1851 - Hursthouse, C. New Zealand: the Emigration Field of 1851. - An Account of the Settlement of New Plymouth, p 45-124

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AN ACCOUNT

OF THE

SETTLEMENT OF NEW PLYMOUTH;

OR,

GUIDE TO THE "GARDEN" OF NEW ZEALAND,

FROM PERSONAL OBSERVATION DURING A RESIDENCE THERE OF FIVE YEARS.

THIRD EDITION.

BY

CHARLES HURSTHOUSE, JUN.

DEDICATED, BY PERMISSION, TO

HIS EXCELLENCY SIR GEORGE GREY, K.C.B.,

GOVERNOR-IN-CHIEF.

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Ceres' Song.--"Tempest."

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AN ACCOUNT OF NEW PLYMOUTH.

THE settlement of New Plymouth, or Taranaki, was founded in 1841, by the Plymouth Company of New Zealand, which afterwards merged into the present Company. An experienced surveyor, F. A. Carrington, Esq., was first despatched to choose the site of the future settlement. He arrived at Wellington in January, 1841, and, after advising with Colonel Wakefield, 1 proceeded to examine Queen Charlotte's Sound, Blind Bay, and the Taranaki district lying around Cape Egmont, which forms the north-west point of the northern island, near the entrance to Cook's Strait; and here, twenty-five miles north of the Cape, in latitude 39 deg. 1 min. south, longitude 174 deg. 15 min. east, the site was at last admirably chosen.

New Plymouth, by sea, is 180 miles from Wellington, 150 from Nelson, and 120 from the harbour of Manukau, whence there is an excellent road of only six miles to Auckland. This central situation, between the principal old settlements and the capital, gives it ready access to the best home-markets; whilst, as part of New Zealand, its relative position to the Australian continent--to the beautiful islands of the South Pacific--to countries rich in tropical productions--is an important feature in its natural capabilities. For instance, on the one side, within 1,300 miles, lie Sydney, Port Philip, and Van Diemen's Land; on the other, about as near, the Friendly and Society Islands, the Marquesas, and Navigators', the Tonga, and the Fejee group; whilst

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Manilla, Batavia, Singapore, and California, are within five to seven weeks' sail.

The settlement enjoys the usual climate of New Zealand. Emigrants may fail to realise all they read in the early and glowing accounts of this country; but an excellent climate will assuredly be found. In this respect, the greater part of New Zealand is as superior to Australia, as that country may be to Canada or the United States; for, although some portions of Australia possess a fine climate, the summer heat is everywhere excessive, which, if not the cause of disease, would nevertheless prevent the enjoyment of that robust health experienced in New Zealand; where it may be said, that Europeans are more capable of doing hard labour with comparative ease than in any part of the world. Here, too, droughts are unknown, and though not of very frequent occurrence in Australia, the distress and ruin caused where they have occurred, show the superiority of a country never subject to these dreadful scourges. 2

From the remarkable equality of the climate of this settlement, it is impossible to define the seasons with accuracy; the coldest and wettest months are June, July, and August; the warmest and driest, January, February, and March. For the following Table, which has been kept with care and attention, I am indebted to my brother, Mr. John Hursthouse.

No correct thermometrical observations having been made here, those given are the Wellington--the mean of 1846 and 1847, which will be found sufficiently accurate. The term "showery" is applied to days when there has been a shower of even half an hour's dura-

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tion; "wet," when there has been rain which would have prevented out-door labour. It should be observed that this result is the average of three years; the variation was very little.

MONTH,	Mean Temperature in the Shade.	No. of Days Fine.	No. of Days Showery	No of Days Wet.	Mean Temperature of the corresponding month in England.
January..	65	25	5	1	July...... 62.97
February..	67	20	5	3	August.... 62.90
March....	65	24	6	1	September. 57.70
April.....	61	16	11	3	October... 50.79
May.....	56	17	11	3	November. 42.40
June.....	53	14	14	2	December. 38.71
July.....	51	18	9	4	January... 36.34
August...	53	16	11	4	February.. 39.60
September	54	21	7	2	March..... 42
October..	59	19	10	2	April..... 47.61
November	61	18	11	1	May...... 55.40
December	67	21	10	0	June...... 59.36

	New Plymouth.	England.
Mean annual temperature................	59 ..	49
Mean temperature of the three hottest months	66 ..	61
Do. do. three coldest months	52 ..	38
Difference...........	14 ..	23

During the three years, or 1095 days, the wind was--

Light and variable, or nearly calm.............. 499

Moderate................................... 393

Fresh..................................... 187

Very strong and gales......................... 16

Snow is never seen, except around Mount Egmont; ice is occasionally observed in the winter mornings, but soon disappears under a brilliant sun, like that of an English September. The warmest weather is refreshed by sea-breezes, and the nights are invariably cool. Although the winter months are wet, and showers frequent through the greater part of the year, yet from the lightness of the soil, and the dryness and elasticity of the atmosphere prevailing in the fine weather, the climate is not felt to be damp. Fogs and mists are unknown;

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there are no hurricanes; and thunder-storms are neither so frequent nor severe as even in England. It is, however, a great but common mistake to suppose the climate of New Zealand almost tropical. For instance, the winter months on the south-east coast of the middle Island are wet and raw; and even as regards Taranaki, on the Northern Island, and on the warmer western coast, the idea of a "tropical climate" occasionally leads to an omission in the emigrant's outfit. Nothing is brought but the lightest clothing, as if he expected to broil under an Indian or Australian sun. Now, although, strictly speaking, there is no winter, yet many days in the wet months are cold enough to make moderately warm clothing requisite; and there are not, perhaps, fifty evenings in the year when a fire would be found actually uncomfortable.

The climate is admirably adapted to agricultural purposes. A distinguished writer on the subject says, "The quantity of rain that falls annually in any country is a very inferior consideration, when compared with that of the general and equable distribution of that quantity throughout the several days and months of the year. A great quantity at the same time is rather hurtful than beneficial; whereas those moderate but golden showers which regularly fall on a soil calculated to receive them, are real sources of fertility. "The Table here given shows that in January, the harvest month, there are only five days showery and one wet; thus, probably, not three in the thirty-one would stop work. February and March, the season for burning bush, taking up potatoes, and preparing finally for wheat, are nearly as dry; whilst, for the remaining nine months--the mean number of showery days in each being ten, June with fourteen, and September with seven--vary but little from the average.

The soil is so light that the effects of the heaviest rain soon disappear. In the richest district in Scotland, the "Carse of Gowrie," it is said that there are only twenty weeks in the year fit for ploughing, and thirty are probably over the average in England; here it would be difficult to find a day when, as regarded the mere state of the soil, ploughing, or any other operation, could not be performed with the greatest facility.

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The general appearance of the settlement is very beautiful. On approaching it from the sea, the town, or rather village, is seen snugly situated near the beach, its white houses contrasting prettily with the vivid greenness of all around. Behind, and on either side, are the near cultivations; whilst frequently some rising columns of smoke will indicate the more distant clearings. Almost to the water's edge, and for a considerable distance back, the country is covered with a luxuriant growth of fern, joining a forest ever fresh and green, and of the richest foliage; to this, as a fitting background, sixteen miles from the coast, is seen a range of wooded, hills, from which rises Mount Egmont, the finest natural object in New Zealand. 9,000 feet high, of a beautiful cone-like shape, thickly wooded round its base, but always capped with snow, and dazzling white, Mount Egmont is quite the pride of the settlement, and the admiration of every beholder.

The country is undulating, and so interspersed with small dells, that almost every section possesses one. These dells, although causing some broken ground, are nevertheless beneficial to the cultivator, and a marked, and beautiful feature in the scenery. They vary in size from half an acre to two or three acres, are densely wooded, and generally contain a small but unfailing spring. Thus they afford a near supply of wood and water, shade and shelter for stock; or, when partly cleared out and opened to the right aspect, the finest spots for orchards, or for the growth of any plants requiring rich soil and close protection from wind. The graceful fern-tree here attains its largest size, displaying its elegant leaves in fine contrast with the fuschia, the laurel-like karaka, and the rich and varied shades of the dense foliage around. The dells mostly resound with the song of birds; and, scattered through the cultivations, give close shelter in harvest time to that petty depredator on the corn-fields--the elegant green parroquet.

The most phlegmatic admirer of the beauties of nature would be charmed with the appearance of the country. For those who prefer the grand and romantic, there is the lofty snow-capped mountain, with its noble slopes and wood-crowned ranges. This object, in a summer's sunset, its massive cone-like form towering up

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9,000 feet in the golden sky, from a sea of lustrous foliage, and bathed in its peculiar "purple bloom," is indeed a spectacle which fills the mind with wonder and delight; 3 whilst the taste for sylvan scenery and quiet rustic beauty is equally gratified by the frequency of stream and forest, glade and valley, clearings and snug homesteads: few countries offer so many beautiful and convenient sites for either cottage or mansion.

The district possesses an abundance, a profusion, not only of soft clear water, but of water-power. Between the town and the river Waitera, a distance of ten miles, there are eight fine running streams. Springs and rivulets abound; and in the few wells which, have been sunk, water was generally obtained at from thirty to forty feet.

The soil may be called a very light friable loam, with a porous subsoil; it is divided, locally, into three sorts, each marked by a different vegetation. The first is but a stripe, extending along the coast, covered with light fern, interspersed with tufts of grass, and freely mixed, especially nearest the shore, with the black iron-sand which is so plentiful here. The productive powers of this sand are rather surprising. Almost on the beach, within sixty yards of high-water mark, some early emigrants formed a few rough gardens, which produced excellent crops of vegetables; and, strange as it may seem to an English farmer, upwards of sixteen bushels of wheat have been obtained from a quarter of an acre of nearly the same description of soil.

The second division, adjoining this, is a tract of great extent, covered with fern, six to eight feet high, intermixed with a small bush called "tutu," and a species of tall grass called "toe-toe." The surface is a vegetable decomposition of from seven to ten inches, matted together by the fern-root, with a light yellow subsoil, of many feet in depth, entirely free from stones, shells, gravel, or clay. The principal farms are on this land;

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and it may here be observed, that the chief difference, as respects the cultivation of this soil and the preceding, is, that it requires more exposure before cropping.

The third division is the Bush, or forest-land, which joins the fern, and extends along the country in a rather irregular line, two to five miles from the coast, and a considerable distance back into the interior. This soil in appearance resembles the second description of fernland, but turns up quite mellow and fit for cropping at once.

The district possesses a variety of valuable timber trees. The most common are Rimu, Kahikatea, Puriri, Rata, Kohe-kohe, Pukatae, Tawa, Rewa-rewa, and Hinau: there are others which attain a large size, but are not yet in general use. The Rimu, called Red Pine, more from its foliage than from any resemblance in the wood, is frequently sixty to seventy feet high without a branch, and from twelve to sixteen feet in circumference, Its foliage is remarkably graceful, drooping like clusters of feathers, and of a beautiful green. The tree opens very sound, is entirely free from knots, and, for a hard wood, works well. It is chiefly used for house-building; the finer parts for panelling and cabinet work: these are handsome, taking a fine polish, and in appearance something between Honduras mahogany and coarse rosewood.

The Kahikatea, or White Pine, is occasionally seen ninety feet high without a branch. In foliage and manner of growth it resembles the Rimu, but has a light-coloured bark. The wood is not much unlike the Baltic White Pine, but always sound, and quite free from knots; it is used for general purposes, for oars and boat-planking.

The Puriri, or Iron Wood, is one of the most valuable trees in New Zealand, growing from thirty to fifty feet high, and from twelve to twenty feet in circumference. The wood has a strong scent, is of a dark brown colour, close grained, heavy, and of a greasy unctuous nature; which last property is probably the cause of its being so much perforated by a large white slug, peculiar to this tree, when growing. Iron wood

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is principally used for foundations, fencing-posts, mill-cogs, &c., for all of which it is admirably adapted; as it would be, for any purpose requiring great strength and durability, in most situations.

The Rata, in its manner of growth, is very singular. At first it is a creeper, clinging for support round some young tree; for a time both flourish together in close embrace; but, as they grow, the subtle Rata, appearing to sap the strength of its early supporter, winds its strong arms around, by slow degrees crushes it to death, and eventually becomes itself the tree. The Pukatea is generally favoured with these embraces, which, though slow, are sure to kill. The wood of the Rata is of a reddish-brown colour, very strong and tough, well adapted to wheelwright's work; and, from its crooked manner of growth, furnishing suitable stuff for shipbuilding.

The Kohe-kohe attains a height of about forty feet without a branch; it has a handsome laurel-like leaf, and is the most common tree on the edges of the forest. It splits well, and is used for shingles, fencing-bars, and rails.

The Pukatea, a large tree, is a soft easy-working wood, of light brown colour; chiefly used for common work, and weather-boarding of rough outbuildings.

The Tawa and the Rewa-rewa are handsome trees, particularly the latter; both, however, are of inferior quality, and not used except as split stuff: the first, being highly resinous, makes excellent fire-wood.

The Hinau is remarkable for the whiteness of its wood, and chiefly known for its valuable dying properties: the rich black dye of the native mats is obtained from its bark.

Of smaller trees and shrubs, forming the "light bush," there is a great variety--comprising the Fuschia, from twenty to thirty feet high; the Karaka, a beautiful tree of the laurel kind, bearing golden coloured berries in clusters, which contrast finely with the glossy greenness of its foliage; the Fern tree, occasionally attaining a height of even sixty feet, from its showy and elegant appearance, a striking feature in the forest scenery; and the Nikau, more rare, but the most beautiful of all.

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In a country so rich in vegetable growth, it appears strange that there should be no fruits: many trees yield berries in profusion, but even the best of these cannot fairly be called fruit. The Karaka, for instance, almost as large as a magnum bonum plum, has a fine perfume, and looks tempting; but is very poor in flavour, mealy, and insipid. The Tawa berry, in appearance, is a fine damson; but, should the unwary stranger be seduced to taste one, he will be unpleasantly reminded of turpentine. The Poroporo, a handsome shrub, springing up by road sides, produces the finest berry; when quite ripe, its flavour is something between that of apple-peel and a bad strawberry; but if tasted before it is soft and mellow, the Poroporo is most nauseous.

The Kiekie, a creeping thing, called by some the "New Zealand Pine-apple," fruits every third year. In summer it bears a flower, the inner leaves of which are soft and fleshy, forming what may be called the "Flower Fruit" (Tawara); in winter the real fruit (Pirori) ripens, and is then about five inches long by two to three in diameter. Some little interest was at first excited by this vegetable impostor. It appeared that the country could boast one fruit, triennial, certainly, but a "Pine-apple:" tasting at once dispelled the illusion; in both stages it has a medicated sweet flavour, earthy, and rather bitter. 4 The pith of a certain kind of fern-tree, with the Kamo-Kamo, a sort of gourd, were at first occasionally used as poor sub-

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stitutes for fruit; and water-melons, of fair quality, the Kumera, and the Taro, all flourishing best on the black sandy soil, are raised in considerable quantities by the natives.

Lovers of fruit will probably grumble at the poor dessert here set before them; but they may console themselves with the reflection, that New Zealand, in this respect, as in many others, is pre-eminently a country for introductions. All English fruits will be obtained in profusion; with care some few others may succeed; one, the Cape gooseberry, being already so common as to be considered almost a weed.

Phormium Tenax, or New Zealand Flax, is plentiful and luxuriant in this district. Before the colonisation of the island, when the natives prepared it as a barter for European goods, Sydney vessels obtained many part-cargoes of it on this coast; but after the settlement was founded, as the natives could more easily procure blankets and tobacco by exchanging pork and potatoes, they entirely abandoned the trade. Their method of dressing the plant is slow and inefficient; the fibre is scraped with a mussel-shell, and the preparation of a ton would occupy five or six individuals a month. The material produced by their rude process is, however, made into excellent rope, and has been woven into beautiful fabrics. It is, probably, the strongest vegetable fibre known; and is remarkably useful to Europeans even in its natural state, answering for cord and string. The natives apply it to a great variety of purposes; they fabricate large fishing nets of it, and excellent mats of great beauty and richness; useful baskets, in which onions and potatoes are shipped, and finer sorts to hold their wheat and provisions.

