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No. 3. Mr. J. S. Clendon, E.M., Whangarei, to the Under-Secretary, Native Department. Sir, — * Eesident Magistrate's Office, Whangarei, sth June, 1890. In accordance with the request contained in your circular of the 12th May, 1890, relating to the state of the Native population within my district, I have the honour to remark, for the information of the Hon. the Native Minister, as follows :— The Native population in the Kaipara, Whangarei, and part of the Auckland District under my supervision have for the past year chiefly employed themselves in gum-digging and in cultivating their lands. From the gum industry they have " received " a considerable amount of profit, enabling them to live in an easier manner than they would otherwise have done had their means of subsistence been derived solely from their cultivations. The timber industry being in a great measure at a standstill, very few Natives have engaged themselves in felling and squaring kauri timber. The schools have been fairly attended, and in some instances scholars have attained a considerable amount of proficiency ; but, as formerly reported, the parents' apathy and dislike to coerce their children has continuously exhibited the fact of a smaller attendance at the several schools than would have ensued had parental control been a firmer phase of the Native character. Their general health has been exceedingly good ; ten deaths have occurred during the past year ; only a few cases of fever have developed, and the greater number of the deaths have been those of very old people. During the period just concluding, the Natives have conducted themselves in a quiet and orderly manner, few disputes have occurred, and very few instances of crime been committed. The desire for intoxicating liquor has decreased in a marked degree, hardly any cases of intoxication being now seen amongst them; and, in comparison with former years, drunkenness has become a thing of the past. I have, &c, James S. Clendon, E.M.

No. 4. Mr. G. T. Wilkinson, Native Agent, Otorohanga, to the Under-Secretary, Native Department. Sir,— Native Office Otorohanga, 19th June, 1890. In accordance with request contained in your Circular No. 7, of the 12th ultimo, I have the honour to forward herewith my annual report on the state of the Natives in my districts during the past year. The delay in sending in this report has been caused by my having to go to the Thames in connection with land-purchase work. Health and Social Condition. The health of the Natives throughout my districts—vis;., Waikato, Waipa (King-country), and Thames-Hauraki —has been fairly good during the past year. They have, however, in common with Europeans, been attacked with the almost universal epidemic la grippe. Fortunately for them it was not of a very virulent type, otherwise they would have suffered more severely than they have done, as the absence of all sanitary laws in connection with their mode of living makes them an easy prey to epidemic sickness. One reason, perhaps, why they have not suffered severely from sickness of late years is because, now that they are fewer than they formerly were, they have ceased to herd together in large numbers in any particular settlement, as used to be the case in years past, but now they rather incline to live apart in isolated hapus or clans, here and there within the particular districts to which they belong. These remarks do not, of course, apply to Te Whiti's large settlement at Parihaka or to that of Tawhiao at Pukekawa; and it is worthy of remark that the only place that I have heard of where la grippe, with its attendant ailments, has really caused much loss of life is at the last-named settlement, ten Natives having died of it within a period of six weeks, which goes to show that, where Natives congregate together in considerable numbers for any length of time, they are very likely to contract sickness which under other circumstances they would not suffer from. Temperance. The Natives throughout my districts still keep up their name for temperance. With very few exceptions, and unless on special occasions, it is rather an unusual thing to see intoxicated Natives, and, when those who do indulge in an occasional " spree " get the worse for liquor, it is very rarely now that they commit themselves in such a way as to necessitate the interference of the police. It is quite natural that an increase of sobriety amongst them should result in a corresponding absence of crime, a fact which I am very glad to be able to report. There has been no crime of any magnitude committed by them during the past year, their offences against the law being mostly of a trivial nature, the most serious not exceeding the degree of larceny. Deaths. Only three important chiefs, or men of mark, have died during the past year —viz., Wetere te Kerenga and Te Wiwini te Huatare (own brother to Wahanui), of Ngatimaniapoto, and Te Eaihi Toroatai, of Ngatihaua. Both Wetere te Eerenga and Te Eaihi were in receipt of Government pensions at the time of their-'death, and both were well known to the Europeans amongst whom they resided, more especially the former, whose name has often been before the public. On one occasion he was made notorious through being Charged with having conspired to the murder of the Eev. Mr. Whiteley, at Whitecliffs, in 1869, and subsequently he appeared in a different and much more laudable roh —namely, that of saving some Europeans from drowning who w rere capsized from