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compensation on account of certain lands purchased by him from Native chiefs in New Zealand, before-the annexation of that country by Great Britain. I have now the honour to state that, in pursuance of the assurance given in my reply of the l 2lst of the same month, this memorandum, and all the previous papers and circumstances of the case, have been most carefully examined in consultation with the Law Officers of the Grown. The result of that examination has, however, been unfavourable to the claim, as it is clearly shown that Mr. Webster, in the first instance, when bringing his case before the Commissioners under the Colonial Land-claims Act of 1856, waived his right to be treated as an alien, and so debarred himself from the right to claim anything beyond what was awarded to him by those Commissioners. Under these circumstances Her Majesty's Government regret that they are unable to reopen the case, or to entertain Mr. Webster's claim for further compensation. Samsbuey.

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