1851 - Burton, J. H. The Emigrant's Manual. New Zealand, Cape of Good Hope and Port Natal [NZ sections only] - The Otago Settlement, p 47-58

'Beyond the first ridge of down, which forms the southern horizon from the harbour, lies an undulating country, covered with grass. This is more or less good, according to position and aspect, and has been much deteriorated in places by extensive and repeated burnings, which impoverish the land. The worst of it, however, affords abundant food for sheep.

'The anise plant, so valuable as pasture for sheep and cattle, abounds over all the land we traversed. It is this plant that renders the plain of the Waimea, near Nelson, so propitious to the fattening of stock. I have never tasted such well-flavoured meat as that fattened on the natural pastures near Nelson. The plant is also found in abundance near Port Cooper, and in the Wairarapa Valley, near Port Nicholson. I have not seen it farther north, or in any district where fern abounds. Its chief property seems to be a warming tonic. As such, I believe some preparation of its seed is given in racing stables in England as a condition-ball. It arrives at its full growth during

the summer; but in many places during our journey I found it at this season of the year eighteen inches in length, and scarcely a square foot of ground without a root of it. In the uplands we found snow in some places knee-deep, and the ground frozen to the depth of an inch; but on our return these indications of a severe climate had disappeared before some days as warm as those of summer. The vicinity of snowy eminences is highly estimated by flock-owners, particularly where the downs are round-topped, and in long slopes; so that the gradual tricklings from the melting snows go to nourish the roots of the grasses. After traversing these downs for five miles from Otago, we overlooked the plain of the Taieri, which contains about 40,000 acres of land, and is intersected by the river of the same name, navigable for large boats twelve miles from the sea, which it reaches at about twenty-five miles from Otago. About two-thirds of the plain are now available. The remainder is subject to inundations, but may be reclaimed and rendered more valuable than the higher parts.' --(Colonel Wakefield, pp. 9, 10.)

'The tide having ebbed, we descended to the base of the cliffs, and walked along a natural pavement formed by the horizontal strata. We were not long in perceiving indications of coal in black streaks in the sandstone, and thin beds of richly bituminous shale; and we picked up several rounded pieces of pure coal cast up by the waves. But on turning a projected point, we found ourselves in face of a black wall or cliff, which upon examination turned out to be pure coal. In thickness, what we saw of it could not be less than 18 feet, while, as the pavement on which we stood was coal as well, extending out to meet the waves, it was impossible to say how much deeper it went. Mr Tuckett was of opinion that in quality it was very superior to the ordinary New Zealand coal; but in this opinion I could not agree with him, as it appeared to me to have the same conchoidal fracture and resinous lustre as the Massacre Bay coal, as well as that which I have seen from other districts in this country. What was rather remarkable, was its nearness to the surface. Above it lay a bed of about twenty feet of a conglomerate of small quartz pebbles, on the top of which the soil commenced. We were not able to estimate the horizontal extent of the bed. What we saw ranged only for a few hundred yards, disappearing in some small gullies, which at that point intersect the cliffs.' --(Munro, p. 119.)

'As we proceeded about the time of low-water along shore, I was gratified to observe very abundant large pieces of drift-coal of good quality, still no bed was visible in the face of the cliff. Farther on, the beach became again rocky, and quantities of coal were lodged between the rocks, and soon appeared in view a black cliff. I felt certain it must be a vast formation of coal, although Mr ------, at Waikauwaike, had declared that there was no other coal discovered along the coast but the insignificant appearance which I had examined at Matakaea. Approaching this cliff, I found it to be a mass of coal for about 100 yards' length, in thickness from 12 to 20 feet, as seen in the face of the cliff above the sand, and to what depth it exists

beneath the sand I could not ascertain: I should suppose, from appearance of coal, adjacent to the depth of low-water.

'The beach is not accessible on account of the heavy swell and great surf. The coal must therefore be worked inland, and the bed will be no doubt discovered near the bank of the Clutha (or Matou) River, which, in a direct line inland, is probably not more than four Or five miles distant.' --(Tuckett, pp. 41, 42.)

