Enclosure in No. 11.
Copy of letter from the Colonial Secretary, to His Honor the Superintendent of Nelson.

Sir,

In reference to your Honor's letter of the 18th February last, and the enclosure it contained from Dr. Greenwood on the subject of the Native reserves at Nelson, I am directed by His Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor to state that, before he can give a definite reply, he must be furnished with much more detailed and particular information upon the reserves in question.

I have, therefore, to request that your Honor will be good enough to send in a full report upon the present state of these reserves; such a report should be to the following effect:—

1.	It being understood that His Excellency has sanctioned the surrender of the number of the Native reserves in excess of a tenth of the whole number of sections to be retained under the scheme for reducing the settlement, the report should contain a list of the sections thrown up retained or re-selected as Native reserves.
2.	If the Native reserves have been reduced on a similar principle in the suburban and rural districts, a list of these should also be given.
3.	The report should give an account of the arrangements and exchanges effected by the late Police Magistrate, Mr. Donald Sinclair, in Massacre Bay; it should state the exact number of acres in the blocks or pieces of land taken instead of other reserves (to have been chosen, or which had been chosen according to original priority of choice), the number and situation of old reserves given back for the new, their comparative value, the number, chiefs, and tribe of the Natives to whom these have been given, how, and by whose authority they have been so given, and whether the Natives of these particular districts consider the lands therein reserved, as reserved for their own benefit solely, or for that of Natives in other parts of the settlement as well; and it should state how much of these lands the Natives require for their own use for a certain time, and how much they can be expected to cultivate properly.
4.	With respect to the mode of occupation of all these lands, the report should show the number of town acres let, on lease or agreement, for lease, to whom let, for what rent, by whose authority, how much rent has been paid, how much is due, who has received what has been paid, and how it has been applied, in whose name, and under whose control the balance now stands.
5.	It should state how much of these rents, if any, it would be advisable to reduce, how much of the rent due is likely to be recovered, and by what means, particularizing each case.
6.	With respect to suburban reserves, or exchanged blocks, it should show in whose occupation they actually are; and particularly which of them, if any, are rented by Europeans or Natives, what rents are paid, and give the names of the Natives and Europeans concerned.
7.	It should state what is the best mode of dealing with these last reserves, so as to introduce a regular principle of managing them in future.
8.	In any case when reduction of rent is recommended, or the cancelling of a lease or agreement advised, the wishes of the tenants or occupants should be ascertained and stated.
9.	Any mode of turning the property to the best account that suggests itself to your Honor page 276(besides those mentioned in the letter and enclosure referred to above) should be stated in the report.

With respect to the appointment of a Board of officers named by your Honor, to "determine both what portion of the arrears of rent the parties in occupation should in justice pay, and likewise the rent to be embodied in the leases," I am desired to say that His Excellency deems the matter of such importance that he would be unwilling to express any opinion upon this point until the receipt of the information now asked for, when he will lay the whole subject before the Executive Council of the Province. Meanwhile, His Excellency entirely approves of the appointment of the officers you mention as a Board of Enquiry upon the subject, and to recommend the course to be pursued in each of the class of cases last alluded to, and upon any of the points referred to in the different heads of enquiry above enumerated.