A.—No. Ib.

18

PAPERS RELATIVE TO STATEMENTS

Enclosure in No. 11. Extract from the Minutes of the Executive Council, 13th June, 1866. " The Governor has, just as the Executive Council was assembling, received " the Right Hon. E. Cardwell's confidential Despatch of tho 26th March, " by which he is for the first time informed that a semi-official notification " is said to have been made to Officers serving on the West Coast of " New Zealand, through the Staff of General Chute, that the General did —. . J —, _ .. „ ~ ~, -xi ~i, ,i » ~. -~., i.j.j dotes by His Excellency the Governor. not wish any prisoners taken, and that the General himseit has stated " that the Colonial Government did not want the expense of prisoners (1). (l) This is merely a necessary statement of a fact. " The Governor denies absolutely and solemnly that he has ever " directly or indirectly communicated to the General Commanding the " Forces, that the Colonial Government did not want the expense of " prisoners (2). He denies in the same emphatic manner that any of his (2) This was necessary for my defence against a " Ministers have ever made such a recommendation or suggestion to him. specific charge. "He states that he believes them to be incapable of so doing (3). He (3) This was necessary for the defence of my " adds that if they had done so, he would instantly have appealed to Ministers. " the General Assembly for support in resisting such a policy, and he " fearlessly asserts that he would instantly have received from the " Assembly the support for which he asked (4). He denounces the (4) Tins was necessary to show the state of feeling " statement made to the Secretary of State that the Colonial Government here. " had desired such a policy, as a base and wicked calumny upon himself " and the Colonial Ministers (5). He at once enters this Minute on the (5) The most mature reflection conyinces me that " proceedings of the Executive Council. He transmits a copy of it to I ought to hare made this statement for my " the Eight Hon. E. Cardwcll, M.P., and he at the same time demands, own defence aud that of others. " as he has a right to do, that copies of Colonel Weare's letters be " communicated to him, with the name of the person who supplied this " information to the Secretary of State, and that a full inquiry be " instituted into the whole matter (6), and he declines to receive the (6) What I asked for was necessary for my own " communication as a confidential one (7). ,„ ,d, eflT o and protection. The Council were unanimous in their approval .of tMs Minute, and «» Stt£-fiWRSK£L^ expressed themselves in terms ot the greatest|indignation at being thought public ones. If he made them honestly and in capable of either countenancing or conniving at such barbarities and good faith, no wrong could have been done to atrocities, and considered they had a right to demand the name of the him or any other person by the course I took, person who had written and imputed to them such motives. Ut r performed a mere act of juatice to my r x Ministers and the other accused persons.

No. 12. Copy of a DESPATCH from Governor Sir George Grey, K.C.8., to the Right Hon. the Earl of Carnarvon. (No. 18.) My Lord, — Christchurch, Canterbury, Ist February, 1867. Adverting to your Lordship's Despatch, No. 41, of the Ist of November last, and to my reply to it, No. 11, of the 12th ultimo, I fear that from my desire to raise in that reply no unnecessary questions, I have omitted one important point. 2. Your Lordship states in your Despatch No. 4, of 1866, that I have made an inaccurate statement in a previous Despatch to your Lordship's Department, whilst in truth the inaccuracy arises from an oversight on the part of the person who supplied your Lordship with the information on which your Despatch No. 41, of 1866, is based. I notice this fact because if your Lordship took any action on the supposition that I had made an inaccurate statement when I had not done so, and I was aware you were in error on this point, I might hereafter be blamed for not putting you right when it was in my power to do so. 3. Your Lordship in your Despatch No. 41, of 1866, informs me as follows:—■ " In the next place, it is no doubt the practice of the Colonial Service to " discourage the transmission of representations from a Colony otherwise than " through the Governor by sending back such representations to those who make " them. In the value of that rule, both to the Secretary of State in England and " to British authorities acting in distant parts of the world, I entirely concur. " But it would be merely vexatious to apply such a rule to communications " received from persons in this country. In such cases the practice is, as reason " requires, to send the communication at once to the Governor for his explanation