No. 30.
Mr. Commissioner Johnson to the Chief Commissioner.

In compliance with your letter of the 18th ultimo, do myself the honor to furnish the information requested by His Excellency the Governor, relative to the state of the Land Purchases, and of the Natives generally, in this district.

By the enclosed statement No. l, the estimated extent of the lands which I have acquired for the Government, is Two hundred and thirty thousand acres, at a cost of Nine thousand nine hundred and ten pounds (£9,910); of this quantity, about Ninety-five thousand acres have not yet been opened for sale, but the preliminary surveys of most of the blocks are now nearly completed by the General Government, and several blocks are in the course of being cut up for disposal by the Waste Lands Board.

I have also to transmit the two returns required, showing all the disbursements which have been made by me, together with the contingent expenses incurred for the service of the Department in connection with Land Purchases. I would here remark that any payments I may make on account of contingent expenses, are only temporarily advanced by me out of funds in my hands for the purchase of land, and that the accounts under these two heads are kept distinct and separate. There are no liabilities existing in this district in the shape of promises to the Natives to purchase certain lands from them, as I have almost invariably acted upon the principle of first submitting every purchase for the approval of the Governor before making any promises or payments, and the Natives understand well that such is the case, and although they may wish to sell the lands about which I was negotiating previous to the instructions issued on that head by His Excellency, they do not consider the Government bound to carry them out. All the deeds and documents connected with the transfer, of lands which I have purchased, are lodged in your office at Auckland for transmission for final record in the Colonial Secretary's Office.

In the different localities of this district, viz., Mahurangi, Whangarei, and Kaipara, the state of the Native population, as compared with other parts of the Colony, I consider to be satisfactory at Mahurangi; their numbers are few, not perhaps more numerous than the European settlers there, between whom and them a very friendly spirit exists; they sold nearly all their lands, and are located on two ample reserves with denned boundaries which have been set aside for their use.

The portion of the Whangarei district to the south and west of the harbour, in which the recent purchases are situated, is inhabited by several Tribes who are well disposed to the Europeans, and to the Government being under the authority of the Chief Tirarau, who has proved himself through out page 71a staunch friend to the white race and of the Government of this Colony, Though nearly related to the Chief John Heke, it will be remembered that Auckland was saved from an invasion of the insurgent. Natives from the Bay of Islands in 1843, by his refusing them a passage through his territory, and this Chief's conduct has been consistent ever since. On my first arrival in this district, I committed myself to the policy of supporting this Chief in his authority over the tribes, and the results are that he has been a principal party to the disposal of about a hundred and fifty thousand acres to the Crown, which can now be occupied by settlers, without a single claim being raised to any part of it by the Natives.

The northern side of Whangarei is not subject to Tirarau, the Natives in that portion of the district are scattered in small parties, and are not under the immediate command of any important Chief; they may he said to be peaceably inclined, but, having no controlling power over them, are guided in their disposition towards the Government by the attitude of the Chiefs in the Bay of Islands; they are in the habit of taking the law into their own hands when they have any grievances against the Europeans, and have been hitherto kept a little in awe by the occasional visits of one of Her Majesty's Sloops of War to this harbour, when any petty outrage had occurred, and a repetition of occasional visits of Her Majesty's vessels would have a beneficial effect for some time to come. These tribes have, however, offered considerable tracts of land for sale, a Schedule of which I have the honor to enclose.

In connection with this subject, I might remark that the greater number of these petty outrages to which I have alluded are committed on account of the cattle of the Europeans trespassing upon the Native lands, eating their crops, and treading over the Native sacred places or burial grounds; and as the Natives are disinclined to fence in their cultivations properly, and the Europeans are unable to keep their cattle on their own land, this evil is likely to increase. Many cases are referred to me, and settled by arbitration; but in my absence the Natives do not, hesitate to carry off calves by force in satisfaction of their demands. Notwithstanding a friendly feeling which they cherish towards the settlers, they are not at all inclined to submit to the English laws, except when decisions are given in their favour, although the increasing number of the settlers in many places would render a constituted authority, to whose decisions both races would submit, a desirable and necessary object. Drunkenness, which threatened to become an enormous evil, is not so prevalent as it was, but the sale of firearms and ammunition is secretly carried on to a greater extent than ever, and they all show a great desire to be well armed. A Resident Magistrate is much desired by the European inhabitants of Whangarei, and although such a functionary could not expect to control the Natives much at first, an observance of the submission of the Europeans to the laws, and of the superior manner in which we settle our disputes, would have a very beneficial effect upon the Aboriginal population, and by degrees they might be persuaded to resort to the English Courts, and abide by their judgments.

A considerable quantity of land between Whangarei and the Bay of Islands belongs to the Crown, in virtue of old Land Claims which were exchanged with the Government for scrip. The Natives have come from distant places and located themselves on these lands, but after reserves have been set apart for them, and any previously unextinguished claims settled, the residue will be at the disposal of the Government.

The tribes inhabiting the Kaipara, Oruawharo, and Otamatea, are a branch of the Ngatiwhatua who reside near Auckland, and are decidedly favourably inclined to the British Government. They have repeatedly offered large tracts of land for sale, situated on the rivers which empty themselves into the sea through the estuary of the Kaipara, but their country is very inaccessible, and my instructions being only to acquire such lands as can be made immediately available, I intended to carry on my purchasing on the East Coast between Whangarei and the Bay of Islands, previous to proceeding to the West side of the Island.

The tribes on the Kaipara are rather unsettled at present, the timber trade being principally confined to the Wairoa branch of the Kaipara, which formerly belonged to them, but was taken by the Ngapuhi under Tirarau, who still resides there. They do not partake of the lucrative trade carried on at that place, and show an inclination to attempt to recover it by force, although it has been in the possession of the Ngapuhi's for the last thirty-five years. I am not at present prepared with detailed reports of the various lands which have been offered for sale, as the complicated nature of the claims of tribes and individuals requires much patient investigation before a conclusion can be arrived at, but from former experience and a knowledge of the general desire of the Natives at large to effect further sales, I should estimate that a sum of not less than Four thousand pounds would be required to carry on the purchases in these districts during the ensuing year. The average price that the land can be acquired at would be about 1s. 6d. per acre, varying according to quality, position, number of aimants, and other considerations, from 5d. to 3s. 6d. per aere.