PAPERS RELATING TO NATIVE SCHOOLS.

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At Tuparoa, and Waiapu, they have, some years since, granted to the Queen a School Estate of between one and two thousand acres of most valuable land, at Maau-tahi, for which I understand a tenant might at once be found. This is another instance of the danger of endowments being lost sight of, or neglected, from the want of some authorised person to look after them, as it appears to have been granted about 1867, but utterly lost sight of until some vague rumour of its existence caused the Eesident Magistrate to institute careful inquiry, when it was found amongst the old papers of his predecessor by his (Mr. W. Baker's) widow. But a stronger reason than the fact that the Natives, by contributing to the efforts we are making to educate their children, will double our means of doing so, is that it will give them a greater interest in our success, with which view I have sought their opinion and concurrence in everything which we have done in establishing these schools, and have urged their assistance and co-operation in working them, and have found them anxious to do all in their power. I have, &c, A. H. Russell.

No. 7. The Inspectoe op Schools to the Hon. the Native Ministeb. Waimate, Bay of Islands, Sib,— 13th March, 1872. I have the honor to report that, in accordance with my telegram of 22nd ultimo, I embarked for Auckland on that day, and arrived on the 24th. On the same day I held a meeting with all the principal chiefs of Kaipara, as they happened to be passing through Auckland on their way to a meeting with the Eing Natives at Tokangamutu. I was glad to have an opportunity of making known to those chiefs the kindly intentions of the Legislature and Government, as regards the education and instruction of the Native race in the English language, upon the eve of their visit to the King Natives, feeling assured that it would be made a subject of conversation at Tokangamutu, and be thus conveyed indirectly to those who have so long estranged themselves from us. The Kaipara chiefs appeared to be thoroughly satisfied with the details which I made known to them, and willing to co-operate with the Government by bearing a fair share of the necessary expenditure, and by using their influence and aid in carrying out the requirements of the Acts. At their request, I delayed my visit to Kaipara until after my return from the North, to give them time to return to Tokangamutu. On the 26th I inspected the St. Stephen's Institution, and found it in excellent order. I had an opportunity also of conferring with the Rev. Mr. Burrowes (in charge) and with the VenerableArchdeacon Williams. I will report specially upon this Institution when I have more time. I subsequently visited and conferred with Sir William Martin upon the subject of Native education generally, to which he is devoting great attention, and is, in conjunction with Archdeacon Williams, compiling an educational series, which will, I think, much facilitate the acquisition of the English language by the Natives. As he thought he could have the first books ready for the press in a couple of months, before which time there will not be many school-houses ready for occupation, I purpose buying at present only so many of the books now in use as may be absolutely necessary to carry on the present schools. I found no other schools in Auckland; the Roman Catholic schools which formerly existed at St. Mary's and on the North Shore having ceased operations. I left Auckland, therefore, by the first steamer for the Bay of Islands, and reached Waimate on the Ist instant. On the 2nd I visited Wiremu Katene, the Native member for this district, at his kainga ; and, finding him out of health, and about to go to the sea-side for its recovery, I agreed to defer holding a meeting for establishing a school at Waimate until I had visited the several districts which are most accessible from this place. Accordingly, I proceeded on the 4th instant, by way of Whangaroa and Mangonui, to Kaitaia, which I reached on the 6th, and from thence to Ahipara, on the West Coast, on the 7th, inspecting Mr. Masters' school at Pukepoto on my way. I will report specially upon this school, which deserves every encouragement. At Ahipara, I found only the principal chief (Charles Napier) and a few others, most of them having accompanied the Resident Magistrate, Mr. White, to a Land Court, which he was about to hold at the North Cape. I was unfortunate in not being able to fall in with the Resident Magistrate, who was generally fifty miles ahead of me ; but I wrote to him before my return from Kaitaia, explaining the steps which I had taken, and begging him to complete such, as I was, from the absence of the Natives, obliged to leave unfinished. I visited the proposed school site at Ahipara, and found it to consist of from twenty to thirty acres of good land, with most of the timber necessary for a school-house (to be used also for Divine service) already on the ground, and arrangements made for its erection. I arranged with Mr. Puckey, who acts in conjunction with the Rev. Mr. Matthews, to call a meeting upon the return of the Ahipara Natives for the election of a school committee, the definition of school boundaries, the nomination of trustees, See., and I will report accordingly when the requirements of the Native School Acts have been complied with. I apprehend no difficulty in finding a good schoolmaster for Ahipara, either in the person of a brother of Mr. Masters, of Pukepoto School, or in that of a son of the Rev. Mr. Matthews, of Kaitaia. On the Bth I attended a meeting of Natives at Awanui (on the East Coast), where I found forty-four children assembled with their parents, who assured me that several others —not less than sixty in all —would attend school. . They had already erected a school-house also, (like that at Ahipara) intended for a church, which will accommodate that number of children.