The ruling spirit of this settlement is decidedly agricultural, and no attention has yet been paid to mineral resources; in fact, in this respect, the whole of New Zealand is still a terra incognita. Rich iron-sand covers the beach, and substances, said to be manganese, nickel, and copper ore, have been accidentally discovered by the settler, and may be regarded as an earnest of

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what may be found when proper researches are made by qualified persons. Limestone has not yet been found in the Settlement; but the banks of the Maukau river, forty miles to the north, and Massacre Bay, on the Southern Island, distant but a few hours' sail, possess both limestone and coal. Parts of the beach near the town are covered with granite, lying on the sand in stones of all sizes, from a foot cube to those of some tons in weight; and a kind of sandstone is found in many parts of the district.

Taranaki, in common with the whole country, does not possess a single native quadruped; although, from its dense cover, genial climate, and constant abundance of herbage, one might naturally expect to find some few herbaceous animals. This deficiency is, however, balanced by the absence of all reptiles; for there are none, excepting a few harmless lizards.

Birds are rather numerous; and as they are generally of active habits, flitting from tree to tree as if, from the profusion around, they were embarrassed in their choice of food; and, as some are fine songsters, and others seem rivals in making the greatest possible noise, they give an air of pleasing liveliness and animation to the woods. One of the most common is the Tui, a bird of singular habits, and very amusing. It is always in motion; darting from some low bush to the topmost twig of a high tree, it will commence making such a variety of strange noises, with such volume of tone, that it is difficult to believe they all proceed from the same small bird. Should another Tui chance to be near, it breaks off to indulge in a little fighting; and ending with a kind of shout, will throw a somerset or two, and dart into the bush, only to recommence another exhibition. This vivacious creature, sometimes called the Parson Bird, from its plumage, a glossy black, with two white feathers on the throat like bands, is larger than the blackbird, and, in the season of the Poroporo berries, gets very fat, and becomes excellent eating.

The Kukupa, or pigeon, is about a third larger than the English stock-dove; its plumage is richly shaded with green, purple, and gold. It is rather a stupid bird, and easily shot; feeding on buds and berries, it

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possesses, when in season, a game flavour not unlike that of the blackcock.

The Pukeko, in shape, is rather like the water-hen, but larger; its plumage is dark brown, slightly tinged with green, and a brilliant purple on the neck and breast. It is a shy, solitary bird, generally haunting rushy springs and old native gardens, where it digs up the potatoes, scooping them out in a curious manner.

The Kaka, a large brown parrot, prettily marked with red, is rather a shy bird, and difficult to shoot. It utters a loud and peculiar cry, and is here generally seen, early in clear frosty mornings, flying about the highest trees.

The Kakariki is an elegant parroquet, with green plumage, touched with gold about the head. It is the only bird in the least destructive to crops: in harvest small troops of them are seen around the edges of the bush-land, carrying off ears of wheat.

The Kotaretare resembles the king-fisher, although its plumage is much less brilliant. It is most common about cleared bush-land, feeding freely on caterpillars and other insects.

The Tirakara is an elegant little fly-catcher, with black and white plumage, and a delicate fan tail; it is remarkably quick in its movements, and a great consumer of sand-flies.

One of the most delightful songsters is the Mako-mako, rather like the green linnet, but larger. It is heard about sunrise, near the edges of the forest, when several sing together, and the effect can only be compared to the soft tinkling of numerous little bells.

Wild ducks are not plentiful; they are seldom seen by day, but are occasionally found feeding at night on the stubbles. Of birds of prey there are but three varieties common to the district: the Kahu, a large brown buzzard, an expert rat-catcher, but fond of poultry; the Karewarewa, a sharp flying sparrow-hawk; and the Ruru, a small brown owl, hiding in the gloomiest recesses of the forest, and coming out to prey at night, when it utters a singular and discordant cry.

It should be observed that, with the exception of pigeons and wild fowl, there is nothing for the sports-

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man. New Zealand is undoubtedly the worst country in the world for shooting; but this part of it, from climate, soil, cover, and productions, is well adapted to the introduction of game. For instance, it seems almost made for pheasants, the soil is light and dry, high fern is the finest cover imaginable, and almost every farm possesses a few acres of thickly wooded dell, affording the closest shelter, with unfailing springs; around these for feeding lie the stubbles; and at all seasons, there is an abundant variety of buds and berries; in summer and autumn, plenty of grasshoppers and other insects.

Partridges would perhaps succeed equally well, particularly the French variety; for, although they require a greater extent of stubble and cleared land than pheasants, they would already find abundance of food, and would probably often lie in the lightest fern around the farms, which are every year increasing in extent. The country is entirely free from such destructive animals as the fox, polecat, and weasel; whilst birds of prey are less numerous than in England. Should any intending emigrant be inclined to try a little game, he ought to procure that which has been bred in a domesticated state, as best adapted to bear the confinement of the voyage.

The numerous streams of this district afford but four varieties of fish: the Piharau or lamprey, remarkably rich and fine flavoured; the common eel, attaining a large size: the Kokopu, a poor, coarse fish; and the Upokororo, a kind of trout seldom exceeding a pound in weight, but of very delicate flavour.

Of sea fish the varieties are more numerous. The best are the Hapuka, weighing from 30 to 70 lbs; the Tarakihi, the Moki, and the Kawai, a mackerel-shaped fish of from 4 to 6 lbs.: it enters the mouths of the larger streams with the tide, when, with a net, it may be taken in considerable numbers. This fish will occasionally rise to a fly, and take any glittering bait moved quickly through the water. There are also mullet, snapper, rock cod, crawfish, cockles, and mussels; and a small fry, almost equal to white bait, is taken in the river Waitera.

This country, destitute of animals, and not particularly rich in birds, possesses many singular insects; a

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description of which would far exceed the compass of the present work. One of the most remarkable is the vegetable caterpillar. It is occasionally picked up in raking light bush land, from five to six inches long, and nearly as thick as the finger. It has then the exact shape and marks of a large dead caterpillar; but, to the head is generally attached something like a piece of slender twig, or small fibrous root. On snapping the body, it is found to be white and pithy--a kind of petrified vegetable substance.

There are also a small caterpillar, destructive to barley when ripening; the common grasshopper; and a large one, flying something like a snipe. With the exception of a rare kind of fly, there is not a single stinging insect; and although musquitoes and sandflies are troublesome at first, yet even these seem to partake of the mild nature of the climate, and are innocuous as compared with those of America and Australia.

The natives of this settlement form a portion of the broken and scattered Ngatiawa tribe, formerly very powerful here; but in 1834, attacked by the Waikato, under Te Whero Whero, a large and warlike tribe, dwelling more to the north, numbers were killed, many led into slavery, whilst others, retreating to the south, settled along Cook's Strait and around Port Nicholson, so that when the first settlers landed, there were scarcely fifty natives in the place. By degrees, however, as the scattered fugitives gained confidence from the presence of the white man, and were attracted by the advantages derivable from an European community, most of them returned to their old country, and now the number dwelling within the bounds of the settlement is about 1000.

They lived in settled habitations, called Pah, one of which, near the village, covers about an acre of ground. It is surrounded by two rows of strong split paling, three feet apart, and about twelve high; the entrance is by two or three narrow gateways, and the interior divided by similar paling into several little courts and passages: here are the houses, potato caves, cooking

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ovens, stacks of firewood, and small sheds for the drying and preservation of various edibles. The houses are chiefly built of raupo, a kind of rush; some of the most ambitious with a door and window; but in general they have only a low entrance serving for both. This pah contains a native-built Wesleyan chapel, has about twenty houses, with from eighty to one hundred inhabitants, and is merely noticed here as a common specimen of an ordinary native village. It should be remarked, however, that great alterations are becoming manifest in these native villages. Ricketty out-houses are being removed, the streets widened, and the neat framed cottage in the English style is taking the place of the old rush hut, which, like the Tapu, and the dog-skin mat, will soon be only a thing of the past.

The natives are remarkably quick in learning any manual operation. From their skill in using the American axe, clever management of fire, and knowledge of what is termed "burning off," they are found to be capital hands in the clearing and cultivation of bush land, for which they now frequently contract with the settlers at so much per acre.

In fact, owing to the rapidity with which the English labourers rise into the "small farmer class," and become themselves employers of labour, all our farming operations would be seriously crippled but for the powerful assistance of the natives.

Our harvests are now almost entirely cut and carried by them; whilst as to ploughing, there are some lads at the Wesleyan Mission Station, pupils of the Native Industrial School, who, for quickness of driving and straightness of furrow, are almost a match for the best English ploughmen in the place.

In short, the native possesses such ability for becoming useful, that settlers should not be deterred by slight difficulties in endeavouring to bring him forward, but should use every effort to develope his capacity for work; recollecting that "native labour" is not only most valuable as labour, but that European pay and employment is the surest bond of amity between the races; and, far more than missionary teaching, a means of weaning the savage from the barbarism of his race.

They deserve great praise for their honesty, sobriety

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and peaceful habits. I have seen but three or four cases of intoxication, and the most serious battle was occasioned thus:--By accident, a carpenter broke a ramrod belonging to a native, who, considering it was done designedly, retaliated by breaking the carpenter's pipe, who thereupon knocked him down; the native brought the case into court, and succeeded in fining his adversary 30s., but was much disgusted at the whole amount going to the Queen.

In the early struggles in New Zealand, when, through glaring faults of both omission and commission, the Land Question was converted into a brand of dissension, and Governor Fitz-Roy and his assistant Mr. Protector Clarke, backed by the Exeter-hall Dilletanti, made war upon common justice, and ran a muck against the Company and common sense, the "brunt of the battle" naturally fell upon the poor harassed settlers, who would often devoutly, perhaps irreverently, pray for a speedy deliverance from all their tormentors--both from their legitimate official tormentors, and from the pertinacious native land claimants too. But although the most visionary of settlers never dreamt that any circumstances might by possibility occur which could ever render it desirable to continue our connection with Captain Fitz-Roy, as Governor; yet we did, even in those days, believe, that when this gentleman was removed to the narrower, but more congenial, sphere of the quarter-deck, and the Land Question was satisfactorily arranged, that the presence of natives around any settlement would be found to be materially advantageous to us. The experience of later years has amply confirmed this belief; and by Captain Russell's interesting report, on the progress of the public roads under his superintendence, and the character of his native workmen, it appears that the Canterbury settlement had found it necessary to import natives from Wellington.

In rather naive forgetfulness of this officially reported fact, or possibly from a self-imperceptible determination to regard the site of the Canterbury settlement as the perfection of human choice--requiring nothing which it does not possess--some of the respectable, cosy-coated members of the Canterbury Association in London, seem to look upon our native friends as sad losels, and varlet

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pipe-smokers, predal vagabonds, darker than painted even by the old-wife school of writers.

In fact, at the Wednesday's "Colonisation Conversazione," held at the Canterbury Rooms, the information supplied to the enquiring emigrant on the subject of the natives, would almost seem to border on the apocryphal. At least, it is far less remarkable for its clear and practical character than that which is afforded the emigrant on other subjects.

I fancy that country gentlemen sometimes leave the rooms with the rather uncomfortable impression that there still is a dash of the cannibal in the maori; and that it can hardly be said New Zealand is free from the "ferae naturae," while the larger carnivora are so well represented by the natives.

By the original plan of the New Plymouth settlement, the land was classed as follows:--550 acres town land, divided into 2,200 quarter-acre sections; surrounded by 10,450 acres suburban, divided into 209 sections of 50 acres each; surrounded by 57,500 acres rural, similarly divided into 1,150 sections; making the total 68,500 acres, of which one-tenth was reserved for the natives.

The actual quantity of land, however, validly purchased from the natives by the Government up to the year 1848, and for which Crown Titles are given to the buyers, was about 30,000 acres; of which about one-half had then been sold.

From the negociations, however, which have lately taken place between Sir George Grey and the native owners, and from the growing disposition on the part of these latter to sell their wild waste lands, and devote themselves to the cultivation of their own "large reserves," it is expected, that in the course of the present summer the Government will succeed in acquiring, both portions of the splendid sheep-grazing tracks to the south of the town, and probably a part of the river Waiteira district--so valuable as the site of another town, and as possessing a snug harbour for the numerous small vessels employed in carrying away the surplus

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LAND--PRICE--TERMS OF PURCHASE, &c.

agricultural products of the settlement to Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury, Sydney, and even California.

Now that New Plymouth, in common with Wellington and Nelson, has passed from the Company to the Crown, the system or disposing of land will probably be assimilated, eventually, to that which prevails in Auckland, and in all the Australian colonies. That is, from time to time certain eligible surveyed lands (probably in lots of from 25 to 500 acres) will be sold, by public auction, the upset price being one pound per acre. A portion of the large sum so realized being expended by the Government in surveys, roads, bridges, native improvements, &c.; and a further portion in promoting Free Emigration, the same as to Sydney, Port Philip, and Adelaide, by granting "Assisted Passages" to mechanics and labourers in this country, who may wish to join their friends and relatives in New Plymouth.

"Pasturage Licences," for the grazing of sheep and cattle on the unsurveyed or outlying portions of the Crown Lands, will also be granted, and probably on the same liberal terms as those which have lately come into operation in the Auckland district; namely, a penny a-head per annum for sheep, twopence for horses and cattle.

It appears, however, by the eleventh report of the Colonial Land and Emigration Commissioners, that the Government propose to continue the Company's system of selling lands, until as much land is sold in each settlement as, by the original plan or scheme, such settlement was to consist of.

In New Plymouth, under this proposed arrangement, the Government have to sell, on the following terms, about 40,000 acres more, before they introduce any fresh system, namely:--

Country Lands, in 25 acre sections, at £2 per acre.
Town Land, in quarter acre sections, £12 10s. each.

Out of every pound thus paid, the purchaser receiving a drawback of 3s. 4d. towards the expenses of his own passage out.

On application to Stephen Walcott, Esq. (Secretary), at the office of the "Colonial Land and Emigration Commissioners," London, parties desirous of buying

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land in Wellington, Nelson, or New Plymouth, would be treated with on the terms on which they formerly bought of the New Zealand Company.

As an old colonist, however, I should strongly dissuade any emigrant from attempting to make a purchase in this country. Let him see before he buys, and not jump in the dark. Such is the scarcity of money in new colonies, that, in all human probability, if he landed in any of the New Zealand settlements, purse in pocket, he would buy land at a lower price, and on far more advantageous terms generally, than he would do, if he bought it by description, unseen, in London. I cannot too strongly impress on the emigrant the great advantage, the intense satisfaction, of feeling himself a free, unfettered man, on arriving in any settlement--free to leave it for any other settlement--free to embark in any pursuit--free to leave the colony altogether--and of not finding himself crippled and tied down by a kind of millstone purchase made in England, compelled to stick to the cultivation of the soil, or to one particular pursuit, in one particular spot, when he finds that it would be better for him to engage in some other pursuit in some other settlement.

In the particular case of a New Zealand emigrant, of Church of England principles, fully approving of the discipline of religious class settlements, quite satisfied that he shall like Canterbury better than any other place, and going there for the express purpose of engaging in agricultural pursuits, it would be right to purchase land before-hand; but New Zealand emigrants, generally, as a body, should avoid committing themselves by purchasing land in this country.

By the time any one perusing this little work could actually arrive in New Plymouth, he would probably find plenty of first-rate arable and grazing land open to his choice, for purchase or lease, either from the Crown or from resident proprietors, and in lots of any size, to suit his means. But on landing from the vessel, half an hour's chat with the Government surveyors, and ten minutes at the Government Survey Office, with the maps before him, would put him in complete possession of the whole state of the Land Question; whilst a lunch and a morning's canter through the settlement,

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with one or two of the old settlers, would enable him to form a pretty correct idea as to whether the place would do for him. If he was satisfied with what he saw and heard, he would stop; if not, he would just shake hands with his entertainers, return on board, and proceed on to Auckland, Nelson, Wellington, Canterbury, or Otago; 5 one of which he might like better, but none of which, I think, he would like so well.

