E—No. 6

PURCHASE OF NATIVE LANDS.

6. Upon the death of any person of the Native Race, dying seized of land in the Colony, whereof the title shall he derived under or through a Giant from the Crown, the Governor shall in such manner as he shall think fit, and shall from time to time direct by Regulations under his hand, notified in the Public Gazette of the Colony, cause an enquiry and report to be made on who the persons may be who, according to Native custom or most agreeable thereto, may he entitled to succeed to the lands whereof such person may have died seized. 7. Such enquiry and report shall be conducted and made according to such Regulations aforesaid. 8. Upon such report being made agreeably to these Regulations, the Governor may cause a new Grant or Grants to be issued in favour of the person or persons who by such report shall appear so entitled to succeed as aforesaid, and shall divide and grant the land in such shares or in such separate parcels as shall give effect to the rights of the parties so endowed; upon the issue of such new Grant or Grants, the original Grant shall, so far as the same shall affect the lands newly granted, be vacated and cease to be of effect. 9. The Governor may in such manner and with such conditions as shall be prescribed by such Regulations as aforesaid, call in, cancel, and destroy any such original Grant, when the same shall wholly cease to be of effect by virtue of the last Proclamation when the original Grant shall be vacated only as to a portion of such lands. 10. The Governor may cause an endorsement on the original Grant to be made, in accordance with such Regulations as aforesaid, so as to describe the particular portions of land respecting which the same shall be vacated, and shall re-deliver the original Grant so endorsed to the person or persons from whose custody the same shall have come. And whereas by an Act passed or intended to be passed in the present Session of the General Assembly, it is provided or intended to provide for the establishment of a General Registry of Titles in and for the said Colony. Be it enacted as follows:— 11. For every District in which the said last-mentioned Act shall be brought into operation every Title to land derived under a Crown Grant made and issued in accordance with the provisions of this Act shall be registered in such Registry, of Titles accordingly and subject to such Regulations as shall be from time to time made by the Registration Commissioners, which Regulations the said Commissioners are hereby authorised to make, subject to the same Regulations as are in the said Act •intained relating to the Commissioners' Regulations. 12. This Act shall be entitled the "Native Crown Titles Act, I860."

IVThe Native Land Partition Act, 1860. An Act to piovide for the partition of Lands over which the Native Title is not extinguished between the Native oumers thereof. Whereas the partition of lands held in common by Native Tribes and the individualization of the Tit le to such lands would greatly conduce to the materia] advancement and promote the civilization of the Native Race, and it is expedient that such partition and individualization should be affected by the Natives themselves, with the assistance of the Resident Magistrate of the District, in such a manner as to avoid the necessity of the interference of the Government for the purpose of conducting such pro ceedings or of upholding any awards, decisions, or arrangements made in furtherance of the objects aforesaid; Be it therefore enacted by the General Assembly of New Zealand in Parliament assembled, and by authority of the same, as follows : — This Act shall come into operation at such times and during such periods, and in such places as the Governor in Council shall from time to time by Order in Council direct, and any such Order may by the like authority be revoked. In the construction of this Act the words and phrases hereinunder mentioned shall have the following signification. The word "District" shall mean any District lawfully constituted under" The Native Circuit Courts Act, 18/>B," or any part of any such District. The word " Tribe," and the phrase " Subdivision of a Tribe," shall mean any number of Aboriginal Natives (more than 3) having a common title to land. The word " Land" shall mean any hereditament corporeal or incorporeal. The word "Court" shall mean The Resident Magistrate of the District, one or more Native Assessors, and a Jury constituted according to the mode of constituting a Jury for the purposes of criminal jurisdiction under the said Act. The word " Native" shall mean any person of the Native Race of New Zealand, and any IJalfcaste and other person of mixed race living as members of any Native Tribe and Aboriginal Natives of any Island of the Pacific Ocean. The word " Owner" shall mean a person entitled to any interests or estate in land. In each Court House in a District there shall be deposited and kept a Book of Record, to be called the " Land Register," in which book shall be entered in the Maori language in manner hereinafter provided the names and descriptions of all persons who may, in pursuance of this Act, be deemed to be the

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