A.—No. 15k

8

PAPERS RELATIVE TO PRISONERS AND

of the prisoners as well as the guard for the last month, and also with a requisition for the supply of winter clothing for the guard. 13. Mr. McLean has also been furnished with a list of the necessary supply of warm clothing for the prisoners ; and I beg to request that the " St. Kilda " may bo instructed to return with the. same as soon as possible, and with the other supplies. I have, &c, ' W. E. Thomas, . . The Hon. the Native Minister, Wellington. Eesident Magistrate. •

No. 12. Copy of a Letter from His Honor D. McLean to Mr. J. H. Campbell. Sir, — , Napier, sth June, 1866. I have to request that you will proceed by the steamer " St. Kilda " in charge of the Native prisoners for the Chatham Islands. lam anxious to dispense with the services of a Native guard on board of the vessel, as it will entail the expense of passage money from Wellington here, and j. believe that their services will not be required, as some Europeans who have served in the Colonial Forces have asked for a passage to the Chatham Islands, which has been granted conditionally that they will assist in looking after the prisoners. It is necessary, however, that you should have one European under your orders while on board, and you are authorized to employ for the trip down a man late of the 14th Eegiment, who has been in charge of prisoners at the gaol, and to whom you will pay 3s. 6d. per diem and rations for the voyage. The Hon. Colonel Eussell has no doubt intimated to you that the " St. Kilda " returns from the Chatham Islands to Wellington. If any of the Native guard wish to return, you will be good enough to let such of them do so as are not required for service at the Chatham Islands. I mean more particularly Paora Parau, and those for whom he may ask a passage, as no other opportunity of returning by a Government vessel is likely to be available for the next three months. I have, &c, J. H. Campbell, Esq., Napier. Donald McLean.

No. 13. Copy of a Letter from Captain Thomas to the Hon. the Native Minister. (No. 51.) Eesident Magistrate's Office, Sic, — Chatham Islands, 12th June, 1866. ' I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated Napier, 12th May, 1866, referring to my request to Donald McLean, Esq., that the Manager of the Bank of New Zealand, at Napier, should transmit mo £750 in specie, and reminding me that my request is directly contrary to. my instructions. In reply I have the honor to inform you that my motive in forwarding my request to Mr. McLean was, that in the event of the " St. Kilda " returning here from. Napier, without sufficient time to allow of hearing i'rom Wellington, he, as the Agent of the General Government, might arrange that I might not be left without funds. I beg to assure you it was never my intention that an independent or specific request, apart from my transactions^ a public accountant at the Bank of New Zealand should be made. As sufficient time elapsed before the departure of the " St. Kilda" for this port to allow of communication from Wellington, the application to Mr. McLean proved to be unnecessary. I have, <fee, W. E. Thomas, The Hon. Native Minister, Wellington. Eesident Magistrate,

No. 14. Copy of a Letter from Captain Thomas to the Hon. the Native Minister. (No. 18.) Resident Magistrate's Office, Sir, — Chatham Islands, 14th June, 1860. I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your letter (date as per margin), in reply to my report of the 7th ultimo. 1. I have now the honor to inform you of the arrival of thirty more prisoners by the " St. Kilda " with Mr. Campbell on the 10th instant, under a guard of six men who acted as such for the occasion, the prisoners being accompanied by nine women and nine children, with provisions, &c, as per return enclosed. 2. I much regret that my reasons for not sending back half of the guard on the first occasion, in obedience to my instructions, are not satisfactory. 1 considered that, with the discretionary power allowed me, 1 was taking the most prudent course in not sending them back, owing to the absolute necessity for providing the shelter, required, not only for those already arrived but for those who were to follow, the winter also apjiroaching at the time and the locality being exposed, and I must have taken off the prisoners from the work of providing their own shelter, or a portion of them, to assist in erecting the shelter for the guard, which would have considerably interfered, as the change of climate and passage down rendered at first many of the prisoners incapable for work, as I have already mentioned.

Napier, 13th May, 186G,