Perhaps no surer test of the well-being of a colony or settlement can be adduced than that of a large, steady, and continuous increase of population. In 1848, the entire European population of New Plymouth was only 1,137. At the present time, including the emigrants who are now on their way out, it is about 2,000, showing that it has almost doubled itself in a period of little more than two years. A most gratifying fact, especially when we consider that during this period "Californian delusions," acting on the enterprising, energetic character of a colonial population, have unhappily led such numbers to abandon Auckland and the neighbouring settlements in Australia, to find a grave, if not gold, in the "diggins." The progress of the settlement, as tested by the increase in stock and in cultivated land, is equally remarkable; the Government statistics showing that in one year the increase has been 50 per cent.

It appears that Government, desirous of promoting the military settlement of New Zealand, is organising a plan by which regiments that have completed their term of service in India will be ordered home by way of the Australian colonies, when from these regiments certain selected men will receive grants of small portions of land in New Zealand. Sir George Grey, considering New Plymouth as the most eligible settlement for such a useful body of emigrants, applied last February to the resident agent of the New

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Zealand. Company for 2,000 acres of land on which to locate them; but the Company's agent, having no power to grant such Company's lands for Government purposes, was obliged to refer the matter home. Since this, however, the New Zealand Company having ceased to exist, all their lands and settlements have reverted to the Crown, so that Sir George Grey will now have at his disposal the whole of the New Plymouth lands. We may expect, therefore, that New Plymouth will soon receive a large addition to its numbers, in the shape of a body of picked orderly men, whose military training will admirably fit them for their settler's life, who will give great strength and compactness to the settlement, and materially aid in the development of its resources.

The village, snugly situated by the sea-side, profusely watered by the clear streams Huatoki and Mangotuku, and their tributary rivulets, boasts a fine granite-built church, the interior of which has a very rich effect--the material of the carved open roof and of the seats and pulpit being entirely picked specimens of the finest Rimu, a wood in appearance something between Mahogany and Rosewood. There is also another church in rustic style at the adjoining village on the banks of the Henui river, and a third, lately erected, in the Omata hamlet; together with a Wesleyan, an Independent, a primitive Methodist, and two or three native chapels, six day-schools, two evening schools, and five Sunday schools; built mainly by the people, supported mainly by the people--that is, by some 2000 English settlers, and some 700 natives--a fact which would seem to show that the "voluntary principle," to some extent, does at least flourish in New Plymouth; and which may lead dissenters to doubt whether the £33 per cent. tax, as at Canterbury, is necessary to open to the settlers the means of religious worship and secular instruction.

The "Grey Institute," a large native industrial school and training college has lately been opened. It is an institution already working much good among the natives, and which owes its existence chiefly to the useful energy and practical philanthropy of the Rev. Hanson Turton, the Wesleyan minister, whose thorough knowledge of the native language and customs is admirably

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applied in promoting the joint good of both races. An excellent ladies' school has been opened by the Misses King. In fact, the means of education for both races are almost in advance of present requirements; though from the number of New Zealand emigrants of the better class, now making choice of New Plymouth, one could wish that the settlement also possessed a good classical school. It is to be recollected, however, that the Bishop's College at Auckland is distant only 120 miles, and will be comfortably reached, on the coming introduction of steam, in about twenty-four hours.

On the different streams running through the village there are three flour mills--one the largest and finest in New Zealand--two small breweries, and a tannery. There is also a lilliputian gaol, the pride of the policeman, the terror of the turbulent fat boy population, and quite a caution to the infant natives; with a neat village inn, and a new and excellent hotel for the accommodation of visitors and passengers who arrive by the various emigrant vessels.

A Court of Requests is held every month, for the recovery of debts as high as £20 between Europeans, and £100 between a native and an European. Substantial bonded stores, of beach granite, have been erected; a Lloyd's agent has been appointed; and a bank agency lately opened by the eminent London Banking House, Messrs. Barnard, Barnard, & Dimsdale. A savings bank, under the auspices of His Excellency Sir George Grey; a literary institution and a cricket club have also been lately established. In short, although the newly arrived emigrant, or passing visitor, will neither get an ice at Gunter's, nor a bus to the bank, in New Plymouth, he will get a hearty welcome--Devonshire cream and bullock carts in abundance; and will find a neat, clean, honest-looking village, famed even in New Zealand for its pretty women, and troops of rosy children--giving itself no town airs, but displaying shops and stores sufficient to prove to him on the spot, that if half as many facilities exist for getting money as for getting rid of it, he shall soon be a rich man.

Frigid dinner parties, where heavy men in mourning meet in stolid gravity to devour more than they can digest, and to muddle themselves with curious sherries

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and full bodied ports, are calamities from which New Plymouth is happily free. Social meetings and merry meetings are, however, very common. People drop in upon each other, and just take "fortune du pot," which in New Plymouth is always good fortune. Small tea tournaments frequently come off, often followed up and crowned by a little dancing, and a good deal of Devonshire junket--a thing so good that we can only wonder that it should have been invented in Devonshire.

Pic-nics and gipsy parties in the woods are favourite amusements. A party of enterprising bachelors provide the easiest going bullock carts, and catch the least impracticable of bullocks, drive a load or two of provisions to some grassy knoll near the forest, and then return for the lighter baggage--the women and children, guitars, music books, &c. &c.

You light a large fire in some hollow-hearted fallen monarch of the forest, and proceed to discuss a mighty tea. After this, in natural succession, and pleasing variety, comes a stroll in the forest, a cigar with a bead of brandy, and Sir Roger de Coverley, or The Lancers, on the green sward; occasionally winding up, at the request of the ladies, with a game at kiss in the ring, or hunt the slipper. You have a warm and balmy atmosphere, Mount Egmont towering up ten thousand feet above you, and the forest ringing with the songs of birds. The whole thing beats a court ball hollow. Let the languid lounger of Regent Street try it, and he will say so too. Let the most ascetic of philosophers, the most rectangular of mathematicians, just unbend himself at a New Plymouth pic-nic, catch, if he can, one of their "Devonshire rosebuds," and then refresh himself with a kiss, and bottle of Seacome's remarkable ale. If one thing did not astonish him, I fancy the other would; and if he ever went back to his books or his closet, it would be--via the "pons asinorum."

Here, I may perhaps venture to state, for the benefit of my fair readers, that one of the chief wants of the settlement is a bevy of marriageable spinsters. Any moderate number of enterprising girls (weary of waiting to be wooed and won), who would take ship and boldly throw themselves on the bush, would find bearded lovers under every tree (ubi mel ibi apes), church and

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priest hard by--and would thus do the state good service and themselves too. As an inducement to polking young ladies, I may remark that even regular balls do sometimes come off. On the completion of the last harvest, the bachelors of the place gave a ball and supper to Sir George and Lady Grey, at which the dancing was kept up till six in the morning. Many a settler wants but a wife to complete his happiness, for New Plymouth is indeed a place of which we may say, hic ipso tecum consumerer aevo--here, with thee, I could wear away even life itself.

Mount Eliot, the former residence of the Company's agent, and which was purchased for the Government residence about two years ago, has been much, beautified and improved. Sir George and Lady Grey seeming to make it a kind of summer residence or retreat from the mud and bustle of Auckland. In fact, at the date of the last arrivals, his Excellency was in treaty for the purchase of the beautifully situated estate of J. T. Wicksteed, Esq., at Omata, as private property.

The choice of New Plymouth, as the particular settlement in which to purchase an estate, by a man of Sir George Grey's colonial experience, is a pretty significant proof of its merits and capabilities.

The overland mail from Auckland to Wellington, carried by native postmen, passes through New Plymouth, arriving north and south every alternate Saturday, and departing the following Monday. Mails are also made up every week for England and the neighbouring colonies, and despatched to Auckland and Wellington, by the coasting vessels. From Auckland to New Plymouth by land through Manukau and Kawhia, the distance is 199 miles; from New Plymouth to Wellington, through Waimate and Wanganui, 238. The quickest communication either with Wellington or Auckland is by sea, as dull sailing coasters, although generally 3 or 4 days in making the trip, can perform it, with a fair wind, in 30 hours. By a plan, however, which has been suggested, and which would be so admirable in effect that it will, perhaps, eventually be tried, not only these, but many other sea passages in New Zealand could, with certainty, be shortened more than half. This plan is to place a small steamer

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at Manukau, to make the voyage from Auckland to the Southern settlements by the west, instead of by the east coast. The following table shows the great difference in distance:--

	WEST COAST.	EAST COAST.
	Miles	Miles.
From Auckland to New Plymouth,	126	710
From ditto to Nelson, - -	280	665
From ditto to Wanganui,	210	640
From ditto to Wellington, -	300	550

On the east coast, there are no settlements; whilst on the west, a steamer would pass New Plymouth, Nelson, Wanganui, and Manawatu. Against this plan of communication, some might urge that Manukau is not a good harbour: shallow banks partially obstruct the entrance; but there are three deep channels; and nothing but an accurate survey, and a pilot establishment, are required, to constitute Manukau one of the best harbours in the north. Even now, without lights or buoys, coasters occasionally enter at night. There is abundance of coal at Massacre Bay; and nearer still, it is found at Mokau.

MAGISTRACY.

Commander Henry King, R.N.	John Tylston Wicksteed, Esq.
George Cutfield, Esq.	James Webster, Esq.
William Halse, Esq.	Donald MacLean, Esq.
John George Cooke, Esq.	Josiah Flight, Esq.
Captain Campbell.	Peter Wilson, Esq.

CLERGY.

Rev. H. Govett, B.A.............Church of England.

Rev. H. H. Turton..............Wesleyan.

Rev. H. Groube.................Independent.

Rev. T. Gilbert..... .............Unitarian.

Rev. R. Ward................. Primitive Methodist.

PROFESSIONS.

Peter Wilson, Esq.............
George St. George...........	Medical.
R. Sherriff Low...............
William Turner, Esq...........	Solicitors.
Thomas Standish..............
Wellington Carrington, Esq......
Edwin Harris ................	Surveyors.
Charles and Edwin Davy.......

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BIRTHS AND DEATHS.

	Males.	Females.	Total.
Births during the year 1847....	36	34	70
Deaths ditto.	8	3	11

Of these eleven deaths, three were accidental. In 1846 the mortality was only three.

STATEMENT SHOWING THE PROPERTY ACCUMULATED BY SIXTY-NINE PERSONS--CHIEFLY AGRICULTURAL LABOURERS FROM DEVON AND CORNWALL--SENT OUT BY THE NEW ZEALAND COMPANY AS "FREE EMIGRANTS."

312 1/2 acres of Wheat, Barley, and Oats.

10 " Turnips.

80 3/4 " Potatoes.

46 " Grass.

97 ........Head of Cattle.

143 ........Pigs.

27 ........Goats.

59.......Houses.

238 3/4 acres of Cultivated Land.

180 " Wild ditto.

An average of £5 each would probably far exceed the amount of property which these men possessed on landing.

No account is taken of property in money, furniture, &c.

RETAIL PRICES OF ARTICLES OF CONSUMPTION.

	S.	D.		S.	D.
Wheat, per bush....	4s to 5	0	Eggs, per dozen ........	0	6
Fine Flour, per lb......	0	1 1/2	Milk, per pint.........	0	0 1/2
Seconds Flour, do..	1 d. to 0	1 1/4	Butter, per lb. ........	1	0
Bread, fine, per 4 lb. loaf...	6d. to 0	7	Cheese, ditto........	1	0
Potatoes, per cwt...	1s. to 2	0	Tea, of fair quality, per lb.	2	0
Pork, by the joint, per lb.	0	3	Coffee, ditto, ditto, .......	1	0
Ditto, by the pig,	1 1/2 d. to 0	2	Sugar, ditto, ditto,..	4d. to 0	6
Beef and Mutton ..	4d. to 0	6	Soap, ditto, ditto,........	0	8
Bacon and Hams ..	4d. to 0	6	Candles, ditto, .........	1	0
Lard ...........	0	6	Tobacco, per lb. .......	2	0
Fowls, per pair,........	1	0	Oil, for lamps, per gal., ..	2	0
Ducks, per do. .......	1	6	Beer (Colonial) ditto, ...	2	0
Turkeys, each ..........	2	6	Brandy, per ditto,	16s. to 18	0
Wild Pigeons, per pair ..	1	0	Gin, per ditto,..	12s. to 14	0

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Wearing Apparel, and English manufactured articles generally, are dear; but, from the natural increase of trade, and competition, from the reduction in freights, &c., these things, together with groceries, and all imported articles, are becoming considerably cheaper.

BUILDING MATERIALS, &c.

	S.	D.
Red Pine Board, 3/4 to 1 1/2 inch, per 100 superficial ft.	10	0
Ditto, scantling size not exceeding 6x4 inches, per 100 running feet ....	10	0
Shingles, taking 700 to cover a square, per 1000	10	0
Masonry Work expensive.
Cost of Post Raupo Cottage in native style, good for 3 or 4 years	£10 to	£15.

MISCELLANEOUS.

	£	S.	D.
Firewood--ten days' supply for a moderate family	0	3	0
House rent can hardly be given, as but few houses are hired: a comfortable cottage lets for, per week,	4s. to 0	6	0
Working Steers, per pair ...	20	0	0
Heifers, each ....	£6 to 10	0	0
Hire of Cart, Driver, and pair of Oxen, per day .	0	8	0
Grinding Wheat, per bushel ...	0	0	6
Landing Goods on beach from ship, per ton..	5s. to 0	6	0
Passage per Coaster from Taranaki to Auckland or Wellington	2	0	0
Freight from ditto to ditto, per ton ..	1	0	0
Cabin passage to Sydney ..	£5 to 8	0	0
Freight to Sydney, per ton ...	1	10	0
Agricultural Labourers, shorter hours than in England, per day	0	2	6
Mechanics, per day ....	5s. to 0	7	6
Native labour, from 1s. to 1s. 6d.; but natives chiefly work by contract.

PRESENT EXPORTS OF THE SETTLEMENT.

Flour, Wheat, Barley, Oats, Potatoes, Onions, Pork, Bacon Lard, Butter, Eggs, Black Oil, Whalebone, Flax, Iron Ore, &c.

TABLE OF DISTANCES.

	Miles.
From New Plymouth to Sydney, is	1145
" " Hobart Town	1300
" " Port Philip	1400
" " Adelaide	1900
" " Swan River	2800

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	Miles.
From New Plymouth to Tahiti	2400
" " Sandwich Islands	4760
" " Manilla	5000
" " Singapore	5000
" " Mauritius	5800
" " Hong-Kong	5600
" " Valparaiso	6000
" " Cape of Good Hope	7000

The passage from New Plymouth to Sydney--the great commercial emporium--the London in fact of the South Pacific--by steamer, would be about five days. The passage from Wellington to Valparaiso has been made in 30 days; and to Bombay in 56 days. The passage to Manilla would be about 40 days; and to California about the same.

DUTIES.

	£	S.	D.
British and Foreign Spirits, .. per gallon	0	5	0
Wines, ..... per cent.	20	0	0
Malt Liquors, .... "	15	0	0
Tobacco--Manufactured, ... per lb.	0	1	0
Ditto--Unmanufactured, ... "	0	0	9
Cigars and Snuffs, ....	0	2	0
British and British Colonial goods and produce, per cent.	10	0	0
Foreign Goods and Produce, .. "	12	10	0
Munitions of War prohibited.

DUTY FREE.

Glass Bottles (Full)--Specie--Plants and Bulbs--Live Animals--Printed Books.

LOWEST RATES OF PASSAGE FROM LONDON TO NEW ZEALAND, PER MESSRS. WILLIS' LINE OF PACKETS.

	Chief Cabin.	Fore Cabin.	Steerage.
	GUINEAS.	GUINEAS.	GUINEAS.
Adults, 14 years old and upwards,	30	20	15
Children under 7 years pay one-third.
Ditto, " 14 " two-thirds.
Infants under 1 year, no charge.

(See Messrs. Willis' Advertisement.)

These ships are first class, from 500 to 700 tons, carrying experienced surgeons.

