H.—2l

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Satueday, 27th Maech, 1869. Present:—Mr. Hart and Mr. Gisborne. Various Lots — Trust Purposes. Mr. D. A. Tole, being duly sworn, states :My name is Daniel Austin Tole. I reside in College Street, Auckland, and lam Waste Lands Commissioner. I have examined the records in my office, and I am able from them to state which of the grants in the schedule submitted to me were granted upon purchase,* and which were passed as free grants. The several grants of Eeg. iv., No. 33, allotments 15, 16, and 17, of section 2 ; and Eeg. iv., No. 48, allotment 9, of section 2, suburbs of Auckland, being part of the St. Stephen's School estate, was purchased; also, +Eeg. A. 55, No. 9,003, allotments 228 to 234, of section 16, suburbs of Auckland, being part of the Cathedral Trust estate, was purchased. All the other grants were made as free grants. This is in reference to grants made on behalf of the Church of England.' I will on a future day give evidence in reference to the grants made in favour of other denominations. Mr.. D. A. Tole, having been previously duly sworn, states: In continuation of my evidence given on the 27th March ultimo, I am now able to state that no consideration-money has passed for any of the lands referred to in the schedule of grants for the uses of the Boman Catholic Church submitted to me (excluding from reference the Grant, Eeg. iv., No. 39, as being struck out of the schedule). In respect of the grants for the uses of the Wesleyan Methodist Society, I find that the Grant Eeg. 14, 1., 2,233, was passed for consideration ; the amount paid was £24, a fair average price. I cannot ascertain whether any such consideration was given in reference to the Grants iv. A., No. 122, and iv. A., No. 123. I have added to this schedule one grant made to Eev. J. Buddie for allotment 4, parish of Papakura, which appears to be a free grant. All the grants mentioned in the other schedules submitted to me were free grants.

Tuesday, 30th March, 1869. Present:—Mr. Hart and Mr. Gisborne. 38 acres 2 roods 10 perches, Botorua — Mission purposes. 175 acres 28 perches, Otawhao, Waikato — Mission purposes. Eev. Bobert Burrows (previously sworn) put in the following statement respecting the two properties named below, and certified to its being substantially correct: — TE NGAE EOTOEUA. This land was purchased from the aboriginal owners by the Agents of the Church Missionary Society, in 1838 or early in 1839, as a site for a mission station. The claim of the Society was brought before Commissioner Godfrey, at Tauranga, but as the Natives of Eotorua were at that time at war with the Natives of Tauranga the witnesses to the purchase could not be induced to go to Tauranga to give evidence. The Commissioner was respectfully asked to examine the claim at Maketu, to which place the witnesses were willing to go, but he declined. These facts were brought before Sir George Grey in 1849 by the Agent of the Society, and a request made for a grant to be issued to the Society in the usual form, but His Excellency was pleased to order the grant to be made out in its present form. Immediately after the purchase the Eev. T. Chapman occupied the place as a mission station and continued there until 1850, when he removed to Maketu. Shortly afterward the mission-house was occupied by H. Smith, Esq., then Eesident Magistrate for the district. Since the removal of Mr. Smith the land has been lying waste, and the two buildings erected thereon have either been pulled down or have gone to decay. The few pounds paid by Mr. Smith as rent during his stay there was spent on the property. otawhao, oe te awamatu. About 100 acres of this land was purchased from the aboriginal owners, either late in 1839 or early in 1840. The other seventy acres were given by the late Potatau and others, as an endowment for a Native school, on or about the year 1852. Eepeated applications were made to the Government prior to the gift of the seventy acres for a grant to the Church Missionary Society of the portion purchased by their agents, but Sir George Grey ordered both the properties to be included in one grant in the form in which it appears. The late Eev. John Morgan was the missionary of the district when the purchase was made, and immediately after the purchase he commenced the station, and erected a dwelling-house for himself, and other necessary out-buildings, which, together with clearing the ground, fencing, &c, cost the Society from £400 to £500. The dwelling-house now forms the centre of the large building at present standing on the property. About 1852, or early in 1853, moneys were given by Sir George Grey (I presume out of public funds at his disposal) for the erection of additional buildings to the mission-house, so as to enable Mr. Morgan to increase the number of Native scholars he then had in the mission-school. Other grants were subsequently made from the public funds, both for the enlargement of the building and for the further improvement of the property.

* This purohase of part of land for St. Stephen's School was made out of moneys given by Government for educational purposes (see evidence of Sir W. Martin and Rev. Mr. Burrows, pages 4 and 5). f This land, being an absolute purchase, was not inquired into further by the Commissioners,