CANTERBURY.
[Image of page 329]
CANTERBURY.
HAD we to name one of the divisions of New Zealand in which to fix on some spot for our future home--next to Nelson, and as a settlement whose rapid and fruitful growth gives promise of early greatness, we should select the province of Canterbury.
The progress made here since the foundation of the settlement (about six years since) is truly surprising. In the infant stage of a settlement, and in the early development of rising importance, as an agricultural and pastoral district, no other part of the colony has displayed greater foresight, intelligence, and vigour, than Canterbury. Probably neither of the other settlements, on their formation, could boast of similar advantages with regard to capital, &c. At the same time, Canterbury has turned every point in her favor to the best account; and, like her well-educated and intelligent sons, she promises at no distant period to obtain and dispense some of those substantial
[Image of page 330]
prizes peculiar to the colony, which will enable her children to cultivate elsewhere, if not here, that flower of the mind that may lead to fruitful prizes of a still higher order.
Lyttleton, which takes its name from its excellent harbor, is the seaport or commercial town of Canterbury, while Christchurch, the capital of the province, which is separated by a lofty range of hills, and at a distance of about seven miles from the port, is at present the chief or only town in an agricultural district, which altogether contains about 4,000,000 of acres, two-thirds of which are immediately available for agricultural and pastoral purposes.
Canterbury plains, in extent, differ from any other part of New Zealand. They comprise about 3,000,000 acres of level or nearly level land, nearly the whole of which is of the very best description. The plain is about 130 miles in length, and in some parts 40 miles in width. In 1853 the population of the province numbered about 4,000, and, judging by the increase of 704 immigrants for the year just ended, the population at present may be roughly estimated at six, or between six and seven thousand. But the difficulty we experienced in obtaining statistical information from the local authorities, proves a barrier to that exactness at which we have invariably endeavoured to arrive.
Had we been furnished with information re-
[Image of page 331]
specting this province equal to our desire to obtain it, or to the facilities possessed by others for affording it; or had the promised assistance of volunteers reached us before our departure, it would have given us much pleasure in supplying our English friends with a more interesting and minute account of a settlement which, ere long, will rank with any in New Zealand. But on applying to the all-important superintendent of the province for statistical information, his honor majestically observed, --"I have not time to give the required information, nor am I in favor of any book on the colony by a stranger; but if a work were needed on the province of which I am the head, the superintendent himself is the only person qualified for its production." Such observations were not then considered, nor do we now deem them, worthy a reply--beyond wishing the settlers well of one whose persuasive eloquence and refined blarney induced a. majority of voters to repose, for a season, an important trust to a no less important individual.
Every word in the following interesting account --taken from "Chambers's Papers for the People" --with reference to the capabilities of the land, &c, in New Zealand, we, from our own personal observations, readily indorse. But without such attestation, the respectable source from whence the account originates is a sufficient guarantee for the truth thereof:--
[Image of page 332]
"The fecundity of the earth is wonderful: it springs easily into cultivation. Some small tracts have only a slight layer of mould lying on a rocky, untractable substratum, but even here the verdure thrives thick and rank. Sandy fiats, which in regions less profusely irrigated would be naked and valueless, are here speedily overgrown, while the salt spray of the sea showering upon the green mantle that in some parts overlays the islands to the water's edge, does it no injury.
"In this mild and agreeable climate man attains old age without pain, nor is he compelled ever to be on his guard against the influences of the weather. During three-fourths of the year the settler in the neighbourhood of Cook's Strait may sleep with his bedroom window open; but when violent winds and showers prevail, a small fire is by no means a superfluous luxury, especially as the colonists' residences are very often no more than partially wind-and-watertight. With the exception of these intervals, occupation under the open sky is before all others the most healthy and pleasant. The luxuriant vegetation, the everlasting green of the trees and pastures, the atmosphere so transparent that objects can be discerned at an amazing distance, the varying tints of the sky, with the picturesque landscapes afforded by the harmonious mingling of hills, plains, lakes, and woods--all these delight the eye, and kindle the animal spirits. Herds and flocks may wander unhoused at all seasons of the year without excess of wet or bitter frosts to injure them.
