No. 63.
John Topi Patuki to His Excellency the Governor.

Sir,—

On my own behalf, and on that of the Ngaitahu and Ngatimamoe Tribes, I venture to pray your Excellency to permit and enable us to ascertain before the Courts of this country whether or not a remedy can be found for a great wrong and infringement of our rights which we conceive to have been committed.

In the year 1853 a certain reserve in the Town of Dunedin, known as the Princes Street Native Reserve, was given to us by the Governor. Last year, as we hear, this, our Native Reserve, was granted to the Superintendent of Otago, although in 1865 it had been placed by your Excellency as a Native Reserve under the charge of Mr. Chetham-Strode; and the rents which have been paid by occupants of our reserve have not only never reached us or been expended for our benefit, but are now, we hear, also claimed by the Superintendent.

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Our prayer is, that your Excellency should appoint a lawyer for us, in order that our right to this reserve and to these funds may be fairly tried in the Supreme Court.

We have heard that there is in Auckland a lawyer named Mr. McCormick, who pleads without fear, and with great skill, the causes of the Maoris intrusted to him. To his hands we desire to commit our cause. This is all.