17

A.—B

4. On reading the third paragraph of the original memorandum, I pointed out to Mr. Hall that the words employed by him in it must necessarily be understood, by all who saw them, as implying that I had not made application to Ministers for information in the preparation of the report in question, and that they were ignorant of my intention to write it. That it was not intended to convey such a meaning I, of course, felt assured, as Mr. Hall well knew that I had made no secret of the orders I had received to prepare such a report; that I had requested Ministers to supply me with all possible materials for its composition ; and that I had conversed repeatedly with him, and other members of the Cabinet, on the subject treated of in it. What Mr. Hall no doubt really meant, was to express regret that I had not, on all subjects touched on in that despatch, sought for oral explanations from Ministers, —a very different matter. But the inference to be drawn from the words used was not the less inevitable because unintended. Mr. Hall, lam happy to say, recognized the justice of my observations, and has modified his memorandum accordingly. 5. On this third paragraph of the memorandum, as it now stands, I have only to remark that it was my desire to obtain all possible information, and hear all opinions discussed, before writing my report, and that lam not conscious of having failed in this respect. When the despatch was finally sent off, both Mi-. Hall and Mr. Eolleston, the Native Minister, were absent from Wellington ; and, in their absence, I submitted the narrative portion of it to the Under-Secretary for Native Affairs, an officer of long experience in that department, who, after a careful examination, pronounced it to be correct. 6. To Mr. Hall's memorandum I have returned the reply of which I have the honor to enclose a copy, in which I have declined to enter into any controversy with my Ministers respecting the contents of my report; nor am I desirous of doing so in an indirect manner, by addressing a despatch to your Lordship which, when communicated to them, may appear to invite a further discussion of controverted details. Except in a few comparatively unimportant points, I see no cause to withdraw, modify, or alter anything thut I have written in my despatch of the 26th February ; and, should your Lordship think it desirable that the memorandum of Mr. Hall should, when presented to Parliament, be accompanied by my own criticisms on its contents, they can be very easily furnished. As, in any case, a despatch forwarded by this mail must arrive in England too late to be laid before Parliament during the present session, the delay caused by awaiting the expression of your Lordship's wishes on the subject will not be of any serious moment. 7. Mr; Hall seeks to show that I have in some instances unintentionally misstated matters of fact, and have in others drawn erroneous deductions from circumstances the true bearing of which I had failed to comprehend. 8. The questions of actual fact, as distinguished from the appreciation of the significance of facts, in which Mr. Hall considers me to be in error, are comparatively few, and with respect to some of these few points he has misunderstood me : but certain errors of detail the memorandum does, no doubt, point out. It was hardly to be expected that, in a narrative dealing with transactions so complicated, and extending over so long a period, I should altogether escape them: but they are for the most part of little importance, and in some other cases the supposition that I have made erroneous statements seems to be due to the fact that the writer of the memorandum has failed to appreciate the exact weight of the words used by me, which were not carelessly chosen. I have, &c, The Eight Hon. the Earl of Kimberley, Abthtje Goedou. &c., &c, &c.

lI.—NATIVES IMPRISONED FOE PLOUGHING-. No. 1. His Excellency the Goyeenob to the Seceetaet of State for the Colonies. (No. 19.) Mi Loed, — Wellington, New Zealand, 14th April, 1881. I have the honor to inform your Lordship that, in accordance with the advice of my Council, I have extended, for a further period of three months, the operation of the Act (" The Maori Prisoners Act, 1880 ") under which the Maori prisoners now in custody for participation in the ploughing and fencing which took place on the West Coast in 1879 and 1880 are detained. 2. In assenting to this recommendation I have informed the Premier, Mr. Hall, that, as the Parliament of New Zealand will be in session within three months from this time, I shall experience considerable reluctance to again extend the operation of this Act without previously learning in some manner the opinion and wishes of the Legislature on the subject. I have, &c, The Eight Hon. the Secretary of State for the Colonies, Aethtfb Gobdojt. &c, &c, &c. 3—A. 8.