Dr. Featherston buys these men's land from five tribes who have no title whatever to the land, tells them their land is "all gone to the Queen," that there will be "no further investigation as to title, &c.," and now, at this late period, offers them arbitration, and calls upon them "to prove their individual claims to the satisfaction of the arbitrators." Dr. Featherston's doing so is simply impertinent, seeing that "Her Majesty the Queen of England confirms and guarantees to the chiefs and tribes of New Zealand, and to the respective families and individuals thereof, the full, exclusive, and undisturbed possession of their lands and estates, forests, fisheries, and other properties which they may collectively or individually possess, so long as it is their wish and desire to retain the same in their possession." And, as Dr. Featherston told the House, on August 7, 1860,—" It follows that whatever rights, especially territorial, the Natives possessed at the time the treaty was made, the Government is bound to respect and preserve inviolate." With respect to arbitration, Parakaia and his people would have as good a right to purchase any land, for which Dr. Featherston holds a Crown grant, from the original Native owners, and then offer to refer the matter to arbitration, one of the arbitrators to be chosen by the Maoris. Dr. Featherston should now be content to consider the case as closed, so far as he is himself concerned—high time it should be so—and allow others to interfere. The Natives have petitioned Her Majesty to "send persons to investigate carefully this wrong." God grant she may so do.