R-No. 2

tion on these subjects, in order that they may know the duty on which they sanction the employment of the Queen's Forces. He also feels that he ought not to be expected to take the responsibility of ordering, from time to time, the employment of these forces, until he knows the end which is being aimed at, and the extent to which it is proposed to carry on operations ; and he thinks that it will be generally felt that a distinct notification on this subject should bo made to the Native population, with the view of bringing, as soon as possible, the present unhappy contest to a close. The Governor hopes that his Responsible Advisers will admit, the reasonableness of his requestsin these respects, and give him the information for which he asks. 1 G. Geet. Government House, Auckland, 17th June, 1864. Ko. 10. MEMORANDUM by Ministers. His Excellency's present Responsible Advisers have no recollection that His Excellency formerly ur^ed that some of the Military (Settlers should be located on some of the important points on the nearer portions of the Waikato River, and they would certainly have felt that such a proposal could not have been adopted without seriously interfering with the object for which those Settlers were enlisted. It was first proposed in Mr. Domett's Memorandum of the 30th of January, 1863, that a Frontier line should be established; and the intention to carry out that proposal has ever since been adhered to. The Military Settlers were specially enlisted for that purpose ; they are better suited for it than any other Settlers, and their number is barely sufficient effectually to do that work. Ministers would, therefore, have felt it to be a great mistake to locate them on the nearer portion of the Waikato River —far within the position they were intended to protect. Ministers regret that some delay has taken place in proceeding with the location of the Military Settlers in the Waikato ; but they are unwilling to enter into a discussion as to the cause, and they are content to leave the matter as it stands upon the papers which have passed between His Excellency and themselves on the subject. Ministers trust that His Excellency will pardon them for reminding him that the Proclamations submitted to him on the 20th of May, and to which he refers in his Memorandum of the 17th of June, were not accompanied by any regulations whatever. Having regard, indeed, to the position and size of the district comprised in the Proclamations, such regulations would not have been applicable. The regulations to which His Excellency refers were submitted to him on the 17th of May, in connection with another Proclamation to which His Excellency made objections, and which, in deference to his views as stated in his Memorandum of the 25th of May —was abandoned. The object for which Ministers met His Excellency on the 29th of May had no reference to those regulations, or the Proclamation to which they referred, and they had no intention of tendering him any advice on that subject. When His Excellency objected to the Proclamation of the 17th of May as comprising too large an area, he suggested another district, and the exact boundaries approved of by His Excellency were inserted in the amended Proclamation ; Ministers understood that all discussion was then at an end, and that the sole object of the Executive Council, held on the 29th May, was to give legal effect to what had been previously agreed to ; and Ministers were quite taken by surprise -when the other subjects entered upon by His Excellency were introduced into the Executive Council. Having regard to the importance, in their opinion, of proceeding forthwith with the location of the Military Settlers, Ministers had'foregone pressing their own views in order to avoid delay ; and after His Excellency's views had, as they thought, been met iii every respect, they most unexpectedly found questions pressed upon them which they had had no intimation would be raised, —which they conceive could not be appropriately discussed in the Executive Council, and upon which —not having been considered amongst themselves—they were not prepared to tender Ministerial advice. His Excellency is quite correct in saying that "they then declined to do so ; but Ministers have ever been ready to consider any subject, and advise thereon, when 1 he occasion has arisen. 'As Ministers have already stated, the proposed Proclamation of the 17th of May, with the regulations annexed, was abandoned in deference to His Excellency; and it would thereto re be useless to discuss questions arising out of those documents. The "general policy" which the Governor's Responsible Advisers propose to pursue '-regarding confiscation of Native land, and the extent to which they intend to carry such confiscation,'' is a matter of great importance, and one upon which, after careful consideration, they are fully prepared to state their present views. They will do so in a separate Memorandum. Ministers have twice proposed to His Excellency to issue a Proclamation stating the terms upon which the submission of the Waikato rebels would be accepted. In reference to one of those proposals, His Excellency stated as follows: —"We issue offers of peace to them for which they have not yet asked, in a form which the Governor believes must alarm and irritate many who have not yet been hostile to us ; whilst others may be encouraged to become so from deeming this act on our part a sign of weakness." > .... Both- proposals were abandoned in consequence of His Excellency expressing opinions against them. Ministers have no objection, and indeed still think that it is desirable " that a distinct notification should be made to tlie Native population, with a view of bringing, as soon as possible, the present unhappy contest to a close ;" and they refer His Excellency to a Memorandum of this date as expressing their views on the subject. Feeds. Whitakek. Auckland, 24th June, 1864.

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PAPERS RELATIVE TO NATIVE AFFAIRS.