Provisions, medicines, and medical comforts, are put on board, on a liberal scale, for six months. No

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trouble is given to passengers in apportioning the fare, which, is daily cooked for them, and each passenger is allowed, half a ton, or 20 cubic feet space in the hold for baggage. Wines, beer, &c., may be purchased of the steward at certain specified prices; but no passenger can take any private supply of spirits. The average passage of these ships is about 110 days. Further particulars may always be obtained by writing Messrs. Willis and Co. 3, Crosby Square, London.

It is well observed that the roadstead of New Plymouth has not so good a character as it deserves,--a circumstance not very difficult to explain. In the commencement of the colonization of New Zealand, public attention was strongly drawn to the first accounts from the various infant settlements established by the Company. One of the first things known in England respecting the Settlement of New Plymouth was the wreck of the third vessel despatched to it; and as the bad first impressions thus made were soon afterwards confirmed by the report of the danger of the emigrant ship Oriental, the roadstead was condemned as highly dangerous,--a mistake which has not yet been thoroughly rectified, by the fact of the safety of every ship which has since visited the Settlement. The best roadstead is not generally so well liked by sailors as even a bad harbour, where, once in, they can so much more easily go ashore; and, owing to this natural preference, masters of coasters who, as a class, are best acquainted with the place, have frequently damned it with faint praise, even when they have had every reason to give it an excellent character.

The following short account of the New Plymouth roadstead, which has been submitted to the harbour-master and the pilot, may tend to remove some misconception respecting it.

Ships bound to New Plymouth, approaching from Cape Egmont with a light wind, should keep well off shore, to avoid getting becalmed. The Outer Sugar Loaf, in south latitude 39 deg. 3 min. 48 sec., east longitude 174 deg. 47 min., may be called the west-south-west

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mark of the roadstead, and can be passed within a cable's length. The best anchorage for large vessels is in 13 fathoms, with the Outer Sugar Loaf, or Saddle Back, bearing south-west, by west-half-west; and the flag-staff east south-east. The water shoals to about three fathoms at low water, within half a mile of the landing place. The bottom, for the most part, is sand over rocks, consequently the holding ground is bad; and the safe character of this roadstead is attributable to its open position, to fine weather, and to the prevalence of certain winds.

"North-westers" raise a heavy sea and surf; but these are of comparatively rare occurrence. South-east, off the land, south-west, to west-south-west along the land, broken by the Sugar Loaves, are the prevailing winds. With the first, the roadstead is as smooth as many harbours; with the others, ships can generally ride with ease; and, from the observations of seven years, it may be safely said, that there are not more than fifty or sixty days in the year when vessels could not discharge in perfect safety. The weather here has one almost invariable course; for instance, with the wind from the usual quarter, south-east to west-south-west, it is generally bright and fine; when a change occurs, the mountain becomes hidden, and the wind shifts gradually by east, north-east, and north-west, round to its old quarter,--squally at first, then lighter, and fine weather again sets in. It should be well noted that in this change, the wind moves steadily on from the fine-weather quarter round to north-west, and thus gives ample warning.

On the approach of a "north-wester," a ship, to avoid the risk of losing an anchor, should stand out a few miles, steering about west by south, so as to make a fair wind of the south-west breeze, which invariably soon follows; and she might generally return to her anchorage the following evening. 6

Mount Egmont, usually clear, and the Sugar Loaves, always to be seen fifteen miles off, are such excellent landmarks, that a strange vessel could not mistake the place. The Sugar Loaves are three rocky pinnacles two

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and a half miles south-west of the town; the first, about 400 feet high, is on the main land; the second rises from the sea, nearly three quarters of a mile off; and the third is about the same distance still further out. There is a good deep passage between the outer ones. 7 With the exception of a small reef, about a quarter of a mile south of the flag-staff, running out half a mile in a northerly direction, and the one as shown in the present map, but which is out of the way of shipping, there is not a single obstruction in the roadstead. Neither is the place embayed, but stands boldly out, so that any vessel anchored in the right position, yet, by gross negligence, caught in a "northwester," would clear the outer Sugar Loaf, and, if necessary, weather Cape Egmont, twenty-five miles distant, bearing by compass from the anchorage south-west by south; when, of course, she could either lie-to, or, if bad weather were likely to continue, in six hours fetch Port Hardy. If, while a vessel was discharging here, the wind veered suddenly from any smooth-water point to west, and blew a gale, this would then be a bad lee-shore, and the ship, if a dull sailer, would probably not succeed in beating off; but as, for seven years, no instance of such a shift has occurred, it is reasonable to suppose that it never will occur.

Heavy moorings were laid down by the Company in 1842, which were of great service for two years; but having never been raised for examination, they got out of order, and as the Theresa was lying at them in March 1844, a shackle parted in the night, when the ship was in considerable danger by drifting in shore. 8 Government maintains a boat-establishment, superintended by the harbour-master and the acting pilot, who boards all large vessels before they anchor, and, if required, takes charge. The cargo-boats carry from four to five tons; their construction is capable of improvement, and the whole establishment could easily be made more efficient; but, in its present state, cargo is generally discharged with great despatch.

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The customs' records showed, up to 1847, that 259 ships, of the burthen of 22,834 tons, have visited New Plymouth, of which only one had been wrecked; 223 of these vessels had partly or wholly loaded or discharged here; but neither in the great boating work which this caused, nor in whaling or fishing, had there been a single loss of life, since the foundation of the settlement. The one wreck in these 259 vessels was that of the Regina, a fine schooner of 164 tons, and the third ship direct from England. It appears that she was anchored inside the small reef before named, and so close inshore that in standing out in one of the regular shifts of wind, she struck almost before she was fairly under weigh; the greater part of her cargo was saved. The Oriental, an emigrant ship, was in some danger here. A coaster was once driven ashore, though afterwards got off; and, in the course of seven years, fourteen anchors have, at different times, been lost. 9 It is worthy of remark, that few of these anchors have been lost through stress of weather. Owing to the rocky nature of the bottom, the chain has generally parted from the strain of weighing; and every vessel anchoring in this roadstead should invariably bend a good, strong, stout "buoyrope."

If the simple fact was generally known, that of the 259 vessels visiting this roadstead, at all seasons of the year, but one ship and fourteen anchors had been lost, nautical authorities would probably admit that, as a roadstead, the place merits an excellent character; for it must be distinctly noted that some of these accidents were such as, after seven years' experience, would hardly occur again.

Captains of vessels now coming to New Plymouth, can safely rely upon this--they may experience some inconvenience, for it is just possible that they may be compelled to "stand out" before the cargo is discharged; but, on the other hand, they will, in all probability, meet with very quick despatch; and, by taking the pilot, there will be less chance of actual danger to the ship

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than would be incurred in entering many excellent harbours. 10

The roadstead must always be the best place for large ships; but for vessels of from fifty to a hundred tons the Waitera River would form an excellent port. Even now, without marks or buoys, coasters frequently enter it to refit. There are from ten to twelve feet on the bar at high water; a considerable depth inside for three miles up; and great natural facilities exist for the construction of wharfs and quays.

Could the noble harbour of Auckland be combined with the fertile plains of Taranaki, the result would be a "site," position and climate considered, perhaps unequalled in the colonies; but in New Zealand it appears impossible to find a first-rate port combined with a district pre-eminent for fertility and other agricultural advantages. In the latter respect, however, New Plymouth has no rival; whilst it must be evident that, in possessing a safe roadstead for large ships, with capabilities for a river harbour for smaller vessels, it is at least equal in natural facilities for shipping to various places in the world, which enjoy a very considerable and important trade.

Since this article was written, three years ago, an excellent survey of the coast has been made by H. M.'s steam sloop Acheron, Captain Stokes, and a great additional number of vessels, of all classes, from the 700 ton emigrant ship, to the small ill-found coaster, have discharged and loaded cargoes at New Plymouth, in perfect ease and safety.

The Taranaki district is pre-eminent for its agricultural capabilities; experience has proved that English

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grain and root crops, seeds, vegetables, and fruits, are easily produced, of excellent quality. In the virgin forests of America, where trees are deciduous, a mass of foliage is annually shed, forming in time a deep vegetable mould; but here, where all is evergreen, the foliage, dropping only leaf by leaf, is partially withered up and dissipated before its decomposition into this vegetable mould. Thus the rich surface soil is comparatively shallow, and the peculiar adaptation of this district for agriculture, arises less from any extreme fertility of soil, than from the genial and forcing nature of the climate, the extent of level land, the low cost at which it can be cleared, and the extraordinary ease with which the soil can be worked at all seasons of the year. Here, neither droughts nor wet harvests occur; water and water-power are abundant; all animals thrive, and no winter provision is necessary for stock. Violent storms, which occur even in England, blights, rust, and mildew, so injurious to grain crops, are here unknown. Except the rat and the parroquet, there is no destructive animal or bird--these are comparatively harmless; and no insects are found so injurious as the locust, wire-worm, turnip-fly, and others, which occasionally commit such ravages in various parts of the world.

The principal cultivation, hitherto, has been on land covered with fern from six to eight feet high, intermixed with a small bush, called "Tutu." The surface soil is a vegetable decomposition, of seven to ten inches, matted together by the fern root, with a light yellow, loamy subsoil of many feet in depth, entirely free from stones, shells, gravel, or clay; in fact, no real clay or brick earth has yet been discovered. When this land is broken up and got into order, the soil becomes so pulverised, and is ever after so easy of cultivation, that a pair of oxen will easily plough an acre a-day, even with the rude and clumsy implements which are still generally in use.

Fresh fern land has one marked peculiarity, called "sourness" by which is meant some property hostile to the growth of crops put in directly after the breaking-up. The probable cause of this, is the absence in the new soil of such promoters of vegetation as the am-

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moniacal gases, readily absorbed from the atmosphere when the soil is loosened and exposed; although if "sourness" arose entirely from this cause, it would appear strange that the bush-land also is not subject to it. If a piece of the finest fern land be cleared and sown at once with wheat, the yield would probably not exceed fifteen bushels per acre; the same piece prepared six months beforehand might yield from thirty-five to fifty bushels; but on timber land this would make no difference.

In cultivating fern land, the first operation is to clear away the fern, which is best done in some dry month. Choosing a gentle breeze, the fern is fired; if it burns well, all the thick and matted dead stuff at the bottom, with the leafy part of the live fern, will be consumed, leaving only the shrivelled "Tutu," and the cane-like fern stalks, which, as softened by the fire, should be cut at once, either with a strong hook, or, still better, with a short scythe, and the "Tutu" slashed down with a bill-hook. Lying a few days to wither, the stalks are loosely raked up and burnt with the "Tutu" branches, and the "Tutu" stumps have then to be taken up, and carted into a heap, or carried off. After these operations, which cost from 10s. to 15s. per acre, the land is ploughed with a strong plough, having a wrought-iron share, and four oxen. The best depth is about ten inches, turning up a little subsoil. When broken up, the soil should lie some time to get pulverised, and to dry the fern root. It should then be harrowed and rolled, so as to allow of the easy raking-up and burning of the fern root; and, to get it into superfine order, ploughing, and these subsequent operations, should be repeated, when the land, after lying about six months, will be in the finest possible condition for any crop which may afterwards be grown. 11

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A complete course of "double working," such as this costs about £2 per acre; but it should be observed that as this sum is for work performed chiefly by bullock-power, it will be materially reduced as cattle become cheaper. The price of working oxen in New South Wales is about £8 per pair, whilst here it has generally been about £30; but as cattle are fast increasing, and as a direct trade has been commenced with Sydney, it is probable that, in the course of another year or so, a pair of oxen will be purchased here for about £15.

The best method of cropping fern land thus prepared is hardly yet determined. If the soil has been exposed about six months, well mellowed, perhaps the best course would be two wheat crops, then manure a little for potatoes, or fallow, and so round; but if it is likely to prove at all sour, the first crop should be potatoes, which might be followed by two grain crops and then a fallow. Sheep have a surprising effect on fern land: a flock folded a single night has been known to increase a crop of wheat in the particular spot nearly 100 per cent; and all animal manure is considered to go twice as far as in England.

It is probable, however, that fallowing will become a more general, and for some years a more beneficial, plan than manuring. In a new colony like this, farming is never conducted with half that care, labour, and regularity required in old countries; and here, the mere collecting, carting, and spreading manure, would frequently be thought to entail too much trouble; whereas "fallowing" would be made a very simple operation. Messrs. Davy, Glenavon Farm, had a piece of 20 acres of fern land, on which the course was--first, wheat (a splendid crop); second, barley; third, a fallow, receiving two ploughings; and fourth, wheat. This crop was at one time expected to yield an average of nearly 50 bushels per acre; but from being too rank 12 --the straw six feet

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long--its average was probably not 40 bushels. On my brother's farm, a piece of fern land which had borne three successive grain crops, the last very light, was also fallowed, receiving merely one rather deep ploughing; the fourth crop was wheat, estimated at 45 bushels per acre.

The clearing of bush land should be commenced in October or early in November, so that the stuff, when cut, may dry and wither through the hot months, and burn-off freely in March. The forest has a thick undergrowth, which should be cut first and low; the smaller trees are then thrown with an American axe, the larger with a cross-cut saw. When a tree is down, all its straggling limbs, which would, prevent the next from lying close and compact, should be lopped-off; and any little extra care in the felling effects great saving in the "burning-off;" for which a very dry day, with a steady breeze, should invariably be chosen. If the fire acts well, almost everything will be consumed save the trunks and heavy branches--which are lopped-off, heaped, and burnt; the trunks are then cross-cut, rolled together, and burnt; or the best are suffered to lie, or at once drawn away for firewood and fencing.

Timber can be thrown for about 30s., and burnt-off for £2 10s. per acre: but by a plan that will generally be adopted as the clearing of bush land becomes better understood, a saving of £15 or £20 per cent. will probably be effected. This plan is to leave standing, here and there, any particularly large or hard-grained tree; the great labour of cutting it down and clearing it away is thus saved. Killed by the fire, it is not injurious to any crop underneath. It occupies no greater space standing as a dead tree than as a stump; and it can be taken down whenever it may be required for firewood or fencing.

The forest here, although the land is level and more open, and the timber much lighter than in some districts, is nevertheless such a tangled mass of luxuriant vegetation, that it presents rather a formidable appearance; and owing to the greater first cost of cultivating it, and the natural preference which English labourers and cultivators have for the familiar plough and harrow

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over the axe and the saw, bush land has come to be regarded as less desirable than fern land. Which is the most profitable to cultivate, is a question not yet decided by experience. The best plan of clearing timber land would be to employ natives, through some European of influence among them. A dozen good men, living on the spot, working together, stimulated by "utu" (payment), would soon cut down a 20-acre clearing in such a style as to ensure a good burning; so that this work, frequently costing 50s. per acre, would probably be done for 30s.

Both fern and timber land will eventually be cultivated at less expense, though the greatest reduction may be expected in the latter. At present, the one, to be cleared, thoroughly worked, and got into the finest order, costs about £2 10s. per acre; the other is cleared for £4, and for its first grain crop the seed can be "chipped-in" for 5s. to 10s. per acre more. Now, if this "chipping-in" would answer for three or four years successively, the surface roots and smaller stumps would so decay that the land might easily be prepared for the plough, when the difference in expense between cultivating fern and bush land would be very trifling. This plan, however, is thought to succeed only once, for when tried again, the crop is frequently choked by sowthistle. If wheat, then, be required a second time, the land is generally "hacked-up, cleared of surface roots, and hand raked; an operation called "grubbing," which costs about £5 per acre--too great an outlay for the production of any common grain crop.

