D.—No. 3.

The conditions under which the land is granted are occupation and permanent residence for three years, and although no special block of land can be set apart in the country there would be no difficulty in any number of eligible people going together, and going out as a body, in being located in one spot or district, and receiving their farms in contiguous blocks. The Board would not hesitate to pledge themselves that this arrangement would be carried out by the Government. The district proposed to be settled is along the banks and inland from the Waikato River, an entirely new district which has never been open before for European settlement; indeed it lias only lately become Crown lauds, having be^n forfeited by the natives iu rebellion, and is perhaps the finest in the whole of the North Island. I will also enclose you a circular containing the conditions under which the Board is prepared to grant free passages and ten acres of land to agricultural people who would be likely to succeed in settling upon the land. Married people are preferred. Wives and children would also get free passages, but no family can be taken with more than two children under ten years of age. If you and the party acting with you should entertain the idea of emigrating under the fifty-acre grant regulations of the General Government of New Zealand, the Board will be glad if you will call upon them at their office any day after the 16th instant by making a previous appointment, when further information can be communicated. I have, &c, ¥m. S. Grahame, John McElroy, Esq., For the New Zealand Emigration Board. 15, Alma-square, Moss iSide, Manchester. Enclosure 3 to No. 2. John McElboy, Esq., to the New Zealand Emigration Boabd. 15, Alma-square, Moss Side, Gentlemen, — Manchester, September 9th, 1863. I have duly received your letter of the 6th instant, and have communicated with my friends respecting its contents. "Whilst thanking you for the information you give us, the proposition as you put it will scarcely give what we have desired. It is our intention certainly to emigrate to some part of New Zealand, but what part it will be will depend on the balance- of advantage we see before us. In our desire for a special settlement we are altogether actuated by the great advantages we would gather from it: our lauds would have an immediate increase in value ; the farmers, haiulicraftsmen, and traders would be mutually benefited by their immediate proximity to each other ; and our numbers and contiguity would give security and strength to the settlement. On the other hand, if we emigrate in the usual way, we would either have as neighbours settlers brought probably from Australia or other colonies, in whom we would not have the confidence we could place in people selected in this country: or perhaps we would have few or no neighbours, which would not be desirable in a district lately held by a triby notoriously hostile to the rule of the Government. I fully appreciate what you say as to the quality of the land in the Waikato valley, which quite answers to what I have previously heard of it. The disadvantages, however, are on the whole so great that it would be better for us to go to Canterbury, where we would be more certain of a steady progress and where there is no native difficulty to contend with. I must therefore beg your permission to return once more to my original proposition as to a special settlement. I gather indeed from your letter that there can be really no difficulty in getting a block set apart far us, fur if such an arrangement can be made for ten or fifty why cannot it be made for Jive hundred ? There is now an immense quantity of land in the hands of the Government on the Waikato, as well as on the Thames and elsewhere, and 30,000 or 40,000 acres might easily be spared for the purposr as we have requested. One of the main points to be considered would be I presume the necessity of your supervision as to emigrants selected, but this might I should say be easily arranged without impeding the freedom of our exertions, which of course would be necessary to success. The question then remains—as you say special blocks cannot be granted in this country —will you be good enough to apply with regard to this matter to the New Zealand Government, and as we have Bet our heart on this matter, will you kindly use your influence to get our request granted. With respect to locality, we will accept one on the Waikato, but if we could get one on the Thames we would prefer it, because the easiness of water carriage to Auckland is so much in favor of the latter, and the well-known difficulty of access to ports on the westward side of New Zealand, will always be an obstacle to the Waikato becoming a port of importance. There are one or two points in the new regulations which I think will act very prejudicially with respect to the emigration from this country of the better class of settlers, but I will not trouble you with my opinions about them at present. We are quite willing to accept however the conditions which are indispensible, on the understanding that we will be at the least in as favorable a position as other parties. Trusting your reply will be favorable, I remain, Ac, The New Zealand Emigration Board, London. John McEleot. Enclosure 4 to No. 2. The New Zealand Emigration Boaed to John McEleot, Esq. Office of the New Zealand Emigration Board, Sib, — 3, Adelaide-place, E.C., 13th September, 1861. The Board is in receipt of your letter of the 9th instant, and can quite understand the ad van-

3

OF EMIGRANTS TO NEW ZEALAND,