Mr. Commissioner Rogan to the Chief Commissioner.

I have the honor to inform you that I proceeded by appointment to Pukaki, on the 28th ultimo, and arranged with the Chief Mohi to go to Pukekohe with Ihaka and a party of his tribe on the following day, for the purpose of ascertaining the boundaries of the land claimed by the Akitai Tribe as the Awanui o Taikehu Reserve, within the Pukekohe purchase.

After arriving on the ground and making myself well acquainted with the locality, I referred to the copy of Deed of Purchase, which gives no clue whatever to the boundaries of the Awanui o Taikehu. I then adopted Mr. Johnson's description of boundaries of the reserve agreed to between the Surveyor-General and the Natives, as is stated in the Memorandum dated 12th August, 1857.

The boundary commences at a point on Baileys, old survey line on the western extremity of Taylor's back boundary, and follows a survey line which was cut by Mr. Fairburn, without any of the Native owners being present at the time.

I subsequently ascertained from Ihaka that there was no objection to the adoption of this line as the Northern boundary of the Reserve.

By Mr. Johnson's Memorandum the distance along this line should be equal to that from Cole's Inn to Papakura River, which, in a direct line, is 195 chains; the boundary should then run at right angles from this point to Rokako; such a line would include about 2100 acres sold to Messrs. Williamson, Fairburn, and Russell; it would also cut off a portion of the sections belonging to Messrs. Newman, Mahon, Hawke and Russell. Having ascertained the position of the boundaries of the disputed por-page 297tion of the Reserve before entering upon the discussion of the question with the Natives on the ground, I became satisfied that about 2,600 acres of land which, by the agreement of the officer negotiating the purchase, should have been included in the Reserve, had been granted by the Crown to European Settlers.

On Friday, the 2nd inst., Ihaka and Mohi, with their followers, accompanied me to a hill called Pukewhau, and stated that that was the boundary of the Reserve which they had decided upon at the time of sale, and were determined to adhere to, and that the boundary of the Reserve which was marked on the tracing in my possession was wrong; neither Ihaka nor any of his tribe were consulted, nor did they witness the surveying of these boundaries, which was part of the arrangement with the Surveyor-General, &c. It was impossible for me to dispute what the Natives said, as the memorandum by Mr. Johnson, who was a party under Mr. Ligar to the purchase, supported the Natives in their statement; and, as it appears to me quite useless to attempt any negotiation with Ihaka for the land occupied by, the Pukekohe settlers, I decided on coming to terms, if possible, with that Chief for about Five hundred acres (500 acres) of land, which was included in the boundary pointed out by him at Pukewhau, which would disturb Crown Grants amounting to about Fourteen hundred acres (1,400 acres), in addition to the land already alluded to. I therefore undertook the responsibility of negotiating the purchase of this portion of the Reserve claimed by the Natives, for the following reasons:—

Because the cutting of the line from Pukewhau to Kokako would cost the Government at least Sixty pounds (£60) in surveying alone.

Because, if the Native boundary were adopted, it would interfere with the Crown Grants as above stated.

And because it is desirable to have straight lines for boundaries, instead of zigzag ones, which would be the case if the boundary pointed out by Ihaka were adopted.

After repeatedly requesting Ihaka to remove the boundary back to the straight line, he assented, but asked an exorbitant payment, and afterwards reduced his demand to Three hundred pounds (£300). I immediately offered him Fifty pounds (£50), and after a length of time, finding he would not accede to my offer, I proposed to recommend the payment of Fifty pounds additional, when Mohi rose and pulled up the boundary marks, and the survey was proceeded with, and the limits of the reserve have been determined as shown in the plan herewith enclosed.