No. 33.
Mr. Commissioner Johnson to the Chief Commissioner.

With reference to the letter which I. had the honor to address to you last September, relative to a desire on the part of the Natives named in the margin^* to dispose of a small piece of land on the shores of the South side of the harbour of Whangarei, containing by survey One hundred and sixty-two acres, for the sum of Forty pounds, with a pre-emptive right on their part of re-purchasing Forty acres of the same at the upset price of Ten shillings per acre, but which His Excellency the Governor was pleased to order to remain in abeyance until the next meeting of the General Assembly, and that event having now elapsed, I would beg to bring to your notice that the said Natives have reiterated their request to me to obtain a compliance of their wishes.

The matter is a small one, involving no loss to the Crown, and I would suggest that by permitting transactions of this nature to a limited extent, they would prepare the Native mind for receiving Crown Grants by individuals, if such should be the intention of the Government at a future time.