A.—No. 4.

all the advantages are on their side, and where they would have a good opportunity of inflicting loss upon us, with little or no risk to themselves. It certainly would not be carrying out your idea of punishing them. I have no doubt they would have been delighted if we had attacked their pa, and that they have been as much disappointed at our not doing so as you and Mr. Mantell have been. What is it to Mr. Mantell, or to any other Colonial Minister, how many British officers and soldiers we lose in any operation they recommend, so long as the policy they advocate is carried out ? And I confess that this is a point which, it appears to me, has never sufficiently entered into your calculations ; for I remember your wish that I should attack the pa at Paparata, and I have reason to believe that you were of opinion I ought to have attacked the pas at Meremero and Pateranga, and that you and the Colonial Government were as much disappointed on those occasions as you appear to be in respect to the Wereroa pa. For my own part, I have a grave responsibility in this matter, and having already lost a great many valuable officers and men in attacking pas, I think I may be excused if I am somewhat cautious in undertaking operations of that description without the most absolute necessity ; at all events, I consider it my duty, whenever you propose to me an operation which I think likely to be attended with serious loss, to let you know my opinion, and leave it to you to decide whether the political object to be gained is worth the cost. I have no doubt, if Mr. Mantell, instead of talking of my swallowing up the pa, quick, of the friendly natives, taking it in as short time as they would take to march there, and such trash, will set to work in sober earnest, and keep himself informed through the medium of friendly natives, of what is going on at the pa, that w re shall have an opportunity of taking it with little loss. In regard to the last paragraph in your letter, I would observe that it was not at all necessary, because I did not attack the pa, that I should advance and occupy the coast between the Patea and Taranaki; there was no such alternative in the ease. I have, Ac, D. A. Cameron, Lieut.-General. P.S. —I shall feel much obliged if you will acknowledge the receipt of this letter when it reaches you. D. A. C. His Excellency Sir George Grey, K.C.B. No. 61. Lieut.-General Sir D. A. Cameron to His Excellency the Governor. My dear Sir George,— Camp near Manawapou, 31st March, 1865. It appears from your letter of the 21st, on the subject of blockhouses, that it is doubtful whether this country will be held by the troops. Before taking any further steps therefore towards the construction of blockhouses, I shall feel obliged if you will inform me : — Ist. How long the troops are likely to be required to occupy the country ? 2nd. What points on the coast they will be required to occupy, and with what object? When I have this information, I shall be able to judge whether it will be worth while building blockhouses, and at what points and of what size they ought to be constructed. I would recommend that you and some member of the Government should take a look at the line we occupy, otherwise I think it will be difficult for you to form an opinion on such questions as that which I now refer to you. I have, Ac, D. A. Cameron, His Excellency Sir George Grey, K.C.B. Lieut.-General. No. 62. His Excellency the Governor to Lieut.-General Sir D. A. Cameron. My Dear Gent.hal, — Wanganui, 31st March, 1565. I should feel very much obliged to you if you would give orders as soon as you can, for the advances from the Commissariat chest which I wrote to you about, being made at this place, as we find it difficult to provide funds for paying the Militia, Ac; and it is a matter of great importance to us to pay them with regularity. There are some large canoes on the beach about four miles beyond Manawapou, at a place called, I believe, Taanga-hoe. We are very anxious to get these canoes for river transport, to supply the posts on this river, and I proj>ose in four or five days to send some natives up to bring them down here. We have pushed on two hundred Europeans to Koromiti, and to-day a large party of Natives have started from this place, who, in conjunction with one hundred and fifty of these Europeans will proceed to Pipiriki, and occupy it. They will reach Pipiriki on Monday: it is about eighty miles up the river, and, as I have already explained to you, is the point from which all the native roads of consequence branch off to Waitotara, and the Eangitikei. It is also the place where poor Lloyd's head was taken and exhibited on a pole, and from whence the head of a soldier was recently sent to the East Coasi tribes, thereby causing the atrocities which have resulted in Mr. Volkner's death. I think that the Waitotara people will feel very uncomfortable when they find that we are in possession of Pipiriki. I am just about to start for Wellington, where I will remain until Monday, and thence go on to the East Coast and Auckland, that I may see what is being done in regard to the murderers at Opotiki. Major Atkinson will remain here until Thursday next, if you want anything he can do for you. I am sorry that the orders given to Ihe master of the "Ahuriri" do not meet your views, but no difficulty took place about the Military Settlers coming from Taranaki, and I am satisfied that the place is quite safe; Colonel Warre, I understand from Major Atkinson, was quite prepared for these men being withdraw'!! from Taranaki.

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