'The site of the Upper Town (Dunedin) proves to he extremely convenient in every respect: a great part of the suburban sections may be laid out immediately around it; there is an easy access from it to the rural districts, the walk to the Taieri at the present time not occupying more than two hours; and when the banks in the upper harbour are marked by a few stakes, vessels of 100 tons' burthen might, in two tides, be towed up with boats a-head to within a very short distance of it. Along the water-frontage there is a long flat, dry at low tide, which might be easily reclaimed; and on the opposite side of the bay, about half a mile across, there are 2 1/4 fathoms' water. Eighty suburban sections adjoining the town at Koputai have been laid out and staked, and there are about a hundred more ready to be staked on the line between the two towns. In marking both town and suburban allotments, I have adopted the system of using square-sawn stakes, with the numbers branded on them, so that a surveyor will not be required to go over the ground hereafter to shew the proprietors the boundaries of their properties.

'I have lately been examining the flat, which you perhaps remember, lying between the township and the sand-hills on the ocean shore, with the view of laying it out into suburban allotments. This land is covered mostly with high grass; and though in some parts there is surface-water to be found, yet it is not at all swampy, the drainage being only impeded by the exuberance of the vegetation, and which will, I believe, be entirely obviated by the lines which will be cut for the survey. The area I estimate at 2000 acres, or 200 allotments; the survey can be made very quickly, and will be commenced as soon as possible.

'On the west side of the town, separated from it by some grassy hills, lies the Kaikarai Valley, which will yield about 300 suburban sections. It is open land, with a rich alluvial soil, well adapted for agricultural purposes. Mr Charleton is now cutting lines for sections in wooded land on the side of the harbour opposite (east of) the town.'

'Letters have just arrived from this settlement of dates down to the 25th of April last. They announce the safe arrival of the Mary with immigrants. The settlers had then had twelve months' experience of the country; and their opinion of its climate, soil, capabilities, and resources, fully bear out all that has been said in regard to them. The summer had been splendid; and the second winter, on which they had then entered, so far as it was gone, had been characterised by weather remarkably fine and calm. We have been favoured with the following extract of a diary of the weather from 9th October 1848 to 17th April 1849:--

'From sixty to sixty-five bushels of wheat per acre, with oats, barley, and potatoes in proportion, were the yields of the soil. The lands being generally open, fencing and ploughing up with oxen was all that was required, whilst the luxuriance of the gardens and nursery-grounds exceeded expectation. Hawthorn seeds, for instance, gave a full braird within six weeks after sowing. Shepherds, ploughmen, and country labourers, were in proportion to the demand. Amongst the last were a few weavers from Scotland, who, in bad times at home, had been accustomed to work with the spade, and had proved the most useful and intelligent at similar work in the colony. One of them, with a large family to support, has built himself the most perfect and commodious cottage in the settlement, which is referred to as a model. The landowners were busily occupied in building houses, erecting stockyards, forming sheep-stations, and introducing stock. Many ships laden with sheep, cattle, horses, &c. had arrived from Australia. A channel into the harbour, of twenty-one feet at low-water, being five more than were supposed to exist, had been discovered. Dunedin, the capital, consisted of 130 houses, and the revenue for the quarter was nearly £5000.'

'Bush-land can be cleared for about £6--that is, the bush burnt off; of course the stumps are left to rot out. The breeding of cattle will pay best here, I believe, for some time; you may purchase them from £7 to £15, turn them out to the hills, and let them run summer and winter. Some people milk them, but others allow their calves to suck. They never cost a farthing for food, so that you would pay almost as much for a calf as a cow, and no one would kill a calf on any account. A squatter told me lately that he had sold a young bullock for £15, which never had cost him a halfpenny. The first thing that people do, or should do, is to provide themselves with some sort of house. Some are merely covered with grass; others built with clay; others weather-boarded; others, among which is my own, are made with trees, say 9 inches diameter, fixed upright in the ground, and then plastered over with clay; a brick chimney; and for slates we have shingles, or a sort of lath 1 foot long, 4 inches broad, 1/4 inch thick; and in these said houses, rude though they may appear, we are quite as comfortable as you are in No. 10 Duncan Street. As regards the climate, it is very temperate; we had the thermometer as low as 27 degrees several times last winter, and I have seen ice as thick as a penny; but it uniformly disappeared by nine A.M. We had a good deal of wet weather in May and June, which in fact constitutes our winter weather. The air is pure and bracing, of which we have ample evidence in the appearance of the settlers, notwithstanding all the exposures to which they have been subjected; and I think those who were once most bitter in their declamations are now to be heard the warmest in their praises of their adopted country. As for myself, I would not return to Scotland to live permanently: true, we have rough labour, but we can afford a day for recreation too; and where can there be finer sport than a pig-hunt!'

