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next letter on the subject of rents is dated Ist April, 1878. It is from Mr. W. L. Eees, solicitor, and in it the claim has grown larger. Sib, — Hastings Street, Napier, Ist April, 1878. I have the honour to request that you will furnish me with any information in your power regarding a sum ■of money, said to be £1,500, lying in the hands of the Government to the credit of the grantees of Hirnatangi Block. I am acting for the said grantees and the persons whom they represent, and I shall feel much obliged by your attention to this matter. I have, &c, H. T. Clarke, Esq., Native Department. W. L. Eef,s. This letter also bears no minute of the Minister; but Mr. Eoes was written to as follows :— Sib,— Native Office, Wellington, Bth April, 1878. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the Ist instant, in which you request to bo furnished with information regarding a sum of £1,500, said to be lying in the hands of the Government to the credit of the grantees of the Himatangi Block. In reply I have to inform you that the Himatangi Natives, through their solicitor, Dr. Buller, made application to the Government to pay to them £500, their share of accumulated back rents impounded by Dr. Featherston when Superintendent of the Wellington Province. By reference to a letter from Dr. Featherston dated 2Cth January, 1871 {Vide Appendix, Parliamentary Papers, 1874, H.-18, p. 12) it appears that the impounded rents over the whole Manawatu Block, of which Himatangi is a part, amounting to nearly £3,000, were handed over to the Natives. This was pointed out to Dr. Buller, who undertook to prove from the provincial records that some mistake had been made ; but up to the present time he has failed to throw any new light on the subject. I have, &c, W. L. Eees, Esq.,&c, Napier. H. T. Ciaeke, Under-Seeretary. The matter next comes up as regards the rents in 1880, in a long letter from Dr. Buller, dated 23rd July, claiming back rents, with interest. Mr. Bryce was then Minister for Native Affairs, and he minuted the letter to the following effect: that he had not time to enter on the question then ; but his impression was that the Natives agreed to accept the block of land in full settlement of all their claims, including the back rents. At the same time Mr. Bryce instructed me to write to Mr. A. McDonald asking him to furnish any information he had on the subject. I accordingly did so; and Mr. McDonald's reply is printed with the papers. (Sec Appendix to Journals of the Legislative Council, 1881, No. 3, p. 6, No. 9.) Mr. Bryce carried out his promise of looking carefully into the matter. He embodied the result of his inquiry in a memorandum (to which he has referred) addressed to his colleague, the Hon. Mr. Eolleston, and an official communication was made to Dr. Buller by myself on the subject. 291. Was that by order?— Yes, by order. It is as follows : — Sm,— Native Office, Wellington, 19th January, 1881. Adverting to my letter, No. 2,134, of the 30th July last, with reference to the demand made by you on behalf of the owners of the Himatangi Block for payment of the back rents collected by Dr. Foatherston in January, 1870, with interest at the rate of 10 per cent, per annum, I have the honour, by direction of Mr. Eolleston, to inform you that, after a careful consideration of the matter, the Native Minister and himself have arrived at the conclusion that the case of the claim preferred by the Natives has not been made otit, and that the Government would not be justified in recognizing it, or placing an amount on the estimates to meet the demand, I have, &c. Dr. Buller, C.M.G., Solicitor, &c, Wellington. T. W. Lewis, Under-Secretary. The matter next came before the Legislative Council by petition from the Natives. I am not positive, but Ido not think I was called on to give evidence before that Committee. A return was called for by the Legislative Council to the following effect: "That there belaid on the table a return showing the mode in which she Government has ascertained that a sum of £66 2s. Id. is the amount due in respect of the rents impounded by the Land Purchase Commissioner, with 10 per cent, per annum interest." The explanation as to how that £66 2s. Id. was made up is given in the schedule on page 6of the paper No. 3 of the Legislative Council, 1881. The £66 2s. Id. was placed on the estimates as the sum payable in accordance with the resolution of the Legislative Council, and Dr. Buller was informed at the time that the Government would pay that amount to the Natives. It has not been paid. 292. Why? —The Natives have not asked for it. I suppose, because they claimed a large)' amount they would not accept this sum. That brings the matter up to the present time. I would, however, like to add a further explanation with regard to the amount of the rents. It was understood ■ before the passing of the Act of 1877 that Dr. Featherston had proposed to pay to the Natives the amount due from the lessees. That amount was made up by the Treasury to be £4,699 12s. Id. The amount of rents distributed by Dr. Featherston, Dr. Buller, Mr. Cooper, and possibly others, was £4,633 10s., leaving a balance undistributed, or, rather, leaving the difference between the amount distributed and the amount due from the lessees, £66 2s. Id. The total amount received by the Government from the lessees in connection with these rents was £1,971 Is. lOd. 293. How much was paid over what the Government collected?— The Government paid £2,662 Bs. 2d. more than was collected. I would also call the attention of the Committee to a letter, to which reference has already been made, addressed to myself by Mr. Alexander McDonald, dated the 6th of August, 1880, in which he reports generally on the distribution of the rents, and calls attention to a letter addressed to Mr. J. C. Eichmond by a large number of Natives, including Parafcaia, the principal Himatangi owner, requesting the Government to make a division of the money. Mr. McDonald in this letter intimates that he considered that the tribal division was made by Dr. Featherston. 294. I have to ask you one or two questions upon the evidence, because the reporter has left out two or three questions and answers which I thought were of considerable importance. Ido not blame the reporter, because, if you recollect, the questions were asked over the map. Can you produce a memorandum of Dr. Buller's showing the extent of Eobinson's run ? —I produce a paper in Dr. Buller's handwriting. It is not signed by himself. 295. Is this the document shown to Dr. Buller the last time he was before the Committee, which he said was in. his handwriting?— Yes. 296. Will you please read that part of the paper which gives the boundaries of Eobinson's run ? —Yes; it is as follows: "Memo, of lease. (1.) Eobinson, August 12, 1861. Fifteen years: rent advancing from £50 at the rate of £10 per annum to end term. Land lying between Manawatu