"Every climate of course has its incidental diseases; and in New Zealand the humidity causes sometimes ulcers, boils, abscesses, and eruptive affections, which, however, never assume a malignant character, and disappear without medical aid. Among the natives, from various causes foreign to the climate, carbuncles occur. The Europeans, when acclimatised, may be all but sure of health. Inflammatory
[Image of page 333]
complaints, strictly so called, are unknown; they almost always assume, when their symptoms do appear, the form of catarrh. No endemic disease exists. Influenza and croup occasionally appear as epidemics, and with careless people rheumatism is not uncommon. But, on the whole, no country on the earth is more salubrious. We do not find in it, as a traveller has observed, the bilious planter of the East or West Indies, or the aguish settler in the forests and on the river banks of South America. There are no epidemic or endemic fevers, as in the East and West Indies, and parts of the United States; no ague, no dreary winters, as in Canada; no hot winds, long droughts, conflagrations, snakes, and vermin, as in Australia. The pure air, continually in motion, invigorates the frame and buoys up the mind. Invalids rapidly recover. The thermal springs in the North Island indeed, with the attractive scenery and delightful atmosphere, present it as a healthy and picturesque place of sojourn for those who have worn down their constitution in the dangerous climates of the East.
"The value of New Zealand consists rather in its soil, its climate, its position, and its commercial capabilities, than in its natural productions. The indigenous fruits of the earth are few, and not important; while those that have been introduced render it one of the richest countries in the world. It does not yield, indeed, spices or camphor, or all the luscious delicacies of the Oriental orchard; but it affords the growths of Europe, and that which will purchase from the neighbouring East every rarity its inhabitants could desire to enjoy. Besides the mineral treasures we have noticed, it contains others most valuable to the English settler--abundance of water, timber, coal, lime, and stone of various kinds, the chief materials of industry. The soil is variously distributed over the surface of the country, supporting, as we have already remarked, various classes of indigenous vegetation. On the banks of streams
[Image of page 334]
among the hilly tracts, a deep, rich, alluvial mould prevails, and in some of the valleys--that of the Hutt in Wellington District in particular--a pure black or brown sandy loam lies in a stratum so thick as to appear inexhaustible. Wherever dense forests exist, the same soil abounds. When the woods are cleared from parts covered only by a thin layer, this is often washed away by the rains, leaving nothing but a cold, clayey earth fit only for pasturage. To illustrate the effect, however, of climate or weather upon the soil, it may be mentioned that this, which is spread over the drier, hilly, and undulating districts, when well turned over, and subjected to the influence of the atmosphere, becomes extremely fertile. In other respects the same influence is remarkable. Sandy strips of land, which from their nature would in many other countries remain sterile and naked, are here by the natives planted with potatoes very successfully; stony hills, most impracticable in appearance, flourish with abundant crops of that nutritious vegetable.
"One great drawback, nevertheless, to the agricultural capabilities of New Zealand is the fact, that even in the richest valleys or plateaus, where the forests have been cleared, the waters wash away the upper soil, laying bare the less liberal clay; but an improved system of husbandry, with the judicious rotation of crops, the use of proper fertilising appliances, and, above all, the careful regulation of the water-flow by drainage, all such inconvenience can be remedied: such at least is the opinion of well- informed residents in the group. Industry can afford, however, to be vigorous in its exertions when the soil is so ready to reward it.
"We may now approach the subject of the natural and acquired wealth of the province, and here its peculiar character should be remembered. We shall find it possessing many of the characteristics which Adam Smith pointed out
[Image of page 335]
with respect to England, and Sir Stamford Raffles, with modifications, in reference to Java. It is an agricultural, pastoral, and mineral country. First among the productions of the soil we may reckon timber, which in regions destined, as Lord John Russell once said, to give laws to a great part of the southern hemisphere, deserves to be considered as of great importance. The indigenous trees tower, many of them, to a prodigious height, producing timber in unequalled perfection -- some close-grained, heavy, and durable, for domestic and public architecture; some lit for ship-building; others hard, light, of fine texture, and elegantly veined for cabinet-work, and others indeed for every variety of purpose: the white, yellow, and red pine-- the last with leaves like ostrich plumes; the totara, a reddish wood, with roots that take a beautiful polish; and many others, not known in Europe, which it would be useless minutely to describe. Some of the timber-trees bear fruit; others rich clusters of flowers, like the purple honeysuckle; others leaves like the myrtle, and blossoms with crimson petals and golden stamina. One produces leaves, affording a fragrant beverage resembling tea. All are in immense variety and abundance, yielding materials for every kind of work. Beautiful furniture has been made in Edinburgh and London from some of these finely-grained, hard-textured, brilliantly-polished woods, several of which yield rich dyes, while others emit a grateful perfume. Among the trees which have been introduced are the oak, the ash, the horse-chestnut, the Spanish chestnut, the walnut, and several species of the mimosa. They appear to thrive well; but the experiment is not yet sufficiently mature to decide on the quality of the timber in its full development.
