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am neither, why should I fear ? Besides I am now disposed for peace; it would he well to

have some   to take care of me

" Mr. Clarke," said "urge the for to make tell him my father mid grandfather were both treacherously We never feared any man in battle; we were never cowards but they tell by and now that I am giving up war I shall fall

the some way, I have some soldiers. Tell him I must be allowed to exercise some influence ever my Own people; it they steal, I must punish them, That in all I hare to say to you. Go up my sacred river ; go where you like ; and let me know what the Governer says to my proposals. Remember I am a jealous and shall not forget rat description of the Governer and his intentions towards us."

Dec.29—From four clock in the morning until sunset we were pulling, up against the stream in fresh water. Landed in different parts of the river to ascertain the character of the country.

The is good, sufficiently elevated to he secure front floods; part wooded and part

clear, adapted for culture. The water at this season is very low, yet we had

about six feet during the day, and by calculation made about 20 miles.

This part of the river is by the we had to pull against the stream, running in west places three miles per hour.

I have seen a piece of land to-day on which pretty farms might not be made and out to great advantage.

The country being partially farming operations might immediately com

mence.

Dee. —At daylight we our course up the river Thames, commencing at the proposed northern boundary for the Government.
The river is here very circuitons, by its bends great facilities for fencing off

pretty   three sides being bounded and fenced by the river.

In a direct line we have not made more than ten miles daring the day, having had to

pull against a strong stream, carrying a depth of from five to six feet water; the river from 50 to 89 yards wide; from eight to twelve feet above the bed of the river, and with small woods of growing down to the water's edge ; soil from One to two feet deep at the banks ; light. No further Iahour to commence ploughing than burning off the fern. Cultivators would be spared the trouble of clearing off the heavy timber with which the first 30 40 miles of the Thames abounds; but it must he confessed the soil is not so good, and in some places barely sufficient timber on the spot foe

the use of a farm.

Dee. arst.—Commeuced my journey towards the Meta Meta, along the banks of the

Thames, at about 10 miles, to the southward of which a noted place called Waiharakoke,

the for the Government, and which by consent of the
Mate Meta and natives also forms their division of their country.

From to a principal branch of the Piako, is the proposed south for Government There are no cultivatious; parties having for years other are afraid to cultivate near the borders.

The proposed Government land is an immense tract of level country, varying in width from eight to ten miles, and in near 20 miles. The soil is light, varying in quality; upon the the river rich, further removed train the banks of an inferior quality. There is but very little of this large tract of country but might be cultivated ; even the

would admit of immediate use at a small expense, and if drained would afford the Were first of arable pasture land.

There is a want of timber in some part of the plain, but the country is so level as to admit of the timber or dray to take it to any part required.

Arrived at Mato Mata towards evening. Mata Math is about 16 miles from the landing place for the Thames.

Mata Mata settlement is in the midst of a large forest of kahikatea and rime, which been almost destroyed by it is by an immense swamp, the whole of which seems to me to be capable of easy thereby ereby rendering it by far the most valuable land on the place. These swamps are highly prized by the natives, on account of the air
with which they abetted ; and us they have abundance of besides this, it is an object. of interest to keep them, as such parties an not unacquainted with the art of draining; and when the subject is upon them they commonly Ray, " Shall we destroy our sheet we have plenty of besides this" The outlets to these swamps abound with small native sluices, where they put down their nets and catch abundance of eels after the.

heavy.

I should, in draining these swamps, commence cutting my main ditch from the into which smaller drains should he carried ; and I have no hesitation in saying, that this work would be accomplished at much expense than that of clearing the forest, the with the thrown out, forming the inelosures.

The chime of Mats Meta received me well, tendering me their best accommodations.

After adjustine my travelling accompaniments, and having had a little refreshment, I to listen, and answer the yarning reports in circulation respecting the Governor and his intentions, prefacing their remarks by saying they confided in me for a correct statement, and desiring that nothing should be from them. They had heard of the state of America, of New South and of many taken possession of by and they could not but be jealous the intentions of the British Government; they this district had the treaty, and these few only

on the good faith of the missionaries; the reason was, they were not, nor would they

They had by Europeans, who had already manifeated n different tone of feeling

towards them,at they were gentlemen no longer, that they were prohibited from selling

their land, except. to the Queen, and that very soon other laws would be in operation which

would make them no better than slaves ; that tine would not be accomplished all at once, but by degrees ; that governor would succeed governor, with new regulations, until the object was accomplished already they were called the slaves of the Queen, and were threatened with imprisonment if they, the Europeans, could not drive a good with them.