'I have now had eight months' experience of the colony, and from what I have seen myself and gleaned from others, I have little doubt but that it will yet be a very valuable country; but at present there are many drawbacks: first, we have few men of means amongst us who can afford to do much in the way of hiring labour; still, it is wonderful how few are for any time out of work, and those who are are generally of the unsteady class. It is a great bane to

this and the other colonies the great number of runaway sailors that are to be found generally spending every shilling in the taproom, and practising every vice. They leave their ships in the prospect of getting the high colonial rate of wages, but it is seldom of much use to them. I am happy to see that the labouring-men are making a beginning in cultivating their gardens: this is a beginning, and were they to join heartily, and lay their little stores together, they might soon be able to have their own ground.

'I have mentioned these things, that people may know the true condition of matters--as the fact is, that people coming here in general have not the least idea of what sort of country they are coming to, and have puffed themselves up with the most extravagant notions and ideas, till I believe the garden of Eden itself would scarcely have satisfied some of them; but in general, after they get a little settled, the steady portion find work, and get more into the way of the country, and more reconciled with their own condition. Another drawback at present is, that we are dependent upon other colonies for supplying us with provisions until we can raise our own. This is a most fearful drain upon our capital, which thus flies off at once, and we have nothing at present to draw it back again. Were facilities given to the labouring-men to cultivate the ground, this would soon be at an end, and I hope such a thing is not far distant.

'The want of roads is a serious evil, as the roads we have at present are merely formed out of the soil, and are more like canals of liquid mud and clay in winter than anything else; in fact, you cannot set a foot upon them at that season, but must make the best of your way along the edges or through the adjoining flax and fern; but in summer they are as good as they are bad in winter. The weather in this country is very changeable, and in the winter months very disagreeable--there being so much rain, which, with bad roads and bad houses, gives things a very dreary appearance; but there are many more working days than at home in winter, and the intervening days are often very mild and pleasant. I may mention that we had several severe falls of snow and sharp frosts, but such as you would merely laugh at in the north of Scotland. People coming here should provide themselves with the strongest and most durable clothing, especially laced boots, both for men and women, as dress-shoes and cloth-boots would be of little avail here. The summer months are very warm and pleasant, but the heat has not that oppressive feeling that is often felt in very warm days at home. For this reason a lighter clothing is necessary, and light canvas or duck trousers are the best, with a blue woollen shirt or duck overall; but the boots and shoes must always be strong. One thing is evident, that although the climate is very changeable, there can be no doubt but it is healthy; and I am told, and believe it to be a fact, that the climate is far better in many parts of the block than at Dunedin; and I know by experience, that where I stop it is much milder. The reason is, that there is no high ground

between it and the ocean towards the south, and to the east and north-east there is the harbour, and a large valley, so that it is exposed to a drought when the wind blows in any of these directions; and the south-west wind is the coldest wind here, answering to your north-east at home.'

'The settlement to comprise 144,600 acres of land, divided into 2400 properties, and each property to consist of sixty acres and a quarter, divided into three allotments--namely, a town allotment of a quarter of an acre, in a spot selected as the site of a town; a suburban allotment of ten acres, in the vicinity of a town site; and a rural allotment of fifty acres, be the measurements more or less.

'But each class of land to be sold separately, if so desired by the purchaser; and in case of such separate sale, the rural allotment to be reduced, if so desired, to twenty-five acres.

'The 2400 properties, or 144,600 acres, to be appropriated as follows: namely--

2000 properties, or 120,500 acres for sale to private individuals.

