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others were at their settlements above the Oroua Bridge. The "korero" at this meeting
was of a very diffusive nature, and extended throughout the day and all the following
night.

Huru te Hiaro commenced the business by stating that certain lands situate at the
head of the Waingawa and Waiohine rivers in the Wairarapa belonged to the Manaupokos
(eight or ten of whom were present), that the Wairarapa Natives had acknowledged their
right and surrendered all claims in their favour, and concluded by requiring me to ask
the Government to advance them £200 on account of it. Others followed in the same
strain.

I told them I was not clear that there was any unpurchased land at all in that
locality, and that if there were they must first prove their title to it in the Lands Court
before thinking of asking for advances.

They were not satisfied, however, until Hoani Meihana told them that Major Kepa
had made a similar request to the Native Minister at Whanganui on behalf of Te
Manaupoko, but was unsuccessful. With respect to the settlement of the Horowhenua
dispute in the Native Lands Court, the Manaupoko present said that although they
themselves were willing to submit that matter and their claims generally to the decision
of the Court, they must nevertheless withhold their consent until the return of their
friends from Whanganui, who were consulting Major Kepa on the subject.

Hoani Meihana and I told them that, although the dispute should be considered by
a convention of the tribes as proposed by Major Kepa, to ensure a final settlement a
legal title would be necessary, which could only be obtained through the Lands Court,
and that it would be better to submit the matter at once to the Court, as the
Ngatiraukawas had agreed to do.

The Ngatiwhakaterere then spoke of Kaihinu West Block, on account of which I had
made them an advance of provisions when last at Manawatu. They said they had heard
that various parties had made, or were about to make, applications to the Government
for advances in respect of that block, and they strongly deprecated advances being
made to anyone without their knowledge and consent.

A friendly discussion then ensued between them and the Rangitane; the Rangitane
asserting their right to claim conjointly from their ancestry and prior occupation, and
the Ngatiwhakaterere their right by conquest; both agreeing only on one point, viz., that
the Lands Court should decide the matter.

The debate respecting the occupation of the 62,000 acre block in the Seventy Mile
Bush by Wi Waka and his supporters, was kept up till an early hour in the morning.
Huru te Hiaro and Peehi te Aweawe advocated forcible expulsion, declaring that the first
tree felled by the intruders should be the signal for firing upon them.

Old Mikaera said he approved of this course, and was willing to die in defence of
his property. The proposal, however, did not appear to meet with general approval.
Hoani Meihana objected strongly to any such procedure, saying he never knew or heard
of any such disputes being settled definitely or satisfactorily by force of arms. He
instanced passages in their own history in which feelings of anger and revenge so
implanted had not been allayed up to the present time. He said the law had decided
that the land in question belonged to Rangitane, and there was therefore no occasion
for them to trouble themselves about Wi Waka and his proceedings; their right to the
land had been decided by the Court, and Wi Waka and his clan were powerless to oust
them. And so the matter was left in abeyance, no decision being arrived at either way.

I saw plainly from the temper of mind they were then in, that I should not be likely to
come to any arrangement with them about the sale of the block. I told them nevertheless,
that although I was a Government pakeha, and consequently supposed to be
influenced by land purchasing proclivities, my impartial opinion was that the best thing
to be done under the circumstances would be to get rid of the apple of discord by
selling it to the Government and obtaining a title from the Queen to any portion they
might wish to reserve for their own occupation, thereby securing themselves from the
encroachments of Wi Waka or any other man or tribe. I pointed out to them the
certainty of their being continually annoyed by the efforts of surrounding "hapus," who
considered they had claims to the land, and advised them to turn over my suggestion in
their minds and communicate with me if they determined to follow my advice.

I believe my words were not without effect, as I found from private conversations
that some of those who had strongly declared their determination not to sell were
privately inclined to dispose of some portion of the block in due time.

Hoani Meihana and I subsequently had a private conference on the subject of the
sale of this block, when he acknowledged his conviction that it would eventually be
sold. He said also, that at a fitting time he would do all in his power to forward the
sale; that it was a matter which required to be delicately handled at any time but in the
present frame of mind of the Natives more particularly, it would probably only retard
the sale by pressing the subject. It was, he said, the last piece of land of any extent
they had left—their dead were buried upon it—it was endeared to them by many old
remembrances and associations, and it would require time to undermine their prejudices
against parting with it.

I obtained at this place two formal written applications to the Land Court from the
Rangitane for investigation of their title to the blocks called Tuwhakatupua Nos. 1 and
2, containing together perhaps 10,000 acres, bounded by Manawatu river on the west,