3

H.— 9a,

Tuesday, 25th March, 1879. The Commissioners met at 10 o'clock in the forenoon. Present : Mr. Bunny, M.H.E. (in the chair), Dr. Giles, E.M., and Mr. Whitefoord, E.M. Messrs. Aristodeme Frandi, Calamai Egisto, Fortunato Luchesi, George Adams, Adam Crone, John Malam, John Zielian, D. Macfarlane (Resident Agent), Thomas Beveridge, Eobert yon Lipinski, Martin Klempel, and John Sporra attended the Commission, and were examined. Then the Commissioners adjourned.

Wednesday, 26th March, 1879. The Commissioners met at 10 o'clock in the forenoon. Present : Mr. Bunny, M.H.E, (in the chair), Dr. Giles, E.M., and Mr. Whitefoord, E.M. Messrs. John Murdoch and James Nightingale, and Captain Eobert McKersie attended the Commission, and were examined. Then the Commissioners adjourned.

TnuRSDAY, 27th March, 1879. The Commissioners met at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. Present : Mr. Bunny, M.H.E. (in the chair), Dr. Giles, E.M., and Mr. Whitefoord, E.M. Messrs. George Smith, William llindly, Samuel Lofquist, James Nightingale, and D. Macfarlane (Eesident Agent) attended the Commission, and were examined. Then the Commissioners adjourned.

Friday, 28th March, 1879. The Commissioners met at 10 o'clock in the forenoon. Present : Mr. Bunny, M.H.E,^(in the chair), Dr. Giles, E.M., and Mr. Whitefoord, E.M. Messrs. John Callery, Antonio Max, Mathieu Chamlewsky, Joseph Hevert, Jacob Chabalaski, William Burmeister, Emil Nerger, John Marks, Neil Neilson, Michael Dwan, and James Nightingale attended the Commission, and were examined. On an application by Messrs. Dwan, Doherty, and others, for expenses of attending the Commission, the Commissioners decided that no expenses could be allowed to persons who had signed the petition asking for the inquiry and failed to prove any of the allegations contaiued in it. Then the Commissioners adjourned.

Thursday, 3rd April, 1879. The Commissioners met at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. Present: Mr. Bunny, M.H.E. (in the chair), Dr. Giles, E.M., and Mr. Whitefoord, E.M. Mr. Macfarlane, the Eesident Agent at Jackson's Bay, attended the Commission, and handed in a written statement in answer to the various charges made in the course of the inquiry. Mr. Patten, the Officer in Charge, also attended the Commission, and was examined. Then the Commissioners adjourned.

Friday, 4th April, 1879. The Commissioners met at 11 o'clock in the forenoon. Present: Mr. Bunny, M.H.E, (in the chair), Dr. Giles, E.M., and Mr. Whitefoord, E.M. The Chairman stated that after a very careful inquiry in Hokitika and Jackson's Bay, the Commissioners had failed to obtain one tittle of evidence of the truth of the allegations contained in the petition. Mr. Macfarlane, the Eesident Agent, had applied for a subpoena for Mr. Barff, M.H.E., and the subpoena had been issued for that gentleman accordingly, and he would be examined. Dr. Giles, E.M, one of the Commissioners, stated that after the conclusion of the sittings of the Commission at Jackson's Bay, some of the persons who had been most active in promoting the petition of August, 1878, came to himself and Mr. Whitefoord, who were then visiting a part of the settlement, and stated to them that when they got up the petition they were positively assured by one or two persons that they could give clear proof of the charges made in it. They went on to state that after hearing all the evidence given before the Commission at Jackson's' Bay, they were satisfied that the charges had broken down, and if they had known how little evidence there was in support of them they would not have signed the petition. They now wished to inform the Commissioners that they wished to withdraw altogether from the charges made in the petition, and that in justice to Mr. Macfarlane their present statement should bo communicated to him. The persons so withdrawing from the petition were Messrs. Michael Dwan, Patrick Dwan, and Bartholomew Doherty, who were understood also to speak for John Callery, as well as themselves. It was arranged that two or more of them should go on board the "Stella," and repeat their statement in the presence of all the Commissioners ; but the weather prevented this design from being carried out. Messrs. Virtue, James Aitken, Barff, M.H.E, and Patten attended the Commission, and were examined. Then the Commissioners adjourned.