Ki a Whititera,—

Tena koe. Kua kite au i ta matou Pukapuka o te 14 e Aperira, i kite au ki roto ki te Nupepa o Poneke o te 28 o Aperira. E ki ana taua Pukapuka, ko taku waha i nui ki te korero mo te pupuru Whenua ko taku ringaringa kua tuhituhi ki te Pukapuka tuku whenua, he tito rawa tenei korero, o te Nupepa o Poueke; kei runga tonu au o te pupuru whenua, kore rawa taku ringa i mau atu ki te pene kaore i tuhituhi kaore hoki au i kite i taua pukapuka.

Ko tetehi kupu hoki o taua Nupepa, e ki ana, kaore ano i mutu nga korero, tuhituhia kautia ta matou Pukapaka, o te 14 o Aperira, he tito rawa tenei kupu o te Nupepa ko te ahiahi tenei o te Hatarei te 14 o Aperira ko te ra tenei i utua ai a matou korero e te Petatona, whakamutua rawatia nga waha o te pupuru whenua kei hamumu heoti te korero i whakatuwheratia e te Petatona, i taua ahi-ahi ko ta ratou korero ko te tuku whenua kia nui ake te moni kia iti iho ranei kore rawa he korero i toe. E tika ana pea ko a ratou korerotanga ko ana hoa tuku whenua i te Ratapu ko wai hoki matou ko nga tangata whakapono ka rongo atu kaore hoki he ritenga i a matou o tera korero, o te whakari-terite moni kia nui ake ranei kia iti iho ranei, e uru kau atu ai matou ki tera korero. I te ata o te 16 ka pakaru katoa nga tangata. Heoti ano.

[Translation.]

To Mr. FitzGerald,—

Salutations to you. I have seen our letter of the 14th of April. I saw it in the Wellington newspaper of the 28th April. That paper says that my mouth was large to speak in favour of holding the land, but that my hand had signed the paper selling the land. This statement of the Wellington paper is utterly false. I am always upon the anti-selling side; my hand did not grasp the pen; I did not write; nor did I even see that document.

Another word of that newspaper also states that, before all the words had been spoken we wrote our letter of the 14th April. This word of the newspaper is utterly false. On the evening of Saturday, the 14th of April—this was the day on which Dr. Featherston replied to our word— the mouths of all the holders back of the land had been closed, lest they should speak. The only question opened by Dr. Featherston that evening was their word regarding the sale of the land and the amount to be paid, whether it was to be greater or less. There was not one word left unsaid. Perhaps, however, it may have been that he entered into conversation with his friends on the subject of land selling on the Sunday; and how could we, being men of religious tendencies, hear what they had to say. We had nothing to do with that word of fixing the amount of the purchase money that we should join with them in discussing it.

On the morning of the 16th the meeting broke up.

That is all.