"Equally important with the timber is the native flax of New Zealand, a peculiar plant, of which ten or twelve varieties have been found---some in the low marshes, others
[Image of page 336]
on the surface of rich alluvial plains, others on hill-sides barren of everything else. The largest kind has leaves ten or twelve feet in height, and tapering from three or five inches to a point. These never lie open, but are folded in a graceful curve, like huge eccentric sea-shells. Bunches of flowers grow from the stem with purple chalices full to the brim of a delicious syrup. Though it grows wild everywhere, it must be planted and cultivated with care, to be made available for manufacturing purposes. Fifty or sixty fern-plants exist in New Zealand. Their roots once formed an important article of food with the natives; but since the settlement of Europeans, so many materials of subsistence superior to them have been introduced, that the lordly Maories have abandoned to the wild hogs this humble provision, together with the root of the bulrush. From an edible pulp contained in the stem of one variety the early colonists used to make a very respectable imitation of apple-tart. The fruit of one shrub, called tutu, affords the natives an insipid but harmless wine; the seeds, however, are poisonous, and at particular seasons the leaves highly injurious to cattle. A few indigenous grasses occur, all of them perennial; but the scrub-flax and fern occupy the wide plains and slopes, where myriads of sheep and cattle might find pasture. An indigenous anise-seed grows in many parts, greatly improving the flesh of the animals feeding on it. European grasses, however, spread rapidly, and the native species promise soon to be altogether extinguished.
"Like Australia, therefore, New Zealand is on the whole poor in natural vegetable growths. Only one indigenous fruit of any importance is known--the kiekie, a parasitical plant, bearing a cucumber-shaped fruit, said to come to perfection only once in three years. Poor as it is, however in this respect, the country now possesses almost every vegetable produced in Great Britain, with many others
[Image of page 337]
transplanted from the exhaustless soil of the East. Captain Cook, it is believed introduced potatoes more than seventy years ago: new varieties have been added from time to time to improve the quality. The root now thrives in great perfection, and the natives subsist principally upon it. In the poorer soils two crops are annually obtained. During the prevalance of the California gold-fever, speculators in Wellington bought large quantities of this vegetable for £5 a ton, shipped them, and sold them at San Francisco with a profit of 700 per cent.! A small sweet potato is also grown, and a small but delicious yam, which some suppose was brought by the Maories when they came to New Zealand from their original country, undetermined by ethnographers, in Polynesia. Maize was introduced before the islands were systematically colonised, and flourishes in great abundance except near Wellington, and in some of the more southern districts, where there is scarcely sufficient hot weather to ripen it. Melons, pumpkins, gourds, and others of the same class, wild oats, yellow trefoil, and other grasses, now prevail plentifully, affording abundant subsistence to man and the creatures which minister to his necessities. Every sort of grain known in Europe, with its numerous varieties, has been introduced. Wheat from an Egyptian mummy has been sown with great increase, and the black-bearded wheat with solid straw, so plentiful in the south of Spain. The corn grown in the Valley of the Hutt is of a quality so fine that it might be exported with advantage even to England. Its straw is nearly six feet high, and it yields an average of from forty-five to fifty bushels per acre. The ordinary qualities thrive to rich perfection in the alluvial valleys, and along the borders of streams where a fine soil prevails.
"Oats are cultivated as much for the straw as the grain. Two crops of oaten straw are frequently cut in the course of a single year--the first yielding four tons and a half per acre. Hops and barley grow in great profusion, and if
[Image of page 338]
industriously cultivated would prove of immense importance to the colony. Free as the climate is from injurious electrical phenomena, and abounding as the islands do with pure wholesome water, they might supply Australia, India, and South America with malt liquor, of which it is calculated more than 100,000 barrels are annually exported from England. The moderately rich soil on the hill slopes is best adapted to this description of husbandry. As we have already said, almost every grass in the pastures of Great Britain has been introduced into New Zealand. Twenty-five species mingle on the Hawkshead Plains in Wellington District, carpeting them with a soft, beautiful covering, where herds of sleek cattle and thickly-fleeced sheep fatten all the year. When the curing of flesh for exportation to the neighbouring regions is undertaken on a large scale, this branch of husbandry will prove of eminent importance, and every emigrant carrying out good seed will be a benefactor to the colony.
