A.>— No. 13.

PAPERS RELATIVE TO NATIVE AEFAIRS.

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Enclosure 1 in No. 58. Copy of a Letter from Mr. J. Booth to Mr. R. Paeeis. (No. 20.) Sic, — Resident Magistrate's Office, Carlyle, 6th May, 1869. I have the honor to report, for your information, that Te Ika, a chief of the Ngatitupaea Hapu, is detained as a prisoner at this post by order of Lieut.-Colonel Lyon, on suspicion of being a spy. He was made prisoner by the officer commanding at Manawapou, as he appeared alone at that post on Saturday last (Ist), and stated that he had come from Pariaka and intended to visit Patea and Waitotara, possibly Wanganui; that he was going to Waitotara for the purpose of seeing Aperahama Tamaiparea. On being re-examined by Lieut.-Colonel Lyon and myself, he refused to give any motive for having disobeyed Colonel Whitmore's orders, and come back across the Waingongoro River, merely stating that himself and several others of his hapu had come down with Ngahina, that the rest had gone to Keteonetea and Te Ngaere to fetch away some spades, axes, &c, and that he had come in here. On the evening of the 2nd, Ngahina arrived with the mail, and reported that he had brought down twelve men for the purpose above mentioned. He was told that both Hone Pihama and himself were much to blame for not having first of all written to either Colonel Lyon or myself, to ask whether these men might come, as they were well aware that the Ngatiporou had orders to shoot every man found by them on this side Waingongoro; moreover, it had been in contemplation to send out the Carlyle Rifles and Ngatiporou in that very direction, and had all or any of these men been killed on such an expedition, they would have had only themselves to blame for it. I may suggest to you that it would be advisable to send either Patohe or Hone with the mail to Patea, as these men are well liked and thoroughly trusted, whereas Ngahina is, to say the least of it, very indiscreet; then, again, he gets drunk, and gets mixed up in pothouse brawls with the settlers, who are only too eager to quarrel with him. We have (Thursday evening) just returned from an expedition up the Patea River. Four Hauhaus were killed by the Ngatiporou, one of whom was Iraia, the chief of Manutahi; two other Manutahi men were killed, and one woman. We destroyed Taurua's place called Omaruika, which is about twenty miles up the river. I have, &c, R. Parris, Esq., Civil Commissioner, James Booth, New Plymouth. Resident Magistrate.

Enclosure 2 in No. 58. Copy of a Letter from Mr. R. Paeeis to Mr. J. Booth. (No. 115.) Sic,— New Plymouth, 10th May, 1869. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 6th instant, reporting the detention of the chief Te Ika as a prisoner, on suspicion of being a spy, and also that others had gone to Keteonetea and Te Ngaere. In reply I beg to inform you that I have on several occasions explained to them that no one but mail-carriers would be safe south of Waingongoro. That in case of wishing to go either to Matangarara or Waokena for food, they must first obtain leave from the officer commanding the district, but on no account to go without it; that if they disobeyed orders they must take the consequence of whatever happened. They were removed from the district to avoid real or imaginary complicity with the avowed rebels, subject to the above restrictions, which I am of opinion should not be relaxed during the unsettled state of the district. If you have reported to the Government the detention of Te Ika as a prisoner, you must, of course, wait for instructions; but should you not have done so, I recommend that he should be liberated, with orders to return north of Waingongoro, and warned not to be guilty a second time of disobeying Colonel Whitmore's orders. I have, &c, R. Paeeis, J. Booth, Esq., R.M., Civil Commissioner.