Whereas by the “Waste Lands Act 1858 it was amongst other things enacted that every Naval and Military Officer whether on full or half-pay and every Non-commissioned Officer and Private Marine and Seaman whether belonging to Her Majesty’s Service or to the Service of the East India Company who might retire or obtain his discharge from the Service to which he might belong or who having retired or obtained his discharge for the purpose of settling in the Province of New Plymouth or Wellington had not selected land under any former law or regulation enabling Naval and Military Settlers to select land free of cost should be entitled to land free of cost in the said Provinces respectively in like manner and upon the same terms and conditions as Naval and Military Settlers were entitled to land free of cost under the Auckland Waste Lands Act 1858 and the several powers and duties of the Commissioner appointed under the said Act in respect of land to be so granted should be exercised and performed by any Commissioner of Crown Lands in the said several Provinces of New Plymouth and Wellington and it was further enacted that the said Act should not come into operation until Her Majesty’s pleasure should have been taken thereon and the same should have been confirmed by Her Majesty with the advice of the Privy Council and a Proclamation of such confirmation having been given should have been made by the Governor of the Colony And whereas the said Act was on the 19th day of August 1858 reserved for Her Majesty’s confirmation and Her Majesty’s confirmation was duly given to the said Act and a Proclamation of such confirmation having been given was made in the New Zealand Government Gazette on the 15th day of February 1860 And whereas the provisions of the Auckland Waste Lands Act 1858 relating to Naval and Military Settlers and which was passed on the 9th day of June 1858 are set forth in the Schedule to this Act And whereas on the 1st day of November 1858 by an Order of the Governor in Council the Province of Hawke’s Bay was established the same having been theretofore part of and included within the limits of the Province of Wellington and whereas doubts have arisen whether the said Waste Lands Act 1858 so far as the same related to Naval and Military Settlers applies to the said Province of Hawke’s Bay For putting an end to such doubts