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ZEALAND TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE.

21

A.—No. 1.

tested before he left Auckland, but without success, against this most iniquitous proceeding. Tho ouly man here (of position, I mean) who sincerely and conscientiously has Imperial interests at heart is the General. The Governor lives in his Island of Kawau, a great man, with ten British Eegiments at his disposal, leaving everything to his Ministers, and never giving a single instruction to the General, unless proceeding in the first instance from his Eesponsible Advisers! And thero is no lack of instructions from them, as you may imagine; and so long as matters remain in their present state, you may depend on it tho war will be kept going, on one pretext or another. " As for their paying £40 per annum for every man of" the army here, that is absurd, and they know it too, and ridicule the idea accordingly. They are heavily in debt, and have not the moans of paying their own small expenses, much less paying for all of us. They will not pay a sixpence, and have not the smallest idea of doing it."

Enclosure 2 in No. 14. Extract from the " Morning Star," of the 13th May, 1865. "We published yesterday a remarkable letter from a distinguished officer who is serving with the army in New Zealand. " We are in a position to vouch for the genuineness of the communication, and the high character of tho writer."

Enclosure 3 in No. 14. Extract from an Auckland Newspaper, of the 14th of August, 1865. " The night before the General left Auckland, when he forwarded to us the letter we published on the Ist instant, denying that any orders of his had precluded the Officer commanding the troops in tho Whanganui District from assisting the Governor, the gentleman, one of the General's Staff, who brought us the letter told us that Sir Duncan would, had he had time to have done so, have refuted other insinuations thrown out against him by His Excellency—amongst them the charge that he had so long neglected to take the Weraroa Pa, the cause of his doing so being the express orders of His Excellency."

No. 15. Copy of a DESPATCH from Governor Sir George Grey, X.C.8., to the Right Hon. Edward Cardwell, M.P. (No. 161.) Government House, Wellington, Sir,— 14th December, 1865. In my Despatch No. 158, of the 12th instant, I enclosed you a copy of a letter wliich had been published in the English newspapers, and which it was stated —and, clearly, truly—had been written by a distinguished officer from General Cameron's Head Quarters upon the 4th February last. 2. I am anxious to contradict some of the untruths contained in that letter, which, coming from so high an authority, may, I fear, unjustly prejudice many persons against me. 3. It is stated that: " The Governor lives in his Island of Kawau, a great " man, with ten British regiments at his disposal, leaving everything to his " Ministers, and never giving a single instruction to the General, unless proceeding " in the first instance from his Responsible Advisers." 4. In the year 1864 I passed either thirty-five or thirty-seven days in the Island of Kawau. The escape of the prisoners from that place compelled me to be there for part of that time. 5. In the year 1865 I have passed twenty-one days at Kawau, the only rest I have had. 6. The instances in which my Ministers will give me any advice as to the instructions I should give to the General are very few. 7. The statement that the troops were sent to the country between Taranaki and Whanganui " to eject the lawful owners from the land they did not wish to " sell, and that for this England is spilling her best blood," accords with similar statements made by General Cameron on the same subject to the Secretary of State for War. These statements are, however, not only wholly contrary to fact, but are made with the evident object of injuring the Government of this country, its inhabitants, and myself with Her Majesty's Government and the British public. I have, &c, The Right Hon. Edward Cardwell, M.P. G. GREY.