G.— l.

Mr. Crestgh said Mr. Grace was not. He could distinctly state that there was no Native difficulty in the matter, either directly or indirectly. Hon. Native Minister said he could say that he had received what he regarded as good information to the contrary. Mr. Gill asked Mr. Creagh if he was speaking of his own block or of the Government block. Mr. Creagh said he was speaking of his own block. He had been forced into the Government block by Mr. Grace. Hon. Native Minister said he thought Mr. Creagh's knowledge of the Survey Department ought to have taught him not to have done what he had. Mr. Creagh said it was merely cutting a line dividing the two blocks. He had seen Mr. Smith about the matter. Hon. Native Minister asked if Mr. Smith was pleased at his (Mr. Creagh's) action. Mr. Creagh said he thought Mr. Smith was very much pleased. Mr. Gill asked Mr. Creagh if he had not been stopped, or threatened to be stopped, by the Natives a week previous to receiving intimation from Mr. Smith. Mr. Creagh said he had been formally stopped from surveying the line running up to Whakatutu, on which line he was engaged on behalf of the Government. The stoppage was done in a very friendly way. The Natives simply came forward, and said they would take down their poles, &c, and thus stop the survey until a meeting had been held. There was no opposition whatsoever to his private survey. It was the line running up to Whakatutu that had been stopped. Hon. Native Minister said he had stopped the survey for what he then conceived, and still conceived, to bo good reasons. He had information from the very best man he could apply to, and was informed that there was very great fear of bloodshed. He therefore stopped the survey. He was not at that time at all aware that Mr. Creagh was working on that block for the Government; this, was the first he had heard of that circumstance. Mr. Creagh said it was very much against his own wish that he took the work from Mr. Grace. Hon. Native Minister said it was just this: Mr. Smith had four parties of surveyors ready to. commence the work, and had reasons to fear obstruction on beginning it, and Mr. Grace had engaged Mr. Creagh in defiance of this. If was Mr. Smith's opinion at the present time that obstruction would have to be looked for. Mr. Creagh said he understood that a meeting of Natives had been arranged. In the meantime he had withdrawn ail. his surveyors. He had heard since he left the district that an authorized surveyor, Mr. Thorpe, was encroaching and going into the very heart of the block. The Natives were waiting to see what he (Mr. Thorpe) would do, and would communicate with Mr. Creagh that day. Mr. Gill said Mr. Creagh's survey had been stopped between the Waiho and the Whakatutu. What distance was Mr. Thorpe working from there ? Mr. Creagh answered about nine miles. Hon. Native Minister asked Mr. Creagh the extent of the block he had been surveying. Mr. Creagh said about 50,000 acres, but the Natives were reserving about 20,000 acres for settlement. Hon. Native Minister said that merely indicated that there was a further complication in th© matter of which he was not aware, which would, without the previous question, be sufficient to hold the matter in abeyance until the Maori meeting was held. He might mention that the meeting would not be called by the Government, but he would see that the Government were fairly represented at it. Mr. Creagh said it was a very great loss for him to be stopped in his survey. Hon. Native Minister said all he could do was to do the best he could in the interests of the country. He believed that he had very good reasons for stopping the survey. He must act upon his own convictions in the matter. Mr. Gill asked if Mr. Smith knew, when he gave instructions for the survey, that the block contained 50,000 acres —that it was so large. Mr. Creagh said he believed Mr. Smith thought the block contained only 6,000 acres —that it was a small block. He would like to know if there would be aoy opposition to the survey if the meeting ended satisfactorily. Hon. Native Minister said that would depend on the result of the meeting. No. 57. (Telegram.) Government Buildings, Wellington, 19th November, 1879. S. Peecy Smith, Esq., Chief Surveyor, Auckland.—No. 1,921. —Mr. Creagh is complaining that Mr. Thorpe is carrying on a survey overlapping the one he was at work on when desired to desist from work. Do you know anything of it, or attach importance to it ? —Richd. John Gill. No. 58. (Telegram.) Auckland, 19th November, 1879. The Undeb-Seceetaey, Land Purchase, Wellington.—To the best of my belief, Mr. Thorpe abandoned his survey months ago, and is now at the Court at Thames. I heard from him only yesterday ; so Mr. Creagh must be mistaken.—S. Pebcy Smith. No. 59. (Telegram.) Alexandra, 21st November, 1879. R. J. Gill, Esq , Under-Secretary, Land Purchase, Wellington.—No. 14. —Natives owning south end of Patetere Block are about to hold a meeting at Atiamuri re the survey of block. They wish it to be commenced about beginning of new year. Meeting is to talk over preliminaries. They wish me to attend : shall I attend or not ? Please reply. —W. H. Grace,

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