A.—No. 4.

Then we pronounced his words to be wrong. We said your act is a Maori robbery of our land. The 800 of Whanganui are not present on this transaction. You are pretending that an agreement has been made to make us fear. He replied : Enough, it is done. I shall give the money to those who have sold the land. "We said that is wrong. "We shall hold our own land. We shall not take your money. Such persistently was the word of all the men. (Here follow the signatures.) Enclosure 8 in No. 2. Statement by Henehe Te Hehekau and Hare Hemi Tahatcape. Manawatu, 16th April, 18GG. This is what was publicly said to Dr. Featherston on the sth April. These are the words of Ngatiraukawa against the sale of Rangitikei. Dp. Featherston, listen attentively. Act justly towards those within your Province. Ngatiapa were desirous of sellingthis land on a former occasion. Ngatiraukawa refused to let it be sold, and it was not sold. They permitted the opposite side of the. Hirer Rangitikei to be sold. It was sold to Governor Grey. Ngatiapa were satisfied. The Hirer Rangitikei constituted the boundary. Subsequently lhakara wished to sell Manawatu. Ngatiraukawa assented to his wish, and Manawatu was sold to Governor Browne. The boundary began at Kaiwi, thence to Omarupupaka, and continued to Pukingahau, where it ended. This was the permanent boundary. Afterwards Te Hirawanu sold the upper part of Manawatu. Ngaktiraukawa assented, and that was sold to Governor Grey during his second Government of New Zealand. Te Hirawanu was satisfied, and the boundary was fixed at Mangawharawhara Te Kotopiko, and Paripuwha, above Oroua, where it ended. This was a permanent boundary.. This land which you are wishing to purchase we will never allow you to purchase: this must be kept for our support. It must be carefully subdivided. We will pay the surveyor and assist him. Dr. Featherston made no reply whatever to these statements of ours. On the 12th April we, Ngatiraukawa, stood in the presence of Dr. Featherston, and expressed our opinions strongly. "Dr. Featherston: Do not purchase our land without our assent, lest you do wrong. If there be any dispute about our land, let it remain as it is : let a Law Court act that it .may be finally settled, because a court has been established for Maori lands. Do not, pull a man down by the back part of his head lest he have a bad fall, and death follow. For our land will not be given up to you to purchase, never. No work has ever been completed in wrong doing. When it is agreed upon by those dwelling in the land, then a sale may be completed." Dr. Featherston replied: " There are SOO men of Whanganui, 200 of Ngatiapa, 100 of Rangitane and Muaupoko tribes which went with me to fight against the bad tribes. They have agreed to sell; this land has become mine : I will give them the money." Ngatiraukawa replied: " We shall retain our own land : we shall not receive your money." On the 16th April we again stated our views to Dr. Featherston : " Listen, Dr. Featherston : Do not give your money to those who are selling the land, but survey the land, that you may see the land belonging to those men who are selling ; then you will be acting rightly, but you give your money first to those who are selling the land, and then when you go with your chain to survey our lands, your chain will not touch the land —it will bo interrupted. You, the Pakeha, will be angry without a cause, inasmuch as you are seizing our land illegally. " Withold your money, lest it be the occasion of stirring up strife, and the people of this place be brought into trouble by you." Hesteee Te Hebbea.it, Hai;:: Hemi Tauakai'e. \ Enclosure 9 in No. 2. Statement by Pabakaia Te Potjepa and others. Takapu, Whare Houkamau, April 5-14. These were our decided words in the presence of Dr. Featherston and all the English of this neighbourhood. We began thus : — "Dr. Featherston : It is not a new thing for Ngatiraukawa to refuse to sell this side of the River Rangif ikei. Formerly, in the time of Governor Grey and Mr. McLean, we quietly gave up the other side for Ngatiapa to do what they liked with ; that side of the river passed fairly into the hands of the Governor, and just as deafly this side remained. Aiterwards, in the time of Mr. McLean and Governor Browne, Seanuncke treated with Ngatiapa. Governor Browne would not listen to Ngatiapa. The sale of Manawatu was arranged with Governor Browne, that of liangitikei with Governor Grey, but those Governors never said any words like those of yours. Listen to the voice of Whanganui and Ngatiapa. Those words are unjust." There were six chiefs of our people who expressed these sentiments. Not a word did Dr. Featherston say in answer to those words. What he said about surveying the land he did answer. What we said about referring the ease to the Law Courts, he did answer. But the precedents of those two Governors he, did not make any answer about, either to find fault with them or to accept them. The new plan that we proposed to refer tfie matter to the Law Court, that he did speak about. These were the words we clearly expressed :" Do what is just; don't do anything like robbing us." Parakaia te Pouepa, Heremia Puke, Matene te Whiwhi, Henere te Herekau, Paranihi te tau, Nepia Taratoa, Wiriharai fe Ngira Aperahama te Huru, Epiha te Kui.

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