After a very long talk (korero) I was asked for my reply. I drew their attention to the general character of the Europeans, who appeared to me to have been their ill-advisers, and to the character of the British Government, which had pledged itself in their representative, the Governor, to secure to them all their rights and privileges, and had placed them upon die same footing, yea, a better one then myself.

If they were sloven, so was I: they by the treaty became British subjects, and entitled such to all the privileges. They had, on the one hand, the word and of in nation which prided itself on its honour and integrity,and on the other, the word of men whose designs were too evident to admit of a doubt. It was for them to say who deserved the most credit ; and as they lied appealed to me, I had no hesitation in saying, that I placed the most implicit confidence in the British Government, or they would not have

seen me as their protector, endeavouring to correct the errors into which they were likely to be led through misrepresentation ; end then appealed to them ea to what would have been the consequences had not the Queen sent out a Governor to protect them. They replied that they would have adopted their lawn to keep them, the Europeans, right.

I was seconded by my very valuable native, William Hau, who not only corroborated my statement, but added a great deal of his own.

The natives of Mete Mute had heard of the intention of the Governor to pay them a

• and expressed themselves very desirous of seeing him. As it respects the, general peace meeting, they said they had declined that owing to the of their crops, they not being able to entertain 3,000 or 4,000 people for a month, which according to native custom they must do. They wished the Governor to understand that they were at peace with the Thames natives ; but had no prospect of a pence with the Rotoroa unless something could be done respecting Moketia, the bone of contention, they were not willing to relinquish their claim to that place. They were apprehensive that the Government would find the Rotoroa natives, were he to visit them, a very rude tribe.

They had already affected to despise the Government, and had been made acquainted with the history of colonisation, and with the customs and wars of our country with other nations, and from thence justified their wars, requiring that no one would interfere with

them.

From Mate Mata I proceeded in a south-cast direction for a place called Maungatantau, continuing upon the same plain for about eight miles, when the country became more broken and sterile,presenting vast masses of pumice stone. This character of country is continued to the Horotu or Waikato River, the banks of which are very uninviting and unadapted for agricultural purposes. At one place I observed one vast jamb of sand, unit lees than 150 feet in depth, from which place this part of the river takes its name.

We crowed the Waikato river about en miles from Mats Mats, over a native bridge ; the stream rapid, deep, and at this particular place narrow, not so high up on

account of the falls, the source of the river, about Taupo. After leaving the banks of the Waikato, we entered a much better description of highland country, which centime's un- proving until you arrive at Maungatautau a large native residence, where there are several strong native pahe ; it is about 20 miles S.S. E. of Mata Mata.

The natives of this place are most of them professed Christians, and from a formidable, warlike people, are now become an industrious, peaceable community; must of them can read and write. Their intercourse with Europeans, from their inland situation, has been but little; they retain, therefore, much of their native simplicity and hospitality, softened end improved by their reception of Christianity. They are dependent on their pags, which

they rear in vast quantities, to supply them with garments, guns, and powder. My natives being very much galled by the heavy journey, and the weather being wet, en stopped at Maungatautau until Monday, when we had all opportunity of learning the general of the people respecting Government. They were not unacquainted with the general reports in circulation, lout were less clamorous than many of the natives we had met with

they were not, however, without their misgivings, and were very inquisitive as to the mate intentions of the Queen respecting their country. They had hitherto, they said been guided by the missionaries and should continue to be so until they had reasons to believe they had been misled by them ; then they would consider them as the authors of their

misfortunes, and accountable for all consequences.

They inquired after Kihi, the native who is in prison at Russell; Rome of them were relathins. All said him aentence just ; a murderer ought not to go unpunished.

Monday, 4th.—I left Maungatautau for a large native settlement near the Waipa, the principal branch of the Waikato, on which a great body of the Waikato natives are living, which place we reached in about in leave The country through which we was much better than tint on the other side; Maungatautau is a large open country, with a rich light soil. A few years ago the whole was covered welt timber,

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