A.— No. 8.

track, as lie suspected there were some rebel plantations, and perhaps some rebels, in that neighbourhood ; he likewise told me to say to them that if they did not go willingly, he would confine them and make them go by force; that the General had given him orders to destroy all the rebel places, and he was to make use of the friendly Natives as he liked. I asked him about pay and rations for them, when he said they would get neither, but that lie would let one of them go back to their village and get food for them all. I told him if he would let them all go back to their place, I would be answerable for their return when he wanted them, to which he agreed. Before the Natives -went back they told me that one of the officers from AY area had been to their place and said to them, if they did not find guides to show them all the tracks and cultivations, they (the soldiers) would burn all their places down : they said, we came here to complain about it, but now from what Captain Horan has said, we are certain there is a great change for the worse towards us: however we have written to Mr. Parris about it. They then went to their own place, after telling Captain Horan that there was nothing on the track he wanted to go, except some cultivations of their own. On Thursday morning the Bth., the Natives (Porana, Reweti, and To Rei,) came back to Stoney River camp. Captain Horan sent for me, and desired me to tell them that he "was not going to-day," but should start " to-morrow morning " at half-past 3 o'clock, and that they were to remain in camp. As the Natives told me they had no food at their kaianga to bring with them, I spoke to Captain Horan again about rations, when he said he would not order any; if he did he should have to pay for them, but he would speak to the issuer and see if he could get them something. The issuer gave them some broken biscuits and nothing more. I bought them some sugar myself at the canteen, and gave them all the tobacco I had. The Natives were then told they could make use of the orderly room tent to stop in. They protested very strongly against being made to work without pay or rations. I told Captain Horan I considered that he had no more right to force those Natives to work without pay or rations than he had to take any labouring man from the Omata Block ; that they were British subjects, had signed the oath of allegiance upwards of a year ago, and were placed in their present abode by the Government. He again quoted the General and said, he was determined to carry out what he had stated previously. W. Carbixgtox. No. 3. Copy of a Letter from Mr. E. Pahris to the Hon. A. 11. Russell. (55.) Sir, — New Plymouth, 22nd February, 1866. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of the Under Secretary's letters of the 13th and 15th instant, conveying instructions to me to inquire into and report upon the losses sustained by certain Natives in the Taranaki district by the action of the troops. I have already reported the result of these untoward occurrences, which drove as loyal a Native chief as any in New Zealand from his allegiance to the Government, and will, I am very much afraid, be the cause of unsettling others, and of prolonging the unhappy struggle, likely to become more desperate than ever, which precludes the possibility of my doing anything in the matter at present, as there appears to be no limit to the movements of the forces, who put their own construction upon places, whether friendly or unfriendly, regardless of the remonstrances of interpreters or auy one else. The district from Te Ikaroa to Waingongoro, a .coast line of about forty-five miles, in which since last June no one has ever been molested, is now infested with ambuscades, watching no doubt for small parties, to cut them oft". A Native who came from Opunake with letters on the night of the 20th instant, passed no less than four rebel encampments between that place and Warea without being seen. Two friendly Natives, in attempting to communicate with "William King, fell into an ambuscade and were fired upon, when one of their horses was shot dead, and both of them made prisoners. The parties composing the ambuscade wore Taranakis and Waikatos ; and among the latter was Tapihana. Waikato proposed to kill them, but Taranaki would not consent, and they were both taken to the bush, that their fate may be decided by the Council; and in their deliberations the Waikatos proposed to keep them prisoners, but were opposed by the Taranakis, who afterwards liberated them in the nighttime, when they returned to Opunake. I beg to enclose herewith a copy and translation of a letter which I have received from the chief Wiremu Hukanui, of Te Kanae, and hope before the mail leaves on the 28th, to be enabled to furnish His Excellency's Government with further particulars respecting this unfortunate occurrence just at a time when there was every prospect of the whole district north of Waingongoro extending to Mokau being settled by the end of this month. I have, &c, R. Parris, The Hon. the Native Minister, Wellington, Civil Commissioner. Enclosure in IS'o. 4. Copy of a Letter from Wieejitj Hukamji to Mr. Parris. E iioa c Parete — __ Te Kauae, Pepuere 17, 1566. Tena koe. Ka nui toku aroha atu ki a koe i roto ite mate raua ko te ora. E hoa tenei ano au te pupuru nei i au kupu i tou taenga mai ki to Kauae nei, kaore c wareware ahakoa nui nga pouritanga kflore c ngaro i au. E hoa ko taku matua iau c noho nei ko Kanara Patara raua ko Kapene kua tae mai te raua Haki Kuiui ki te Kauae nei heoi tena. E hoa ko nga tangata o te Kauae nei kua pakaru, no te maid a te Tianara ki tenei taha o Waingongoro ka pakaru me i tera taha ano ekore c pakaru, ko nga mca i noho hui katoa nga tangata nga wahine nga tamariki c 33. Heoi ano. Na Wiremu Hueaxui.

5

WIREMU KINGI MATAKATEA, ETC,