Te Ropiha Moturoa.

Five hundred acres were promised to Te Ropiha Moturoa and his people, because Te Ropiha acquainted me that a reserve had been promised to him in Wellington, and that he was aboutpage 26immediately to migrate to Taranaki with a hundred people, who I thought would be much better located on a Native reserve than left to choose their own residences, and perhaps take possession of parts of sections in the hands of the settlers to extort satisfaction for alleged claims upon old purchases, a practice not uncommon in Taranaki. Then, I had heard that Te Ropiha had used his influence very successfully with the absentees in this neighbourhood, and he certainly was very active in rendering me all the assistance in his power in completing the purchase on the spot. Besides this I had some hopes that his influence might be useful at Waiongana, where no other chief would at that time venture to interfere. This reserve might now be reduced, or even done away with altogether, as the projected migration is not, I imagine, likely under present circumstances to take place.