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songs, sentences, words, &c. And, 3. Through their granting free postal communication between the Editor and the Government Officers, Maoris, and others, throughout the colony, on all inquiries respecting the Maori language. " It is deemed advisable that the preparation of the Lexicon, being a purely literary work, should not be placed under the control of any department. It might be undertaken upon the order of the General Assembly, or it might, if required, be placed under the formal supervision of the Speaker, or the Clerk of the House of Representatives." In the Session of 18(55 the question was again brought before the House (this time by the Hon. Mr. Mantell), and the House again decided, —" That it is highly desirable that the Maori-English Lexicon, as proposed and affirmed by the House on the 13th August, 1861, and subsequently agreed to by the Government on 20th August, 1862, be forthwith commenced." And in December of that year 1 received the official appointment from the Government to proceed with it. In the following month (January) I wrote to the Native Minister (the Hon. Colonel Russell) respecting the better and more speedy way of getting the said work out, saying that I thought it would be preferable to publish it in parts, the first part to be ready in, say, three years. To my letter the Hon. the Native Minister replied saying " that he would not interfere in any degree with the action which had been already taken by his predecessors in office as regards the time and manner of carrying out the work." I had also requested him officially to ask for the official and other aid I had been led to expect I should receive: this he declined, but requested me to write a circular to be addressd to him, and he would get it published if approved of in the Gazette. I did so; and it was published, with a cold and brief official remark jirefixed. • I now commenced my arduous task with all my heart. I gave it the whole of my time. Many days have I shut myself up from twelve to fourteen and even to sixteen hours a day. And here I may be permitted to mention: —1. That had this work been commenced when I first brought it before the House of Eepresentatives in 1861 or in 1862, it would not, it could not, have been undertaken by me ; because at that time not only had Ino notion, no desire, for it, but my hands were already full; for I was then filling the offices of Provincial Treasurer and Inspector of Schools of the Province of Hawke's Bay (without a clerk), besides being a member of the House of Eepresentatives and of the Provincial and Executive Councils of my own Province. My only wish was to see the noble New Zealand dialect of the great Polynesian language conserved, and I should have gladly handed over my numerous MSS. of nearly thirty years' collection to whomsoever the Government might appoint to do the work. 2. I (who had always from the creation of our Province of Hawke's Bay been a member of its Provincial Council) immediately placed a legal bar in the hands of the Eeturning Officer, to hinder my being again nominated. 3. I threw up entirely my favourite scientific pursuits (botany, &c), through which I fear I displeased not a few of my old scientific friends, with whom I had always been in close and constant hearty correspondence, among whom I may mention, in England, Dr. Hooker and others, and, in New Zealand, Sir G. Grey, Drs. Hector and Haast, Professor Kirk, &c. Indeed, Sir G. Grey, who was then Governor, not only wished me to continue my botanical researches, but generously offered to equip and supply me fully in every way. 4. I even employed a land agent residing here in Napier to do my little business for me, even to the receiving of small rents, I paying him his commission for so doing. And, 5. I gave up my long-cherished hope of visiting England. I may also mention here that about this time the late Bishop of Wellington (Dr. Abraham), ia calling on me at my house in Napier, and in conversing about the work, in which he took a great interest, said that he had only one thing to remark on in the whole arrangement, and that was that seven years was far too short a period to execute the work as I had planned it. To return. I went on closely with my work; but, although I wrote many letters, and also sent copies of the circular which had appeared in the Gazette to many persons, official and non-official, residing all over the colony, from not one European did I ever receive any answer, save from my lamented friend the late Superintendent of Auckland, J. Williamson, Esq. Subsequently, however, two European gentlemen filling official situations (S. Locke, Esq., E.M., and Mr. James Grindell) have assisted me; also the present Colonial Secretary, G. S. Cooper, Esq., when at the head of the Native Office in Wellington. Moreover, what those gentlemen did. they did both courteously and heartily, and I have great pleasure in recording it. In 1867, in less than two years after I had commenced the work, and to my very great astonishment, an official inquiry was called for by the House; and the member for Clive, Mr. Ormond, was officially appointed to inspect and to report. That gentleman did so ; and I have casually learned that his official report, which was, I believe, duly laid before the House, was a favourable one. In 1868, I invited his Honor Mr. Justice Johnston, during his official visit to Napier, to inspect my MSS. He kindly did so at some length, and expressed himself as much pleased with the work. Again in 1868 another official inspection was made by the Native Minister (the Hon. J. C. Richmond), who spent some time in examining what I had written, and who also strove very hard, both by talking and subsequently by writing, for an alteration of the original terms of agreement. On his return to Wellington he wrote me a long official letter, in which he said " that he recognized the method and clearness of the work, so far as it had proceeded, and that he had no wish to complain of the amount already accomplished," &c., &c. At the same time Mr. Richmond forced upon me his official determination (1) that the work must be finished by a certain fixed time (the end of March, 1870) ; and (2) that no more money should be paid to me after that period, from which date I have received no pay from the Government. The Hon. Mr. Richmond did, however, in reply to my last letter to him of remonstrance, promise "to lay the same before the House of Eepresentatives;" at the same time adding " that the Government cannot go beyond the oifer already made; but I never heard if such were done, or, if done, that anything resulted therefrom. From my appointment to this work in 1866 down to March, 1870, inclusive, a space of four years and a quarter, I only received from the Government about £980 net, or, say, about £230 per annum. Subsequently, in 1870, you yourself, Sir, also examined my MSS., and expressed yourself ai