34

I.—2a,

, 934. You do not know the other handwriting ? —1 think it may have been written by the bank clerk, judging from the style of the writing. It is not Mr. Sheehan's, it is not Mr. Brissenden's, and it is not mine. 935. Then you do not remember anything about the lodging of the money ?—About the lodging, no. Ido not remember anything about the lodging. The writing is evidently my own ; but I do not remember going into the bank at that time. I remember subsequently going with Adam Clark; but, as that is my handwriting, I no doubt went at the time the money was lodged. 93G. Do you know the signature at the bottom ? —Adam Clark's ? I think it is Adam Clark's own signature. I hare seen him sign his name. [After inspecting signature] That is Adam Clark's. Yes, that is his. 937. Can you say whether that was written in your presence ? —That I cannot say. In fact, I do not at all remember going into the bank to lodge this money. 938. You have brought us up to the point of lodging that money. Do you. know anything about the getting it out of the account ?—I got it out —£200 —on the following day. 939. I want you to tell the Committee about that ? —I have not a very distinct recollection of it, and I must refer to my notes. I have down in my memorandum that in the morning on Thursday, 14th, I called at the Superintendent's office. There I saw Mr. Sheehan, and he told me that Adam Clark had been up to him several times asking him for some money. Mr. Brissenden was also there. Then Mr. Brissenden gave me a cheque for £200, and I went down town. 940. Was this his own cheque ?—He gave me a cheque. I believe it was his own cheque. I have down simply that Mr. Brissenden gave me a cheque for £200 to give to Adam Clark. Then I went down town. I may say that Ido not remember distinctly whether Brissenden gave me this cheque in the Superintendent's office ; but I know that Brissenden was there when Mr. Sheehan asked me to look for Adam Clark. Adam Clark had been bothering Mr. Sheehan very much to get some money that day. I remember distinctly having the cheque of Mr. Brissenden, and going to look for Adam Clark ; and I found him in Mr. Oliver's shop. I asked him to come to the bank. I asked him if he had been asking Sheehan and Brissenden for money. He said " Yes ; " and he added, " I want to get away tomorrow." He then went with me to the bank, and I paid him the £200. I drew the money and paid him in the bank the £200. 941. Do you remember how you paid him—whether it was in notes or in gold ?—lt was all in notes. I remember distinctly always paying Adam Clark in notes, and Hori te More in gold. Te More was a very old man. I have in my note-book the following memorandum, but I have not a distinct recollection of the fact: " Adam Clark signed a cheque in return for the one given him by Brissenden." My impression is that Adam Clark signed the cheque. I think I differ from Mr. Sheehan on this point. My impression is that it was during one of the interviews when he wanted money, and when he had seen that Mr. Sheehan would not give it to him, that he asked Mr. Brissenden to give him the money on the ground that he had paid £150 for the survey. My impression is that Brissenden told him he would give him £200 at that time if he would sign a cheque, that Mr. Brissenden tore out a cheque and Adam Clark signed it, and that Mr. Sheehan signed this cheque afterwards. 942. Did Clark give you the cheque ?—Brissenden gave me the cheque. I have it down in my note-book that he did. 943. But the other cheque—you refer to the other cheque ?—At this distance of time I cannot remember distinctly. I have simply down, " Adam Clark signed a cheque for the one given to him by Brissenden." I say that my impression is that Brissenden, before giviug this cheque, would require a cheque from Arama Karaka, who was bothering Brissenden —and evidently Sheehan also —for money. My impression is that Adam Clark signed the cheque first, and that Brissenden had this cheque signed by Adam Clark. 944. You say you drew the money ?—I drew the money, and paid him the money. A son of Mr. Hargreaves, of Kaipara, was near when I paid Adam Clark £200—paid it to him at the little table in the centre of the bank. 945. Is that all you know of this transaction?— That is all I know. That is all the money that was paid on the Pakiri at that time. 946. Did you see Adam Clark pay any of this money to anybody?— No. 947. You know nothing of the disposal of it afterwards? —No. But I recollect a thing that he told me —it was when we were in Oliver's shop. I think the reason for the crossing business—the crossing of the two cheques —was that Adam Clark was anxious to get away; and this was about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, and Clark said that he was in a hurry, that he wanted to get away next morning. What he told me subsequently in Oliver's shop was this ihe told me distinctly, in the presence of Te Hemara, that he had paid £150 towards the Pakiri survey; and he made that statement in the presence of several Natives. 948. That is all you know of the £200 ? —Adam Clark got the £200, and I was the person who paid it. 949. Had you any other transaction at that time with Adam Clark ?—None whatever —no land transactions, no money transactions whatever. I might have taken more minute notes of these aifairs had I been the responsible agent; but I was simply a paid servant of Mr. Brissenden. But this money several people have seen. The Natives saw Adam Clark with this money. If he has denied receiving this £200 I say that I paid him the £200, and there are many others who know that he had that amount of money. 950. Do you mean to say that these others were present when this money passed ?—No; I paid Adam Clark the money. I drew it in the bank, and I paid him in the bank. 951. But you cannot speak of your own knowledge when you say that other people knew that he had this money ? —I speak from what I hear. The Natives saw it with him. I believe he also denies having received £50 from me at my house. Well, my wife, another lady, Hori te More, and Te Hemara were present when I paid him that. 952. Out of the £800 the sum of £100 you deducted for Jones? — Yes, that amount was

Mr. C. E. Kelson. Augi 16,1880.