It has not been fully proved that this plan of "chipping-in" would answer only once; but, assuming such to be the case, the most profitable method of cultivating bush land would probably be this: a heavy wheat crop might be taken first, and then the greater part of the section laid down in grass; for dairy produce would pay well as an export, and the bush land soon affords luxuriant pasturage. Twenty-five acres, or any quantity which the settler could stock, might be applied to this purpose; and about ten left standing as shade and shelter, and as a small run. Cattle browse on the undergrowth, and a cow on the bush alone will keep herself in good order throughout the year. Twenty-

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five acres would keep at least twenty milch cows in the finest condition; and the remainder of the section might be devoted to the growth of "Cobbet's corn," which with the surplus milk, would enable the settler to fatten a quantity of pigs for hams and bacon--a staple article of trade, almost everywhere in demand. After the land had been a few years in grass, four good oxen would pull up so many of the stumps that, if desirable, the plough might be worked; and a succession of fine grain crops obtained at small expense.

The comparative value of bush land has been underrated; it is the richest soil; in all grain crops there is a considerable saving of seed, the yield is greater, and most things may be put in nearly two months later. Bush, land also yields the quickest return: for instance, an emigrant arriving in November or December would be enabled to get down a few acres of timber to burn-off in March; and, by sowing wheat in July or August, he would ensure a heavy crop the following January, but on fern land this could not be done, for the reasons given at page 80.

In summing up the respective merits of fern and bush land, it may be said, that on farms of from 100 to 200 acres, or of any size with the necessary stock and implements, the common crops--wheat, barley, oats, and potatoes--can perhaps be produced cheapest on the first. But in the case of a settler with a small capital and a grown-up family, who required only fifty acres, and who desired to make the most of the hand labour 13 at his command; or for dairy farming on any scale, the preference should certainly be given to bush land.

The Times has lately shown, with considerable pungency and force, that the English farmer, from long habit and association, has come to regard himself as born to grow wheat and nothing else; whilst other crops more profitable, and equally within his power to produce, are neglected as beneath or beyond his peculiar sphere. The same remarks would apply in part to many colonial far-

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mers, both in New Plymouth and elsewhere. Now, the fact is, that this bush land is admirably adapted to the production of many important articles besides wheat, far more so, in fact, than fern land. Among them may be enumerated hops, tobacco, fruits, cider, oil seeds, hemp and flax, butter, cheese, hams, and bacon; whilst, from the extraordinary fineness and luxuriance of its artificial pasturage, it maybe questioned whether fine wool sheep could not be kept upon it with advantage; for the risks, losses, and expences attendant on the care and management of sheep would be less on what may be termed this 'near field system' than on the distant, exposed, 'stock station' plan followed in Australia.

Emigrants, as a general rule, will take too much land; but if a person settling in New Plymouth with, say a couple of hundred pounds, would be content to purchase and cultivate one of the twenty-five acre bush sections, he would, I conceive, be almost certain to realise a greater profit than if he took fifty acres of fern. In short, these little five-and-twenty acre freeholds of bush land are admirably adapted for emigrants of limited means--farmers' sons, and small yeomen, working men, with a little money--the pith, bone, and sinew of a settlement. They are also particularly well suited to such as capitalists, merchants, traders, and professional men, who, without exactly becoming farmers, are still naturally anxious to have some little place of their own, within easy reach of the town; where, with wood and water, close shelter, and a teeming soil, they may gradually create a "comfortable home"--indulge their tastes in gardening, kill their own mutton, and dabble a little in rural pursuits, just as a pleasing variety and change of occupation.

Wheat is a certain crop---not subject to rust, mildew, or the attack of any insect. It is best sown on fern land early in May, at the rate of from two to three bushels per acre, though one is sufficient, and August is soon enough on bush land. Harvest is general about the 10th of January, when wages are 5s. per day, or wheat is cut for 12s. to 15s. per acre. Threshing was formerly a slow and tedious job, costing 1s. per bushel, and even then badly done; but as machines are now

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coming into general use, this expence will probably soon be reduced to 3d., and much valuable hand labour saved for the clearing of fresh land. The wheat grown here is of excellent quality, but in the present state of farming it is impossible to give the correct average yield per acre. In fact, the yield of crops in a young colony is a subject on which rather wild notions seem generally to prevail, and on which is expended no little exaggeration. Fern lands apparently alike in every respect have varied in yield the same season as much as twenty bushels per acre--a difference attributable to bad preparation and premature cropping. Small cultivators have not always been able to farm properly; and others, until lately, have not been fully convinced that fern land pays best when thoroughly worked at first, as in the manner before described. The most practical men are of opinion, that when this is done the general average yield of wheat in this district will be from thirty to thirty-five bushels per acre. The heaviest crop that has yet been obtained on any large piece was four hundred and forty-eight bushels from eight acres, equal to fifty-six bushels per acre; sixty bushels have occasionally been obtained on small pieces; and in one instance, it is said that the first crop on an acre of bush land sown with four pecks, was nearly eighty bushels of clean wheat.

It would appear, that owing to the forcing nature of the climate in New Zealand, "vegetable life" soon attains maturity; and attention must be paid to due change of seed. The agricultural perfection of the climate, and the natural fertility of the soil, have produced their common effects in New Plymouth. The more nature does for man, the less he does for himself. A long succession of plenteous crops, obtained, as it were, by "scratching the ground," have rendered the New Plymouth farmers (with some most honourable exceptions) slovenly cultivators: if there has been any system of farming, it has assuredly been the "lazy-bed system." A deficiency in a portion of the last wheat crop, caused by want of common attention to change of seed, and by the violation of the first principles of good husbandry, is, however, likely to have a most beneficial effect,

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in proving to the most sceptical, that even in New Plymouth there will be "no reaping without sowing."

I have no hesitation in saying, that if common good husbandry had been the fashion in New Plymouth, the average yield of the past five years' crops, good as it has been, would have been increased almost 50 per cent.

From the apparent nature of the soil, it was expected that Barley would succeed even better than wheat; but it has been found inferior both in yield and quality. As wheat, however, has been grown in the proportion of eighteen to three of barley, and eighteen to two of oats, the latter have scarcely had a fair trial. Three to four bushels per acre more of wheat would be obtained if the operations of harvesting, threshing, and dressing, were better performed.

Barley, as before observed, has not been grown so extensively as wheat, nor has it generally received the same degree of attention. Some difference of opinion exists as to the proper season for sowing. The best time would probably be early in September; but if tilled then, it begins to ripen in December, and is generally attacked by a caterpillar, which, making its appearance in that month, is destructive in biting off the ear just as it changes colour. As this insect comes at one particular time, and is injurious to barley chiefly when ripening, late sowing, about the 20th of October, has saved the crop; but in this case the yield is deficient. Owing principally to the caterpillar, barley has not yet been grown with much success; fifty bushels per acre is the most that has been obtained, and twenty to twenty-five is about the average yield. However, as it would pay better than wheat, if the yield were only equal, more attention will be paid to its cultivation; and by getting the land, into finer condition, late sowing will probably be found to succeed in every respect.

Oats have been but little attended to. From the high relative price which they bear in Auckland and Wellington, this is rather surprising, but may be partly accounted for by the fact, that seven-eighths of the farmers here, are from English counties, where their culture is not found profitable. The best crop, sown early in April, was grown by a settler from Lincolnshire: the yield was

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about forty-five bushels per acre, and would have been greater; but the crop being sown on fern land, after a good fallow, was too rank, and became partially lodged before harvest.

Maize grows luxuriantly on bush land, and the natives cultivate it in warm spots; but the climate of this district, like that of Van Diemen's Land, is not sufficiently hot to ripen maize as a general crop. Cobbet's corn, however, succeeds remarkably well; under garden cultivation it has yielded nearly a bushel of shelled corn to a rod. It would be an excellent first crop on bush land.

Potatoes are a certain crop; not subject to disease, nor to the attack of any insect. On bush land, they attain a great size, but are not so good in quality as those grown on fern land, which are remarkably dry and mealy. The early sorts should be planted in August; the later, for a general crop, in September, or early in October. On fern land, without manure, about seven tons per acre is considered a fair crop; but bush land will produce from ten to fourteen. An extraordinary potato plant once grew in a garden on the "Black Iron-sand;" in size, the haulm and top resembled some bushy shrub rather than a potato. It was taken up in the presence of witnesses, and the tubers, carefully counted, numbered 240, of which 170 were of fair cooking size.

Turnips have not been extensively grown. The middle of October is the best time for sowing, although a fair crop has been obtained when tilled as late as Christmas: twenty tons per acre are considered about the average yield. Turnips, like all other roots grown here, are of excellent quality, and specimens of Swedes weighing thirty pounds are not uncommon.

Beans, peas, cabbages, parsnips, carrots, and onions, have been grown chiefly as garden vegetables; but from the luxuriance of their growth, some of them may become rotation crops. Parsnips and carrots yield most abundantly; and nearly 300 lbs. of onions have been obtained from three quarters of a rod of the black sandy soil near the beach.

About three years ago, some interest was excited by an attempt to introduce the cultivation of English flax. From some experiments tried chiefly by Mr. Flight, a

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gentleman conversant with the subject, it appeared probable that the soil and climate of the Taranaki district would be found well suited to the production of this important article; and a sample was sent to Messrs. Marshall, the Leeds flax-spinners, and to a Dorsetshire house, whose report of its quality was considered favourable. Seed was imported, but owing chiefly to the want of capital, and to the then unsettled state of the Land Question, none of it was sown, and the subject has not since been revived.

Cattle and sheep thrive, and, like all other animals which have been introduced, increase very fast. Both are subject to a kind of delirious attack, arising from over feeding on the "Tutu;" but this seldom affects them more than once or twice, and the actual loss caused by it is probably not more than 2 1/2 per cent. A strong dose of spirits, (for a bullock two or three bottles) is considered the best remedy; but quick bleeding has been found very efficacious. It is to be remarked that "tutu" is injurious chiefly to fresh imported stock, just landed from the ship. Owing to most reprehensible oversight on the part of some of the old New Zealanders, who must have been present at Canterbury when the first fleet of colonists arrived, two very valuable heifers, taken out by Messrs. Phillips and Fitzgerald, were suffered to wander off among the "tutu" bushes, and were killed by "over-feeding." Before any Canterbury gentleman, inclined to take out choice breeding stock, who may honour me, and profit himself, by reading these remarks, could actually land at Canterbury, most of the tutu around Lyttleton will probably be ploughed up. If not, let "ware tutu" be his early mornings caution to Miss Lucy, or my Lady's Maid, who may volunteer to tend the early steps of the warranted-safe and hornless cow.

Sheep are never attacked by the "fly," are free from their common diseases, and fatten quickly; half-bred Southdowns have been killed weighing nearly 30 lbs. per quarter. From the regular feeding and equable nature of the climate, wool will probably be of fine quality.

The fences made here are a grip and bank, or post

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and rail. The first costs about 5s. per chain, and is a good external fence when well made and kept in order. Owing to the rapid growth of coarse grasses, the face of the bank requires to be slightly pared every year, and the grip cleared out. The post and three rail fence costs about the same as the bank; it is the better cattle-fence, and with good Kohekohe posts will stand five years. The best fences have the posts of iron-wood, which is rather more expensive, but is almost imperishable. Excellent hurdles, costing 8s. per dozen, made of the karewa, or supple jack, are useful as temporary fences for gardens, &c. Except in the town, damages caused by cattle trespassing, cannot be recovered unless the ground is fenced.

A considerable breadth of land, after bearing a succession of grain crops, has been laid down in grass--a plan which is found to answer admirably. In this country, it is fifteen or twenty years before what is termed a "perfect sward" is obtained; such grass, in fact, as we see only in parks and old pastures. Now, at Brooklands, Captain King's place, there are about 100 acres which have not been sown more than five years; yet which, for fineness and beauty of pasture, might, I think, be matched with 100 acres of any old park land in England.

White clover and Italian rye grass, mixed, have been the grasses generally used, other sorts not having been commonly obtainable; and March is perhaps the best month for sowing. The white clover is particularly luxuriant, and by banks and road sides, from farm to farm, is gradually spreading over the country.

Mr. Fox, an old experienced colonist, and one of the leading Wellington settlers, writing about New Plymouth, in May, 1849, says--"I was much struck with the extreme fertility of the soil. Some idea of it may be formed from the fact that thirty-five acres of grass and white clover, during the last year, carried nearly 300 sheep for a twelvemonth in excellent condition."

Perhaps the sceptical will not believe this; I do, however, and I hope others will too. I was on my way to England, when Mr. Fox visited New Plymouth, but I believe I can indicate and describe the particular 35

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acres to which he alludes. They formed a portion of No. 90 Suburban Section, two miles from the village, on the Devon road, and were originally purchased from the Company by a Mr. Chilman. In its wild state, this section was covered with the common luxuriant fern of the district. The land was cleared and ploughed up in the usual manner, and, I believe, three wheat crops were taken in succession; on this point, however, I am not certain; one of the three might be barley. Thirty-five acres were then fenced off into two paddocks, and sown with white clover and rye-grass; and when Mr. Fox saw them they had been laid down about three years.

There was nothing particular in the soil of this section, or in the management of the land; and no reason to believe that it carried more stock per acre than any other of the common fern land of the district would carry, if similarly treated. But as it was almost the first piece laid down in grass, and as the paddocks were on the road side, near the village, they were seen by every one; and the beauty of the pasture and the quantity of stock it carried came to be common talk.

This was Fern land, be it remembered, after three grain crops. Now for Bush land.--Suburban Section No. 51, adjoined my own little place. For New Plymouth, it was what we term a heavily timbered section, and was purchased by a Mr. Broadmore, a most respectable and singularly industrious master sawyer. He made a clearing of ten acres for his house and homestead, and took four wheat crops in succession, averaging, I should say, 45 bushels per acre all round. His oxen, kept for carting the timber to the town, were turned loose in the surrounding wood for the night, and quite left to shift for themselves. But as there was often considerable difficulty in finding them in the morning, it was resolved to lay part of the clearing down in grass. White clover and rye grass were, therefore, sown thick in March, and in less than two months the bullocks were turned in to graze.

Broadmore's partner, George Lethbridge, a good practical gardener, dug up and thoroughly prepared a piece of this same land for a kitchen garden. A couple of rods were sown with the large white carrot. The produce was carefully weighed; and, incredible as it may seem, the

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weight was nearly 40 cwt., being at the rate of about 150 tons per acre. I must beg the reader to remember, that in this case the land was carefully prepared, and the cultivation carefully attended to--that is, it was gardening, not farming. The thing may seem impossible, but the little piece of ground could only be likened to a solid mass of clean-grown, heavy roots, more like mangelwurzel than carrots.

I must confess, that in the first edition of this little work, I dare not mention this "carrot yield." I feared the account might not be believed; and thus, that the general credit of the book would be damaged. During the last two years, however, the later New Zealand emigrants have sent back such numerous corroborative accounts of the fertility of the soil, that I venture now to bring my carrots to market, trusting that they will sell (in a legitimate sense, I mean), and assuring the reader that I have rather under-stated than overstated their very plethoric case.

It has been frequently remarked how much the appearance of the country and the character of the vegetation in New Zealand is changed and improved by the introduction and depasturing of stock. A remarkable instance of this came under my own observation in New Plymouth. On first landing there, my brother and myself, commencing an examination of the settlement with a view of purchasing land, went to look at a certain district, about three miles from the town, at the back of the whaling station at Muturoa. To walk over, or rather to get through, this track, was then almost an impossibility. Luxuriant fern, ten feet high, covering a dense mass of decayed vegetation on the ground, and close matted and interwoven with the largest tutu and koromika bushes, seemed to form a vegetable rampart alike impregnable to horse or foot. And, after indulging in some pleasing speculations as to the crops such soil would produce, if it could ever be got at, we retraced our steps, to search for a spot where nature had been less bountiful.

For some three years afterwards, it so happened that I never went near this spot again. In the interval, it had become a kind of "home stock station": a herd of cattle had been turned in first, and then sheep were sent to

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follow. When I did visit the place again, I went for the purpose of gathering mushrooms! and any one who knows where mushrooms grow, the kind of soil they favour, will see that the cattle and sheep had proved most efficient cultivators.

Cattle break through, tread down, and bruise the fern, in order to browse on the bushes. The fern when so bruised and stamped on, has a happy weakness of gradually bleeding to death. The bushes, thus in a measure deprived of the close shelter which they love, and cropped by the cattle, begin to fade and wither. Coarse grasses now spring up with almost magical rapidity. Cattle get fat; the more they eat, the more there is to eat; and the wild track is broken up into winding paths, broad tracks, and grassy knolls, mixed here and there with patches of dead fern, and dying bush. Sheep now get in. The grasses keep gaining on the fern, become finer and more luxuriant, and at last white clover appears.

