No. 26.
The Chief Protector to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary.

Referring to the letters of applicants to His Excellency the Governor for waiving the Crown's right of pre-emption over portions of land they are desirous of buying from the Natives, I have the honour to submit to you whether a form of application (something after the enclosed), printed in the Government Gazette, would not tend very much to assist proposed purchasers, facilitate my giving the necessary information relative to purchases, and prevent much future embarrassment to the Government. It would at the same time prove a considerable check upon both buyers and sellers.

I am induced to bring this subject under the consideration of His Excellency from having observed how defective in describing the land most of the applicants have been, and from the fact that there is manifested in many of the Europeans a disposition to treat with the young Natives for land rather than with the elder chiefs; thus tending to destroy the chiefs' influence, as well as defraud them of their lands. Both should be treated with, but an especial deference paid to the elder chiefs. To prevent the chiefs from taking advantage of Europeans in selling them lands which do not belong to them, I would suggest that in such cases those chiefs should thereafter be considered and treated as ineligible for further disposing of lands.