"Clover, saintfoin, trefoils of various kinds, vetches' tares, lupines, lucerns, beans, peas, buckwheat, lintseed, mustard, rapeseed, and mangel-wurzel thrive extremely well; and though coriander, caraway, and cress--which grow so abundantly on the fertile hundreds of Essex--have hitherto been neglected in New Zealand, they would no doubt afford an ample profit to the proprietors of land in the alluvial districts.
"In the vegetable garden we find peas, broad beans, French beans, cauliflowers, carrots, turnips, broccoli, potatoes, celery, cucumbers, strawberries, tomatos, radishes, lettuces, parsnips, beet-root, spinach, onions, asparagus, sea-kale, artichokes, cardoons, rhubarb, capsicums; indeed everything of the kind grown in Great Britain.
"Picottees, carnations, geraniums, polyanthuses, primroses, cowslips, crocuses, tulips, hyacinths, roses, pinks, pansies, dahlias, balsam, China asters, peonies, honeysuckle,
[Image of page 339]
violets, and almost all other European flowers flourish richly; and in December no sight can be more beautiful than the bloom of a New Zealand garden.
"The orchard contains plums, apples, pears, figs, peaches, nectarines, grapes, currants, the common gooseberry, quinces, filberts, raspberries, apricots, cherries, and the Cape gooseberry--a wholesome, pleasant fruit, whether raw, cooked, or preserved, which thrives like a weed wherever it is introduced. The banana, and a few others of an Oriental character, form immense orchards. Many fruits which are annual in England are biennial, or even perennial, in New Zealand; while others which we delicately rear in the hothouse, grow there vigorously in the open air. If the flower-garden be managed well it will shew a fine bloom all the year round. Geraniums, as in Portugal, take the shape of shrubs; hedges even are formed of them; and if the varieties are judiciously mixed, this beautiful fence of verdure will throughout all the season be spangled with bright flowers. Considerable plantations of tobacco have been raised by the natives; but the manufacture of it, even for consumption among themselves, has not yet been attempted by the colonists.
"If Australia be poor in the animal creation, New Zealand is still more so. No beasts or reptiles native to its soil, except bats and lizards, are found upon it. In the neighbouring seas, however, abound those mammalia which crowd all parts of the Pacific Ocean--the sperm, the humpback, the fin-back, the pike-headed, the large-tipped, and the black whale, frequent its coasts, and their capture for the valuable oil and bone, afforded to the early colonists their most adventurous and profitable occupations. Seals of numerous kinds formerly abounded in Cook's Strait and off the shores of Middle Island, but the sealers since 1827 have nearly exterminated them: this has doubtless been through an inconsiderate plan of fishery; for by judicious arrange-
[Image of page 340]
ments, leaving the seals in breeding seasons unmolested, this source of profit might have been perpetuated. The conger-eel, sole, plaice, and flounder, inhabit the waters, with an infinite variety of others unknown to Europe--a kind of shark or dog-fish, some like the cod, others the doree, others the mullet. Immense fisheries might be established, especially as salt is easily procured by evaporation; and a large and lucrative market is offered among the Roman Catholics of the west coast of America, of Manilla, and of Australia.
"Several kinds of birds are indigenous to the woods and neighbouring waters of New Zealand--among them a gigantic albatross, the oyster-catcher, the bittern, the kingfisher, cormorant, quail, wild-duck, mocking or parson bird, parrots, paroquets, woodhen, pigeon, and others; some of them with superb plumage. There have been introduced peafowl, pheasants, turkeys, geese, ducks, common fowl, Guinea-fowl, canaries, and bullfinches. The varieties kept in cages for their song are continually increased by the favorites which emigrant families carry out with them.
