A.—No. 3.

22

230. Were you threatened at Pokaikai with any ill-treatment, such as stripping you of your clothes, or of taking your life ?—No ; the only ill-treatment which I received was the asking me to pay toll.. 231. Did the men in camp appear to be angry after they heard your tale ? —I told my tale to Lieut.-Colonel McDonnell, and he told it to the Native Contingent, and the first thing I saw was, that the force started for Pokaikai. 232. Did you bring back any written answer to the letter which you delivered to Tukino ? —I brought back a written letter from Tukino. 233. Did you know the contents of the letter, and of tho reply? —I did not hear the letter read. Tukino opened the letter, and then took it away into a house, and he returned with tho reply closed. 234. Did you ever say to any one in the camp that the villagers of Pokaikai threatened if your husband, Arapata, went to Pokaikai, they would tomahawk him ?—No ; all I said then I have detailed now.

Sangiwhakaanga Continuod.

Wellington, Wednesday, 12th August, 1868. Arapata to Bata having been duly sworn was examined. 235. The Chairman?] What is your name, where do you reside, and to what tribe do you belong ? —My name is Arapata to Bata ; I live in Aramoho, and I belong to the Ngapaerangi hapu of the Wanganui tribe, and I am related to the Ngatiapa. 236. Were you in the Native Contingent ?—I was a private in the Native Contingent, and was present in the campaign of 1866, under Lieut.-Colonel McDonnell. 237. What occurred the day before the attack upon Pokaikai ?—I was in the camp at Manawapou ; my wife, Bangiamohia, was with me in camp. She rode with a letter from Lieut.-Colonel McDonnell to Pokaikai. She delivered the letter to the Hauhaus, and she brought back a reply. I did not see the reply. She returned to Manawapou about five o'clock the same evening. She told us that she had seen people at Taiporoheuui, and heard from them that the people were at Pokaikai, —that the Taiporoheuui people accompanied her to Pokaikai, —that she and the Pokaikai people had a cry (a tanr/i), and afterwards she sat down and ate food. After she had finished eating, Tukino came up to her and said "It is well that you came here ; if tho Keteonetea people had seen you on the road they would have stripped you of your clothes and taken away your horse." Tukino then said "You must pay." She wondered what this meant. When Tukino pressed her for the money she became alarmed, and gave him two shillings as toll for having crossed the Hauhau boundary. She returned in the evening with a boy named Hamiora to the camp at Manawapou, and told us what had passed. We the privates were not angry, but perhaps our chiefs were. The following night the force started for the attack upon Pokaikai. Wirihana gave us notice that wo were to march at ten o'clock the following night. It rained the night of the evening on which my wife' returned to camp from Pokaikai. My wife reported to Lieut.-Colonel McDonnell and tho rest of us, that Tukino and his people would bring us potatoes on the following day. Deponent then said, My wife said this was the intention of Tukino, but that he had subsequently changed his mind, and resolved that they would not bring potatoes until Natanahira returned from Opunake. 238. Mr. Commissioner Graham.] Did you see any one drunk in the attacking force on the night of tho attack upon Pokaikai ?—No ; I did not see any one drunk, but I heard that some men were drunk.

Arapata te Rata.

LETTEES BEFEEBED TO IN EVIDENCE, Page 4. Copy of a Letter from Mr. Paeeis to the Hon. J. C. Eichmond. Snt — Patea, 22nd August, 1866. In obedience to instructions which I received from the Government on the Bth instant, I have the honor to report that on arriving at New Plymouth, as soon as the weather permitted, 1 left to come overland to this district. I started from New Plymouth on the 15th instant, and was met by Hone Pihama, with several of his young men, who had come to Warea to take me on to Opunake, where we arrived the night of the same day. On the following day Wiremu Kingi Matakatea and some of his people came in from tho bush to see me, and occupied great part of the day relating their grievances. I told Wiremu Kingi that I believed the Government would take his case into consideration, which appeared to give him satisfaction. He informed me that a deputation of twenty Natives had been in the district for a short time from Hangatiki, with a request from Matutaera for all the Wakato Natives in this part to return to their own district, which they were on tho eve of doing when the news of the attack on Pokaikai was received, when they immediately proceeded to the Ngatiruanui district, and arc said to have been engaged in watching for an opportunity to revenge their loss at that place. Wiremu Kingi led me to hope before I left Opunake that if I went to see the Warea Natives they would give in. I therefore requested him to try to see them, and tell them that on my return I would go to them, he, Wiremu Kingi, and Arama Karaka having promised to accompany me. On the 17th I came on from Opunake to Waingongoro, calling at the village of Te Kauae, where I saw about fifty Natives of the Ngaruahine tribe, and learnt that the remainder of the tribe were at a place called Pungarchu, in the bush. I sent them a message offering to see them any day they would appoint. Saturday, the 18th, I came on to Major McDonnell's camp, and finding he had gone to Wanganui, I went to see some Natives at a place near Wareroa, where I arranged to have a meeting the following Monday. On returning to Waingongoro I was surprised to find that Captain Dawson, of the 18th Eegiment, who commands the post, had for the first time been out to harass tho enemy, by burning the village of Katatauru, in which there were no Natives living; but on seeing the place on