A.—No. 4

some small additional pay. He has competent and able interpreters in the Volunteer and friendly Native Forces, and will require no other assistance in that direction. In case of his absence, or to assist him on ordinary occasions, it is desirable that at least one ordinary Justice of the Peace should be appointed. Mr. Wray, a surveyor, who executed the survey of the military allotments of the whole district, who was formerly in the Indian Service, and who is now acting as Quartermaster at Patea, is a gentleman who, I believe, is well qualified for the Commission of the Peace, and I recommend his appointment. I propose also to instruct Major Noake to receive applications from such settlers as may wish to avail themselves of the advance of £LO,OOO voted by the Assembly. lie should advertise for applications to be sent to him according to a prescribed form, and he should report on the merits of each case, which, from his local knowledge and the means of information within his reach, he will be able to do with sufficient accuracy for such a purpose. At the township of Patea I found the population very hopeful and inclined to enterprise. A deputation waited on me and brought several subjects under my notice. Among other things I was applied to grant a lease of a Native reserve of 000 acres and a water power, with a right of tramway between the two, and a right (not in monopoly) to cut flax on Government reserves, on behalf of a projected Flax Company, which has already raised a considerable subscribed capital and is sanguine of success. I arranged this matter, as will appear by correspondence, in a way which I hope will encourage the action of the Company, while I have sufficiently protected the rights of the Government. Application was also made to mo to have the Patea made a port of entry. Some statistics have been furnished, which I will bring under the notice of the Commissioner and Inspector of Customs, and, if necessary, further consult the Cabinet. Before leaving the district I had the satisfaction to see a portion of the Ngatiporo detachment located at Waihi and thoroughly satisfied with the location, and the remainder had nearly arrived there when wo returned to Patea. Reports since received are very satisfactory. Their residence at Patea for several weeks had somewhat demoralized them, and they were not willing to leave the town. But firmness exercised by Major Noake, the day before my arrival at Patea, settled the matter, and they were all cheerful and obedient when I was there. They expressed a great desire that the Defence Minister should visit them on his return from Auckland. The medical officer in charge of these -Natives is reported by Major Noake as not performing his duty towards them, and I heard and saw quite enough myself to be certain that it Avas so. It will be necessary to remove him; and it is proposed to offer the appointment to Dr. Walker, now on the East Coast, but, who it is believed, it was recommended by Colonel Whitmore should return to Patea. I have only to add that the Patea and Waitotara Settlers are a very fine body of Colonists, and, should they be encouraged and supported by the Government as they deserve to be, they can hardly fail to regain a position of prosperity, and to prove a great addition to the strength of the West Coast, by the reoccupation of the district in which they have east their lot. William Fox. Ist November, 1869.

No. 2. Memokandum by Mr. Fox. In continuation of my previous Memorandum of November last, on the Patea and other West Coast Settlements, I have now to state, for the information of Ministers, that early in Jaiiuary I again visited that part of the Colony, and am glad to report that I found everything progressing in a very satisfactory manner. I beg to direct the attention of Ministers to the following points : — 1. In my previous Memorandum I intimated that it was an essential condition of any attempt to induce the Colonists to return to the districts from which they had been driven by Titokowaru (or which I should rather say they had been compelled by the late Government to abandon before the advance of Titokowaru), that no Natives should, for the present at all events, be allowed to return there, or to the immediate proximity of the lands which it was desirable to reoccupy. This policy has been strictly and efficiently carried out by Major Noake, in command of llio district. The Ngatiporo Contingent had, however, not long been located at Waihi when they became aware that small parties of Titokowaru's men were creeping back to within a distance of even four miles from the Waihi Redoubt, and had commenced numerous plantations just on the northern side of the Waingongoro River. While reconnoitring in that locality, the Ngatiporo fell in with a party of rebels at a place called Ngapuhi, not six miles from the redoubt, where they had several acres of potatoes planted; and on their attempting to escape with loaded firearms in their hands, two men were shot and one woman captured.—See Report of Captain Blake appended (Enclosure 1). The potatoes, which had been quite recently planted, were taken up, carried to Waihi, and used by the Ngatiporo ; and several other plantations were destroyed. A similar event occurred several miles up the Waitotara Paver, when one Maori was severely wounded and a woman captured by a party of Volunteers from Wereroa, under command of Captain Kells.—See his Eeport, also appended (Enclosure 2). These events happening at the moment when the Honorable Mr. McLean was in expectation of communications with the King party in the neighbourhood of Waikato, some apprehension was felt lest they might have created alarm in the minds of those Natives, or disturbed Mr. McLean's negotiations. There appears, however, no reason for supposing that they had any such effect; while their influence locally has been most beneficial. The rebels who lost their lives were ascertained to be some of the worst adherents of Titokowaru; they were well armed and provided with ammunition; there was no doubt that their return, to the neighbourhood of the settled country was for purposes of mischief; and in the Waitotara case, at least, the man had been warned both by friendly Natives on the Wanganui liiver and by his own wife, who was captured, that he went where he did at his own 2

5

THE PATEA DISTRICT.