DESPATCHES FROM THE GOVERNOR OP NEW

A.—No, la.

102

In the year 1862, the General Assembly and the Governor established a Court to adjudicate upon Native Lands. The Government of the Province of Wellington being desirous of purchasing our land, urged the General Assembly to exclude our lands from the operation of the Native Lands Act, in order that it might be bought by the Government of Wellington. To this the Assembly at once consented. Give heed: Only the land of us, the Ngatiraukawa, has been excluded from the Lands Court. We sent a Petition to the General Assembly praying that that Act might be disannulled, in order that our claims may bo taken through the Court. We have also been to Governor Grey, and shown him our trouble, and requested that our claims to the land might be investigated ; and we have also been to the Colonial Ministers, and requested to have our title to the land investigated, but they paid no heed. In December, 1866, the Land Purchase Commissioner, the Superintendent of Wellington, handed over the purchase-money to certain persons who own the land adjoining ours; he gave money also to tribes dwelling at a distance, who had no ground of claim to our land. We have all seen the speech of the Superintendent of Wellington made in opening the Provincial Council, on the 26th April, 1867, in which he stated he had purchased the whole of our land, that is, the Bangitikei-Manawatu Block. He upon a former occasion made use of these words —" The whole of your lands have gone to the Queen of England." Still we were aware this law was not made by the Queen, but was made at their own instance by the Assembly, at Wellington. Now therefore, we your subjects, who have always borne allegiance to Your Majesty ever since the arrival of the first Governor, pray you to send an investigator of sound judgment to inquire into the particulars of this act of injustice. These are the names of tho sub-tribes of Ngatiraukawa which we represent —Ngatipikiahu, Ngatiwaewae, Ngatimaniapoto, Ngatihinewai. There are seventy-one men of us owning our piece of land at Bangitikei who have not taken any of Dr. Featherston's money: only one of our party, Noa te Bauhihi, took of the money. There are other sub-tribes of Ngatiraukawa who claim in the Bangitikei-Manawatu Block. Baeanihi te Tau, Witness to signatures— Eeuini te Tau. Matene te Whtwhi, Akapita te Tewe. Otaki, 29th June, 1867.

Enclosure 5 in No. 44. Bawiei te Wanui to Governor Sir Geoege Geet, K.C.B. To Governor Gret, —■ Otaki, 4th July, 1867. We forward this our Petition to you. Please let it be sent on to the Queen of England. Bawiei te AVanui.

Sub-Enclosure to Enclosure 5 in No. 44. Petition from Bawiei te Wanui to Her Majesty the Queen. To Hee Majestt the Queen of England,— Here do we, Your Majesty's loving subjects, cry to you out of the midst of the injustice inflicted upon us. We had all heard, before the Treaty of Waitangi, that you, the Queen, would take care of us and our lands. We now write to you because of a block of land belonging to us, situate at Bangitikei, in the Province of Wellington. We, the Ngatiraukawa, took that land by force of arms, prior to the sovereignty of the Queen over New Zealand having been declared, and we have kept possession of it up to the present time. In the year 1862, the General Assembly and the Governor established a Court to adjudicate upon Native Lands. The Government of the Province of Wellington, being desirous of purchasing our land, urged the General Assembly to exclude our lands from the operation of the Native Lands Act, in order that it might be purchased by the Government of Wellington. To this the General Assembly at once consented. Give heed: Only the land of us, the Ngatiraukawa, has been excluded from the Lands Court. We sent a Petition to the General Assembly, praying that that Act might be disannulled, in order that our claims might be taken through the Court. We have also been to Governor Grey, and shown him our trouble, and requested that our claims to the land might be investigated ; and we have also been to the Colonial Ministers, and requested to have our title to the land investigated, but they paid no heed. In December, 1866, the Land Purchase Commissioner, the Superintendent of Wellington, handed over the purchase-money to certain persons who own the land adjoining ours ; he gave money also to tribes dwelling at a distance who had no ground of claim to our land. We have all seen the speech of the Superintendent of Wellington, made in opening tho Provincial Council on the 26th April, 1867, in which he stated he had purchased the whole of our land, that is, the Bangitikei-Manawatu block. He, upon a former occasion, made use of these words, —" The whole of your lands have gone to the Queen of England." Still we were aware this law was not made by the Queen, but was made at their own instance by the Assembly at Wellington. Now therefore, we, your subjects, who have always borue allegiance to Your Majesty ever since the arrival of the first Governor, pray you to send an investigator of sound judgment to inquire into the particulars of this act of injustice. The name of the sub-tribe of Ngatiraukawa to which we belong, is Ngatimaiotaki. In all there are of us thirty men and twenty-six women, besides children, who claim our piece in Bangitikei. Not one of us took of Dr. Featherston's money. BOTA TE TAHIWI, Signed in the presence of — Bawiei te Wanui, . Pumipi te Baha. Kepa Keeikeei, Otaki, 4th July, 1867. Pita te Puheeoa.