'A.—No. 4.

No. 77. Lieut.-General Sir D. A. Cameron to His Excellency the Governor. Sir,— Head Quarters, Camp Patea, 22nd Apr.!, 1865. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your Excellency's k'tter of the 17th instant, in reply to my private letter of the 30th March. I have, &c, D. A. Cameron, His Excellency Sir G. Grey, K.C.B. Lieut.-General. No. 78. Lieut.-General Sir D. A. Cameron to His Excellency the Governor. Sir,— Head Quarters, Camp Patea, 22nd April. 1865. At the short interview I had with your Excellency at the Patea, in February last, I mentioned to you that it was desirable that I should have some knowledge of the circumstances which rendered it necessary that you should have the assistance of a second military aide-de-camp, in order that I might be enabled to account to the military authorities for the employment in that situation of Major Gray, of the Military Train, who, in my absence from Auckland, was allowed by Colonel O'Brien to leave his corps and join your Excellency. You promised to make an official application to me for Major Grayis services, but as I have not yet received it, I beg to bring the subject again to your notice. I have, &c, D. A. Cameron, His Excellency Sir George Grey, K.C.B. Lieut.-General. No. 79. His Excellency the Governor to Lieut.-General Sir D. A. Cameron. Sir, — Government House, Auckland, 21th April, 1865. liTiave the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 3rd instant, which I haw only just received, and in which you raise the following objections to the occupation of Pipiriki:— That it is rather far for us to occupy. That you fear that we have too many irons in the fire. That the closing of the communication between the Ngatiruanui country and the Upper Wanganui, will not have much effect, in as far as the Wereroa pa is concerned. And that if Pipiriki is to be occupied because Captain Lloyd's head was exhibited there, the same reason would exist for the occupation of almost every rebel settlement in the island. I have carefully considered these objections to the occupation of Pipiriki, but being unable to concur in them, I still think it my duty to adhere to the course I have in this instance taken. In reference to the last of these objections, I should state that looking to the importance of Pipiriki, the rank and influence of the chiefs under whose control it was, and the circumstances under which Captain Lloyd's head was exhibited there, and the head of a soldier was sent there, and forwarded from thence to the East Coast, to bring about the murder of Europeans, I cannot see any analogy between the case of Pipiriki and almost all the other rebel settlements in the island. In reference to your observation that you expressed an opinion that if the occupation of the whole country between Taranaki and Wanganui (not merely the coast line) is to be effected in any reasonable time, reinforcements would be necessary, but that you are very far from thinking that the Imperial Government ought to encourage the scheme by sending reinforcements; I would state that the recommendations from you I had to decide on were as follows: — In your letter of the 30th of January, you stated that the engagement with the rebels near Nukumaru had shewn that they had concentrated a large force, and were likely to offer a most determined resistance to our advance through a difficult country, and you therefore recommended that 1 should apply by the first opportunity for a reinforcement of at least two thousand men, and for a still larger reinforcement if, in addition to the occupation of the country between Wanganui and the Patea, the road between Taranaki and Wanganui is to be opened, and more land to be confiscated and occupied north of the Waitara, which you understood to be the plan of the Colonial Government, approved by me. In your letter of the 11th of February, you recommend that myself and some member of the Government should repair to Wanganui as quickly as possible, to make ourselves acquainted with the state of affairs, and to judge whether my instructions could be carried out consistently with the safety of the settlement, or whether they were to be carried out at any risk. I then thought that to stop in an operation advisedly entered upon, would have a most disastrous effect, and that my instructions could be carried out consistently with the safety of the settlement- of Wanganui, and that reinforcements of at least two thousand men to enable the country between that place and the Patea, to be occupied, and still larger reinforcements in the event of the other contingencies to which you have alluded, w-ere unnecessary, and I still think that my opinion was a correct and judicious one. I have, Ac, Lieut.-General Sir D. A. Cameron, K.C.B. G. Grey. No. 80. His Excellency the Governor to Lieut.-General Sir D. A. Cameron. Sir— Government House, Auckland, 26th April, 1865. It was with much regret that I learned from your letter of the 14th instant, that another surf boat had been upset near the mouth of the Waingongoro river, and that nine men have been B

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GOVERNOR AND LIEUT.-GENERAL CAMERON.