I—3a

36

himself did not wish to sign any agreement until Timoti would go, as he would not sell. As soon as Timoti would go they would sign. Timoti went away that evening across the river ; and they signed the agreement the next morning in Cochrane's office. They were all there at the one time. Cochrane read the English portion in my hearing and presence. I will not swear whether he read the Maori or not, but I believe he did. I asked him to read the English. They signed it one after the other, as their names are on this list. [Produced.] Mr. Millar, the Postmaster, was busy that day, and he could not take their signatures to the deed, and it was put off until next day (Saturday). "When they went up, after dinner, to Mr. Millar's office, Mr. Millar objected to more than one going in at the same time, in consequence of the talking and want of room, and he called for them as he wanted them. Cochrane read the deed to the first man who was called in, and he put his hand upon another document, which had the same appearance as the deed— Cochrane said it was a copy of the other—and the Maori signed it. He signed the voucher for payment. Mr. Millar drew the attention of Clark, the Justice of the Peace, to the cheques, pinned them together, and personally gave the cheques into the hands of each man. As soon as they got them they turned round and handed me the money, in accordance with the agreement which they had made with me outside. I took the money, and we came into the dining-room of the hotel. I asked Cochrane to go over the cheques and give them the money in the presence of all; and they all seemed satisfied, and made speeches, saying it was a new way of selling land, and the most satisfactory way they ever saw. I telegraphed to Wi Bikihaua after they had gone away, and told him that the others had sold, and that they got 6d. an acre more than I had informed him, besides expenses. He telegraphed back for me to bring Mr. Millar (the postmaster), Cochrane, and the deed, and go to his place and he would sign—that his child was sick and he could not come. Millar could not go, because there was no one to take charge of the post-office, and I sent Ned Howe, and gave him £4 to go and fetch Eikihana, who came and asked me did I give the others anything more than I was giving him, and I said " No." I had arranged with Mr. Millar, as soon as he could spare the time, to take his signature ; but before he went to Millar's he signed the agreement in my presence, in Cochrane's office. I asked Cochrane to translate the English version to him, which Cochrane did. He translated the English into Maori. Then Eikihana went up to Millar's office and signed the deed. He signed the deed in my presence and in the presence of John Flood, Mr. Clark, Mr. Cochrane, and Mr. Millar. Millar pinned the cheques together after checking them, and put them into Bikihana's hand, who turned round and gave them to me. A day or two after Millar got relieved from Auckland, by a telegram from one of the officers of the Post Office. He arranged with me to go to Whangape. He took the deed there; and Mr. Clark, Mr. Cochrane (the interpreter), and myself went to Ngawaka's house. Waka Eangaunu was there in his own house. Mr. Millar got the schoolmaster, who is a licensed interpreter at Whangape, to attach his signature. Cochrane read the agreement to him; then he translated the English into Maori, and the chief signed it. All the Natives had signed the Maori version of the agreement as well. He signed the two deeds, and the vouchers for the money, and handed, all the cheques to Ngawaka, who transferred them to me. After some time outside of his own house I gave him 4s. 6d. an acre. He gave the cheques to me to take my own share out of. He gave me £66 odd for Sam Tates, of Parengarenga. Getting his signature cost me £12. Timoti Puhipi telegraphed to me from Kaitaia that he was going to the meeting at Waima, and that he would sign the deed when he reached Eawene on his way to the meeting. There were a good many Natives with him, and Mr. Kapa was with him. He called me on one side, and said there was a great number of people there, and he did not want them to see him signing the deeds and getting the money, and if I sent for Cochrane he would like to sign the deed at night. I sent for Cochrane, who came to his office between nine and ten o'clock that night. Cochrane read this agreement to him. He read the agreement in Maori, and he signed it in my presence. Millar would not agree to pay him that night, but would pay him in the morning. In the morning, before office hours, he went up and signed the deed. There were a great many people in Flood's Hotel, and Flood was very busy. His namesake, Eobert Flood, now a Native teacher, came up and attested the signatures. Timoti Puhipi got the cheques pinned together from the postmaster, and turned round and handed them to me. I took my portion as arranged, and he gave two cheques to me for Sam Tates for £66 odd each, and the rest he gave me to keep until he came back fom Waima. When he came back from Waima he asked me to give his money to Wi Eobinson, a half-caste, and to give Eobinson the cheques for Sam Yates. Sam Yates had come up from Parengarenga, and was then staying at Timoti's place. I gave the money to Eobinson, and pinned Yates's two cheques together. I saw Yates afterwards in Auckland, and I asked him did he get these two cheques, and he said he did. I gave him the £66 that Waka gave me to give him. I gave this money to Yates. It was £200 divided into three parts. We completed the deed with the exception of two quartershares of sisters of H. T. W. Papahia. I got him to make an application for the hearing at Herd's Point for succession-orders. When the sitting of the Court was gazetted, Papahia attended, and the succession-orders were made out in his favour. We then went to Cochrane's office, and he signed that agreement [Exhibit (B)] twice over for the shares of his dead sisters. We then went to Millar's office, and he signed the deed twice over for the quarter-shares. This was two months after he signed the agreement and executed deed for himself. He was paid for each quarter-share separately, and as he was paid the money by Millar he turned round and handed it to me. He did not show any dissatisfaction. That ended my work and my arrangement with the Native Minister. I got a telegram from Mr. Sheridan, saying that the Native Minister had granted to Eaiha Tamaho £108, and that if I would kindly bring her to Millar's office that Millar would pay that money. I went for her and brought her there, and Millar paid her £108, and got her to sign the deed ; but before she signed in the presence of Mr. Millar, Mr. Clark, and Flood, I asked Cochrane to tell her that I had not anything to do with her, and that I was not acting for her ; but that Mr. Sheridan asked me to fetch her there, and that my work was done after I brought her there. She was paid