MONGONUI.

Auckland Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2406, 6 December 1877, Page 2

MONGONUI.

(From a Correspondent.) CHANCE "FOR A SHOEMAKER AND BLACKSMITH. ZH^ Mr. White, our R.M., who has lately undergone a very serious operation for glaucoma, under the celebrated Germpn occulist, at Auckland, is rapidly regaining; his sight, and there is every probability; of the operation turning: out a success. Our principal shoemaker has lately left here, and gone to reside on his farm in the Victoria Valley. A good opening consequently presents itself for another shoemaker here, Mr Edwards, our blacksmith, who lately resided at Oruru, died about six weeks since. There is now no blacksmith nearer than Whangaroa, twenty miles trom here. A steady, industrious blacksmith could not fail to do well hereNEW ZEALAND AND CANADA. This district has, during the last few years, considerably advanced in material prosperity, but want of roads has been great drawback. All our coast line is poor land, and until lately we had no passable main roads to the good land in the interior. I this morning had a conversation with a native of Hampshire, England, a working farmer, with several working sons. I regret that I was too busy to take down our conversation, but it was something like the following: "I was for 20 years a settler near New London, Canada. For 7 or 8 months in the year we were frozen up, and had to house all our cattle. All our operations had to be completed in 4 or 5 months, and we frequently lost our crops. I have been in the Victoria Valley 4or 5 years. I have 40 head of cattle, quite tame, and I don't know how many pigs. 1 have a good many acres down in crop, (I forget how many), and have some of the finest corn I ever saw, and have all sorts of vegetables that cannot be beaten., We have lately cleared 15 or 16 acres of bush, and hope soon to have a good road out to Ahipara, which will be of immense benefit to us. You ask me which I think preferable, this or Canada. I have no hesitation in stating that this is far the better of the two. Why, Sir, I have some of the finest land I ever saw," And with such a climate as this what can be better ? SHIPPING-WHALING. The brigantine Adonis is now lying here loading timber for Mr Wyles for Sydney. I am informed that the whaling parties along the coast have had great luck, so much so that they have not sufficient casks to stow their oil in, and have to fill canoes until they can procure casks. A large number of cattle have been sent to market from this district lately, over a thousand head within the last nine months. Shearing is finished, and generally the country is looking well.