[Translation.]

To Henry Russell,—

Friend, we request you to take this our letter to the Council of the Government now assembled a Parliament at Wellington.

Friend, the Members of the General Assembly. We proceed to inform you of a great grievance under which we the Maoris of this place are suffering.

This is indeed a great grievance, and the Maoris have for many years been urging the Government of Hawke's Bay relative to it, but without avail.

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That land [not before referred to] was sold long ago by Hori Nia Te Aroatua at Wellington. When we heard that Hori had sold Te Umuopua, we the persons who remained at home protested against it.

When Mr. McLean came to purchase Porangahau, we asked that the land sold by Hori at Wellington might be divided, and Mr. McLean consented to that application of ours at Porangahau.

After this, Mr. McLean sent a surveyor named Pirihe (Pelichet) to divide that land, Te Umuopua.

We accompanied the said Pirihe, surveyor, when he went to divide the land asked for by us from Mr. McLean at Porangahau; and the land was divided accordingly—the Umuopua portion being allowed in consideration of the money received by Hori Nia Te Aroatua in Wellington, and the Whenuahou portion being for the Maoris. The settlement made by Mr. McLean was very clear, there was no concealment about the portion, Umuopua being allowed in consideration of the money received by Hori Nia, or of the portion Whenuahou being cut off for the Maoris.

After that division by Mr. McLean, Umuopua for the Europeans, and Whenuahou for the Maoris we asked the Government of Hawke's Bay to demand from Mr. Johnston rent for the land which had been divided off for the Maoris, Johnston's sheep being on that land eating the herbage, Mr. McLean agreed to our demand, and paid us grass money to the amount of £241.

We made two applications to the Government, which were acceded to by Mr. McLean: First, for the land; second, for the money. Both these requests were complied with by the Government of Hawke's Bay.

The Government did not give an unwilling assent to our demands for the land and the money. The application by the Maoris was straightforward, and it was acceded to clearly. Subsequently to the two applications above referred to, we applied to the Government of Hawke's Bay and to the Native Land Court for a proper title of that land, Te Whenuahou, to be vested in the Maoris. The said Government then replied, "It is not clear: that land, Whenuahou, was sold by Hori at Wellington." We said, "That is correct; but we arranged that Hori's sale should be the Umuopua portion, and that the Whenuahou portion should be for the Maoris. Mr. McLean sent Pirihe to survey it, and Te Umuopua was cut off in consideration of the money received by Hori; Whenuahou being cut off for the Maoris. The plans of Pirihe survey are in the offices at Napier."

The Government of Hawke's Bay then searched for Pirihe's plan. It was found in the office. The Government said Pirihe's plan was correct, but there is no record about Whenuahou being for the Maoris.

On account of these proceedings of the Government of Hawke's Bay, we began to think that they were having recourse to the system of bewitching practised by the Maoris, seeing that the said Government sent Pirihe to divide that land—Umuopua for the Europeans, and Whenuahou for the Maoris—and that we asked for the rent of the said land, and a portion was paid to the Maoris in respect of Whenuahou. Our application, and the mode of payment of the money, were perfectly clear. When, however, we asked for a proper title for the land, the Government bewitched us, and we have been slain. Who is to save us, the Maoris, from this death by murder? Only one man sold the land in Wellington, and these are the people living upon that land when it was divided off for the Maoris; namely,