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Wellington Hotel, Wellington, July 24th, 1854. SIK, — We, residents at the Chatham Islands have the honour to request that you will lay the following statement before His Excellency the Officer Administering the Government, and that you will have the goodness to transmit to us any decision which his Excellency may come to thereon. The Chatham Islands contain a population of about 600 aboriginal natives and about forty Europeans. During the whole period which has elapsed since the authority of the Queen was established in the Islands of New Zealand, the Chathams have remained without any indication of it. Nevertheless peace and order have been generally preserved until recently which is to be attributed to the very little intercourse which has existed with strangers. Lately, however, since a demand for the vegetable productions of the Island has arisen the intercourse with strangers has much increased and the consequences resulting therefrom have been already injurious to the population of both races and threaten to become still more sc. The increased intercourse with strangers has consisted almost entirely of transactions in which money was to pass between them and the natives. Differences as might have been anticipated, have arisen, and from want of a tribunal to accomodate them or to decide between the parties these differences have ripened into quarrels. These have almost invariably terminated in the same manner, the natives having had their own way. Another and a greater evil produced by increased intercourse has been the unrestricted introduction of 0 spirituous liquors, some time $ ago, an entire cargo of contraband spirits was landed .and publically sold on the beach. The demoralization caused by this event was instantaneous and promises to be permanent. The native character has been suddenly changed, and those who formerly were industrious, peacable, and trustworthy, have suddenly become turbulent, rapacious, and dishonest. Before this great change took place any contract between the Europeans and the natives was adhered to by the latter as fairly and honestly as a contract between the Europeans would have been, but this good faith is no longer to be found ; on the contrary, so soon as the fululment of a btrgain threatens to become onerous to a native he repudiates it, sets the person injured by his dishonesty at defiance, and taunts him with the absense of any legal means of redress. Such is the conduct of the natives when sober, and when intoxicated—seens of confusion and outrage plainly shew that whatever control over them by the Europeans may have once existed has entirely disappeared. I lie European residents who, with very few exceptions, are industrious and well conducted have been seriously injured and alarmed by what has happened, injured by a loss of property caused by the dishonesty just alluded to, and alarmed at the prospect of emg orced m selt-deience to retaliate the increasing violence of the aborignies. As a remec } or t is state of things, we respectfully venture to suggest the propriety of establishing le au ion yof Her Majesty the Queen in the Chatham Islands. An easy and inexpensive way o tomg tms would be by placing one or two of the European residents iji the commission ot the peace so that the Resident Magistrate's Ordinance with its machinery of native assessois nug tbe enforced, lhe only expense attending on such an arrangement would be that ot maintaining a police constable or two towards which the European inhabitants would cheerfully contribute according to their means. • , e ' as Y ell as many Persons, unconnected with us and perfectly disinterested but wellJ , e J u . ( § es on the subject, feel assured that such a measure would by restoring order • t • tIU * U V ? Co ?i m 7 a benefit on the whole population as well as greatly aswealth and prosperity. S attraCtlV6 ' theMby acceWin S tteir P»8»» towards sienlureTtn 1 of + all the European inhabitants of the Islands whose bS? wftWrZr f 1° * statement we will procure, if required, trust that our tive S ° Jll t representatives either in a Provincial Council or in a House of Representae£vl a 7r , , m^ Ut weight in inducin S the Executive Government of sion US ' SS y Subj6CtS Cf the Queen ' its assistance on the present occaWe have the honour, &c., &c., ( William McClatchie, (Signed) •, F. H. C. Bancke, To the Honourable William Onin. The Colonial Secretary, kc., &cc.