A.—No. l
That however, in the Legislature of this Colony, your petitioner's race have no representative, and their interests are thereby subjected to the control of a popularly elected body, not only not representing their interests, but in many respects having interests altogether opposed to theirs ; whose deliberations are conducted in a language of which very few Maoris have any knowledge, and whose laws, affecting as they do all races of your Majesty's subjects in the Colony, are rarely published in the only language known to the Maori. That therefore your petitioner submits that in all cases where the interests or supposed interests of the Is ative race are at stake, those interests should be treated with scrupulous honor and justice, and that questions affecting their rights should upon no accouut bo submitted to a political body wherein they are not represented, but, on the contrary, referred to and left to the decision of your Majesty's Courts of Law and Equity. That in consideration of the constant loyalty of his tribe, —of the immense possessions which they have peaceably ceded to your Majesty for most trifling payments, and on the faith of promises to them of benefits not even yet fulfilled, —of the deprivation, now probably past recovery, of that proportion of their lands sold which the New Zealand Company was at the time bound to reserve for them, —and of the doubt which may reasonably exist whether any legislative body, especially one in which one party to the cause is unrepresented, can, however high its character and pure its motives, deal so impartially and conclusively with a contested claim to property as a judicial tribunal, — Tour petitioner humbly prays, That your Majesty will be graciously pleased to instruct the Governor of this Colony, in the event of the Bill above referred to, or any Bill whoso object may be to decide by legislation the rights which are capable of being tested judicially, being submitted to His Excellency for the royal assent, to withhold that assent. And further prays, in the event of His Excellency forwarding any such Bill or Bills to your Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies, that your Majesty will bo graciously pleased, in consideration of the injustice and wrong which might thereby be done to your unrepresented subjects, to signify your pleasure that the same be disallowed. And your petitioner will ever pray. Wellington, New Zealand, 17th August, 1867. John Topi Pattjki,
No. 3. Copy of a DESPATCH from Governor Sir George Grey, X.C.8., to His Grace the Duke of Buckingham. (No. 109.) Government House, Wellington, My Lord Duke,— 11th October, 1867. In reply to your Grace's Despatch No. 40, of the 28th June last, I have the honor to report that the " Act to regulate steam vessels and the boats and lights to be carried by sea-going vessels," has been amended by the General Assembly in the several particulars suggested by the Board of Trade. I have, &c, His Grace the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos. G. GREY.
No. 4. Copy of a DESPATCH from Governor Sir George Grey, K.C.B, to His Grace the Duke of Buckingham. (No. 111.) Government House, Wellington, My Lord Duke,— 17th October, 1867. I have the honor to report that I closed the Session of the General Assembly on Thursday hist, the 10th instant, and I transmit for your Grace's information a copy of my speech on this occasion. lam very glad that it has been in my power to speak in such favourable terms of the present state of New Zealand. I have, &c, His Grace the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos. G. GREY.
Sir 0 eorge Grey's speech proroguing the Genera] Assembly of KewZealand, Oct. 10, 1867, vide Jour]ials 1 louse oi' H. pp. 35G, 357.
No. 5. Copy of a DESPATCH from Governor Sir George Grey, X.C.8., to His Grace the Duke of Buckingham. (No. 112.) Government House, Wellington, My Lord Duke, — 17th October, 1867. I have much pleasure in stating to your Grace, by the Suez Mail, that accounts received from all parts of the Northern Island, represent the Natives as 2
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ZEALAND TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE.