"To Thomas Williams,—

"Friend,—Salutations. Listen. We wrote to Mr. McLean, asking that our land at Rangitikei should be given back to us, because, when Ngatiraukawa first arrived, Kingi Te Ahoaho and his hapu, Ngatimaeotaki, got page clvi possession of that land at Rangitikei, and Ngatiraukawa know that Kingi Te Ahoaho and his hapu have been the owners of that land up to the present time. That piece of land of ours is near the mouth of the Rangitikei River, on the south side, between the Manawatu and Rangitikei Rivers, and consists of 18,600 acres. The boundaries are (here follows a description of the boundaries). We have sent several letters to the Government to which no attention has been paid.

We, the descendants of Kingi Te Ahoaho and all his hapu, none of us gave our consent to the sale of that land; nor did we receive any of the money; nor did we sign our names to Dr. Featherston's deed of purchase of that land. We have expended on the survey of that land, with the lawyers, and during our visits to Rangitikei and Wellington, attending the Lands Court, £136, and we are still holding on to our land up to the present time.

This is why we write to you about our loss of our land, that you may seek out some means by which we, the descendants of Kingi Te Ahoaho and his hapu, the Ngatimaeotaki, may get our rights. We altogether, men, women, and children, who are left alive of the hapu of Kingi Te Ahoaho, number 80.

This is all From all the hapu of Kingi Te Ahoaho. From Ngatimaeotaki.