A GOUP D'CEIL OF WANGANUI.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 72, 22 July 1843, Page 288

A GOUP D'CEIL OF WANGANUI.

-fjTheii following communication 'appeared -ori^tlally in ;the New Zealand C.olonist, &s a r letter to the editor. • 'It, has' since^be'eii revised "by" tKe author and forwarded to us : ' we a'ccprdingjy give it ,in its corrected state. : To the Editor of the New- Zealand Colohitt, Mr. Editor— Chatting-a' short time 'ago with-a visitor from the " Company's First' and Principal 'Settlemdut," he said,-"! had' no -conception 1 of the capabilities of this place ; the Port -Nicholson peo- . pie >kpow very-little about it,; and istill less those at Nelson and elsewhere." This is lamentable,' if .true,, avtd; indeed,. I have no reason to doubt it ; .",. our deserts-.h^Lve Jacked persuasion." . . ■. , .MetTunkV'tbis might be amended. You, have been .at W.anganiii. Tfou 'know something of, its cdhformation and fitness for a population — something of the position of our 'embryo borough. Pray, give ,us a. column of long primer, to expedite the force of ! 6ur merit. u Majua opus moveo". say you?— which I suppose means, in the vernacular, " I have other -fish'torfcy."- Well, if you won't laud us, let me do so. I will, jot down some of my oft-recurring thought, and' l do so the more readily, inasmuch as I consider .that you are,not quite in tune for advocacy. ■ You saw us in' our swaddling-clothes, -scarcely able to < crawly . sent hither unwarned, left to scramble as we best could through 'the meshes df M righrbf -^o'ssession — *' occupancy"' — ■" pre-emption."-^", jurisdiction," and so forth, and, still worse, .amidst the.unlicensed vagaries of an "' out-of-the-pale " society. -You visited us when the proposed town was 'a labyrinth of pig-tracks : you. were, perhaps jpstled by some antagonist of Father ' Matthew in his f acr6ss and athwart" 'career, or vexed by some sam-culotte shaking his toga " 'twixt the wind and your nobility." You saw a raupo hut here, and another' there, something like pig-sties in architectural pretension :your eac was pained by every hour's report of outrage on the swinish herd, and ■your soul was sick at the thought that it was preliminary .to your morning, noon, and evening banquet of chops and, potatoes. Is it not so ? Well, " noia htfons changi tout cela" We are fa"st progressing — we are becoming a well-ordered society. We haye the semblance of a town, — our Areopagus, to mend our morals, our schools, 'our .imports and , expofts, and* we hope soon to have a competent religious teacher ; then shall we need only the Company's reluctant largesse to moderate our " grumbling discontent." But suppose, Mr. Editor,,you. accompany me to. the Queers, Park — our Acropolis— and while we. pra^e of the whereabouts, (f( f the mountains 'and millions of acres," let your readers'learn/mark, ahd'inwardly compare ■with? 'other places " this cheerful, sunny spot," as JCotoiftl Wakefield calls it; in one of his despatches *o:the Broad Street Buildings Divan.- . • '

