A.—No. 19.

CORRESPONDENCE RELATIVE TO OHINEMURI, AND NATIVE MATTERS AT THE THAMES.

No. 1. Mr. E. W. Pucket to the Hon. D. McLean. (No. 92.) Civil Commissioner's Office, Sir, — Auckland, 17th September, 1869. I have the honor to report that on Tuesday last, the 14th instant, I had an interview with the Hauhaus at Te Kerepipi, on the Piako River, on the subject of the telegraph betAveen Pukorokoro and the Waihou River. When I arrived at the place above named, I Avas Avarmly greeted by the Natives, they recognizing me as having been there once before with Tioriori and Rawiri Te Ua, in December, 1861. Upon informing them of the particular object of my visit, viz., to have a talk with them in respect of the telegraph, they at once sent off for Pineaha Te Whare Kowhai, the principal man of the place. He was away at work on his cultivation, but came immediately on receiving the message. About thirty men in all assembled, the rest of their party having in the morning of the previous day gone up the river to the settlement called Piako, probably fifteen or twenty miles further up. After the usual salutations, I commenced the proceedings by telling them the object of my A'isit; upon which Pineaha said that the Government and the Commissioner appointed for the purchase of land had ignored his title to several blocks of land purchased years ago from other tribes. Among other instances were Manaia, near Whangarei Heads, land at Maraetai, One, and Piako. At the time negotiations were being proceeded Avith, he had set up claims to those lands, but in no case was his claim admitted, or at any rate he had none of the money ; that was all devoured by Ngapuhi, Ngatipaoa, and others. This had first embittered his mind. Next comes the opening up of the Lower Thames District for gold-mining purposes by Hoterene Taipari and others. They appeared to have silently passed him by, but he was not going to ask them for any of the money they were receiving from the gold field. Then, more recently, again, attempts were being made to open Ohinemuri, and the Queen Natives were endeavouring to lease the lands of the Hauhaus, against the wishes of the latter. All these causes combined had decided him upon doing all in his power to oppose the telegraph at present. " Let some time elapse," he went on to say, " let this period of difficulty pass by, and as soon as we see we can dwell together as elder and younger brothers, then I will say bring hither your wires, let the sawyers come; but we look with too much suspicion on the acts and intentions of the Government to allow anything of this kind at present." I then told them what had been done by the Hauhaus in the case of the Wellington and Whanganui Telegraph, who, whilst at first strenuously opposing the Avire, had AvithdraAvn their opposition, ultimately assisting in putting up the poles. I urged them to follow the good example of their countrymen in this instance, telling them if they withdrew opposition I had no doubt they would be employed in putting up the poles ; that each hapu, or section of hapu, should put up the poles on its own land, and that for, each pole a sum of ss. would be paid for labour, and in addition to that 2s. 6d. per pole, in consideration of their having been the first Natives in the north part of the Island who had materially assisted in forming one of the links of the chain of telegraph which would hereafter connect Auckland Avith the rest of the Colony of New Zealand. They then commenced calculating how many poles they would have to erect to earn a pound, and were evidently taken with the idea. Pineaha then said, " Leave the question Avhere it is at present. I will lay it and your proposition before our runanga, and will inform the Government immediately of the result." Later in the evening Pineaha and Karihau came to see me, and we talked the matter over for two hours without any further result; in fact Karihau told me privately, he Avas so enraged at the survey, that if he had caught Captain Heale at it he Avould have killed him. He, for his part, never would withdraw his opposition. He admitted the land was not his, but that it had belonged to Pineaha, or rather to his hapu, and himself or hapu had taken it all away in consequence of his tupuna having lost his wife at the hand of a near relation of Pineaha, in a brawl about a woman. I have, &c, The Hon the Native Minister, E. W. Pucket, Wellington. Acting Civil Commissioner.

No. 2. Mr. E. W. Pucket to the Hon. D. McLean. (No. 99.) Civil Commissioner's Office, Sic, — Auckland, Ist October, 1869. I have the honor to report that on the 21st ultimo I left Auckland for the purpose of visiting the Ohinemuri Natives. I reached their settlement late on the night of the 23rd. On the 24th I met the Natives (who gave me a warm welcome) at Pukateawainui, Eopata Te Arakia's settlement. As this was my first visit, and as Te Hira and several of the more influential of the Hauhau party were away