Enclosure 9 in No. 5.
His Honor M. Richmond, Superintendent, to Mr. W. Wakefield, Principal Agent of the New Zealand Company.

Sir,—

I do myself the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 8th instant, and as you mention you had communicated to Mr. Tuckett your entire concurrence in the sentiments expressed in Mr. Kelham's letter to him, there would have been no occasion for further correspondence on the subject, were it not for the lenient construction you appear to put upon the proceedings of your agent, and the manner in which you dwell on the qualified permission I gave for partial surveys of ports, as shown by the following extract from your letter:—"I do not think it necessary to advert to the subject of difference, further than to express my conviction that Mr. Tuckett was conscientiously impressed with the importance of the steps he adopted in order to enable him to detail the comparative merits of the, ports he visited, and bore in mind the express permission you gave verbally at the interview with which you favoured us on the eve of his sailing from Port Nicholson, that such partial surveys of harbours might be made, provided the resident Natives did not object to them."

It is therefore incumbent on me to bring to your recollection that at the interview to which you allude, I positively prohibited Mr. Tuckett from proceeding with any survey until the land had been alienated by the natives, and on being asked by him if I would consent to partial surveys of ports, provided it was not objectionable to the resident aborigines, my answer was that every reliance could be placed on Mr. Symonds' discretion, who, having been a surveyor, was competent to judge when such a measure was necessary, and that I could offer no objection, provided he first ascertained that the page 101Natives were not unfavourable to it, and gave his permission. I distinctly repeated several times, in your presence and when you left us, "but nothing must be done without the sanction of the Government Officer." All this was communicated to Mr. Symonds, who was prepared to act upon it, but Mr. Tuckett never thought proper either to consult him or afford an opportunity of learning What sensation such a proceeding was likely to create. Lest, therefore, you should have been equally lenient in expressing to Mr. Tuckett your sense of his conduct, or that he may disregard your concurrence in what Mr. Kelham has written, I have considered it necessary, in order to guard against the peace of the country being again disturbed, and that no misconception whatever may in future exist, to furnish Mr. Symonds with the additional instructions, of which I enclose a copy, as your brother, Mr. Daniel Wakefield, has been commissioned by you to proceed to New Munster, and is prepared with funds to effect the purchase of the land. I have directed Mr. Symonds to return by the same conveyance (the "Scotia," which sails to-day), in order that no delay may take place, and every facility be afforded to the Company to complete their arrangements for the reception of the first emigrants for the new settlement, whose early arrival may be expected.