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No. 3. The Chairman, Waste Lands Board, Auckland, to the Hon. the Secretary for Crown Lands, Wellington. Sir, — Crown Lands Office, Auckland, 20th April, 1877. I have the honor, at the instance of the Waste Lands Board, to forward to you the accompanying copy of a resolution embodying the price, terms, and conditions upon which it is proposed, with the sanction of His Excellency the Governor, to sell to Mr. George Vesey Stewart, 8,000 acres of land, for the purpose of establishing a special settlement in the neighbourhood of the Katikati, District of Tauranga. A tracing, indicating the position of the lands proposed to be dealt with as above, is herewith enclosed. I beg to request that I may, at your earliest convenience, be informed of the decision of the Government with regard to the present recommendation of the Board. I have, &c, The Hon. the Secretary for Crown Lands, D. A. Tole, Wellington. Chairman, Waste Lands Board.

Enclosure in No. 3. Copy of Resolution of Waste Lands Board. Resolved, That the Waste Lands Board recommends to Government the sale to Mr. George Vesey Stewart of 8,000 acres, more or less, comprising lands adjoining the Katikati Special Settlement Block (as per tracing attached hereto), and the forfeited and unallotted lands (roads and reserves excepted) comprised therein, at the rate of £1 per acre, for the purpose of establishing a special settlement, onehalf of such amount —viz.,. 10s. per acre, or £4,000 —to be paid in cash to the Agent-General of New Zealand in London, on or before the Ist day of October, 1877 ; payment of second 10s. per acre to be made by the introduction from the United Kingdom of one adult immigrant of 18 years of age or upwards for every 75 acres of land —that is, 107 adult immigrants—subject to the approval of the AgentGeneral of New Zealand, or his agent at port of embarkation, and to place all the said immigrants on the land above described, or on such part thereof as may be most convenient (two persons under 18 years of age to count as one adult) ; and in the erection on the said land of twenty-eight weatherboarded houses, or other more permanent dwellings, of not less than three rooms each; and that sufficient laud be set apart to provide a common-school education for the population introduced ; that one-fifth of the total area of 8,000 acres of land shall be put under cultivation; and that all these conditions shall be fulfilled on or before the Ist day of January, 1883. That as a guarantee for the due fulfilment of these conditions the Crown grant, reserving all precious metals, and containing the usual covenants to lay out roads, shall issue only on the due performance of the stipulations herein contained. If all these conditions be not fulfilled before the Ist day of January, 1883, the said sum of £4,000 shall be absolutely forfeited, and be treated as a portion of the land revenue of the Colony of New Zealand.

- No. 4. The Hon. the Secretary for Crown Lands to the Commissioner of Crown Lands, Auckland. Sir, — General Crown Lands Office, Wellington, 23rd May, 1877. I have the honor, by direction of the Hon. the Secretary for Crown Lands, to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 20th ultimo, forwarding a resolution of the Auckland Waste Lands Board, relating to a proposed sale to G. V. Stewart, Esq., of a block of 8,000 acres of land for the purpose of establishing a special settlement in the neighbourhood of the Katikati, District of Tauranga, and requesting the decision of the Government on the recommendation of the Board. In reply, I have to inform you that the Government approves of the proposal to sell to Mr. G. V. Stewart, for the purpose named, a block of 8,000 acres of land in the neighbourhood of Katikati, at the terms and conditions, as to payment of the first moiety of the price, agreed to by the Board. In regard to the second payment of 10s. per acre which is proposed to be made by the introduction of immigrants to be settled on the block, I have to state that the Government approves of the proposed method of payment, provided Mr. Stewart will agree to introduce and place on the land, within twelve months from this date, 200 immigrants of 18 years of age or upwards, approved of by the AgentGeneral, or to pay within the same time to the Receiver of Land Revenue at Auckland the sum of £20 per head on the difference between the number of 200 and any smaller number actually introduced and located by him. The conditions as to erection of dwellings, cultivation, date of issue of grant, and forfeiture for non-fulfilment of conditions are approved ; but it is not considered expedient to make the provision which has been stipulated for school reserves, as it is so vague as to be likely to lead to future difficulties. I have, &c, The Commissioner of Crown Lands, Auckland. J. Giles.

No. 5. Mr. G. V. Stewart to the Hon. D. Reid. Sir,— Mount Stewart, Katikati, Ist June, 1877. Kindly excuse me for again troubling you, but the copy of the enclosed official letter to Mr. Tole will explain itself. Might I trouble you to be so kind as to look into the cause of delay. Some time