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No. 2. The Pbemiee to His Excellency the Goveenoe. 3£emorandum for His TSxcellency. The Premier presents his respectful compliments to the Governor. With reference to the despatch addressed to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, on the 26th February last, which was communicated to the Premier yesterday by His Excellency, the Premier feels it his duty to state that, in the opinion of Ministers, portions of that despatch are calculated to convey a wrong impression respecting the transactions relating to Native affairs, to which it refers. Ministers will, with as little delay as possible, forward to His Excellency a memorandum explanatory of the points in question; but time will not admit of their doing so before the closing of the English mail on the 21st instant. Wellington, May 19,1881. John Hall.

No. 3. The Pbemieb to His Excellency the Goveenoe. Memorandum for His Excellency. The Premier presents his respectful compliments to His Excellency the Governor; and, in compliance •with the intention stated in a memorandum dated 19th May, has now the honor to forward a further memorandum on His Excellency's despatch addressed to the Secretary of State for the Colonies on the 26th February. 2. In the memorandum of 19th May, the Premier stated that, in the opinion of Ministers, portions of His Excellency's despatch were calculated to lead to erroneous conclusions as to the transactions connected with Native matters on the West Coast, which were the subject of that despatch. Ministers believe the following remarks will show that as to some matters His Excellency has evidently fallen into error; and that the omission of. facts in some instances, and the manner in which they have been stated in others, will give to persons in England a wrong impression. 3. With reference to His Excellency's statements in paragraph 3, as to the difficulties ho had met with in preparing the despatch, Ministers regret very much that when His Excellency requested to be supplied by them with information on this subject, they were not asked for details and explanations upon all points respecting which His Excellency felt it to be Ms duty to express disapproval or doubt. Such aids would have been readily given: without them, as Ministers believe, the most laboured study of official documents could not enable just conclusions on so complicated a matter to be formed by any one recently arrived in New Zealand. 4. Referring to the alleged abandonment of the confiscation between the "Waingongoro and Stoney River, Ministers fear that the despatch must convey a wrong impression of facts. The record by Sir Donald McLean, which is slated to show that it was generally understood, as well as intended by Sir Donald, that the confiscation between those rivers "had "been abandoned by the Government," is no doubt a memorandum by the then Under Secretary for the Native Department, Mr. Cooper, which is stated to have been minuted " Approved," by "Sir Donald. The memorandum is dated December 25th, 1871, and Sir Donald McLean's minute was made on the next day. This approval, as it appears to Ministers, only applied to certain action recommended in the memorandum, and not to the opinion as to the confiscated lands expressed in it. The "West Coast Commissioners, after full consideration of the minute, are not of opinion that it is evidence of Sir Donald McLean's intention to abandon the confiscation; and there is no reason for believing that its purport was communicated to the Natives concerned. Still further, no evidence can be found for believing that the minute was ever seen by Sir Donald's colleagues, or by any person outside the Native Office, or that its existence was in any way made public, prior to the presentation to Parliament of the Commissioners' reports. What Sir Donald McLean's view of the question was, is conclusively proved by what he said in the House of Representatives on the 30th July, 1872, upon a motion by Mr. Parata, the representative of the Western Maori District, " That, in the opinion of this House, " it is desirable that the confiscated lands should be restored to the Native owners thereof." Sir Donald then stated, that "the Assembly having taken up the question and gone into its merits, had declared " that the lands which had been confiscated after due proclamation by the Governor could not be " restored." The Compensation Courts, he said, had made inquiries into many claims ; " and although, " in some instances, no inquiry had been made where property was confiscated, yet that was not the " fault of the Government." The motion was negatived. Face to face with Natives interested, Sir Donald held the same views; for, addressing a large meeting of Natives at Putiki, Wangauui, in January, 1873, he told them, "In reference to the land north of Waingongoro, I am not aware "of its having been given up, as you say. No, none of it has; and any Europeans who have been " dealing with Natives there, had no authority whatever to do so." Notes of this address, in Sir Donald McLean's writing, were left by him in the Native Office. The telegram of Sir G. Grey, to which His Excellency refers as evidence of the intention to restore this land, really related not to the whole confiscation north of the Waingongoro, but to portions of it only, namely, to the Parihaka Block, and to other portions which had already been returned to the Natives. This is manifested by the actions of Sir George Grey's Government, as well as by his words. His Government commenced to survey the land, and advertised portions of it for sale; and the Minister for Public Works in that Government (Mr. Macandrew), officially minuted his belief that the sale of the Waimate Block would realise nearly half a million sterling. Mr. Parris states that these Natives never had any doubt as to the confiscation not being abandoned.

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