E—No. 4

OF THE NATIVE INSURRECTION.

that the South side was preferable to the North, in case of an invasion" from Waikato. Since their return from the South, none of the land sold by Teira and party, has ever been cultivated by William King's people. 7. Having been authori«ed to pay an instalment for the land, I appointed the 29th November for that purpose, and gave William King a week's notice of my intention to do so. On the 28th he came to Town with about thirty followers, all armed. On hearing they were in the Kauwau pa, I went to them, and prevailed on William King to remain until the following day, and supplied them with food for that purpose, and on the 29th they met Teira's party, before His Honor the Superintendent, Lieut.-Colonel Murray, Rev. Mr. Whiteley, and other authorities of the place, when he distinctly admitted, in answer to a question put to him by myself, that the land was Teira's and his supporters, but that he would not allow them to sell it. An instalment of one hundred pounds was paid that day, from which time Teira remained in town, his life having been threatened, having at the request of the others conducted the negotiation. Teira, whatever others may think or insinuate with regard to him, as a man of rank, has a character unsullied, and can prove his line of ancestors to be of no mean origin. 8. Rawiri Raupongo, an extensive claimant in the Waitara district, was frequently forcing the sale of this land upon me privately, being, as he always assured me, afraid to move publicly in the matter, lest he should be served the same as Ravviri Waiaua was ; and the opposing party for a time had an impression that he was not a consenting party, for one of William King's principal men, Komene Patumoe, made a statement to Archdeacon Govett, which that gentleman has furnished me with, a copy of which I here insert:— New Plymouth, July 10, 1860. Dear Sir, — I have no objection to give you a written statement of what was said by Komene Patumoe to me, regarding the sale of the Block of land at Waitara. His expression was, that if Rawiri Raupongo had been a consenting party to the sale, they could not have had anything to say against it (Kahore a matou kupu). By this I understood him to mean, that the Natives generally at the Waitara could not have reasonably opposed it. I remain, &c, Henry Govett. Robert Parris, Esq. 9. In December last a Native called Waitere, from Hangatiki, an active agent in the King movement, called at Waitara on his way to the South, and left secretly a King's flag with a Native called Erueti, the miscreant that proposed the plot to murder me, who has done a great deal of mischief in this district. As soon as William King found out that this flag had been left there, he accused those who sanctioned it of acting treacherously by him, and finding some of his own people favourable to it, he threatened to leave the district. This matter caused a division among the party ; William King left liis Pa at Waitara, and went and lived with Teito, near the Waiongona, while; the other party still carried on the flag question, and commenced to prepare a flagstaff". The two old men, Tamati Raru and Rawiri Raupongo, declared they would lose their lives rather than allow of its being erected on their land. Whilst this was going on a large (Kupenga) fishing-net was also being made by the same party. William King went to Tamati Raru and Rawiri Raupongo, and recommended them to obstruct the use of the net (which right by Native custom is vested in the owners of the land) by falling on it with a knife and cutting it in pieces. Teira, who was stopping in town, came to me i n trouble for the two old Chiefs, lest they should consent to William King's recommendation and get hurt ; I therefore went with him the following day to Waitara, and advised them not to interfere. 10. In January last a report was current that I was going to cut the bouudary line of the block of land, and in consequence thereof an armed party was out every day, waiting for me. On hearing of this, I rode down to them and gave them a reprimand tor assembling in that way with arms, and told them that they need not be lying in wait for me, that they should have notice, whenever it was decided to survey the land. I had a long discussion with them, during which Edward (William King's son) said that they had determined the land should not be sold, for if they allowed Teira to sell, others would be wanting to sell also. 11. On payment of the instalment of the 29th November last, I read over the boundary of the block ot land, in the presence of William King and his party, to which was appended the following, as instructions from His Excellency the Governor:— "If any other person can prove that he owns any part of the land within the boundaries above described, his claim will be respected, and he will be allowed to retain or sell the same, as he may think proper." No definite claim was ever preferred, at this or any other time, and the only position they have ever taken is ihe arbitrary one of assuming the right to oppose the sale of any land, even by the rightful owners. 12. Having been instructed to proceed with the survey of the land, I appointed the 20th February for the commencement, and informed William King accordingly. This having been generally understood by the settlers, a number of them were intending to accompany us, on hearing of which, I went to His Honor the Superintendent, and requested that a notice be published cautioning them against doing so, as it was highly objectionable. On arriving on the ground with a surveyor, two chain men, and one Native, Hemi Pataka, one of the sellers, we were met by a party of seventy to eighty, waiting for us. On placing the suiveyor' s

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