Thus, by what we may almost term a self-working process, the roughest tracks are converted into excellent sheep runs; and it is probable that this process might be considerably quickened, if, when the pioneer cattle have made a little opening, a person were to mount a horse, and just roughly strew a few grass seeds over the surface.

This remarkable easiness of obtaining the finest pasturage, either in the manner here described, or by laying the land down in grass, after taking three or four grain crops, may, I think, well lead us to question whether grazing and sheep farming in New Zealand would not be found more successful, when combined with arable farming, as in England, than when carried on as separate, distinct, pursuits, on the "distant stock station plan" followed in Australia.

To pooh! pooh! the thing, as some do, and to say, in the stupid pride of theory, that such a system would not answer in New Zealand, because it is not followed in Australia, argues but little wit, and less penetration.

Australia is a hot, dry, arid country, of immense plains of barren soil, with a poor and scanty herbage, parched brown every summer, and subject to long, disastrous, periodical droughts--a country in which

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it is found, after repeated trials, that good artificial pasturage cannot be obtained by sowing English grasses.

New Zealand enjoys a cooler, moister climate--is a country of hills and valleys, clothed with luxuriant vegetation, ever fresh and green, having a rich light soil, and an abundance--a profusion--of the finest water; a country in which artificial pasturage can be obtained, and that too, with ease, at a trifling cost, and in the greatest perfection.

In fact, he who contends that grazing and arable farming combined, would not answer in New Zealand, because the system is not, or rather cannot, be followed in Australia, might very consistently attempt to introduce the cultivation of the cocoa nut and coffee plant into Norfolk, because such cultivation may answer in the Brazils.

In New Plymouth, where the settlers have had the advantage of some years' training and experience, the opinion is fast gaining ground, that this system of sheep and stock farming, combined with corn growing, is the system; and it is now, on a small scale, becoming almost universally adopted, and with signal success.

To make any exact, comparative, calculations on the question would be impossible. Two and two in a colonial book do not always turn out to be four in colonial practice; and emigration figures and statistics are said to be quite as remarkable for boldness as veracity. We will not confuse ourselves with figures then, but just consider these points.

By combining the pursuits, they materially aid each other. A longer succession of fine grain and root crops, a far better rotation of crops, must necessarily be obtained where stock is kept on a farm than where it is not. Eventually, even New Zealand soil must have manure, and the fertilizing effect of sheep on the fern lands is really wonderful. Again, sheep, cattle, and horses can be looked after, managed, and attended to with much greater ease, economy, and efficacy when kept on a farm, within sight of the residence, and under the eye of the proprietor, his family, and establishment, than when roaming about almost "ferae naturae" over the distant exposed stock station, under the care, so-called, of isolated, very independent, shepherds or stock keepers.

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Thus much, and far more, may be said with respect even to "profit and loss" considerations; but if we come to view the question as one affecting the "social life" of the settler, we must at once award the palm to the combined home system, not to the stock station. Here, a man creates a pretty home, and plants the garden; shears his flock, reaps his crop, gathers his orchard, and picks the hop, in pleasing alternation and variety--strolls round at eve, with his wife, for a chat among near friends and neighbours--plies his convives with the glass of humming home brewed, "with beaded bubbles winking at the brim"--and keeps a table groaning under good cheer, and ringing with the glad laughter of little children. Wise and happy man!--There, in dull monotony, the misguided settler brands cattle and clips sheep, and clips sheep and brands cattle--squats in a mud hut, sucks the short duddeen, and appeases hunger with perpetual mutton and dyspeptic "damper." Mercifully, perhaps, no humanizing red petticoat arouses his better nature--no joyous ring of festive mirth, no sound of church-going bell reminds him of the bright world which has closed upon him. And with ragged beard and unkempt locks forlorn, he gradually droops into a bucolic Robinson Crusoe, without a Man Friday, slowly vegetates in profound solitude, and resigning himself to wool and despair, becomes the lone man on a hill among sheep--wretched individual!

Agricultural Implements. 14

The plough which has been found most useful for general purposes is one made by Howard, of Bedford--a plough which has gained several prizes at the agricultural shows. Perhaps, however, the best plough for the particular and important purpose of "breaking-up" new land, is one of Messrs. Ransome's, of Ipswich. It is known at their manufactory as the "X.P." plough. To make it stronger, the share and coulter should be welded together; when, with six oxen, this plough will be found a most powerful and effective implement. Another

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excellent plough of the Messrs. Ransome's is the one known as the "Y.C.P." plough. The frame, as well as the beam and handles, is made of wrought iron.

Wheat is cut here in the manner generally practised in Devonshire, called long and "round hewing"--a quick and efficient plan. The hook used, less curved than the hand-reaping hook, is, I believe, commonly known as the "bagging-hook;" and, as young fern is frequently found in first crops, it should be of good temper and quality. The mowing of wheat is, however, coming into practice, and will probably supersede reaping, for it is well adapted to the common fern land crops of about thirty bushels per acre, with short straw; and here, as corn is cheap and labour dear, a little waste is not much regarded if the work be performed quickly. The Kentish corn-scythe and binding rake, described in the Farmer's Magazine of Sept. 1840, answer well, as would probably the common Cornish scythe and crooks. What is called the Aberdeen scythe, one of a very peculiar construction, is an excellent tool in the hands of the natives.

Owing chiefly to bad roads in winter, the wheel carriages in general use are small, strong, bullock carts, made in the settlement. In harvesting, fore and back ladders are added, which materially increase their capacity; but for this work, they are of course much inferior to light waggons, or to the improved one-horse Scotch cart. It would be advisable to bring the necessary iron-work for a cart, with a pair of strong wheels, four feet four inches in diameter, and the tire four inches and a half broad. The axles, made only of the best iron or steel, should not be less than two inches and a half in diameter. Spare tire iron, and iron rods for bullock-bows, would also be found serviceable.

Capital harrows are made of Puriri and Rata; but two or three sets of tires, about eight inches in the clear, and fastening with screws and nuts, should always be provided. As to the numerous implements called grubbers, scufflers, tormentors, &c. the price is generally high even in England, and their real value perhaps overrated. If however, the emigrant, as a practical farmer, knew of any very useful thing, he would do well to bring it--remembering that the soil, though light and easy to

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work, is at first infested with fern and tutu roots, which makes a fair degree of strength requisite in every implement.

Drilling has never yet been practised; but, as it would undoubtedly be an improvement on the usual plan of "broad-casting," a drill would be serviceable, although the extra fittings for sowing bone-dust, rape-cake, &c. would be quite unnecessary.

Winnowing machines, complete, would be rather expensive as regards freight. The iron work and sieves might be brought, and the wood work added here.

Thrashing machines are much wanted. The best one yet tried here was imported by J. G. Cooke, Esq. The maker's name is "Farribee, of Stroud. It is three horse-power, worked by a driving drum and fly-wheel, with band--a very safe and ingenious contrivance for a colony, as there is little danger of such gear getting out of order; and, being light and compact, is easy to remove. It runs on two wheels, but four would adapt it better to the inequalities of our roads. The carriage part should be made rather stronger; the wheels higher, and constructed of wood; and as oxen are better adapted to remove it on bad roads than horses, a pole should be substituted for the present shafts. The parts of a thrashing machine most liable to wear out or break should be brought in duplicate, with a good supply of brasses, gudgeons, and all minor appurtenances. The present hire of a machine, without oxen or horses to work it, is about 10s. a-day.

Of course, it will not be forgotten, that if a person intends to cultivate bush land, either as an arable or dairy farm, he must make the necessary alterations in his outfit. For instance, ploughs and harrows he would not require; but he should bring a better supply of grass seeds, axes, bill-hooks, cross-cut saws, &c., with all things necessary for a dairy; and a little seed of "plants cultivated on a limited scale for various arts and manufactures"--such as flax, hemp, oil plants, hops, mustard, &c., with a good collection of fruit-seeds or cuttings. A small quantity of any fine samples of wheat, barley, or oats, &c. should always be brought when practicable, as change of seed is very requisite. The best place which I have been able to find for procuring

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the American axes, bill-hooks, cross-cut saws, common carpenter's tools, and the like, which the emigrant should always take, is Messrs. Fenn's, No. 105, Newgate Street, London--an old established and most respectable shop, where the emigrant will be sure to get a good sound article for his money.

Markets.

As it is probable that the chief exports of this district will long continue to be agricultural, it may be necessary to consider what are likely to prove its principal markets.

For all practical purposes, it is sufficient to know that an excellent home market is found in Auckland and Wellington. The imports of these towns are even now larger than this settlement can at present supply; and, from the character of the country around them, neither place will raise agricultural produce so cheaply as it can be supplied from the fertile plains of Taranaki; whilst the gradual formation of new settlements, such as Canterbury and Otago, or the extension of old ones (the result of that great emigration movement which will eventually be made to these fine islands) will continue to open new home markets.

As all young colonies must at first import food, and as the growth and progress of New Zealand has been so lamentably crippled. New South Wales, herself a large importer, has, for a long time, partly supplied it with flour. This, however, is the case no longer; and when the immense agricultural resources of New Zealand are fairly developed, and it becomes what it surely will become--the "Granary or Store-house of the South Pacific,"--New South Wales, herself, will probably be an excellent market for some of its grain exports.

As an agricultural country, the superiority of the one is as strongly marked as the inferiority of the other. By the Sydney "Official Book" of statistics, from 1835 to 1844 (including the Port Philip district), the average annual yield of wheat for the ten years was not fourteen bushels per acre. The annual consumption is taken at eight bushels per head, and the year 1836 was the only one in the ten which produced a surplus crop; the ave-

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rage annual deficiency of the other nine years being upwards of 250,000 bushels, to be imported. The average yield of barley and oats appears to be about sixteen bushels; maize is much the best crop, yet the yield was only twenty-five bushels per acre; whilst potatoes gave only three tons and a half. It is necessary to bear in mind that these returns are for an old colony, where it must be supposed that the experience of more than half a century has indicated the best system of cultivation, and where there is plenty of capital and labour to carry that system into effect. Destructive storms, floods, and droughts have occasionally raised grain to such extravagant prices in New South Wales, that, in 1806, wheat was 75s. per bushel, and £7 was given for a bushel of seed maize; whilst, in 1840, flour ranged from £50 to £60 per ton. The fearful drought and consequent dreadful fires, before alluded to, as having recently occurred at Port Philip, afford another marked instance of the agricultural vicissitudes to which the Australian continent is subject.

If, with the certainty of good home markets for some years to come, and the probability of others in New South Wales, 15 it be considered necessary to look still further, we find that New Zealand is conveniently situated for supplying several places which may become excellent markets, such as the British possessions in India and China, the French in Bourbon, the Mauritius, Singapore, Ceylon, California, and some of the numerous islands in the South Pacific, rich in tropical productions, but non-agricultural, which English enterprise and "steam communication" may soon enliven with the busy hum of commerce.

Considering the rising good repute of New Zealand as an Emigration field, and the consequent rapid increase of its population--bearing in mind the nature of the Australian climate, subjecting the whole continent

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to periodical failures in the crop--recollecting that New Zealand is the nearest "corn growing" country to California--and that the improvements which are being effected in "screw steam navigation" will eventually bring it within the reach of other new and excellent markets--we are, I think, justified in assuming that the average price of wheat in New Zealand will not be less than about 5s. per bushel.

Taking 5s. a bushel to be the standard price, and all other farm products at the proportionate relative value, agricultural and grazing pursuits certainly ought to pay well in New Plymouth.

The English farmer obtains but 5s. a bushel for wheat, and pays a heavy rent, rates, tithes, and various taxes. In New Plymouth, he would obtain the same price, and pay no rent, no tax, no tithe--at least but a very low rent. He would buy the "fee simple" of the land for about 30s. per acre, and would get his crops in for £3 10s. more, making the first cost £5 per acre; and the interest on this at ten per cent., regarded as a rent charge, would be only ten shillings per acre.

But there is the extra cost of labour, the reader may say, and the greater expense of living! The rate of wages in New Plymouth, as affected by the lower price of native labour, is not more than £20 per cent. higher than in England; and it may well be questioned whether so much labour would be required. Mind, I am giving the farmer in New Plymouth a fair start, on a clean, thoroughly prepared, virgin soil, a light friable loam, without weed, stone, or clod, and in a mild equable climate, admirably suited to agricultural and grazing pursuits.

Moreover, if the whole outgoings of the New Plymouth farmer in labour should prove heavier than they were in England, I conceive that the difference would, in a great measure, be made up to him by the certainty of crop, and the greater yield per acre which he would obtain.

With respect to the "expence of living," there would be no material difference. In New Plymouth, mere eating and drinking would be quite as cheap. Dress, and all manufactured articles would be dearer--but not so much dearer; and such costly things would not be requisite. My Lord "Self-Protection's" tenant at

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the Grange, exposes Giles in livery, and doses his guests with cunningly compounded claret, and very free-trade Port, not because he really likes this style of thing, or considers it essential to his happiness and success; but because some aspiring neighbour has introduced the style--one fool has made many--and it is the custom. Now, in New Plymouth such is not the custom. There he would not be compelled, by the tyranny of social convention, to keep up false appearances, but would live in that natural, easy, hearty, hospitable manner, which renders a week's visit in a farm house, more of the olden style, such a charming little episode in the town man's life, ever to be remembered with pleasure.

I must beg the reader to remember that we are not now taking that broad view of the question of emigration, which would shew us how, by passing over to New Plymouth, the struggling tenant farmer of this country would become the independent proprietor of an estate, and would establish his family in easy comfort. We are now glancing at farming in England and farming in New Plymouth only as comparative investments for capital.

A minute comparison might be drawn between the condition of the tenant farmer here, employing a capital of two or three thousand, and that of the same man cultivating his own estate in New Plymouth; but a desire to compress this little work so as to bring it within the reach of all classes of emigrants, warns me to bring this subject to a close.

It is hoped enough has been said to show that any one may embark in the leading pursuits of the New Plymouth Settlement with every reasonable prospect of success; and sufficient data have been given to enable the intending emigrant to make a closer calculation for his own particular case.

Who should emigrate to New Plymouth--and what are the pursuits for the emigrant to engage in?--are questions which would seem to call for a few remarks.

Some of the rather monopolizing, but ingenious, advocates of the Canterbury Settlement are by no means

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studious to conceal their opinion that, although little farmers may become big ones in New Plymouth, yet that every other style of emigrant should come to them.

Canterbury says that it is not "High" Church, but "Broad" Church--is rather apt to affect Corinthian airs, and calls itself the Belgravia of Settlements--would clip sheep in kid gloves, and dine late in a stiff collar--and, whilst specially parading its attractions before the noble and high born, the creme de la creme class of emigrants, would also lay an embargo on the best of every other class.

Wellington, too, older, wiser, and practically colonial, is less ambitious, but still something of the monopolist. It swears by merchandize, and would possess itself of all merchant adventurers and men of trade.

It is not intended to deny that each of the New Zealand settlements has, more or less, some distinctive character--adapting it more or less to some particular class of emigrants--fitting it more or less for some particular occupation or pursuit: that Canterbury, at present, is no place for the Dissenter; that Wellington and Auckland are commercial; Nelson, New Plymouth, and Otago more pastoral and agricultural. But, from this, it certainly does not follow that no farmer should go to Auckland, no trader to Nelson, or New Plymouth.

In fact, a place that is agricultural must, to a certain extent, be commercial, although the converse of this would not be true. It is an axiom in commerce, that wherever there are "exports" ships will go and fetch them. A place which produces, and which has almost unlimited capacities of producing, at a cheap rate, such exports as fine flour, flax, fruits, honey, malt, beer, potatoes, onions, pork hams, bacon, lard, butter and eggs, wool, hides, tallow, ship-bread, cured provisions, bar steel, whale oil, barks, timber, hemp, rope, cordage, &c., will have a population, and will have ships to come and fetch the exports, and to bring back the necessary exchanges of groceries, clothing, English manufactured articles, &c. Hence spring trade, and the merchant's and storekeeper's occupation. Wherever there is a population there must be trade, and wherever there are exports there must be a population.

