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An Epitome of Official Documents Relative to Native Affairs and Land Purchases in the North Island of New Zealand

No. 1. — The Surveyor General to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary

No. 1.
The Surveyor General to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary.

Bay of Islands. As to land in the vicinity of the Waitangi falls.

Surveyor General's Office, Auckland.

23rd January, 1847.

Sir,—

With reference to the information called for by his Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor relative to the land in the vicinity of the Waitangi Falls, I have the honor to report that there is no data in this office, which enables me to state definitely where the boundaries of the several claimants aresituated.

Messrs. Busby and Henry Williams have both received grants of land in the vicinity, but from the form of the grant issued to these and the other land claimants, it is not possible to determine upon any existing documents the boundaries of their several claims.

The boundaries described in the deeds of grant which have been issued to the land claimants, were copied from the commissioner's report; unaccompanied, except in a-few instances by an actual survey.

It was intended, I understand, that these deeds of grant should be only of a temporary nature, in order to place the claimants in possession of their land, until time was gained for the preparation of more perfect titles.

For this purpose the claimants were requested to get their boundaries surveyed by licensed surveyors, when it was understood that new deeds would be issued to them. Only two claimants have had their land surveyed according to these instructions, and it does not seem probable that any others will do so within a reasonable time; should this prove to be the case, a difficulty will arise in obtaining the necessary witnesses to the boundaries of the several purchases of land; and it becomes a question whether the Government should at once undertake the surveys to prevent future disputes.

I have, &c.,

Charles W. Ligar,
Surveyor General.

The Hon. the Colonial Secretary.