R—No. 2.

the two races, when Her Majesty's Imperial troops are withdrawn, standing opposite to each other with arms in their hands, one party embittered with a sense of wrongs, and the other congratulating itself on the easy escape from the expected and well-merited penalties of misconduct and defeat, would be wicked if intentional, and criminal neglect if unintentional —disastrous to the European and fatal to the Maori. Ministers are at a loss to understand to what His Excellency refers when he states that if he followed the advice of his Ministers, " he would have been hereafter adjudged to have done that which " was wrong, and which must tend to drive a nation to despair." No measure that has ever been proposed by His Excellency's Kesponsible Advisers has had a tendency to affect one-fourth part of the Maori " nation," or one-tenth part of their territorial possessions. Moreover the two essential points upon which His Excellency and his Ministers have differed, have been on the two principal subjects of the present discussion, and Ministers are quite unable to see that they have ever proposed anything which has been calculated to drive a " nation "to despair. On the contrary, the feeling of the Maori " nation " would certainly hold that it is strictly just to deprive men of the arms with which they have made an unprovoked and barbarous attack, and that it is certainly generous to give up to such men any of their territorial possessions which their opponents have the power to keep. Maori usage would fully justify much harsher measures, and those who have had the power have generally inflicted them. Ministers protest against the charge His Excellency makes against them, of " clouding his judg- " ment and trying to force him to a decision he does not approve of." On the other hand, indeed, they have felt that His Excellency has been endeavouring to force them to concur in measures against which their judgment revolts, and which, sooner or later, they believe will produce disastrous results. Ministers feel that they ought no longer to remain in the ostensible position of Eesponsible Ministers when they have ceased to have t]ieir legitimate influence in the government of the Colony. They believe that they clearly foresee a long train of disastrous results to the Colony, and to Her Majesty's subjects of both races, as the inevitable issue of what His Excellency is doing and leaving undone ; and they are most anxious to be relieved from any, even the appearance of, complicity. Ministers feel that they would have been justified by the precedents His Excellency has afforded them in declining to " pledge " themselves " beforehand to any particular line of action," but they are anxious, as far as lies in their power, to remove all difficulties out of His Excellency's way, and therefore, in reply to his question as to what course Ministers intend to piirsue if His Excellency adheres to his intention of issuing the objectionable Proclamation, they beg most respectfully to state that they request to be relieved of the offices they hold as His Excellency's Eesponsible Advisers. Ehedk. Whitakee. Auckland, 22nd September, 1864. No. 10. MEMOEANDUM by the Goyebnoe In their Memorandum of the 22nd instant Ministers state as follews : —" They did not ask for an " assurance that the cession should include all they might think required, but that it should be to the " extent contemplated by the Secretary of State, and include land to be disposed of by sale as well as " for military and other settlements. Not a quantity to be measured by any man's opinions, but by a " given rule, easily applied, which would leave nothing to be determined by thoughts and opinions, and " in strict accordance with the instructions which embodied the decisions of Her Majesty's Govern- " ment, and with the views and legislation of the General Assembly." Tlic Governor would feel very much obliged to his Eesponsible Advisers if they would state for his information what this given rule is which was so easily applied. G. Grey. September 28th, 1864. No. 11. MEMOEANDUM by Ministers. His Excellency requests to be informed what given rule is applicable to a calculation of the land required to be confiscated for the purposes mentioned by Ministers in their Memorandum of the 22nd instant. , Each man of the military settlers is entitled to a certain number of acres, so that a simple addition will give the number of acres required. A similar rule will apply to the emigrants authorised to be brought from Gr^at Britain. This leaves only a moderate quantity required for sale to be determined, which would create no difficulty. lEEDK. WniTAKEB, Auckland, 30th September, 1864. No. 12. MEMOEANDUM by the Govebnob. The Governor thanks his Eesponsible Advisers for their Memorandum of this day's date, regarding the quantity of land required for the purposes mentioned by Ministers in their Memorandum of the 22nd inßtant. «

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PAPERS 11ELATIVE TO NATIVE AFFAIRS.