E—No. 2,

occupy the rebel districts; 4th, in part to pay off the cost of a war forced by the natives upon tho Colony. "While achieving these ends, they would reserve for the future use of the natives so large a portion of the confiscated land as would enable them to live in independence and comfort, and they would secure it to them by such individual titles under the Crown as might tend to elevate them above that communal system (or no system) of life which lies at the root of the j present uncivilized state. In attaining" those ends they sincerely hope that the means adopted will be such as to satisfy both Her Majesty's Government at home and the Christian public; understanding by the latter expression, however, the well-informed intelligence of the whole Christian public, and not merely a portion of it, whose sectional habits of thought might induce these to take a prejudiced or narrow view of the subject. The Government feel, however, that it is their duty not so much to regulate their acts by what may be thought of them even by the Christian public at a distance, as by what their own local knowledge and long experience 'in the Colony may enable them to judge to be the right thing to be done. If in order to conciliate public opinion at home, or to earn a character for justice and humanity in the estimation of persons in England who have but an imperfect appreciation of the real merits of the case, the Government here were to sacrifice the permanent welfare of the Colony, by patching up a hollow peace without those material guarantees which alone are likely to make it durable"they would not be doing their duty. They are satisfied, however, that this is not what your Lordship would encourage them to do, and they do not believe that there is any material difference between your opinion and theirs on the subject. I have the honour, &c, William Fox. The Lord Bishop of Waiapu. No. 2. MEMORANDUM by the Govebnoh. In reference to the Colonial Secretary's Memorandum of the sth instant, transmitting a correspondence with the Bishop of "Waiapu, relative to the confiscation of Native lands, for the purpose of being forwarded to the Secretary of State, in which the Government state that they believe that there s very little difference between their opinion on that subject and tho opinion of the Bishop of Waiapu, t would be a great satisfaction to the Governor if Ministers would inform the Bishop of the nature and extent of the confiscation of Native lands, which they have advised the Governor to carry out, in their Memoranda of the 25th of June and of the Ist of July, in order that His Lordship, who is now in town, may state whether, in expressing the opinion he has clone, he intended to advocate a confiscation of that nature and extent. G. Geet. Government House, 29th July, 1864. No. 3. MEMOEANDUM by the Gotebhjob. The Governor would feel much obliged to his Eesponsiblc Advisers, if they would reply to his Memorandum of the 29th of July last, in reference to a correspondence regarding the confiscation of Native lands with the Bishop of "Waiapu. G. Gbev. August 23th, 186 i. MEMORANDUM by Mixistebs. In reply to His Excellency's Memoranda of tho 29th July and 25th August, requesting Ministers to inform the Bishop of Waiapu of the nature aud extent of the confiscation of Native lands which they have advised the Governor to carry out in their Memoranda of the 25th June and Ist July, in order that His Lordship may state whether, in expressing the opinion he has done, he intended to advocate a confiscation of that measure and extent, —Ministers beg respectfully to state their opinion that to communicate to persons not members of the Government the details of plans on which Ministers have advised His Excellency, aud with reference to which action is still incomplete, would create a precedent which might be attended with the most serious inconvenience to the public service ; and in this particular instance there seems tho less necessity for such a course, because the Bishop of Waiapu, in volunteering an opinion on the subject, has confined himself to the general principle of confiscation, and not touched in any way upon matters of detail. And while Ministers attach considerable weight to the concurrence of the Bishop in the principle of the propriety of enforcing which his knowledge of Native customs aud character enable him to judge, Ministers would not attach much importance to his opinion (probably formed entirely from a Native point of view) upon tho details of the Government plans, which have other bearings besides those which they have upon the Native population, and in reference to which the Bishop can have no special knowledge or experience. W. Fox. 26th August, 1864.

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PAPERS RELATIVE TO NATIVE ATTAIRS.