6

because, from vour not having been in any way a party to them, you cannot in fairness be hild responsible until you have expressed your assent, or given your reasons for dissent, a copy ot which letter it will be my duty to lay before the Governor, that his Excellency may be ena e o form an opinion as to whether you are likely to carry them out zealously and la a satisfactory manner : the arrangements appearing to me to be the best possible under the peculiar circumstances of the case, and the present position of Her Majesty's Government in these Islands. I have, &c., (Signed) S. Carreer, Collector. To A. W. Shand, Esq., Collector of Customs, Chatham Islands. &c., &c., &,c

Waitangi, Chatham Islands, 16th January, 1856. g IR) Jdo myself the honor to inform you, that the Maori Population of these Islands, in Public Meeting assembled, have this day consented and agreed to accept British Law at the hands of the Resident Magistrate appointed by His Excellency the Governor, and to aid and assist him in all things; having first obtained a promise from me on behalf of the Governor, that Native Assessors shall be immediately appointed to assist you in deciding Native Cases, it now only remains for me to request you to take upon yourself the duties of your office, and report the same for the information of the Governor, with any observations you may think proper to make for His Excellency's consideration. I have, &c„ (Signed) S. Carreer, Collector. P. S.—l will furnish vou with a copy of the Native Acceptance so soon as it shall be translatSd" (Signed) S. C. A. W. Shand, Esquire, J. P., Resident Magistrate, Chatham Islands, &c., &c., &c.

Waitangi, 21st January, 185ti. Sik, —Referring to my letter of the 16th instant, I now do myself the honor to acquaint you further, that I have made the same arrangements with the Kaingaroa Natives as with those at Waitangi, and appointed Reire \ aupatu a " Kau te tiro" or Preventive Officer, at a Salary of Fifty Pounds per annum. I have a letter from the Natives promising the Governor that they will assist you in everything, I can, therefore, leave the Islands in full confidence that the Customs Revenue can be easily collected with the exercise of nothing more than common prudence and discretion. From the information I have been able to collect since my arrival, I estimate your Imports for the current year, at from ten to fifteen thousand pounds sterling, upon which it the full duties be collected, vou will have Revenue of say, at least, one thousand pounds sterling, out of which you will be kind enough to pay the expenses of your Department according to the following Schedule, and remit the surplus to the Collector of Customs for the time being at Wellington, under whose survey you have been placed, and from whom you will.receive all your instructions in this Department, until further orders from His Excellency the Governor. SCHEDULE. Collector .. .. .. .. .. £300 per annum Three Preventive Officers at £50 per annum each .. 150 " Rent for Custom House .. .. .. 30 " Roats Crew, to be employed temporally, at the cheapest rate 100 " £580 In addition to the Schedule, you are at liberty to purchase a Whale ljoat, at an expense of Forty Pounds sterling, for which sum I am given to understand, a good one may be procured, with Mast, Sail, and Oars, complete, which will bring your expenses to about six hundred and twenty pounds sterling per annum, leaving a clear sample at the lowest estimate of 'l'hree hundred and Flighty pounds sterling for the first year. You will consider these instructions as merely temporary, to be altered or confirmed by His Excellency the Governor, (being the best lam able to prepare after a careful consideration of the peculiar position of the Department in these Islands) and I trust you will find that all difficulties, so far as the Native population is concerned, are entirely re-