A.—3.

indifferently, but address her by the former title only. The styles adopted by the mission are " Makea," and " Madam the Ariki." While writing on the subject of the Eesidence, I take the opportunity of respectfully representing to your Excellency that I find the salary provided for the Eesident will be entirely inadequate. This place is much more advanced, and the style of living much more expensive, than is usually thought. I raised no question as to the salary when accepting the appointment. The work is in itself very attractive; but I trust to be excused, in the light of further experience, for bringing this subject to your Excellency's notice. I have, &c, His Excellency the Governor of New Zealand, &c. Fredekick J. Moss.

No. 9. Mr. F. J. Moss to His Excellency the Governor of New Zealand. My Lord, — Avarua, Rarotonga, 22nd November, 1890. The steamer " Richmond " arrived this morning, and is now on the point of departure. I take the opportunity of giving the latest information as so little is known about these islands in New Zealand. Yesterday afternoon I met the foreign residents, or papaas as they are called by the natives, at the office of Mr. Exham, the British Consul. They came by invitation, and about twenty attended, including Englishmen, Americans, Germans, and Chinese. I told them that the meeting was to be regarded as quite unofficial, but that I desired to see them about the liquor-traffic, the abuses in which, and if necessary the traffic itself, must be promptly suppressed. Some of these gentlemen laid the whole of the blame on the home-made "orange" and "bush ,, beer, and protested so vehemently that I am disposed to think that beer not so much to blame as I was at first informed. I shall, however, be able to speak better on that point hereafter. The great majority were anxious, as they said, to see the trade regulated, and I am sure many of these were in earnest. I urged them to respect and obey the native Courts, informing them that I intended to advise the chiefs as to the more regular constitution of such Courts; would arrange for keeping a regular record of proceedings, and for the transmission to your Excellency of a monthly return of all cases heard and judgments given. They might thus rest assured that when I returned with proper authority, they would be compelled to pay any fines justly levied, even if they evaded doing so in the meantime. The meeting enabled us to come to a common understanding, and I think will, at least, have the good effect of stopping any further considerable importation of spirits to what must now be regarded as a very uncertain market. I shall be able to go better into this on my return from the other islands to Rarotonga. The native meeting to-day has just ended. Makea forbore the usual tribal festivities, and was content with a well-arranged banquet in her fine dining-room. The dinner was served in good European style. The Queen herself sat apart and ate nothing, it being etiquette that she should give her whole time as hostess to watching for the comfort of her guests. Mr. Chalmers was again kind enough to attend and interpret. The services that this gentleman has kindly given me have been most useful, and I shall see him off by the " Richmond " with much regret. Ngamaru, as we were leaving the room, got up to speak. He desired to say that he was of the twelfth generation since his family had ruled alone in his islands, and had not seen a meeting conducted as ours had been. He was pleased with the new style, and hoped it would be the beginning of a new time for the people of Rarotonga. Ngamaru and Makea are both well up in years. The meeting of the Council was held in the drawing-room of the " palace." The three ruling Arikis and two other Arikis were the legislators. The rest of those present were relatives, schoolteachers, and attendants. I opened the meeting at their request, informing them of my views on the liquor-trade, and repeated what I had told the foreign residents yesterday. They debated the question at some length. Some favoured prohibition; others thought that it would lead to great difficulty, and require some one to search almost every package that was landed. All defended the orange-beer, and declared that the Europeans only laid the blame upon it because they wished to make money by selling the imported article. Makea said that the captain of H.M.S. " Hyacinth," when the flag was hoisted, had told them their laws would be obeyed. He had urged that they should make the laws equal and just for native and foreigner alike. She had always done so, and would do so still. She insisted that the wrong was in the imported spirits, and not in the home-made beer. The one also was a thing in which her people spent their money and were ruined ; the other they made at little cost to themselves. She named several who had recently died from drinking imported spirits, and urged that something should be done quickly. " Here," she said, "is the pit for the land—the grave for it— the one grave, and that is the foreign spirits. It is the pit which causes all the sorrow to the mothers and children —the foreign spirits. The church-members that fall do not fall by the orangebeer, but by the imported spirits. This is the case." Pa, ihe ruling Ariki of Takitumu, followed in a similar strain, and was equally strong in her denunciation of the foreign spirits. She also complained that all the drink came from Avarua—the port in Makea's district —into her village of Ngatangiia. She gave many cases in illustration. She referred to one of her people who, drinking with several others, called out to pull down that dirty rag, pointing to the English flag. For this insult to the flag she had fined him $50, which was lying at her house waiting for the Eesident or some one else to take it in charge. The fine would have been much greater only that the culprit was at the time drunk, and with imported spirits too.

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