100 properties, or 6025 acres, for the estate to be purchased by the local municipal government.

100 properties, or 6025 acres, for the estate to be purchased by the trustees for religious and educational uses; and

200 properties, or 12,050 acres, for the estate to be purchased by the New Zealand Company.

'The price of the land for sale in the United Kingdom to be fixed for the present at 40s. an acre, or £120, 10s. a property, if the property be purchased entire, as defined above. But if purchased separately, the price of each class of land to be--Town land, £12, 10s. per allotment of a quarter acre; suburban land, £30 per allotment of ten acres; and rural land, £50 per allotment of twenty-five acres.

'The said prices to be charged on the estates of the municipal government of the trustees for religious and educational uses, and of the New Zealand Company, in the same manner as on the 2000 properties intended for sale to private individuals; and the purchase-money, amounting (at the rate of 40s. an acre) to £289,200, to be appropriated as follows--namely, emigration and supply of labour (three-eighths, 7s. 6d. in £1, or 37 1/2 per cent.), £108,450; civil uses, to be administered by the company--namely, surveys and other expenses of founding and maintaining the settlement, roads, bridges, and other improvements, including steam, if hereafter deemed expedient, and if the requisite funds be found available (two-eighths, 5s. in £1, or 25 per cent.), £72,300; religious and educational uses, to be administered by trustees (one-eighth, 2s. 6d. in £1, or 12 1/2 per cent.), £36,150; the New Zealand Company, on account of its capital and risk (two-eighths, 5s. in £1, or 25 per cent.), £72,300.

'It is to be observed that from the sum of £36,150, to be assigned to the trustees of religious and educational uses, will be defrayed £12,050, the price of the 100 properties, or 6025 acres to be purchased as the estate of that trust.

'In like manner, out of the sum of £72,300, to be assigned to the New Zealand Company, will be defrayed £24,100, the price of the 200 properties, or 12,050 acres to be purchased by the company as its estate.

'The purchase of the surface to include coal and all other minerals, but the company to have power to exclude lands containing, in considerable quantities, coal or other minerals, to be disposed of, by lease or otherwise, in such way as may be agreed on; with a view to prevent the coal-field from becoming a monopoly in the hands of private individuals, injurious to the public interests, and to insure to the community a due supply of fuel at the cheapest possible rate, and to enable lands containing other minerals to be disposed of in such way as may be considered most expedient.

'Reservations to be made, so far as may be practicable, of the sites of villages and towns, with suburban allotments adjacent, in the

parishes and hundreds, to be laid out in accordance with the government regulations.

'In laying out the chief town, Dunedin, due provision to be made for public purposes; as fortifications, public buildings, sites for places of public worship and instruction, baths, wharfs, quays, cemeteries, squares, a park, and other places for health and recreation.

'Five years from the 23d of November 1847--the date of the embarkation of the first party--to be allowed to the association for effecting the sale of the 2000 properties, or 120,500 acres to private individuals.

'In the event of the whole 2000 properties being sold to private individuals within the period, the association to have further the refusal, on such terms as shall then be agreed upon, of the entire remainder of the block of 400,000 acres, or such portion of the same as the company shall not have returned to the crown.

'Each allotment to be assigned to the person first making application for it at the appointed place in the settlement.

'Purchasers to be allowed to select out of the whole of the lands of each class which may be surveyed, laid out, and open to selection at the time in the settlement.

'The municipality, and the trustees for religious and educational uses, to be entitled to select their respective estates in the proportion of one property or allotment each for every twenty properties or allotments sold to private individuals; and the New Zealand Company in the proportion of two properties or allotments for every twenty so sold.

'The association (including the purchasers and colonists whom they have brought forward or approved) having prepared a deed of trust and relative institutes, dated 6th November 1847, as a constitution for church and schools, the same to be held as part of the terms of purchase; to trustees appointed thereunder, the funds for religious and educational uses to be handed over, as collected, on the completion of each party; the provisions of such deed of trust and relative institutes to be duly observed in all respects; and in this and all other matters, the association to have respect to the full exoneration of the company from responsibility at the earliest possible period.

