DISTURBANCES AT PATEA.

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A.—No. 8.

peace. I should have taken no notice whatever of such threadbare cant as "flour and sugar policy," and " patch up peace," but when recourse is had to a base and deliberate recommendation to the Natives to take my life, I submit whether 1 am not entitled to the protection of the Government. It requires more fortitude to face a lot of savage fanatics, unprotected, for the purpose of holding communication with them (the only solution of the unhappy state of things), than it does to perform such services as the taking of Fokaikai and the burning of Katotaura, particulars of which the Government are already in possession of. 1 have, &c, The Hon. the Minister for Native Affairs, B. Parris, Wellington. Civil Commissioner.

Enclosure in No. 73. Extract from tho Taranaki Herald, of 15th September, 1866. ******* Every one sees this clearly except Mr. Parris. Without wishing him any harm, and although it seems unkind to say it, nothing would tend more to settle this unhappy conflict than the rebels tomahawking the Civil Commissioner, and thus strikingly convincing him and the Government that they must fight it out. * * * * * * *

No. 74. Copy of a Letter from Mr. Bolleston to Mr. Paeeis. (No. 754.) Native Secretary's Office, Sir,— Wellington, 15th October, 1866. I have the honor, by direction of the Hon. Mr. Bichmond, to acknowledge the receipt of your letter No. 195, of September 18th, on the subject of certain articles in the public press, regarding the action taken by you at Patea, and inform you that the Hon. the Premier, in his place in the House of Bepresentatives, relieved you of all blame in the mind of any reasonable person. I have, &c, W. Bolleston, The Civil Commissioner, Taranaki. Under Secretary.

No. 75. Copy of a Letter from Mr. Booth to the Hon. J. C Bichmond. (No. 230.) Besident Magistrate's Office, Sm,- Patea, 30th November, 1867. I have the honor to report that a meeting was held yesterday at Te Ngutu-o-te-Manu, at which 1 was present by invitation. The meeting was called by Titokowaru, a chief of the Ngaruahine hapu. Invitations had previously been sent to the different hapus of the Ngatiruanui, Taranaki, and Upper Wanganui tribes. Owing to bad weather, the Upper Wanganui and Taranakis did not attend. The different hapus of the Ngatiruanui, including those who have recently come in, were there. Captains Kemp and Aperaniko, with a number of the Native Contingent, were also there —tho whole, including men, women, and children, numbering about 300. I went to Ngutu-o-te-Manu on Thursday last, accompanied by Lieut. Gudgeon, the officer in command at Waihi. The village is merely a small clearing in the bush, about two and a half miles inland of Pungarehu, and was made when the latter place was destroyed last year. It contains about eighty huts, and is the head-quarters of Tamati Hone and Titokowaru with a remnant of the Ngaruahine hapu. On Friday (yesterday) morning the business of the day was commenced by the presentation of a quantity of food, including about one ton of flour and some sugar, which had previously been presented to Titokowaru by Kemp, Aperaniko, and the rest of the Native Contingent. 1 noticed that, with the exception of the flour and sugar before mentioned, the Natives had not been able to provide anything beyond a few kits of potatoes and some eels. They do not seem to possess either cattle or pigs. After the distribution of the food, Titokowaru fetched out of his house a double-barrelled fowling-piece, which be discharged into the air, and. then threw it down on the ground ill front of Kemp, Aperaniko, and myself. He said that the evil weapon which had caused so much mischief and ill-will, and which had been loaded with the blood of men, was now thrown down and trodden under foot (he now kicked the gun), and should never hereafter be taken up again. This he would promise, that this laying down of the evil weapon should be for all time, and not only as regarded himself and his immediate followers, but that it should also be buried by all the tribes with whom he had any influence. Aperaniko replied in suitable terms, and then Toi, the second chief of influence, spoke. He placed ihe gun in a position so that he had to pass directly over it every time he paced backwards and forwards in making his speech, and every time he came to the gun, he cither kicked it or jumped upon it. He made a long speech, showing both by words and actions, which were very energetic, that the evil thing was now and for all future time trodden under foot, jumped upon, and broken. Kemp replied in an excellent speech, pointing out to them their own foolishness in beginning the contest, and continuing it. with the loss of so much valuable life and property, which they could not now replace ; that our (Government) policy from the commencement had been to resist evil, and to establish rule and good order. Toi now spoke again, addressing his remarks to myself. After having again kicked the gun about, 11