The great cardinal desideratum in fixing the "site"

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of a new settlement, should be the power of producing exports--almost all of which spring from the land--from the soil. "Land advantages," therefore, should be first considered; then those of sea and harbour.

It would be good for New Plymouth had it a harbour; but it is better without a harbour than it would be without good land. Having only a roadstead, the expense of sending away exports is increased; but, having a soil of such easy cultivation and extreme fertility, the expense of producing these exports is more than proportionately decreased.

Briefly to illustrate this, let us assume that one of the Australian settlements and New Plymouth are sending wheat, in the shape of flour, to some equi-distant market, say California--the cost of an acre of land, and the expense of cultivating it, being about the same in either place. The Australian farmer, having the advantage of a port, would perhaps get the produce of his acre carried to market for 6d. a-bushel less, and would also procure his tea and sugar for a trifle less; but the New Plymouth farmer, owing to the much greater fertility of his soil, would have 30 bushels to sell from his acre instead of 20, like the Australian farmer.

The cultivation of the soil, the production of flour, grain, and root crops, and the minor products of the farm--dairy farming, stock breeding, and sheep farming, all more or less combined, and on a scale of any magnitude, to suit the means and resources of the emigrant--will probably long continue to be the main pursuits of the New Plymouth settlement. But a glance at the following remarks will shew the emigrant that, if he be desirous to engage in other pursuits, there are plenty of good openings for the active employment of his capital, ingenuity, and labour.

First, there is the iron sand, or steel ore. A small sample of this sand sent to a Sydney foundry, was at first disregarded; as iron sand from some part of Australia, previously tested, had been found comparatively worthless. However, on trying the Taranaki sample, it yielded so great a per-centage of iron, of a quality equal to the best Swedish, that it at once attracted attention, and a larger quantity has since been forwarded to afford a conclusive

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trial. A sample was also sent to England and submitted to an analytical chemist, who made the following report upon it:--"No. 5 is magnetic iron-ore, in the form of fine sand from the sea-shore. It consists of the peroxide and protoxide of iron mixed, containing about 71 per cent. of iron. It is free from the admixture of other substances, and, if obtainable in large quantities, is likely to be in considerable demand, as it is the most valuable of iron-ores. The celebrated Swedish iron, in such high repute for the making of steel, is obtained from a mineral of precisely the same character." An imperial pint of the washed sand, when dry, weighs four pounds, and on applying a magnet it becomes quite incrusted.

For working the ore on a large scale in the settlement, and exporting bar iron and steel, coal would probably be necessary. Massacre Bay coal could he delivered here for about 20s. per ton, and coal is found at Manakau, forty miles distant. Indications of it have also lately been discovered in the Omata Block, whilst, from the abundance of hard timber, and the gradual clearing of forest land for the purposes of cultivation, charcoal of excellent quality could be obtained at a low price. It may also be remarked, that the cost of those expensive mining operations generally needed in raising the metallic ores would, in this case, be entirely saved; for two men could collect and prepare for the smelting furnace from 3 to 4 tons of ore per day.

This passing notice of the iron sand, or rather steel ore, appeared in the first edition, and attracted some attention.

Further samples of the sand have since been procured, and several further experiments have been made, all tending to establish the real intrinsic value of the article, Mr. Carrington, the ex-chief surveyor of the settlement, in conjunction with other gentlemen, is about to return to New Plymouth, mainly with the view of carrying out a project for at once working the ore. This gentleman's present address is 10, Henrietta Street, Covent Garden, London; and he would be happy to receive communications from any parties desirous of joining in the enterprise. The following communication, for which I have to thank a very intelligent practical metallurgist, who has conducted several careful experiments, will be found

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to throw much additional light on this interesting and important subject:--

NORTHAMPTON, July 1, 1849.

DEAR SIR,

Having been informed that you are about to publish a third edition of your excellent work on New Plymouth, I have great pleasure in contributing to it a short notice on the New Plymouth "iron sand." The iron sand on which I experimented was a remnant, about sixty pounds, of some brought from New Plymouth in 1844, by Mr. Carrington; who informs me that the sand covers the coast for many miles, and is found in such quantities as to be inexhaustible for many ages to come, even though worked on an extensive scale.

It is a well-known fact to the commercial men of this country, and especially to us who make iron, that we require no importations of iron from the antipodes to swell out the already over-burthened iron market of Great Britain. This is not, however, a question as to raw iron, but as to the production of steel--steel too of a quality admirably adapted to the requirements of the steel converters and hardware manufacturers of Sheffield, London, and Birmingham, who are dependent upon the steel-iron supplied from the furnaces of Russia, Sweden, and Germany.

The quantity imported into England from the north of Europe is about 22,000 tons annually; and this too at a price which the absolute dependence of this country on foreign markets could alone tolerate. These prices vary, according to the established excellence or inferiority of the steel-iron of different brands, from £20 to £40 per ton. The effect of this high price, for the raw material, has had a baneful influence upon the hardware trades of this country; and the cast-iron razors, "made to sell," have served considerably to cut down the high estimation in which British hardware was once deservedly held in foreign markets.

The iron sand, or what might, with more propriety, be called "the native steel of New Plymouth," contains all the chemical elements of steel, fully equal to the best brands of the north of Europe; and, while I frankly admit the seeming difficulties which beset my

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first attempts to smelt this refractory ore, the ease and certainty of my later experiments have amply repaid the perseverance devoted to them. In a small furnace now standing at the foot of our tall chimney, not iron only but cast malleable steel can be produced, and of the finest quality--its colour being of a silvery whiteness, and the fracture closely resembling that of refined steel, manufactured from the best marks of northern Europe. There is, it appears, an inexhaustible supply of this iron sand on the New Plymouth coast, and requiring no pit-sinking or excavation, but merely shovelling into carts and carting away, from the hard beach to the works. And, as along the coast there is a profuse supply of wood of heavy and close texture, well adapted for charcoal, nothing is left to desire but a moderate amount of capital and enterprise to develop the wealth of this extraordinary metalliferous deposit.

The real intrinsic value of this New Plymouth ore becomes more apparent in contrasting it with the ores from which all our best steel is made. In Norway, Sweden, and Russia, the iron ore exists in abundance, but mixed with so large a quantity of earthy matter, as to require considerable labour in cleansing, picking, and calcining it, preparatory for the furnace; besides which, the woods in these northern climes are so slow of growth as to require full 18 years for the re-production of fuel indispensable to the operations of the furnace. Hence the high price of the steel-iron so produced. The iron sand of New Plymouth has been analyzed by several chemists of high authority, and is found to contain 70 per cent. of steel-iron--the yield of our native ores averaging 30 to 35 per cent.

I shall be happy to furnish any of your readers, who may happen to take a particular interest in this subject, with any further information in my power. I can assure you that, if I possessed sufficient capital, and were free to follow my own desires, I should at once go out to New Plymouth, set up the necessary establishment for working the ore on a large scale, and commence the manufacture of the finest brands of bar steel.

Yours, truly,

JOHN STENSON.

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The "Phormium Tenax," or Flax Plant.

A person practically acquainted with the flax trade on coming to New Zealand, travelling through the Taranaki district, remarking the quantity and luxuriance of the plant, and testing the strength of the green leaf, would probably consider the feeble efforts hitherto made to invent that machinery which should render flax a "staple export" of the country, to be a reproach to the mechanical skill and enterprise of the age. The great consumption of hemp and flax in England renders them articles of national importance; and as the supply, drawn chiefly from the Baltic, might be so diminished by an European war, as to raise these necessaries to an exorbitant price, it appears to me that Government, or even the Canterbury Association, would be justified in sending out a kind of "flax commission" to New Zealand. The commission should consist of a scientific man, versed in botany and chemistry, one or two intelligent persons acquainted with the best modes of preparing flax, and two or three practical machinists, selected for their inventive ingenuity. It would determine whether the reported inferiority of the "Phormium Tenax" for manufacturing purposes has arisen from any imperfection natural to the plant, or from the rude, careless, and slovenly manner in which it has generally been prepared. The latter is by no means improbable. A Sydney merchant would station an agent, frequently an old whaler, sealer, or other roving spirit, on some part of the New Zealand coast, to collect flax by barter with the natives. Such agents being generally quite ignorant of the quality of flax, the natives would soon learn to swell the bulk, by still more imperfectly freeing the fibre from the fleshy part of the leaf; would use not the best of the numerous sorts, but that which might be nearest; and, to supply a demand, cut the leaves indiscriminately at all seasons. The very inferior article so obtained would generally be still further deteriorated by great carelessness in the packing and shipping.

From the disordered state of the country since its colonization, very little attention has been paid to any of its natural resources; but the excellent rope, cordage,

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sacks, &c., now made at Auckland and Wellington, of New Zealand flax, prove that the article, even in the first stage of its improvement, does possess some good, manufacturing qualities. There is a clever pamphlet on the New Zealand flax, by Dr. Murray of Stranraer, Scotland, printed on paper made from the very material, which should be consulted by any one desirous of full information as to the manufacturing qualities and properties of the Phormium tenax. Dr. Murray states that, in a period of 14 years, we paid Russia eleven millions sterling, for the hemp used at one only out of the four Royal rope-yards of the British navy! Mons. Labillar, a gentleman who has instituted many careful experiments on the comparative strength of various vegetable fibres, gives the following results:--

Agane Americana, - - 7

Flax, - - - 11 3/4

Hemp, - - - 16 3/4

Phormium Tenax, - - 23 7-10ths.

Silk, - - - 24

There are nearly a dozen varieties of the Phormium Tenax indigenous to New Zealand, but that most prized by the natives, the "Tihori," of which they make the finest kaitaka mats, is confined almost to the Taranaki district. And, in considering the practicability of cultivating and preparing this sort as a regular export, it should be borne in mind that, of all branches of industry, this would probably be the one in which "native labour" would be the easiest obtainable, and the most effective; for the natives already understand the cultivation of the plant. Moreover, it would be grown on bush land, in the clearing of which they excel Europeans. The beautiful specimens of the Phormium Tenax rope and cordage in the New Zealand department of the Great Exhibition manufactured in the colony, by Robinson of Auckland, have excited considerable attention; and as the Chevalier Claussen's process is likely to quadruple the demand for flax, it is not improbable that the attention of some long-headed capitalists in the city will now be drawn to the subject; and that a company may be formed, which will turn New Zealand's true mine of wealth, its plains of Phormium Tenax, to speedy and profitable account. The following excellent paper on the

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Phormium Tenax, is from the pen of an old New Zealand settler, thoroughly acquainted with the subject:--

"On the importance of the Native Flax, and its Manufacture in New Zealand."

Throughout New Zealand the Phormium Tenax, or native flax, grows indigenous and abundant. The plant is totally different from the European flax, both in appearance and texture. It grows separately, and throws out, from a soft root, similar to that of a cabbage, its leaves, which, commencing near the ground, spring upwards to an average height of five or six feet, and each plant occupies about two square yards of ground. These leaves contain the fibre, are fleshy, and flag shaped, of a beautiful bright green colour, with narrow dark edges, and about three inches in width. There are from forty to one hundred leaves to each plant, and these are constantly renewed when cut. The graceful and regular shape of them, and the healthy luxuriance of the plant, make it at all times a pleasing object to the botanist. The leaves are very strong and flexible, and contain about twenty-five per cent. of fibre; each leaf will give about three-quarters of an ounce, the whole plant five or six pounds weight, which, for its silk-like beauty, length of fibre, and strength, cannot be excelled.

The flax grows in almost every part of New Zealand, on tops and sides of hills, or beside woods; but the plant delights most in valleys that are moistened by the drainage of the surrounding hills. Many hundred acres are to be seen growing in favourable districts, and sometimes so thickly and high that it is with much difficulty a rider can get his horse through, while a foot passenger has to thread his way by parting the long leaves with his arms, making a sort of swimming motion, or by creeping under on hands and knees.

The natives, who use the flax for many purposes, both in its green state and dressed, know the various sorts and qualities, and some of the settlers have paid attention to it also, and frequent experiments have been made to dress it, but as yet none is so efficient as that used by the natives, and none have succeeded in producing it so cheaply.

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The best sorts of flax are known by the following native names:--First in quality is the Tihori: it grows in ground subject to the overflowing of a river, or mountain drainage, in its natural state; but when cultivated in good dry soil, the cultivation is done by transplanting, and is set in rows about three feet apart; the natives formerly had large plantations near their pahs or villages, and the fibre is much improved by cultivation, and easier to dress. It is, however, very excellent and abundant in its natural growth. The Tihori is of moderate height, and is known by the thickness of its leaf and a red tinge on the edges. Next in quality is the Atiraukawa; next the Kuhiora; fourth, the Parakoritawa, remarkable for its length and fineness of fibre, grows upon high land and tolerably dry soil, and much used by the natives for fine work; fifth, Tuao; and the sixth, Warariki. The two last are the largest, but least useful for dressing; they attain a great size, and grow by the banks of rivers or in swamps--are always indicative of good soil,--and are mostly used by the inhabitants as a substitute for rope, from the great length of the leaves. The fibre is neither so strong nor fine as the other four sorts, all of which are used for dressing, but the Tihori, or easy-skinned, is the best. Of its usefulness, and the purposes to which it is applied, both by natives and Europeans, I will now give a few examples:--

There is scarcely any part of New Zealand where there is or has been a sign of native population, but you will find the flax has been applied to useful purposes. Baskets, fishing-nets, mats, snares for birds, tethers for animals, ropes for canoes, and numerous other articles, meet the eye at every turn; while, on the other hand, civilized industry has succeeded in manufacturing the finest description of cambric, linen, duck, canvas, bagging, ropes, twines, and paper, from this very useful and indigenous plant. New Zealand flax.

The dressed flax, or the leaf divested of its fleshy substance, is used for all the purposes in New Zealand that hemp is in England, with these advantages, it is longer in fibre, of much greater strength, more white and silky in appearance, and when wrought into rope, fishing-line, sacking, or canvas, more durable.

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The mode of dressing the flax by the natives is the following:--After cutting as much as they intend dressing in a day, it is carried, bound into bundles of about twenty or thirty pounds weight, to the village or dwelling, and the leaves divided amongst the family, every member of which, understands the process of cleaning it. This is done by scraping or peeling off the vegetable from the fibre, with a mussel shell, broken at the edge to make it sharp for cutting if necessary. Before commencing to scrape the leaf, it has to be stripped of its outer edge, which is narrow, and, as I before said, nearly black; this is done between the nails of the forefinger and thumb,--the flax is most easily split into shreds in this manner. The bottom of the leaf is always cut off if any of the stem has been cut with it; the shell is then applied to the top end of the leaf, about eight or ten inches from the tip, and a slight incision made across the outside of the leaf; the shell is held in the right hand, and the opposite side of the leaf to that where the incision was made across is held lengthways over the shell, in the same manner as you would hold a narrow slip of paper over the edge of a knife for the purpose of curling it. Beginning at the incision, the flax is drawn sharply through down the leaf, and this process leaves the fibre bare, while the thick coating of vegetable matter that comes off is thrown aside as useless, although it is still strong enough to tie up small articles. The leaf is then reversed, and the top part taken off in the same manner. Each leaf yields from half an ounce to three-quarters of an ounce of fibre; what little vegetable adheres after scraping will rub off easily when dry. It is generally tied up into little bundles, and put into a running stream for the night; the following day it is well shaken, and hung on a scaffolding of small poles to dry; by this process the husk will easily come off. It should not be exposed to the sun or rain,--for the sun makes it too brittle, and the latter discolours it. It should be, therefore, hung under a rough cover; and three or four days is necessary in drying it; it is then fit for use, and may be twisted or woven into any article required.