The Queen's Park/from its position in the very centre of the town, and its command «f ocean, tearth and -sky, .must be aiplace of frequent resort Its .broken, outline, when planted, and carpeted iwith -the sward which this genial climate must jffoduce, and tesselated with our many exquisitely .delicate wild flowers, is just the place fpr people to saunter on in their idle moods, to grow kind , of hefttt, and feel happy with this fair and blessed World: Let us stretch ourselves on this little Knoll, and while we inhale the invigorating sea breeze, ahdTeeHhe "tempered warmth of the meridian sun, "we" will take a glance at the picturesque. 1 It-btfs been somewhere said that " that which is picturesque to one conveys no corresponding sensation to the mind of another, who regards it merely in relation 'to its capacity for the -support of man and the business of life." In my small talk (1 though tinted with blue, there shall be no fancy .sketching. It shall be true to nature, — not seen through a hundred-acre lens, for alas ! Mr. -Ijiditor, my sections are " far awa." , . ' P^ay- .turn' your- regards seawards. Is, not that a. glorious view? See the curvature of the coast-^-those tWQ 'headlands — the well-defined horizon, and that bank of cloud hovering over the Middle Island — the crested billows, and hark ! the mnrimirof their dying fall. Look tit those fishing cano&i 1 , with their fragment of dtfck, the acquiremen't r of European intercourse, and ■between those hills "where the river debouches, a cutter-rigged Vessel, the " Katherine Johnstone " .probably, from Nelson, with her little cargo of notions. But for that- envious hill to the left, we phould. have an uninterrupted view of her ; progress up the entire r^ach. : Now veer round as if you were heading a " nor'-west coorse." , There is St. John's Wood, the boundary west of the tovnT^-our boulevards; farther on is Norwood'; and between both is a yery-pre'tiy.clell, rich J 'in ferns and lichens and rnoss6s, l andtiie'o'utletof Virginia. Water, one of our many inland' lake's. Now shift your helm a. little tp the; east of north". Ay, well may you exclaim" How very, very beautiful I" There is the WtingattjaV graceful in its 'windings] ample- in volume,' iaiid gentle in its course— the "scattered fbfedts- a j*tia 1 t amphitheatre of hills, with their table suntmits, and the wavy outline of those in the distance, -'^floating in a mist of .mantling blue"— tbfe gener/d verdure, of all, and, far . beyond, the srtOWrcapped; T6ng*riro. The view to-day of our is somewhat. dim: in some states Of th^ '^'pa'BpWf; & V*. beautifully distinct, and .at ju^et, with a . golden . radiance,' aa'ff its canopy fit cjouds edged with crimson and gold, fhe scene> v the.y.efy ( ' spirit of beauty.. Wheti the plains ion bbth'siaei''dftne river.have " a r gar.niture of wayinV gif&ss 1 and.' graip,". and the 1 hills W«S mantled' aiidthe lair 'filled pith the , fragrance of the spreading vlnefthealmoal certain result of a few- future -fern, wftO^WdUld 1 desire to dwell id " fail" and fervid, ' bat . loose and languid Italy "I Now look beneath you. at the town, facing eastj unhappily calied P4t»t. ..,'.'. •> '„. , , _ ". A mm* up^niuical to many^euf,, _, . . .._ AhjilitMh', jpiyhs^, to thine." ' . ' . It begins. ip.look like ,8, i',rw id urbe',' place. If is judiciously, planned ; tint; if' It wfire J nau*''ihe' size, it wonjd Setter suit bur means ami appliances. TrnVfenced-iti^br^ms are quarter^a'cre aUdtinents; each'wjth its'hdnse* tf and appurtenances ttier^eantd baoriging,"'a!f tfee'legal phrase hath' it, ' and li»fe plot of garden : iome of the houses have- claims to ymuP.tfodhaendatiOn. See what an ample, liter frontage, sixty feet. wide ! and its . regular itpe-.of fen*»r*ajrfe}baolute< hippodrome. How I long to seb^qarafc'ftrqiiftyilike bustle^ .and' lh», .hissing of

steam pipeß ! That long street parallel to it is Ridgway Street,- already beginning to have its frontages :— -these, and a. few of the ' diverging streets, have been partially opened and I 'levelled, ■that short-sighted people! like him ye wot of,"may not! be 'obliged everlastingly, to -take heed to their 'steps. , Yonder hill, is Cook's Gardens, another, of pur places of unbending and recreation ; and, at its base, the' Post Office ; the solid slab building,' with 1 the peaked roof and chevaux-de-frise 1 dutworks, is the Gaol; that segregate house on' the river frontage is the Court House ; and these .are the only o^itftaf buildings. 1 As a sample of statistics, we have- two licensed houses 1 ;- one store — but in fact every house is more or less :a store, in so' far as. each settler has his liitie" stock, which he willingly barters with his.-neighbaurs partisans of various- kinds, ,wh*, as the preacher saith, trust to their hands,, and each is wise in his" own work ; three .physicians: by diploma, but -agriculturists in practice, who Would doubtless exercise "their profession on an, emergency, but hitherto sickness,; disease.and death >haveinot visited -us< } Somehow' or other, .the wheels of , life rua-on the doctor's , aid;.. tfonie casualties by drowning have occurred; but no chronic -disorganization. If I say the wind " sweeps the blue steajns of : pestilence away," do not imagine that we are in such a vortex as Wellington, where they levy, a deodand on boats that are blown, oufi of the water, (your Coroner will tell you this, is a fact), nor i& it-quite soibad as on the west coasts idf" Ireland, .where- » netting and stones!are r needed W keep the< /thatch c on — nevertheless,, cthere aile) violent .but transient gales; knowing this, we'nJeed only take thought ere they disturb ortir:equanimity. As a'cowrilary to this subject, I- may. mention that now and r then there is un tr&nbtenient'de terre. (I , hate the English word^itrgives such' horrid ideas of *' gaping voids," of " fiery shapes' and burning cressets "), We hear the grumbling, and feel the.- vibration, but our chimney stacks' are not rent, nor, is f our modicum of wine spilled ; we chat cheerfully about it as a phenomenon referrable to known, causes, without apprehending more evil than from that " spectre of the skies," the comet.