"A degenerate mongrel-breed of dogs exists in the islands. It was probably introduced by the early voyagers, and is used by the natives in the chase of the wild-hog. The skins of those with silky white hair are made into garments by some of the wilder Maorie tribes, and tufts from them adorn their spears. Bulldogs, kangaroo-dogs-- a mixture of greyhound and mastiff--Scotch deer-hounds, German boar-hounds, Scotch colly sheep-dogs, Newfoundlands, terriers, and spaniels, thrive well, and are rapidly multiplying. It is remarkable that distemper and hydrophobia have been hitherto unknown among the dogs of New Zealand. Horses are already supplied in considerable numbers to New South Wales, and a swift, strong, hardy breed is furnished to the cavalry regiments in India. Cattle have been introduced from Australia and Van Diemen's Land, as
[Image of page 341]
well as some Devon bulls and cows. Beef and pork might be cured in great quantities, to supply the whaling and trading ships. Goats are still few. Sheep will probably furnish at no distant time one of the most important articles of export. The country is peculiarly well adapted to them, even more so than the neighbouring pastures of New Holland. In New South Wales the average weight of a fleece is two pounds and a half; in New Zealand it is from three to four pounds. Few burrs exist, and the wool is silky, long, and fine. The annual increase is from 90 to 100 per cent. Cats, rats, mice, pigs, asses, mules, locusts, caterpillars, ants, centipedes, spiders, flies, mosquitos, and maggots, enter into the animal kingdom of New Zealand. In the native villages or pahs, where the people are dirty, vermin abound, as they do in all communities distinguished by habits of uncleanliness. Colonisation has introduced also besides some insects not particularly valuable, others extremely useful to the settlers; among the most important are bees. In New Zealand the months make little difference to this valuable insect. The bee-keeper is often overwhelmed by the multitude of swarms. The land may indeed be one day overstocked, but such is not yet the case, and the quantity of honey yielded is amazing. A single swarm was, in the summer of 1843-44, placed in a good situation, near an extensive flowery tract of woodland. In September 1844, it yielded 30 lbs. of honey; in 1845, 205 lbs.; in 1846, 721 lbs.; and in 1847, 1211 lbs.; or altogether, 2167 lbs. in four years. Hollow trees are very numerous in the woods: these are quickly occupied by the industrious little colonists whose industry is so beneficial to the country. With all these natural advantages, without extending our speculations to others still to be discovered, we may without hesitation assert that New Zealand possesses every qualification which it can require to become one of the most prosperous and noble provinces of the British empire."
[Image of page 342]
In our description of Nelson, most of our remarks in reference to society in that charming province, may be applied with equal force to this settlement. The majority of the inhabitants here are exceedingly kind and hospitable, while in point of education and intelligence they are superior to those in every other part of New Zealand, the province of Nelson not excepted.
In civilised communities, nothing perhaps marks more strongly a distinction in the grade or scale of society, or denotes more immediately the amount of refinement of any particular class, than a taste for music, and the character of music for which that taste is displayed and cherished.
In Canterbury, as in Nelson, a refined taste for music is at once discernible. Although this young settlement cannot at present boast of a large number of instrumentalists--excepting, of course, the fair sex--the "Lyttelton Choral Society" is an honor to the pretty town whose name it bears, while the talented performances of the society confer equal honor on the able and indefatigable leader, to whose training, patience, and perseverance, the efficiency of the members may be attributed. We had the honor of being present, with the Governor and suite, at a performance given by the "Lyttelton Choral Society." At the conclusion of that performance, and as a just return for the pleasure it afforded those present, his Excellency personally and publicly compli-
[Image of page 343]
merited Mr. McArthur on the proficiency and talent displayed by his fair pupils, the majority of whom, as our readers may suppose, were ladies.
Here also, as in Nelson, may be found another sure indication of a respectable community. "The press is a mirror by which the prominent features of a people are represented," says a modern writer. We have certainly obtained by our observations in New Zealand, a striking confirmation of this doctrine. "The Lyttelton Times," and "The Nelson Examiner," are the only respectably conducted newspapers in the entire colony; and the inhabitants of the provinces represented by those journals are unquestionably superior in every respect to those in the other settlements. There is, however, a newspaper published in Christchurch which must not be included in our general verdict, as our stay in that part of the Canterbury settlement did not enable us to form an opinion on the subject. But we may fairly presume, from the respectability of the inhabitants by which that journal is surrounded, that the honorable exceptions to which we have referred may be increased by the addition of one.
