G.—2.

sections marked as Native reserves by Major BroAvn on the map at Wellington as before described, Avhich he had then recommended should "for the present be withheld from sale." The Land Board had purposely left it to the Government to fill in the numbers of the sections to be put into each class, and never kneAV which had been chosen for that purpose till Ave showed them the advertisement that had been prepared for the Gazette. VIII.—The Ploughing op the Settlers' Lands. We have in the preceding narrative laid before Your Excellency the grounds for our OAA rn belief, that the true cause of the stoppage of the survey lay in the omission to do what ought to haA'e been done before any survey of the Plains was ever attempted, namely, to settle the reserves which the Natives were to have, and lay them off upon the ground. We have iioav to trace the sequel in Te Whiti's attempt to force an issue with the Government by the device of ploughing up the settlers' lands. Mr. Mackay promised Te Whiti on the 2nd and 3rd of April, as we have seen, to communicate what had passed to the Government, and if anything resulted to let him knoAV: but nothing did result. We think* it was because Te Whiti saAV he Avas to have no response to his overtures from the Government, that he resorted to some more forcible demonstration as a means of brinffinj? matters to an issue. At any rate, on the 25th of May he entered upon a neAV course, setting tip a claim, to be the proprietor of all the land in New Zealand, and in assertion of his title sending several parties of his followers to plough up land belonging to settlers which Avas held under CroAvn grant, and which they had purchased from the Government, not only within the confiscated boundaries, but in territory Avhich had been bought from the Natives by the Government nearly forty years before. His folloAvers who engaged in the ploughing expressly said that it was done "in order to force a settlement, and that Te Whiti only Avanted the Governor to come to settle affairs." It is probable that other motives also may have operated to induce Te Whiti to take this course: vanity Avounded by the Goa teminent not taking any further notice of him; a sense of his oavu greatly increased importance, from the success that had attended his removal of the surveyors, a removal which the Government had neither resisted nor resented, and had thus confirmed his followers' faith iu his supernatural poAvers; the natural love of poAver; and, lastly, tlie prospect which seemed to open to him of retaining possession of all his oavu lands : these might Avell account for the enlarged pretensions which Te Whiti now made. And if this view be true, it is important as regards the prospect of the final adjustment which yet remains to be effected: for it certainly will prove more difficult now to bring Te Whiti to reasonable terms, than it would have been at the date of his intervieAV with Mr. Mackay, or before he had committed himself by the ploughing to schemes of a Avicler intent than any at which he had previously aimed. Mr. Mackay seems to have travelled to and fro between Wellington and New Plymouth from the beginning of April till July. On the 20th of June he telegraphed from Okato that he "had not been near Te Whiti yet," and, on the 22nd that he had "invited Te Whiti to have a private talk, but had no reply." Erom this time he AA Tas employed as a Commissioner to investigate claims for fulfilment of alleged promises "in connection with the settled blocks on the West Coast," Avhich seems to have excluded Waimate Plains, though this could hardly have been meant. He was gazetted to this appointment on 20th September 1579 Avith a salary of £650 a year to commence from Ist July 1879, "to be charged on Native Land Purchase Vote," having previously received £638 as remuneration for his visit to Te Whiti and travelling expenses during the three months from April to July. We can find, at any rate, no evidence of any further intervention by him in tho questions pending with Te Whiti. Erom the 25th May till the beginning of August, the ploughing Avent on in almost all parts of the Taranaki Provincial district, from the neighbourhood of HaAvera, south of Waingongoro, to the north of Waitara. It was done on lands of all sorts of tenure: on confiscated lands, lands sold to Europeans by Natives Avho had received them as compensation from the CroAvn, and lands Avithin blocks purchased from the Natives by ,the CroAvn thirty-five years ago and long since

1879.

Evidence, Q. 985--983.

Hon. Mr. Sheehan, Telegram to Sir Q-. Grey, 23rd June 1879.

Mackay, Telegrams to Hon. Mr. Sheehan, 20th and 22nd June 1879.

XXXII