No. 4.
Memorandum by the Hon. Dillon Bell.

The question of acquiring Stewart's Island for the Crown is one which cannot be longer delayed. It is now some time since I urged Mr. Mantell to go down to the South, and make this purchase; and if it had not been for the Tarauaki disturbances, he would have done so before thi I hear in recent letters that a great many people from Victoria, and other parts, are unlawfully occupying and dealing with portions of land in the Island, and the Government may find itself in a great difficulty by and by, in consequence of these unauthorized transactions.

I propose, for the consideration of Ministers, the two following courses:—

First. That upon Mr. Wood's arrival at Wellington, he should ascertain from Mr. Mantell, whether he will soon be able to go down and make the purchase of Stewart's Island, and that if not, Mr. Wood should be authorised to appoint Mr. Heale, or some other competent person, to make the purchase.

Second. That Mr. Wood be authorized to appoint Mr. Heale, a Commissioner of Crown Lands, who should give licenses to occupy temporarily portions of land at Stewart's Island, where Europeans may have squatted, in like manner as the Commissioner of Crown Lands at Coromandel gives licenses over the Native territory there, and that a notice should be published in the Southland papers that any person occupying land on the Island without such license, will be liable to be fined, and will receive no compensation from the Government in the event of his occupation being interfered with.

I take this opportunity of bringing before Ministers the position of Stewart's Island in reference to the Province of Southland. The Island is annexed to no Province. It however naturally belongs to Southland, and should be incorporated with it. I therefore wish that Mr. Wood should be empowered to assure the Provincial Government of Southland that as soon as the Assembly meets, the Govern-page 54ment will introduce a Bill annexing the territory comprised in Stewart's Island to the existing Provlnce. It would be quite immaterial whether the Island was ceded or not at that time, as the Queen's sovereignty exists over it, and, therefore, for purposes of Government, at any rate it would be brought within the jurisdiction of the Provincial authorities and the ordinary courts of law, instead of being, as now, a kind of Alsatia in which there exists no authority whatever. When the title was acquired, the land would then be subject to the same colonizing operations as the territory on the north Shore of Foveaux's Strait.