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would it be less absurd or dishonest to allege for a moment that Te Whiti was not, in point of fact, fully led to believe that, subject to his own good behaviour, exactly the same thing would be done for him as for the people on Waimate Plains. Por every fair purpose, the promise made to one -tribe must be held to have been made to the other. Nor were we left only to conjecture on this point. In his eAudence before us, Major Brown said: "Mr. Sheehan told me he had considered the question of giving to Te Whiti the portion of the coast situated between the tAVO blocks which Avere given back to the Ngamahanga and Wi Kingi Matakatea, but had come to the conclusion that it Avould be paying too heavily for Te Whiti's having kept tbe peace. After the surveyors were removed, Sir George Grey, Avhen he was at New Plymouth with His Excellency the Governor, said to me, ' You are aware, I suppose, that we intend to give back the piece of coast that includes Parihaka ?' I said, ' No, I was not aware of it; in fact I had been led to understand by Mr. Sheehan that the whole of it Avould not be given back.' Sir George Grey repeated ' Yes, we had fully decided it, and I thought you Avere aAvare of it.' " This statement alone, therefore, seemed to us fully to Avarrant our opinion that in making the recommendation we did to Your Excellency about the Parihaka Question, we were asking you to give effect to the intentions of your Ministers in 1879. But on sending Major Brown's evidence to Sir George Grey, Ave received this reply from the late Prime Minister: "Major BroAvn must have altogether misunderstood me. I have asked all my felloAV-Ministers who are here, and they agree with me that Ave never decided upon returning any particular block of land to the Natives. Certain lands had been promised to be returned by our predecessors. By those promises we were necessarily bound." Upon receiving this answer, it seemed to us that the question Avas left in an unsatisfactory position by such conflicting statements: and therefore Ave asked Mr. Sheehan whether he would have any objection to telling us Avhat his own intentions were, as the Native Minister at the time, Avith regard to provision for the Parihaka people. With great courtesy he at once gave us a full explanation, Avhich we have added to the Appendices of our Second Report. Its substance Ave reproduce here for Your Excellency's consideration. " Eor a long time," Mr. Sheehan says, "before the turning off of the surveyors, I had frequently discussed AA'ith Major Brown what action should be taken with regard to the confiscated land between the northern boundary of the Waimate Plains Block and the southern boundary of the Hangatahua [Stoney RiA^er] Block. It is impossible for me to recollect exactly Avhat took place during these conversations, but they amounted in substance to this : — " (a.) If the Waimate Plains were allowed to be dealt Avith without obstruction on the part of the Natives, we should make ample provision on that block for the original owners. " (5.) The small block north of the Waimate Plains Block, up to the boundary of the Opunake Block, was to be dealt with in the same way. " (c.) The Opunake Block Avas regarded as given back to Wi Kingi [Matakatea] and his people. " (d.) The Hangatahua [Stoney River] Block, north of Parihaka, Avas looked upon as being in the same position. " As to the Parihaka Block, I expressed my opinion that Te Whiti had done good work for years on the coast in preserving the public peace, and that I was disposed, in the event of his pursuing a similar line of conduct in the future, to recommend to my colleagues the restoration of the Parihaka Block to the original owners: that is to say, the Avhole of the country known as the Parihaka Block extending down to the sea. This restoration AA ras to be entirely dependent on good behaviour. " 3. On several occasions in Wellington, the question of what would be done Avith the confiscated lands outside the Waimate Plains was mentioned in Cabinet, both before and after the interruption of the survey. I maintained generally the vieAv which I had expressed Avhen discussing the question Avith my colleagues.

Major Brown, Bvid. 1044.

Ibid. Erid. 1047, 1048.

Sir Or. Grey, 4 June 1880, Appendix A. No. 16.

Hon. Mr. Shecban, 27 July 1880, Appendix A, Part 11.

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