ENCLOSURES TO MESSAGE No. 52.

Land Purchase Department, Auckland, August 30th 1855. Sir, — Before the close of the present Session of the General Assembly of New Zealand, I conceive it to be my duty to bring under the consideration of his Excellency the officer administering the Government, the necessity that exists for providing a sum, either by loan or otherwise, of not less than Fifty thousand pounds a year, which might be from time to time raised, to enable the Government to carry on arrangements for extinguishing the native title to lands in these islands. The necessity for such a lone is so generally apparent to the Colonists at large, that my aducinw any reason in support of it may appear almost superfluous. I shall however briefly allude to a few which may not be out of place in making this application. Ist. —The successful colonization of this Northern Island of New Zealand has been greatly retarued. chiefly in consequence of the unsettled state of the Native land question, involving many of the early settlers in ruin, besides entailing a debt of Two hundred and sixty-eight thousand pounds on the Colony. 2,nd—The difficulties arising out of the unsettled state of the Land Question, bave been within the last few years gradually removed by acquisition of territory from the Natives, but owing to the increased demand for land arising from the numerous arrivals of immigrants (many of them possed of wealth and energy) from Great Britain and the neighbouring sufficiency of land has not yet been acquired, more especially in the Aucklana Province, to meet this demand Any check, therefore, to the acquisition of land, when it can be obtained from the natives, must be highly injurious to the present and prospective prosperity, not only of any particular province, but of the Colony at large, as the influence that those purchases produce are not confined to provincial limits, but extend throughout the different tribes in both Islands. In illustration of this I may remark that the presence of some chiefs from the Wellington Province, who have sold and who are stdl desirous of selling more land to the Government, has recently encouraged several of the chiefs in this province, hitherto adverse to the sale of land, to come forward and offer some valuable tracts to the Government. The natives regard the transfer of their land, as an act of great national importance, and their pride is eaisly injured, if advantage is not taken of their offers to dispose of it, more aspecially as they conceive notwithstanding the many advantages they derive from doing so, that they have not till then entirely yielded their own independence, laws, and customs, in exchange for the restraints which their elder men, with the jealousy natural to them, apprehend they must submit to by the introduction amongst them of English law and authority, which is generally as much respected in Districts acquired from them, as it is disregarded in many of the unpurchased portions of the country. Within the last few weeks a great number of natives have visited me f.orn different parts of this Province. Many of them chiefs of great influence, who are particularly anxious to enter into arrangements for the cession of some very valuable tracts of land. Should these Chiefs be disappointed by not effecting' their purpose, there is every probability from their fluctuating disposition, that they might hereafter decline to sell their land, even at a greatly advanced price. Instances of this kind have been of such frequent occurrence in New Zealand, that every care should be taken to guard against a recurrence of them as well as of the complications and difficulties that arrise from inability to conclude purchases with sufficient promptness.