I.—2a

36

Mr. Hamlin,

1048. Mr. Sutton.] How long did that interview in the office take ?—To the beat of my belief it took just the time to ask the questions. It might have been from a quarter of an hour to twenty minutes. 1048__. Did you know Paora Nonoi ? —1 did not know him very well. 1049. Did you ever hear that he did not siga Te Awa-o-te-Atua deed ? —I never heard anything from him at all about it. 1050. Have you ever had any conversation with him about it ? —I do not remember. 1051. Have you ever heard that Eora did not sign the deed ? —I never heard a word from her, only the time when she came into my office about Te Awa-o-te-Atua Block. I never heard anything from her before. 1052. Do you know Wi Eangirangi at all ? —Well, I cannot bring him to mind exactly. No doubt I know the man. 1053. Is it not a fact that the husbaud of Eora has been living for many years apart from her at Poverty Bay, and that she has got another husband ?—lt might be so. I know that she has been living with this man that she has got now for the last seven years. 1054. Mr. Rees.] Are you certain that Mr. Hutton told you, and that Eora also told you, that she had given "no authority to Mr. Eees to bring this suit" ? —She did most distinctly. I can give you what she said in Maori if you like : " Kaore rawa ahau i whakaalu atu kia te Riihi kia tamcnetia a Tatana " —that she never gave Mr. Eees authority to summon Mr. Sutton. 1055. Did you know that I had not been practising at all in Napier at that time ? —At any rate your name was mentioned by Eora. 1056. Did you know that I only went to practise in Napier in the beginning of last year —in 1878 ? —Tou had been down there before that. 1057. Will you answer my question ?—I am only giving what Eora said. Whether she told the truth or not I cannot say. 105 S. Did she say that she did not give authority to Mr. Sheehan to go on with the suit ?—She was not asked. As far as I cau remember it was only your name that she mentioned. 1059. Did this take place in your room or Mr. Cornford's?—lt was in my room. 1060. You are quite certain of that ?—Tes. 1061. In your room. Not in the room where Mr. Cornford sat ?—I am nearly positive that it was in my room. I know it was in my room. 1062. Tou are certain that it was in your room ; not Mr. Cornford's ?—Tes. 1063. Tou are also certain that no sum of money was mentioned in payment for her signature ? — She asked for payment, but no sum was mentioned. 1064. Would you not remember if any sum of money had been mentioned ? —I should ; but Ido not remember any sum at all being mentioned. 1065. Tou are quite sure ?—Tes. 1866. And you are also positive that Eora had a child with her ? —I believe that Eora had a child with her. It might have been two or three years of age. As far as I remember, the little thing was in her lap. 1067. Now, was it not this that took place : that Mr. Sutton went into Mr. Cornford's room and told him to tell you to call Eora into your room ?—Eora and Mr. Sutton came into my office together. Eora then mentioned the conversation. I have already stated that she said that she had never authorized you to issue the writ against Mr. Sutton. Afterwards Mr. Cornford came into my office. 1068. Tou are certain that Mr. Sutton did not beckon to Eora to come, and that the two went together into Mr. Cornford's room ? —Tes; I am certain that he did not beckon to her. 1069. Now, who was it that sent for Mr. Cornford P—l believe it was Mr. Sutton who asked him to come iv. The doors of the two offices were just together. There was only a partition between, with a door on each side. 1070. Did you hear any questions asked as to whether Eora's solicitor knew if she was going there ?—No. 1071. Did she say anything to Mr. Cornford besides what she said to you? —Not that I remember. 1 had to interpret what was said. Ido not remember anything more than what I have stated. 1072. Did you have any conversation with Mr. Cornford or Mr. Sutton about this suit?— No. 1073. Neither before nor after that occasion ?—No. 1 have had nothing to do with it. Ido not see why they should talk with me about it. 1074. Was it not pretty publicly known that Mr. Sutton had promised a reserve iv the Awa-o-te-Atua Block to Paora Nonoi r —l never knew of it until the other day, when this matter was spoken of. 1075. Was it not publicly known that Mr. Sutton had given a written paper to Paora Nonoi ?—I knew nothing about it. I was not in the province at the time. Very recently I heard something about it. 1076. What do you mean by recently ? —Within the last few months. 1077. Did not Mr. Sutton speak at this time in your office about any reserve that he had promised ? —Not that I remember. 1078. Did any question that you put to Eora have reference to reserves promised by Mr. Sutton ? —I do not remember. 1079. Did those questions you wrote have any reference to reserves promised by Mr. Sutton ?— That is what occurred —what is in that paper. 1080. Did you tell Eora that you were speaking about any reserves that were promised by Mr. Sutton? —No. I do not remember. 1081. Then, so far as you can state about the reserves, what you said to Eora referred to the reserves in Watt and Parmer's settlement ? —I presume so. 1082. What was in your own mind ? —What took place, on that paper —that is what passed. 1083. Did the reserves mentioned there have any further reference than those promised by Messrs. Watt and Parmer?—l believe not. There is nothing about Mr. Sutton's name in that document. 1084. Could you state how it is, then, that the statement made both by Mr. Sutton and Eora that I

24th Nov., 1879,