : " I ;' do not disapprove of the principle of this measure : I think that any body of Natives which takes up " arms against Her Majesty on such grounds as those which are alleged by the Waiksto*, may properly " be punished by the confiscation of a large part of their common property." This appears to be different from tho principle Ministers asked the Governor to enunciate, that every Native, from whatever part of the island, who had been in arms, had forfeited the whole of his lands, and that only upon his complying with certain conditions before the Ist of July, would a small portion of such lands be restored to him ; conditions which, from various causes, it would probably be impossible for many Natives to comply with before the day named. His Responsible Advisers state in their Memorandum that the Governor twice added to and gave force to passages in which the principle of confiscation was broadly stated by them, in proof of this Ministers say, that " In a draft Proclamation which was before His' Excellency on the Bth of March ■• last, and which he had under consideration for many days previously, there is this passage " : all the " 'laud of those who have beeii fighting is forfeited to the Crown, but part of it will be restored to them.' ■• His Excellency with his own hand struck out the word " them," and added the words " who row come '• in without delay as pointed out in this paper." This document was verbally assented to by His "Excellency, and printed, but subsequently withdrawn on account of a difference of opinion on another " point, namely, the surrender of guns." To this tho Governor replies,'that an inspection of the papers will sliow that he did not strike out the word " them" with his own hand, and that he did not add all the words attributed to him. It appeared to him that the word " them," as it stood in the draft Proclamation, meant " all those who have been fighting." He believed such was not the inteution of hia Advisers, he drew attention to

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PAPERS RELATIVE TO NATIVE AFFAIRS.