To Mr. Shrimpton, the talented editor and proprietor of "The Lyttelton Times," we are indebted for the following summary of events, published in his paper of December 29, 1855:--
"The fifth anniversary of the foundation of this settlement slipped away in the midst of the excitement of a general election, without affording us an opportunity of
[Image of page 344]
noticing, as is our custom on such, occasions, the degree of progress made by the settlement during the preceeding year. All the principal occurrences are so fresh in the recollection of our readers that we need not allude to them at length; we will merely notice the prominent changes which have taken place.
"The important alteration in the constitution of the provincial legislature has been very successful. The enlarged Council of twenty-four members has met twice during the year, and has enacted several useful and necessary laws. It is not, of course, possible that twenty-four men could assemble anywhere, for any purpose, without wasting a considerable amount of time in useless talk. The Provincial Council has its share of talkers; but the general good sense of the House tends to discourage would-be-orators. The most important business transacted during the past year by the Council, has been the settlement of the affairs with the Canterbury Association, and the framing of a set of land regulations. We have so often enlarged upon the first of these questions when it was under discussion, that we need not do more than allude to it now. The manner in which accounts were closed between the Canterbury Association and the province must be gratifying to that body after the unscrupulous and undiscriminating attacks which have been made upon them. As to the latter question, there are few, we suppose, who do not look upon the land regulations as a make shift, in default of larger powers of dealing independently with the Crown lands for the benefit of the province. The first draft was disallowed by his Excellency; of the fate of the second, the province is now anxiously expecting to hear.
"With respect to the revenue, we are not able now to enter into particulars, as the financial year does not end until the 31st of March. Notwithstanding all the untoward circumstances which have tended to decrease the
[Image of page 345]
balance available for the use of the province, we have nevertheless been very prosperous. Immigration and public works, the two great drains upon the treasury, have not been checked during the year. The prospect for the future is more doubtful; but we do not despair of seeing a satisfactory arrangement of the financial questions of the colony come to during the next session of the General Assembly. At the end of last year there was a balance of about £22,000 (in round numbers) in the provincial treasury; at the close of this month there will not be above £2,000 or £3,000. The difference has been spent for the most part on immigration and public works; the ordinary revenue having covered (in or about) the ordinary expenditure. We do not take the late payments from the Land Department into account, as they do not do much more than cover the advances which have been necessary to meet the first year's interest on the Canterbury Association's debentures.
"The total exports for eleven months of the year, being bona fide the produce of this province, amount to a value of £40,000. We give below a detailed account compiled from Custom House records.
"The Sumner road will soon be open from the Ferry to the Shag Bock; a banking has been cut the whole way into Lyttelton, such that a horseman need not dismount between Christchurch and Lyttelton on the track of the new road. Even the partial completion of the Sumner road will tend to improve the state of communication between the port and the plains.
"The arrival of a coasting steamer has done more towards inter-communication than anything else. We are glad to be able to state at the close of the year that the experience we have already had of the "Alma" leads us to look forward to the speedy establishment of a successful line of trading steamers between the port and the plains.
"The visit of the Bishop of New Zealand has gone far to
[Image of page 346]
put Church affairs on a more satisfactory footing. His lordship expressed his confidence in the sufficient endowment of the bishopric of Christchurch, and we may hope that the petition of the churchmen in the province that the Rev. H. Harper may be at once appointed, will meet with immediate attention, backed as it is by the recommendation of Bishop Selwyn.
"Want of space compels us to conclude. We would willingly have enlarged upon several topics of interest--such as the change in the composition of the Executive Council; the local contributions to the Patriotic Fund; the survey of the bar by Captain Drury, of H. M. S. Pandora; the establishment of a Savings' Bank at Lyttelton; the large and steady increase in the cultivation on the plains and in the bays; and many other subjects immediately connected with the province. We may, however, congratulate our readers upon the fact, that every thing around us denotes prosperity, and that there is not an individual in the province, who has exerted himself in agriculture, sheep-farming, or in business, who is not far better off now than he was twelve months ago.
IMMIGRATION.
"The Returns give a total of 704 persons who have immigrated to this province during the past year, from the following places:--
From Great Britain.... 543
New South Wales......126
Van Dieman's Land.... 35
Total......704
"This number was classified as follows:--adult males, 358; adult females, 191; children, 155.