I have been 'rambling along without regarding that stumbling-block, the native claims. After Mr.' Commissioner Spain's visit, my hopes of a speedy arrangement of this vexed question are sanguine. With, I believe, two exceptions, the chiefs are quit* willing to part with the {and for a con-si-de-ra-ti-on, as the Dominie said. The reluctant chiefs do not materially interfere with the selected lands ; besides, Mr. Clarke, their Protector, thinks they will be likely to yield with the majority, after a bit of a bounce. The question is now between the Commissioner, the Protector, and the Company's Agent, and'withoufantidipating'ahy difficulties between these : plenipoteatiarJes," we may consider the matter as on the eve of adjustment. This subject at rest, our next important look-out is the attainment of a Port of Entry;' I understand the matter has been"plSee"d TJeTfrre th"c' "Government in such a position as leads me tb hope that eie long the boon will bie granted. • The«o-much--dtfe|ded bar at the river's mouth vanished before the enerap, of Captain Matthiesotn, and though the «hannen« narrow, it was thus proved/deep enough, for a vessel of 200 tons, so that if only needs. a few buoys to render the entrance more easily attainable than some vaunted ports -in New Zealand. "..That little happy-go-lucky cutter, the " Katheriney tfuistone," hju, during the last twelve months, entered some sixteen or eighteen, times— ;at Tiigh and low water, by night and day, with every wind "but a gate from the north. The river aflfordsyast 'facilities for trade and intercourse,' from its -lengthened course, antl the numerous tribes of natives whicb/pSorple the banks: No regular soundings' have been taken, but, from appearances, it is navigable beyond the limits of the- block for vessels drawing ten or twelve - feet water. From its frequent' bends, and the configuration of the hills, the winds are very perplexing ; a broad flat-bottomed steamer, such as may be seen on the many rivers which fall into the Ohio and Mississippi, would be an incalculable advantage; it would lay open the, whole upper country, and 'tend more to a union of mind and interest, to conciliate and civilize the natives, than decades of missionary labours. Wood is so abundant that its maintenance could not be very great. I know that in America such small steamers only ply when the rivers We full ( and yet pay, whereas here a steamer may run every week, in the year: There is but little difference in the -perpendicular height of the river throughout .the year; what it loses in summer by evaporation and absorption during its long course, is supplied by the dissolving snows of- the distant hills ; the .current is gentle and easily stemmed ; after heavy rains, there is a freshet, but it does not rise to the level of the banks, as, just above the block, the bed of the river enlarges; and. it flows with' a diminished current. These freshets Bring down immense quantities of wood (by the way, Colonel Wakefield, of these satoe despatches, sajys,,. that ; it only bring* down pumice !) andpfenfy of ooze td fertilize the' low grounds' ; ' .nevertheless shags ' af e ifew, aritf chiefty in-shrjre,- rarely in 'mid-cnahneL. : -

The* aim of settlers here ought to be agriculture : our plains, and undulating hills, and uplands, and the adaptation' of the soil ' to the purposes of husbandry/ are -boundless means fa this end. ~ Stock may be' kept to-toy extent } "the indigenous vegetable -products; and the luxuriance of their growth, give us beef.and mixttoa uich. a» would not suffer in comparisoa with the high-fed and carefully«BtaUe.d cattle :.pf. .other coimtgjea, Profiatunt est X as, the Copk'f-oracle with*. Yoftfook doubtingly aft those buljrusbe* qnd jtqyreting flar, on the. low. grounds. . I aimit.that, they look swampy^ but you them ; it is hut surface. wetl , T ftave'se'ea none of the fiats that a ditch pf afevr feet d^ep would not thoroughly drain." : Cfeiieisuy sneaking, their up- : per surface Is a mass of decayed, ;vesv#able' matter, and under this a sftaftrm 'of day", thoagh which the water cannot percolate. 'Being' oper> "to the dcV add air, they i|iiick>f dry, and dtt' liot generate miasma, however -adfnuatfc they may 'be as fostering places for mosquitoes. In summer you may walk over them without wetting your feet;.' .- '• '<•■-

Our mineral' treasure* can .tk yet only be gneissed at ' There most be the usual .volcanic produtets; Ijot watets are in- tbe neighbourhood of Tsmg&riKr, wiieH, 4h6ugfc probably an <Sxtinct voieftno, uia> dkative of inflammatory; eolith, £>iQce»Qf qojd,«ad pf uqditooe, are sometin^ met -w^ibnt .they cannot be referred ta/anyc knpspq loiaUtjN, '- 'die

