A.—2

12

No. 19. (No. 37.) My Loed, — Downing Street, 23rd July, 1897. I have the honour to inform you that I have received from the Grand Orange Lodge of New Zealand an address for presentation to the Queen, congratulating Her Majesty on the attainment of the sixtieth anniversary of her accession to the throne, and requesting to be favoured with a copy of Her Majesty's photograph. You will inform Mr. J. Carnahan, the grand secretary, of Protestant Hall, Auckland, that I have laid the address before Her Majesty, who has commanded me to convey her thanks to the members of the lodge for their loyal message. As regards the request for her photograph, Her Majesty has received so many similar applications which she has been unable to accede to that she regrets that, in the circumstances, she is unable to meet the wishes of the lodge. I have, &c, J. CHAMBEELAIN. Governor the Eight Hon. the Earl of Eanfurly, K.C.M.G., &c.

No. 20. (No. 39.) My Lobd,— Downing Street, 29th July, 1897. I have the honour to transmit to you, for your information, with reference to my despatch No. 31, of the 9th instant, the accompanying copies of a correspondence which has taken place on the subject of the Maori land reserves. I have noted the information conveyed in Mr. Seddon's letter with much satisfaction. I have, &c, J. CHAMBEELAIN. Governor the Eight Hon. the Earl of Eanfurly, K.C.M.G., &c.

No. 13.

Enclosures. Sic, — Chelsea Barracks, 23rd June, 1897. Would you be kind enough to let me know your opinion of this petition, as we are leaving very shortly, or, rather, on the 11th July, 1897 ? I remain, &c, Captain Tunuiarangi, The Hon. J. Chamberlain. New Zealand Mounted Bifles. To Her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria. We, the Native contingent of the New Zealand Volunteers, do address to your Majesty our sorrows and our feelings towards you as our great ruler under the Treaty of Waitangi. May God bestow many blessings upon you, and may He prolong your reign upon the throne which you now possess. It was after your Majesty ascended the throne that the Colony of New Zealand was made known to you. It is a great and very good thing to print upon our hearts the length of time during which you have been our Queen. So now we, the Maori of New Zealand, do pray unto you to govern and rule us according to the laws under which we are now living, and we do further pray to you to be gracious unto us, and to grant to us that the lands which the Maori now possess as a means of subsistence may be inalienable by them. Since the colony has been known up to the present time more than 60,000,000 acres have been taken by the Crown and the pakeha, and now there only remains about 5,000,000 acres (more or less) to the Maori. Your Maori subjects are anxious to work upon the farms which they now possess, and they are willing to lease the parts which they are unable to cultivate themselves upon fair and reasonable terms. Your Maori subjects do not wish these lands to be taken away from them, well knowing that the same are the sole means of their subsistence in the future, and they pray your Majesty to pass a law preventing the Government of New Zealand and the pakeha from acquiring lands from the Maori. There is now no dissensions between your Majesty's Maori subjects and English people such as formerly existed, and the former are now living peaceably under the laws which govern thousands of your Majesty's subjects. Long live your Majesty. May God spare your Majesty, your Majesty's family, and your Ministers, and those in authority under them. God save the Queen ! [Signed by Captain H. P. Tunuiarangi, N.Z.M.E., Tribe Kahungunu, Sergeant-major Tareha, N.Z.M.E., Tribe Kahungunu, and sixteen other signatures.]