"Three vessels arrived in this province during the past year direct from England, viz., the Grasmere, with 107 immigrants; Caroline Agnes, with 186; and the Cashmere, with 146."
[Image of page 347]
AN ACCOUNT SHEWING THE QUANTITIES AND ESTIMATED VALUE OF THE GOODS (BEING BONA FIDE THE PRODUCE OF THIS PROVINCE), EXPORTED
During the period from the 1st January, to the 30th November, 1855, (inclusive), distinguishing Goods sent Coastwise from those Exported to the Neighbouring Colonies.
Compiled from Custom House Records.
[Image of page 348]
Between the province of Canterbury and Otago, at a distance (by water) of about sixty miles from Lyttelton, and in the Canterbury settlement, is the beautiful harbor of Akaroa, at the inner part of which, and at the base of a lofty range of hills, the small town stands.
The inhabitants of Akaroa comprise only a few English and French families, some natives, and a solitary Russian. At, or before, the period when New Zealand was declared a British dependency, a French band of explorers landed here with the intention of taking possession of the island. But a duly commissioned English officer arrived just in time to proclaim his authority and defeat the intention of our (now) worthy allies.
In a commercial point of view, the place is of little importance, being completely cut off from the Canterbury plains by a continuous range of lofty mountains. The Governor of New Zealand, on his first trip (by steamer) round the colony, being anxious to see this place, we availed ourselves of an opportunity which but seldom occurs --of visiting a spot with which the communication from other parts is not of frequent occurrence.
The visitors, however, on this occasion, were amply rewarded for their trip. While the harbor is one of the finest and most romantic in the colony, the scenery around is beautiful in the extreme; and the luxuriant foliage of the various trees by which the surrounding gardens are
[Image of page 349]
studded, together with the variegated flowers, and the great abundance and perfection of every kind of fruit, render the place one of the most charming retreats that could well be imagined. Were it possible to make a road hence to Christchurch, Akaroa would be to Canterbury what Brighton is to London--a delightful watering place.
LYTTELTON COAST DIRECTORY.
"PORT VICTORIA, OR PORT COOPER.
Latitude of Godley Head.... 43 deg. 35' 52" S.
Longitude ................ 172 deg. 48' 20" E.
Lat. of Well on Norwich Quay 43 deg. 36' 42" S.
Longitude ................ 172 deg. 45' 47" E.
High water F. and C, 4 hours 30 minutes. Springs rise 6 feet and a-half.
"This excellent harbor is situated in the north-west angle of Banks' Peninsula, having a common entrance with Port Levy or Albert.
"The entrance is about two miles wide, between Godley Head on the north-west and the south-east head.
"Adderley Head, between the two harbors, lies back from the other two.
"The course up Port Victoria is about south-west by west half-west by compass; the width between Adderley and Godfrey Heads is about a mile, with deep water close to on either hand, till within view of the town on the north shore, when vessels should anchor in three to three and a-half fathoms. There is good anchorage outside, in case
[Image of page 350]
of calms or southerly weather, soundings from seven to ten fathoms, extending four or five miles from the shore.
"In approaching the harbor from the north, Mount Herbert, the highest peak of the peninsula, is a leading mark; Port Cooper lying to the westward or landward side of it. On a nearer approach, Mount Cavendish, the highest peak on the north side of the harbor is easily distinguished, being bluff towards the port, and sloping off gradually to the low land of the plain. It has a small signal staff on its summit, and a house in front of a patch of wood a little way down the north-east face. Under the peak, Godley Head is distinguished as a bluff cliff about 100 feet high. Cooper's Knobs, at the head of the harbor, are two or three remarkable round, wooded, over-hanging peaks, and form a good mark for steering up the harbor, with Ward's farmhouse on Quail Island under them.
"Vessels coming from the southward, after rounding the peninsula, should keep close along the land until they open out the two harbors, Port Cooper trending nearly due west, and Port Levy nearly due south. There are no dangers, except the reefs close to the different points.
"Immediately after entering, between Adderley and Godley Heads, the first bay to the south is Simeon Bay, or Little Port Cooper, a safe berth in case of too strong a south-west wind for beating up. The first houses seen on the north shore are in Gollan's Bay, one of the usual landing places for stock. Nearly opposite is Camp Bay, another place also used for landing stock, but with no houses. The other bays higher up are too shoal for any but small craft."
