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I need not point out to your Excellency the reasons which have operated upon myself and others in selecting- the locality referred to, as your Excellency will at once recognise its capabilities for carrying on fishing, ship-building, agriculture, and other purposes required for such a community ; but what I would desire to point out to your Excellency is the fact, that we speak the Gaelic language, and there are many of our old people, so that it becomes a matter of the greatest importance that our people who speak that language only, should, as far as possible, be located in the same place; and more especially we unite with our Pastor, Mr. McLeod, in desiring that this should be so, on account of devotional purposes. Without entering minutely into the reasons which weigh with us in trying to obtain a settlement in one place as nearly as circumstances will permit, I have to assure your Excellency that such an object is of great moment to us. and if such a prospect can be held out by your Excellency, I may state that I have only to make it known to the rest of our people in Melbourne and Nova Scotia, and they will lose no time in coming here to effect a settlement. Without assistance from your Excellency, I see no hope of this being accomplished, as those who are here at present have not the means of paying for so large a block of land as would be required, and unless your Excellency should feel inclined to make a special case for the sake of the community, on whose behalf I now write, by setting aside a sufficient block of land for them, I despair of being able to carry out the object. I would therefore respectfully request that your Excellency will take the matter into your consideration, and set aside, if you approve of our design, such parts of the block of land now about to be purchased, in the vicinity of Wangarei, extending from the Arai to the Harbour of Wangarei, say to the extent of from 30,000 to 50,000 acres, in such places as may be determined so soon as practicable after the purchase, say for the space of two or three years, to enable me to correspond with the rest of our people in Nova Scotia, and to remain open for selection by them for that period at the present upset price of 10s. per acre. I may state that if such an arrangement can be acceeded to by your Excellency, the party now here, are prepared at once to locate themselves upon the ground, and to take up and pav for several thousand acres. I have, &c., (Signed) Duncan McKenzie. To His Excellencv the Governor, &c., &c„ &c. Colonial Secretary's Office, Auckland, 24th January, 1854. Sin, —I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 15th ultimo, stating that several Highland families, now residing at Melbourne, and who lately emigrated from Nova Scotia, are anxious to locate in New Zealand, and requesting that a block of from thirty to fifty thousand acres, in the vicinity of Wangarei, may be set apart, and remain open for selection by these Highland emigrants for some time, at the present upset price of ten shillings per acre; and, in reply, I am directed by his Excellency the Officer administering the Government, to inform you that it is impossible for the Government, under the present Land Regulations, to enter into an arrangement of the kind referred to ; but, that if these emigrants are prepared at once to select and flay for a reasonable quantity of land from any specified block, such portions only of the remaining land as are immediately required should be offered for sale. I have, &c., (Signed) Andrew Sinclair, Colonial Secretary. Duncan McKenzie, Esq., care of Messrs. Brown and Campbell. &c., &c., &c. Auckland, 25th January, 1854. Sir, —With reference to your letter of the 24th instant, I beg to reply that I do not pereeive thereby how the land in question is to be reserved to us by the tenor of your communication, as simultaneous applications by others than our people, might be made for what you term " such portions of the remaining land as are immediately required such a privilege so far from being a special case, or benefit, is the undoubted right of every applicant for land, and hence 1 presume t* at the intention of the Government is hardly expressed explicitly in the communication referred i'O. Ur Ter these circumstances, I beg to trouble you again to state in explicit terms the amount of reserv which I understand the Government are inclined to give, in proportion to the land