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No. 6.
The Hon. the Colonial Secretary to Mr. Mantell.
Sir,—
Your letter of the 24th ultimo, with its enclosures, on the subject of a rumoured purchase having been made by the Government of the Murihiku District from Wahapiro and others, having been referred to Messrs. McLean and Kemp, I have the honor, by direction of His Excellency the Governor-in-Chief, to transmit to you copies of the replies of those officers, from which you will be enabled to contradict the report which you state to be in circulation.
I have, &c.,
Alfred Domett,
Colonial Secretary.
Walter Mantell, Esq.,
Commissioner for Extinguishing Native Claims,
Enclosure in No 6.
Memorandum by Mr. McLean.
Te Wahapiro (alias Paramatta) states that Taiaroa agreed that he should sell the Arahura District, and receive the first payment for it; and that the subsequent payments should be made to Taiaroa and the other original claimants of the Ngaitahu Tribe. Te Wahapiro offered the land for sale to His Excellency Sir George Grey, and had frequent communications with me on the subject. Sir George stated to him that the case would be hereafter inquired into, and I gave him to understand that the sale should be contingent on the consent of the Ngaitahu Tribe. Nothing further has been done in the negotiations for that district, excepting that I have written to ascertain Taiaroa's sentiments on the subject, a reply to which letter has not yet been received.
To clear up the difficulties about purchasing land on the North Coast of the Middle Island, it would be desirable to have a general meeting of the original Ngaitahu claimants, as well as of the Ngatitoa, Ngatitama, Ngatiawa, and other tribes who claim that country by right of conquest.