[With regard to these assertions of the honorable member, we think it right, in justice to ourselves, to mention what is well known to the Ahuriri Natives— namely, that in the month, of December, 1869, we published an article in this paper at Napier, and at various times subsequently several other articles, fully explaining the " significance of the term ' mort- gage " warning the Natives against the danger of such engagements, and advising them to advertise in the European newspapers, so that " outsiders " might know that they had lands for sale ; and we offered at the same time to translate such, advertisements for them into the English language.—ED. W. M.~]

Sir D. McLEAN spoke at considerable length in answer. He said honorable members must be aware that the direction of the statements of the honorable member for Rodney would be exceedingly injurious to the welfare of the whole colony, because they taught the Natives to repudiate all fair, equit- able, and reasonable transactions into which they had entered—a course which, would neither benefit them- selves nor the colony. In reply to the assertions o£ the honorable member for Rodney, he quoted what was said by the eminent Judge (Richmond) who sat for two months on the Hawke's Bay Alienation Commission, and investigated these charges. He says,—

"Having now gone through, the principal heads of imputed fraud, I have to state that, in my opinion, nothing was proved under those heads which ought, in good conscience, to invalidate any purchase in- vestigated by us. I agree with my colleague, Judge Maning, that the Natives appear to have been, on the whole, treated fairly by the settlers and dealers of Hawke's Bay."

He thought that exonerated the settlers of Hawke's Bay from the blame and stigma that had been cast upon them by the honorable member. There was no ' part of the North Island where the Natives had been so well treated as in that province, or where they had got so much for their laud. The learned Judge then proceeded as follows:—