'Purchasers desirous of recommending labourers to the association for free or assisted passages, to give to the association written notice of the desire to make such recommendation, with full particulars of the labourers recommended, six weeks before the sailing of the vessel in which the labourers, if approved, are proposed to be sent.

'Two-thirds of the amount of the emigration fund (or £30 on each entire property purchased) to be applied to the provision of a supply of labour in accordance with the government regulations; and the remainder (or £15 on each entire property), subject to the concurrence of the company, to the passages from the United Kingdom of persons who, under those regulations, are not strictly eligible--such as the parents of grown-up children; children under seven years of

age, in excess of the authorised number; and, to a limited extent, purchasers as detailed below.

'Chief cabin passengers, being purchasers, to be entitled, at any time within twelve months from the date of their respective purchases, to receive one-third of the emigration fund accruing thereon (or £15 on each entire property) as an allowance towards defraying the expense, actually and reasonably incurred, for the passages to the settlement of the said purchasers and their families, at the rates laid down by the New Zealand Company.

'Fore-cabin and steerage passengers, being purchasers with regard to whom the Otago Association may be satisfied that they intend to he hirers of labour in the colony, to be allowed, at any time within twelve months from the date of their respective purchases, the same sum as chief-cabin passengers; if to the satisfaction of the association not intending to be hirers of labour, but to be, in fact, labourers themselves, the whole emigration fund accruing on their purchases (or £45 on each entire property); provided in every case that the sum specified be actually and reasonably expended, as stated above.

'Passages to be reserved for purchasers, and for labourers recommended by them and approved by the association, in the ships chartered by the company, provided that application for such passages be made six weeks before the sailing of the ship in which the parties desire to proceed.

'Licences. --Licences for the pasturage of land in the Otago settlement, while such land continues unappropriated, and not required for any purpose other than pasturage, to be granted for periods not exceeding one year, nor less than six months.

'The persons qualified to hold such licences to be the owners of not less than twenty acres of suburban, or twenty-five acres of rural land in the settlement, under titles originally derived from the company; or, with the consent of such owners, their immediate lessees or tenants to the like extent; in the latter case, however, the owner not to be qualified to hold a pasturage-licence in respect of the same land as his tenant.

'Apportionment of Pasturage. --No licence to be granted within the boundaries of the settlement for any defined pasturage-run; but the extent or amount of pasturage to be enjoyed by each licensee, and the mode of using the same, whether in commonage, in runs, or otherwise, to be decided by wardens elected annually under the following arrangements: namely--

'A public advertisement to be issued by the company's principal agent, or other authorised officer, in the month of October in each year, calling a general meeting of the persons qualified to hold licences in the settlement, to be held on a specified day in the ensuing month, where three wardens are to be elected by a majority for the year ensuing. Persons to be entitled to votes in the following proportions: namely--

Suburban Land. Rural Land. Votes.

For 20 acres and under 40, or 25 acres and under 50--One.
... 40 ...... 80,... 50 ...... 100--Two.
... 80 ...... 120,... 100 ...... 150--Three.
... 120 ...... 160,... 150 ...... 200--Four.
... 160 ...... 200,... 200 ...... 250--Five.
... 200 acres and upwards, or 250 acres and upwards--Six.

'Applications to be delivered on or before the 15th days of the months of November and May respectively; and the licences to take effect respectively on the 1st of January and the 1st of July then next ensuing.

'The pasturage to be apportioned, the mode of using it to be decided, and the parties interested to be apprised accordingly, by the wardens, in the months of December and June for the half-years ensuing.

'New purchasers of land, being duly qualified, and making the requisite application, to be admitted to a proportionate privilege of pasturage at each half-yearly apportionment.

'On the issue of each licence, a fee to be paid of 10s. 6d.

'No licence to confer any right to the soil, or power of breaking up the same, or of subletting the pasturage apart from the land in respect of which the licence is issued, without consent of the other authorised officer.

'No allowance to be made to the holder of any licence for any improvements which he may think proper to effect.

'Disputes among licensees to be determined in such manner as the wardens may decide. Such decision to be conclusive against all parties interested.'