A.—No. 2A.

No. 8. (No. 68.) Copy of a Letter from the hon. c. w. Stafford to his honor h. k. Richmond. Sir, — Colonial Seci-etary's Office, Wellington, 19th Febmary, 1866. I have to acknowledge the receipt of your Honor's letter, No. 94, of the Bth instant, to the Hon. the Colonial Defence Minister, transmitting returns of the expenditure necessary to complete existing contracts on the South Road, and of further expenditure required to make the place passable as far as Ahu Aim. A sum of £3,500 was placed by the late Government on the Estimates ot the balance of the loan for roads at Taranaki, and the sum already expended or authorised for works amounts to £3,551. The Colonial Defence Minister represents that your Honor is under a misapprehension as to his having sanc^ned the metalling of a portion of the South .Road at Omata. He states that your Honor pointed out** him the spot requiring repair, but that he never authorised the expense. Until tW Government is in possession of more information as to the funds which may be available for public works in connection with the confiscated lands in the Province of Taranaki, I regret that it will not be able to sanction a further expenditure for the purpose in question. I have, Sic, His Honor the Superintendent, Taranaki. E. W. Stafford. No. 9. (No. 92.) Copy of a Letter from his honor ii. r. Richmond to the hon. c. w. biafford. Sir, — Superintendent's Office, New Plymouth, Bth February, 18G6. Having alluded very briefly in my letter, No. 87, of the 29th ultimo, to the desirability of at once taking measures for adjudicating the claims of the natives in this Province whose land has been confiscated, and ia part occupied by Military Settlements and the Waiters township, I have now the honor respectfully to ask the immediate attention of His Excellency's Government to this subject, which appears to me from many points of view one of great, I may say pressing importance to the interests of both races in-this Province. The present arrangement, by which, if I rightly understand it, Mr. Commissioner Parris (under instructions received from the late Government) is adjusting or endeavoring to adjust the claims referred to in such a manner that their final adjudication by the Compensation Court may be a matter of form oulv, appears to me open to very grave objections, and as far as I can discover the success of the plan, in the way of satisfying the natives that justice will be done to them, is not such as to jiistify the continuance of so irregular a manner of proceeding. I have great confidence in the integrity of Mr. Commissioner Parris, but I submit that the placing of the very large powers practically conferred on him by his instructions, in the hands of any person not subject to the control of public opinion, or bound by any rules of evidence or defined principles of procedure, is in itself exceedingly objectionable, and could only (if at all) be justified by the fact that the person on whom such powers were conferred was marked out by special qualifications as peculiarly fitted for so delicate and responsible a task. I can state unhesitatingly that in urging His Excellency's Government to make arrangements for the speedy settlement of these claims in open Court, and, with the sanction of law, I am only expressing the strong wish of all thinking persons in the settlement whom I have consulted on the subject. It appeals to me impossible to believe that anything but evil can result from further delay in this matter. As regards the settlers, the private nature of the Commissioner's negotiations, and the want of information as to the powers exercised by him, create a feeling of great uneasiness and distrust. Tins importance to the Province of an equitable settlement of these claims is very great, and it cannot be

7

OP THE CONFISCATED LANDS.

To open South Bond for Cart Traffic from Contract No. 53 to Contract No. 65, 1| miles, passing through Ahu Ahu Township, five Puriri box Culverts 50 One framed Culvert at Mangapukatea 50 Earthwork, 4000 cubic yards 150 Macadamising part of South Eoad, Omata .. 380 Sanctioned by the Hon. the Defence Minister, but not let by contract. £1130 0. Carkingtox, Survey Office, New Plymouth, 7th February, 18 16. Chief Surveyor.