D.—No. 4.

Enclosure 3 in No. 4. Copy of a Letter from Captain AY. Clare to the Staff Adjutant. Sib,— Camp Cambridge, 6th April, 1866. I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of an extract of letter from the Under Secretary for Colonial Defence, No. 1028, of the 9th ultimo, with your indorsement thereon, directing me to furnish the information called for, that is— 1. A statement showing the exact process by which the several officers and men of the 3rd AVaikato Eegiment have had their particular acres and sections of land allotted to them ; and 2. A certified copy from the Land Eegister Book of an officer's, non-commissioned officer's, and private's town acre and farm section, showing his title to the same. Instead of appending separate extracts of the several orders bearing on the subject, the first requirement will, I think, be best met by weaving them in with the body of the necessary explanation, and this course, therefore, I will follow. The Waikato Eiver divides tho Township of Cambridge into two parts —that is east and west —each containing about 550 surveyed acres, irrespective of reserves and roads. Plans were handed over to the regiment in December, 1564. On receipt of these the town on each side of the river was divided into four equal parts, the regiment was formed into eight companies, and these sub-divisions of the town were distributed to them by lottery. Two series of papers were prepared, the one having thereon the numbers of the companies, the other the several sub-divisions of the township. Staff officers, selected throughout the town, officers of companies, took choice by seniority in the sub-division which had fallen to the company ; sergeants then took priority of selection by lot among themselves, corporals, following in like manner, and by lottery each private of the company had afterwards his acre assigned to him. It may be mentioned that all drawings of land have taken place in the Eegimental Orderly Eoom, in presence of the Adjutant, one officer at least of each company, and all non-commissioned officers and men off duty. This distribution of town acres did not affect the duties or discipline of the regiment, which was still held together for military duty. In February, 1565, plans of five blocks of country land in the vicinity of Cambridge were handed over to the regiment, instructions were received to allot them to the officers and men with despatch, and to strike the recipients off pay. The following Memorandum .having reference to the subject, and explaining that the men to be struck off pay were afterwards to appear at monthly musters and receive pay for that day, was received and published in Eegimental Orders by Lieutenant-Colonel Lyon on the 26th of that month :— Head Quarters AVaikato Force, " (Memorandum 22 A.) Alexandra, 22nd February, 1865. " Para 3. —The officers and men who are struck off pay are to be warned to attend a muster parade on the first Monday in each month, commencing on Monday, the 3rd April, 18G5. " Attendance at such muster parades will entitle them to pay for the day, and all ranks are to be cautioned that an unauthorized absence from the district for more than one month in each year, or from two consecutive muster parades, will render them liable to forfeit their land, and all other benefits to which they may be entitled under the AVaikato regulations. "Nominal returns of all absentees, showing whether with or without authority, will be sent to Head Quarters immediately after each muster parade. (By order) "P. F. De Quincey, " Lieut.-Colonel, Military Secretary." The five blocks of country land mentioned above were allotted to companies in tho same manner as explained with regard to the town acres, —officers taking priority of choice, according to seniority, in the block- apportioned to the Company, non-commissioned officers following, and the farm sections were allotted to the privates on the 27th of February. The order to strike the recipients of country land off pay was, by telegraphic instructions suspended for a few days, and finally carried into effect on the 6th March, by Eegimental Order, of which an extract here follows, and by which seven officers, and 351 non-commissioned officers and men were struck off and became non-effective:— Regimental Orders by Major Wilson. Camp, Cambridge, 6th March, 1865. " Under instructions from the Commandant of the AVaikato Militia, country lands having been allotted to No. 9 Company, the under-mentioned commissioned, non-commissioned officers and men are authorized to take possession of their allotments, and will be struck off consecutive pay, and relieved from ' actual service,' from and after the 7th instant: — Captain James Bowles No. 920. Corporal Edward C. Dry Ensign Harry T. Owen „ 905. „ Alexander Malcolm No. 987. Sergeant John AValsh „ 935. Lance-Corporal Joseph Wilkins „ 388. Lieut. George Edwards „ 1443. Bugler C. C. Froyte „ 924. Corporal James Lamb „ 898. Private Thomas Atkinson (By order) "AVilliam Clare, "Captain and Adjutant." The day after the publication of the preceding, other General Orders were received and made known to the regiment in the following terms: —■ Regimental Orders by Major Wilson. Camp, Cambridge, 7th March, 1565. "2. That part of Eegimental Orders Nos. 2, 5, 8, 11, and 14, of the 6th instant, directing that men

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