Chief for the acquisition of lands for the New
Zealand Company, viz.:--

Upon the Porirua purchase, the third and
last instalment of £500. Upon the Wairau
purchase, the third instalment of £600.

In the payment of the two first instal
ments on account of these purchases, the
money was advanced by the Local Govern
ment, but since the latter of these was made
I have received from his Excellency the Go
vernor-in-Chief general instructions that all
money required for effecting purchases of
land for the New Zealand Company is to be
provided for by that body; and no special
exemption has been made with regard to Po
rirua and Wairau, neither has any provision
whatever been made which would enable me
in any way to meet these payments, due on
the 1st April next.

I have the honor, &c.,
(Signed) E. EYRE.

W. Fox, Esq.,
Principal Agent to the N. Z. Company.

Wellington, 8th March, 1849.

Sir,--
I have the honor to acknowledge the re
ceipt of your Excellency's letter of the 6th
instant, informing me that payments amount
ing to £1,100 will fall due on the 1st April
next, on account of the Porirua and Wairau
purchases, effected by the Government from
the natives; and referring me to instructions
received by you from the Governor-in-Chief,
to the effect that all money required for pur
chases of land for the New Zealand Com
pany is to be provided by that body.

The New Zealand Company, or its Agents,
not having been consulted (as I understand
was the case) respecting the amount to be
paid in these cases,—the purchases having
been effected long before the correspondence
between the Home Government and the
Company on the subject of such payments,
which has led to the instructions referred to
by you,—and the Government having, by
the course hitherto pursued in making the
previous payments, led the Company’s Agent
to believe that he would not be called on to
pay the purchase money in these two cases,
which, in point of fact, it was never, I be
lieve, before contemplated he should do;
no provision has been made by me to meet
such payments, and I trust that your Excel
lency will, under the circumstances, be able
to arrange to meet them; as the Local Go
vernment must have done in the absence of
the instructions referred to.

I have, &c.,
(Signed) WILLIAM FOx.

His Excellency the Lt.-Governor, &c. &c.

No. 9.

Government-House,
Wellington, 9th March, 1849.

Sir,--
I have the honor to acknowledge the re
ceipt of your letter of yesterday’s date, in
reply to mine of the 6th March, on the sub
ject of the instalments (amounting to £1,100)
which will shortly become due on the Wai
rau and Porirua purchases. In that reply
you object to the Company’s liability to
meet these payments, on the ground that
neither the Company nor its Agents (as you
understand was the case) were consulted
respecting the amount to be paid at the
time the purchases were entered into; that
the Government have hitherto met the in
stalments as they became due; and that,
therefore, the Company’s Agent has been
led to believe that he would not be called
upon to provide any funds for the purpose.

2. I believe that at the time of the pur
   chase of the district referred to, it was ori
   ginally contemplated (as stated in Governor
   Grey’s despatch of 7th April, 1847, a copy
   of which was forwarded to Colonel Wake
   field) that the New Zealand Company would
   only select comparatively small portions of
   the whole tracts bought; and that, there
   fore, they would only be liable to the repay
   ments of a proportion of the purchase money:
   but the New Zealand Company have re
   ceived Grants for the whole, and in accepting
   such Grants, virtually adopted the arrange
   ment which had been entered into with the
   natives by the Crown.

3. Although, as you remark, the purchases
   in question were made long before the cor
   respondence between the Home Government
   and the Company on the subject of such
   payments, yet the instructions of the Se
   cretary of State on the subject of payment
   for lands generally were written subsequently
   to that correspondence, and with a full
   knowledge of the engagements which had
   been entered into with regard to the Wairau
   and Porirua purchases; nor, as I am aware,
   has any exception been made to them.
   The only such exception, to the best of my
   knowledge, being with regard to the site
   which might be required for the Canterbury
   settlement, and for which Earl Grey has
   sanctioned an advance of such instalments
   as might, in the first instance become due,
   from the revenue of the Province, if able to
   meet such a demand. In reference to this
   particular case his Lordship states, “You
   will observe that in desiring to make these
   advances, I am departing to a certain extent
   from the direction given you in my despatch
   of June, 1847, ‘that the New Zealand Com
   pany are to provide the means of paying
   similar demands from funds at their dis
   posal.’ ” And again, in a still later des
   patch, dated the 6th July, 1848, and ad
   dressed to Mr. Harrington by Mr. Hawes,
   it is remarked, “Lord Grey trusts that the
   Local revenues will prove adequate to the
   purpose of the required purchase; but I am
   directed to state distinctly, that in the event
   of their failure, as no Grant has been made
   by Parliament for the purpose, it is wholly
   out of his Lordship’s power to authorize the