No. 37.
Mr. Commissioner Johnson to the Chief Commissioner.

I have had the honor to receive your letter of the 3rd ult., enclosing two letters for Tirarau and Parore, which I have forwarded to them.

The Ngapuhi appear to be quite satisfied with the cession of the land in question by the Uriohau to the Crown.

I shall use my best endeavours to dissaude Tirarau and Parore from bringing any of the Ngapuhi tribes to occupy the territory in dispute between them and the Uriohau, but at the same time I would observe that, if they persist in doing so, it cannot be construed into an aggressive movement on the page 110part of those Chiefs, as It has for many years past been the practice of the Northern tribes to resorts periodically to the Wairoa river for the purpose of squaring spars and collecting kauri gum for disposal to the merchants located there, and I fear it will be difficult to persuade them to relinquish this source of traffic to which they have been so long accustomed.