Hundreds of tons of flax are growing wild in all parts of New Zealand, and might be procured for the

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English market, but want of capital to do the thing well has hitherto prevented its importation to any extent. Attempts have been made to dress the flax by machinery, and as yet with no good results, but it is to be hoped that shortly some skilful mechanic will succeed in overcoming the present difficulties; until this be done, it is more profitable to induce the natives to dress it their own way. All it wants to render it fine is to heckle it well, and already the most beautiful samples have been produced. Some objection has been raised to New Zealand flax, from the fibre containing a gummy substance, which, it has been said, renders it brittle. In practice this has not been fairly tried. However, a gentleman in Auckland has overcome this difficulty, and can produce the native-dressed flax entirely free from gum, at a trifling cost.

The prime cost of flax dressed varies from £12 to £14 a ton, in New Zealand, which, with the expense of shipping charges, freight, and risk, cannot be landed in England under £25, double the first cost. It is, therefore most desirable to import machinery to work it in New Zealand. Weaving looms, machinery for making rope, and paper-mills, are much wanted; and could persons be induced to join each other, and establish a firm which would combine the three manufactures, a moderate capital would suffice, and the certainty of it answering would enable those persons, in a few years, to enlarge their establishments, and eventually realize a fortune. There is sufficient flax to be procured from the natives for an establishment of this kind in each settlement.

Why I would urge manufacturing in the country is, that the expense of bringing such a bulky article as flax from New Zealand home is nearly equal to the first cost of material, besides risk, damage, &c., &c., and the manufactured article would, of course, when exported, be very much decreased in bulk, and not so liable to damage; there is no freight on refuse, which would be used for paper. Altogether then, it would be an immense saving and advantage over the present system of sending it home to be manufactured; and there is no practical reason why the flax should not be as well and cheaply manufactured in New Zealand as in England.

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There is no portion of the flax need be wasted; the finest sorts will make cambric and linen; the next drills, duck, and canvas; the next ropes and twines, bagging and sacking, woolpacks and bands for them; what otherwise would not pay for its freight home will make excellent paper, fine and coarse. All these articles have already been made, to a small extent certainly, but sufficient to show that they can be manufactured, and specimens may be seen in the British Museum, in proof of its value. Of ropes and twines many tons have been made both in New Zealand and at home; and lately I was introduced to a very intelligent gentleman, who has paid much attention to the manufacture of rope from New Zealand flax, and has produced some excellent specimens, by a late patent. He speaks in the highest praise of the flax, and is quite confident it must become a valuable article of commerce. This gentleman is a thorough practical man, and would join a weaving establishment--for the purpose of going out to manufacture the flax in the country--so impressed is he with its value. Specimens of his work may be seen at the New Zealand House, and are worthy the notice of parties interested.

The purposes to which power or hand looms might be profitably employed in New Zealand are various. The articles most in demand at present are duck, canvas, (fine and coarse), bagging, and packing, and, of course, the finer sorts of linen for domestic use. In rope-making--cables, ropes, lines, and twines; and wool-binding, and paper of all sorts--New Zealand flax would entirely supersede the use of European materials in all these articles, both in the colony and New Holland.

The demand for these manufactures is daily increasing in New Zealand, whilst in New Holland there is a ready market for upwards of £150,000 worth annually, which at present is supplied from home; the produce of foreign material manufactured in England, and the cost of which material is considerably greater than in New Zealand; consequently, New Holland could be supplied with all the above articles at a much cheaper rate from New Zealand than from home.

From my practical knowledge, preference is given to New Zealand wool sacks, corn sacks, and wool-bands:

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all that can be imported meet with a ready sale in the Sydney market; and the cry is, Why do you not send more? The reason is we have no looms. New Zealand rope also meets, when well manufactured, with an equally good market, and only wants to be more thoroughly known to be appreciated in many parts of Europe, more particularly in England, which is dependent on Russia wholly for a sufficient supply. There is no doubt but New Zealand is destined to supply the mother country with this important article, for the climate is admirably adapted to the growth of hemp as well as flax. In a few years the cultivation of the native flax will become general, if we can only import machinery and show what may be done. The greatest difficulty in introducing a new article into an old country, is the not being enabled to send into the market sufficient quantity to establish general interest, and the article is thus frequently thrown aside as useless, or, if its superiority is acknowledged, unattainable; this has been particularly the case with the native flax imported into England in its raw state, and is one of the very best reasons for manufacturing it in the country, whereby the use of it in New Zealand and the Australian colonies will make it better known at home.

The vast benefit that would arise from the manufacture of the flax in New Zealand I conceive to be the following:--The first and most important, in a political view, is, that the whole of the native population would find profitable employment in the culture and dressing the materia], and as they are naturally an intelligent and industrious race, they would soon settle themselves dawn to peaceable habits, and entirely absorb their love of rambling and warfare in the more desirable occupation of turning into use the natural production of their country. Show a Maori the means by which he may improve his condition and obtain money, and his gun rusts, his spears are thrown aside, his war speeches are forgotten. Home becomes more dear to him, and the white man his necessary friend; when once the New Zealander is freely engaged in commerce, we know by experience he is amongst the most exemplary in conforming to, and supporting, British laws and authority. The cultivation and dressing of flax is particularly suited to their

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habits, and is a pursuit which they understand and could be easily induced to follow. Military establishments would not be necessary, and peace and good feeling between the two races would be promoted.

It is impossible to say to what extent the public would be profited by the cultivation and manufacture of flax in New Zealand; it is evident that it must give profitable employment to thousands. Hundreds of thousands of acres of fertile and now unoccupied lands would be brought into cultivation easily, numerous settlements would spring up round the coasts, while the interior would be no longer a waste as now, but peopled and profitably employed, emigration increased, and general prosperity secured.

So impressed am I with the importance of manufacturing the native flax in the country, that I have no hesitation in recommending those who have the means to go out at once, and establish themselves in the manner before described; large capital and extensive works are not necessary to ensure success; all that is wanted is to do it well but economically. There is at present plenty of work for an establishment of this sort in each of the principal settlements in New Zealand; whoever is first will meet with the cordial support of the colonists, and it would only be from bad management that manufactures would fail to pay. To those concerned I shall be happy to forward such information as I possess, and beg to say my ideas on the subject are founded on the practical experience of upwards of nine years' residence in New Zealand.

F. G. MOORE.

30, Arundel Street, Strand.

Tobacco.

The tobacco plant grows luxuriantly on bush land; and there appears to be no reason why it should not eventually be raised for a crop, as in New South Wales. Its cultivation, like that of flax, would be a branch of industry well suited to the natives; and there is already a surprisingly large and increasing consumption of tobacco among both races. As, however, the duty levied on it (1s. per lb.) forms one of the principal items

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in the customs' revenue, the local Government might be disposed either to prohibit its cultivation or to excise it. The difficulty of the latter course in such a country as New Zealand is very obvious, especially among the native population. The wiser course would be to encourage its free cultivation and manufacture, and to meet the consequent deficiency in revenue by a higher rate of duty on spirits, and on articles of luxury which could not be produced in the country.

Hops.

About two acres of hops have been grown as an experiment. They answered remarkably well as to yield; but the sort introduced was one of inferior quality. With an apparently favourable soil and climate, this district, in other respects, is well suited to the growth of hops; for, from the undulating character of the country--its numerous wooded dells--the exact aspect and degree of shelter most congenial to any tender plant may be t obtained on almost every section. The native women and children would make capital hop-pickers, and poles are cheap and plentiful.

Brewing.

Brewing has hitherto been chiefly confined to the wants of the settlement. The climate is well adapted to both malting and brewing; the nights are always cool; and soft, pure water is everywhere abundant. Hops may be extensively grown; but, if not, they would be the only import necessary. With so many natural advantages, it is not improbable that malt liquors will eventually become a considerable export. In fact, Seacombe's ale has a considerable repute in the Northern Settlements.

Provision Trade.

This trade--the supplying of beef and pork for shipping--is destined to become a business of considerable importance in New Plymouth. Cattle thrive and multiply so fast in New Zealand, and are so freely imported from

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New South Wales, that in a few years they will be as cheap in the one country as in the other; and whilst the rich and succulent pasturage of New Zealand is favourable to the production of fine well-fed beef, its climate is far better than that of Australia for the curing process. The acquisition of portions of the district, south of the settlement, would open a track for cattle runs perhaps superior to any in either island, when the rapid increase of stock would naturally lead to the introduction of the curing business.

The pork trade, comprising the curing of hams and bacon, has been commenced on a small scale, and might at once be considerably extended. The natives rear great numbers of pigs, which are bought for about l 1/4d. per lb. Salt is imported for £4 per ton; and the forest produces abundance of wood well adapted for casks.

Some idea may be formed of the extent to which the provision trade might be carried in New Zealand, when we consider that, already, upwards of 40,000 tons of shipping annually enter its ports; and that, as a country possessing such natural advantages for the prosecution of the business, it will probably find a market in the large and rapidly increasing mercantile marine of Australia, and in the fleets of the Indian and China seas.

Whaling.

Shore whaling is carried on here by two parties with four boats, employing about thirty men. The season commences in June, when the black whale comes inshore to calve, and ends in October. The catch by one party in 1846 was five whales, yielding about forty tuns of oil and forty hundredweight of whalebone. Last season, as usual, several whales were seen; but, owing chiefly to the warm rivalry existing between the two parties, the fishery was unsuccessful. Two fine boats, constructed of white pine and Rata, have been built in the settlement; and the oil of this season's fishery will be shipped partly in casks of home manufacture, made from the "Mai," a wood which appears well suited to the purpose.

Tanning.

This business has been commenced on a small scale

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with considerable success, and a portion of the leather used is now manufactured in the settlement. The gentleman who introduced this branch of industry--Mr. Gledhill--states that the bark of the Rimu, a very common tree, possesses tanning qualities far superior to any of the Australian barks.

Fruit.

Nearly all the varieties common in England have been introduced; they grow luxuriantly and promise well, but are yet too young for full bearing. Some fine apples and gooseberries have been gathered, and strawberries and peaches are becoming plentiful. Near the banks of the Waiwakaiho, in a deserted native clearing, half hidden and smothered by the dense vegetation around, were formerly to be seen two large peach trees, the stem of one being three feet in circumference. They had sprung up from stones dropped or planted by the natives; and, although growing wild and quite neglected, bore a profusion of fine fruit.

The Cape gooseberry is almost a weed, springing up wherever seed is carried by the birds, and producing abundance of fruit nine months in the year. This plant appears too common to receive any cultivation; but it yields finer berries if partly chopped down or thinned every year. The Cape gooseberry is not a pleasant dessert fruit; although, from its remarkable juiciness and richness of flavour, it makes an agreeable wine or liqueur, and excellent jam and jelly.

The vine grows luxuriantly, and about four hundredweight of common white grape have been obtained from cuttings of four years' growth. This will not, however, be a wine district. In sheltered spots, with a little care, it may be easy to produce grapes of the early sorts; but the climate does not possess that steady continuance of heat necessary to ripen the fruit for wine. At the same time it should be remarked, that a few miles in the interior, away from the influence of sea-breezes, the climate is warmer than immediately on the coast; and there, such fruits as the fig, olive, loquat, orange, and lemon, would probably ripen, if planted in hot and sheltered situations.

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Timber.

A description of the various forest trees has already been given. The Rimu of the Taranaki district is said to be handsomer and freer to work than any in New Zealand; and this, together with the White Pine, will eventually form a most profitable back-freight export to Sydney and the Australian ports, where, for the most part, the woods are hard, heavy, brittle, and bad to work.

All the classes of emigrants described in the lecture (page 40), would now find the New Plymouth district a noble field for emigration, provided they came in the right spirit.

Gentlemen possessed of a few thousands, preferring a more leisure life, and not desirous of embarking in any active pursuit, might create a beautiful home on a little 50 acre estate, and derive a handsome income by safely investing a portion of their capital so as to return them 10 per cent. at least. 16

It is to be remembered, too, that not only does invested capital return such a handsome annual income; but that, owing to the difference in scale and status, the same income represents a much greater relative value in a colony than in an old country.

In the mere money balance, a man in England with a clear £500 a-year is just nobody; but a man in New Zealand with this income would just be himself and somebody else too. I sincerely believe it is no exaggeration to say that an income of a couple of hundred a-year in New Plymouth would give a family a better standing, a better position as to money matters, than a thousand a-year would in England.

Young men educated for some business or profession, but disappointed in their views, unsettled, and beginning to contemplate emigration, might well pack up a small outfit, take a twenty guinea passage to New Plymouth, and place themselves in the family of some respectable

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settler for a year or so; giving their services as an equivalent for their maintenance and instruction in the mode of farming and grazing, and in the general business of the settlement.

Young men of gentlemanly habits and correct conduct, willing to exert themselves and to do their best, would find no difficulty in making some arrangement of this kind. If, after such trial and probation, they liked the life, and determined to become bona fide settlers, their friends would have more confidence in supplying them with the necessary means; and, with a little money and the practical experience of a year's training, they might most safely undertake something on their own account. On the other hand, if they did not like the life, they might return. They would have tried the thing at an insignificant cost both of time and money, and would be more inclined to settle down, and to make the best of anything which might now offer at home.

The population of New Plymouth chiefly consists of independent proprietors, large and small, living on their own estates. The arable and dairy farms join each other, and fringing the boundaries of the town or rather village, surround it, in compact order, in a kind of semicircle. The homesteads are frequently planted on the small rivulets winding through the dells, with which the whole district is so closely studded; some of the houses so closely sheltered in the luxuriant shrubbery of these green nooks--where the tree ferns, fuschia, and honeysuckle bushes, attain their largest size--as to be quite hidden from the view of the mere passing visitor taking but a hasty glimpse of the settlement.

The population being chiefly a rural one, spread in compact order over the country, there will be found none of that pertinacious "sticking to town" and town taverns; none of that universality of shop-keeping and slop-selling pursuits, which is the bane of almost all young settlements in new colonies: a circumstance which may serve to explain the cause of that tone of society and good moral atmosphere so eulogised in the Bishop's charming letters, and in Mr Fox's official report. 17

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Owing to the number of good families who have settled in New Plymouth during the last year or so, in addition to those now on their way out and those going out, the state of society is becoming more satisfactory than when the Bishop described it, even five years ago; that is, as the population is fast increasing, there is necessarily more breadth, more contrast and variety in society; and families of capital, education, and refinement, now planting their "Penates" in the Garden of New Zealand, will, I think, admit that the people are worthy of the place.

I would conclude by giving emigrants of all classes one caution. Let them not judge New Plymouth or any new country merely on first impressions. Few Englishmen ever land in a young colony, whose first real feelings are not those of disappointment. Even where much of the country has been reclaimed, and arts and civilization have produced cities and their refinements, as in the Canadas and Australia, the English eye seeks in vain, either in town or country, for that air of finish, comfort, and substantiality found only in England. In a young settlement like this, where the land, however fertile, is still chiefly in a state of nature; its rich and luxuriant vegetation is at first suggestive of difficulties in reducing it to those neat corn-fields and trim-fenced meadows, which the emigrant may have laboured and rejoiced in at home. This is, perhaps, a natural feeling--here, happily, it is but a transient one.

Let the emigrant remember that, on landing, he will find a village, not a town; for here, unlike the other settlements, labour has been expended chiefly in the country; and that the land immediately around the village is perhaps the worst and most broken part of the district. Suppose it about harvest time, and let him then stroll among the farms; see the district around Omata and the Mongaraka; mark the beauty of the country; reflect on what a handful of people have accomplished under past difficulties; and he will gratefully acknowledge that his lot has fallen in "pleasant places."

Other countries may boast some particular excellence in a higher degree; but for a land in which are found combined a prolific soil of the easiest cultivation, beau-

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tiful scenery, and a climate at once delightful and invigorating, this part of New Zealand is probably unequalled. Let no one unacquainted with the district call this exaggeration. I have seen several parts of the world, but none so admirably adapted as this to the support of a large and prosperous agricultural population; and though I may be charged with enthusiasm, I would soberly venture to predict that the "Taranaki district," numbering its happy thousands, will eventually be known and celebrated as the finest part of perhaps the noblest islands in the world.

FINIS.

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