E Hoa E Whititera,—

Tena koe. He tuhi atu tenei na matou, kia mohio koe ki o matou whakaaro mo te whenua e hokona nei i Hoani Meihana raua ko Tapa te Wata kei te taha ki Oroua o Rangitikei kaore matou e pai nga rangatira me te iwi katoa kia hokona taua whenua, hei wahi tuturu tenei mo matou; ka timata te rohe i Whitirea wahi o Manawatu ka ahu atu ki te moana rere atu i Whitirea, ki te Atatuhi rere atu, ki tupere ka whati i reira te rohe ka tae ki Kaikokopu, rere atu Akahuera, rere atu Omanuka rere atu Puketotara, rere atu te Kawau, Totarataepa, te Kopuapokororo, te Puta, Whakamoetakapu, Paeroa, Papauku; ka whati i reira ka rere atu ki te Umutoi, wahi o Oroua haere mai i roto o Oroua, a te Awahuri rere tonu mai ano i roto o Oroua a Puketotara, a, ka kati ano ki Whitirea, ko matou nga kai pupuri o tenei wahi, ara o te taha ki Oroua ki Manawatu, tera ano etahi tangata kei te taha ki Rangitikei o pupuri ana, kua tae atu pea ratou kia koe ki te whakaatu i o ratou whakaaro me o ratou ingoa, heoi ka kite iho koe i o matou whakaaro mau e tuku atu ki tou Runanga kia kite hoki ratou. Heoi ra a matou kupu ki a koe.

Na matou, na nga tangata o, Ngatikauwhata, o Ngatiwehiwehi.

[Translation.]

O Friend Mr. FitzGerald,—

Salutations to you. This is a letter of ours to you so as you may know our thoughts regarding the land which is being sold by Hoani Meihana and Tapa te Whata, on the Oroua side of Rangitikei. We, the chiefs and all the people, are averse to the sale of that land; let this be a lasting possession for us—the boundary commencing at Whitirea (region of Manawatu); thence toward the sea; from Whitirea to Te Atatuhi; thence to Otupere; there the boundary turns off and goes to Kaikokopu, to Kakahuera, to Omanuka, to Puketotara, to Te Kawau, Totarataepa Te Kopuapokororo, Te Puta, Whakamoetakapu, Paeroa, Papauku; there it turns off to Te Umutoi (region of Oroua); thence along the course of Oroua to Te Awahuri; following the course of the Oroua to Puketotara, meeting the starting point Whitirea. We are the holders back of this portion from the sale, that is to say, of the side towards the Oroua and Manawatu. There are also other persons on the side towards Rangitikei who have, perhaps, been to you to let you know their views and their names. When you have therefore seen our thoughts send them to your Runanga, so that they also may see. That is all we have to say.

From us the people of Ngatikauwhata and Ngatiwehiwehi.

From the whole people.