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pretty much as stated, and Mere Awatea and Erueti te Pewa received £400 for their 800 acres, and no more." It appears to me that the Natives have, by their own wicked and foolish conduct, relieved the Government from all responsibility in the matter, and put it out of its power to give them any compensation. If they had told the truth, instead of perjuring themselves, they would have stood in a different position ; and if Worgan had failed to pay them they might have had an equitable claim on the Government, or possibly on Nicholson, whose agent Worgan was in the transaction. Mr. Nicholson's title appears now to be unimpeachable, and, though one of the Crown grants is still in the possession of the representatives of Mere Awatea and Erueti, the conveyance by the Natives to Nicholson, executed in the presence of a sworn interpreter (Colonel McDonnell), has been duly registered in the Transfer Registry, and, in the face of their sworn evidence before Colonel Russell, cannot be contested. Mere Awatea, Erueti, and Wirihana are all now dead, and no more light is likely to be thrown on the subject. The claim is preferred, I understand, on behalf of a married niece. Worgan has lately undergone a sentence of two years for forgery, and it would be hopeless to attempt to hold him responsible. West Coast Commission Office, Hawera, William Fox, 6th April, 1881. West Coast Commissioner.

Sub-Enclosure 1 to Enclosure in No. 2. Extbact from Mr. Attorney-General Peendekgast's Summary (10th January, 1873). Nicholson's Purchase. —First, with regard to Nicholson's purchase of 800 acres of land. The owners and vendors were Erueti te Pewa and Mere Awatea. It appears that on 22nd February, 1872, Wirihana Puna obtained from these persons a power of attorney to deal with this land as he thought fit. The claims were for two lots of 400 acres each in the compensation award lands. At this time, and before and since then, Wirihana Puna was acting as interpreter and assistant to Mr. Worgan. On the 26th February, 1872, Mr. Worgan wrote to the Under Secretary, Native Department (72/352), that he had purchased for Government these claims, amongst others, and accounted for the expenditure of £746 in the purchase of these and other lands ; of some purchases the moneys had been paid in full, and of others sums had been paid on account. He says the purchases were made publicly, and plain receipts taken. He mentions twenty-four claims as having been purchased, including the two now in question. He says he has receipts and will forward them. Subsequently, he forwards all documents and receipts connected with his employment, and amongst these receipts are found receipts for all the twenty-four excepting these two. There is no letter or report explaining this. There is no reference to the sale not having been completed. On the 26th February he states to Government that he had acquired the land for it; yet on the 14th March he telegraphs to Mr Borlase that £1,000 must be paid to his account by Nicholson, as any delay will cause the purchase to lapse to Government. It appears that the sum of £1,000 was on that account paid to his account at the bank on the 16th March, 1872. It appears that only £800 of this has been paid to Erueti and Mere. These two Natives evidently understood very little about the transaction; they say they expect to get the balance (£200) from Wirihana Puna. Certainly there is disclosed a remarkable state of things. Mr. Worgan appears to buy land for the Government, and then to be a party to the sale of the same land to another without authority of Government, and is the depositary of the purchase-money Some explanation of this transaction might be expected from Mr. Worgan, and his assistant, Puna. Where is the receipt for the money of Government paid away on this account? Why was it not forwarded with others ; and, generally, where is the explanation of this singular affair? Neither Mr. Worgan nor Wirihana Puna offer any explanation. The inference is that the land was first purchased by Government for a pound (£1) an acre, or less, and then sold to Nicholson with concurrence of Worgan, he suppressing the sale to Government. I should observe that the facts relating to the sale to Government were discovered by myself on a perusal of the papers since the Commission. However, the transaction was evidently of a singular character without this additional fact. It is to be regretted that the examination of Mr. Borlase and Wirihana Puna was not more searching ; indeed, I feel constrained to express what is the result of my observation, that, with a more scientific and regularlyconducted examination, the facts relating to these transactions would have been disclosed. It is to be regretted that witnesses were allowed to refuse to answer questions on the ground that the answering such questions might prejudice their principals. However, this was not a judicial proceeding, it was an inquiry for the information of the Governor, at which Mr. Worgan had the opportunity of clearing himself from charges and suspicions. He did not even present himself for examination. The references to these sections of land which do occur in Mr. Worgan's correspondence with the General and Provincial Governments are such as to blind them. In several cases he speaks of the land as being in the occupation of Mr. Nicholson, a married man with family

Sub-Enclosure 2 to Enclosure in No. 2. Memobajtbum from Mr. J Booth, R. M., Wanganui, to Hon. Sir William Fox, West Coast Commissioner. Be Olaim of Representatives of Mere Awatea and JErueti te Pewa, deceased. Wanganui, 3rd March, 1881. I knew Mere Awatea and Erueti te Pewa. lam aware that the Compensation Court awarded to them each 400 acres of land at Whenualmra. lam also aware that Mr. Gγ. B. Worgan purchased their land for a man named Nicholson. Worgan was a Government Land-Purchase Officer at that time, and was

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