F.—No. 6a.

S; h _! P Pc~ c ° f Auckla » d > ***» *■ "*«*■ and t> L"" fa l tllfu T }- ] - y iV ter P ret . in the Maori language, the within deed to Wirimu Kingi Anaru Te Poroa, and Teritui King,, named therein before the execution of the said deed by them ™ COrreCt ' and 3. The said deed was executed by the said Wirimu Kingi, Anaru Te Poroa, and Teritui Xiusi in the presence of Frederick Alexander Whitaker, and of me tins declarant S ' executionrfT "m ?"?"/' *?* aild subscr \ bed as that of OHe of Ac attesting witnesses of the due execution of the said deed is of my proper handwriting; and I hold a certificate authorizing me to act as an interpreter under "The Native Lands Act, 1365," and "The Native Lands IS" which said certificate is in full force and effect ■"»"<« a.qv, xooi, due t p T p^oTn e r" t f' ederi 1 Ck i A - i mita J £er r S6t and subscribed as one of the witnesses attesting the due execution of the said deed, is of the proper handwriting of the said Frederick Alexander Whitaker, and the said Frederick Alexander Whitaker is a male adult. Alexander And I make this solemn declaration conscientiously believing the same to be true and by virtue of the provisions of the said several Acts, and by virtue of an Act of the General Assembly of New Zealand, intituled " The Justices of the Peace Act, 1866." Made and declared at Shortland, New Zealand, this fifteenth day of February, 1869, before me, Henby Goldsmith, J.P. (D. 2-1, 650 D.) Thursday, 4th March, 1369.—Ecceivcd for registration at 11.15 a.m. Josiah Buttress, Deputy Eegistrar. JOSTAH BuTTKESS, Deputy Eegistrar. (No. 69-34.) I have received this sum of two pounds one shilling and one penny above mentioned. Daniel Pollen, T Sub-Treasurer, lwill now proceed further to explain the whole matter in reference to that deed The title to that piece of land which is therein etched red, is not in dispute either by Mr. Lundon or myself Ido not believe it was originally included in No. 24; but whether it was or not, the piece of land which I iTtoVtYT™ 1 th ° Sm ? l rr- , Thi l J l aS beeU a Sub J ect Of controversy in the newspapers and I stated that I had no claim to the land, and should be most happy to hand the land over to Mr Dβ Hirsch at once. In reference to the facts connected with the signing of this deed, lam very sorry to have to differ from Mr. de Hirsch very materially on that point." About the time that Seed was executed I was engaged in many speculations upon the Thames Gold Fields, and I was no Tvlry frequently in our office I recollect now, my attention haying been drawn to it/that rulninj up one day into my office, Mr. de Hirsch and a number of Natives were standing there and one of the clerks called me and requested me to attest the deed, which I accordingly did. That I read tor ass Led in any way m drawing the deed, is absolutely not the fact. I was called in and I attested the deed Mr Eir^rM^I 8 ' Immediatel y ate I sent up to the Eegiy Office in Auckland Mr J 0. Young, Native Interpreter, to search the Eogistry Office and see what deeds for Mr. de Hirsch had been drawn in our office, for at that time the deed in question had almost escaped my memory as it was drawn by one of the clerks. Mr. Macdonald said that ne had not drawn it but probably the chief clerk had done so. Mr. Young brought me down word[that there was one deed only, which was for a small portion outside of No. 24, and was not Sded in the demise which I proposed to obtain from the Natives. I then went to Mr. Macdonald and questioned him very closely m reference to Mr. de Hirsch's leases, as to when they were prepared HeSrmed me that they were prepared in June, before I came to New Zealand, in a smal office in Polen Street that the only deed which had been prepared was for the small portion of land ■ and that need not consider myself implicated m any way in the transactions with Mr. de Hirsch. I then proceeded to get the land Some time after this a letter appeared in the newspapers, signed by Mr Hirsch setting forth the very same facts which he has now set forth in this declaration, in reference tmy Wing had deeds in my possession as the title of land which I afterwards sought to appropriate for myself This letter was signed by Mr. do Hirsch, as « Unfortunately once a client of Mr WhSaker junior. All my friends came round me, and I told the same thing which I now tell the Comm See • and I p U t the same story into print in answer to his letter, stating that I never saw Mr de lErsch's title-deeds, because since I joined Mr. Macdonald they wore removed from our officl and wore drawn by Mr. McCaul. I was not aware of the deed, and never saw the others, or could be supposed to m n ecl.Si n if-d abOU y h T -- 1 also that there was some little dispute about S small piece that I laid no claim to it; and that if it were included he had only to mention it and I would at once have handed the land over to him. At the same time there appeared a Eerlom aTotCS of mine of the name of Burke, who stated that he found it hard to believe what Mr de Hirsch S said as I had acted m the most honorable way, and had assigned to him a niece of land ,t Graham's Town because the deeds had passed through ou/office. Mr. MffM^S^ihS

Mr. F. A. Whitaker. 2nd September, 1869.

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REPORT ON EVIDENCE ADDUCED BEFORE