sluggish streairls are turbid, with a reddish floculent matter, and they have, as Sam Weller says, " a wery strong flavour o' warm fla^t irons," I don't give it as a source of commercial wealth, but a tincture of galls added to this water gives a very readable ink. ' If. SinbacFs magnetic island "Was near us, the sandhills south of, the town would be reduced at least one^ird, so great is the proportion of iron particles. ' The natives 'use a blue and a red pjgment as an Outward hide'ousness, but which we shall, doubtless find to be a means of 'detoratioh 'When' We 'become ou and' colourmen. Excellent lainellar.buUding stone may be obtained from up the river,, but J; do not inpw the precise locality. It appears herein one chimney, built by tbe lstecattchist, Mr. Matthews. In the present absence of thi«/ we have a, never-failing resource in dur clay formation ; it is admirably adapted for bricks: -as yet, Our only 'attempts at bricklaying are chimney shnfts; our modellerin clay was neither very apt nor yery temperate, and the business <of course gave him' up. 'A good,' steady workman would *oon begirt to net his gains. •' • ••■ -•' -i ; When the land question is at Test, -we shall; need capitalists and labour. We have, the elements of a useful conlmunity, but' the fofce,d' inactivity of tHe past three ye^rs-'has prevented usffdm attaining an encouraging ■ stability. For the moneyed man there is an imttteasureable field* and for labour we must demand- from the Cdmparijr.the fulfilment of their engagement, that it. should be in proportion to capital; Will' it be believed that, to this hour* not o, .single' immigrant has .been sent ; to Wanganui?,. The holders of. upwards of 25,000 acres paid their proportion of an emigrant fund, and of course are claimants to that amount. Hitherto the want has not been Extensively "Felt ; we could occasionally obtain some sinewy fellows, but only at an exorbitant rate. The wages of working men on the survey was fixed at fifty pounds a, year and rations— hear this you miserable cottiers of the United kingdom, who .labour for twelve hours in. the day for a pittance of six, or eight, or tenpence ! — and this became the market' price. Settlers, who'must haye 'had help " will ye nil ye,'' w,ere obliged to pay this sum, and soon their labourers retired from service and became freeholders. Other settlers of small means- and gentle birth, not having a Gibeoniti«h nation to task> were compelled to be their own " hewers of wood and drawers of water," and there had not even hope to refresh their labours — their anticipated possessions was a dream — the assurances of Mr. John Ward, mockery — and they ' sift 'daily disappearing, the conveniences and corJlGrts' which months of anxious thought and aka&st ■ -griping economy enabled them- to accumulate for future years. .; Mr. Editor' — I began this letter half-jestingly, but, I closest in sad seriousness. We have been crdfelly "and 'shamefully neglected, our' just rights have been withheld, and our remonstrances'disregarded. A heavy responsibility attaches to. tbe JSTew Zealand Company, and assuredly it will be I demanded. I know not and care not through what agency this Company waV misled, but to 4 them we ' musVlook for redress 1 . "We trusted in their'judgment add integrity, we believed their 'confident assertions — 'and they must recompense us. „K.

t ExcsLLBNT - Good Sensk respecting III-TRBATJItENT.r-Without^ "knowing" particulars, I take 'upon me to assure all' persons who' think they nave received indignities or injurious treatment, that they may depe*lnpon it, as a matter certain,. -that .the oJOfencejisMßOt-so great as they themselves imagine. We a|pin such a. peculiar situation, with respect to injuries done to oiirthat We can scafceany more 'see them, as they,- really arej than our eye can see itself. J\ If we could place ourselves at a due distance (that if, be really unprejudiced), we snould : frequently.discerri that to be in reality inadvertence arid mistake in - our enemy, which we now fancy we see to be malice or scorn. From this proper point. of view we should likewise, in all probability, see. son<e r thjng of these latter in ourselves, and most certainly a great deal of the former. Thus the indignity or injury would almost infinitely lessen, tad' perhaps at last come out to be nothing at all. Self-love is a medium of a peculiar kind; in these cases,' }t magnifies every thing which is amiss in others, at the same time that it lessens, every thing that is amiss in ourselves. — -Dr. Butler' a Sermons

tin the ForgiveniMS.of Injitriet. '< ' * Enjoyment and Hops.— l cannot help remarking a Very- singular contrast between you and me. Sated with glory, and undeceived with regard to the inanity of wordly grandeur, you live at freedom in the midst of plenty ; certain of immortality, you peaceably philosophize on the nature of "the sou!;' and if the body or the heart is indisposed^ you: have Tronchin for your .physician and friend: yet with' all this you, find nothing but evil on the face, of the earth. I, on the .other hand, obscure, indigent, ' tormented with an .incurable disorder, nie'ditate'with pleasure in my solitude, find fiqa everything to be good: Whence- arise 'therie apparent oontradicfions?. . You haye' yourself plained them : you live in . a state t>f enjoyment ,\ I in a state of hope; and hope gives charms .to everything.^ — RdUtiiau to Vdttaire. - ''' ' Jl " ' " To he capabl^of steady friendship or lasting love, are ftie'twb'greatestprdofsi hot only" of goodnbss of heart, but strength *df mind. — Hazlitt. ■