Original Correspondence.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 671, 11 February 1864, Page 5

Original Correspondence.

THE WEST COAST. {To the Editor oj the Daily Times.)

Sir—Youv imputations of unworthy conduct against myself are of less importance than your ungenerous proceedings towards the explorer Oaples. As thesubjeob is one of permanent geographical interest to the public, I must again ask Jo be allowed to trespass on your colums. From the incoherence of your reply to my last letter, it is evident you have not understood from the beginning all the facts of the case, otherwise judging from the high tone that has hitherto characterised the articles in the '• Daily Times," you •would not have acted as you have done. Mr P. Q. Caples was not the obscure ignorant man you suppose, he was well known at the gold :flelds office as a man full of intelligence and British pluck, and also well known to my principal assistant, Mr M'Kerrow, who met him on this side of the Snowy Mountains, near the head of the Dart River, and between whom such kindnesses and good offices passed as generally take place between genial minds when engaged in the hardy and daring pursuits of exploring a mountainous and dangerous region. At that time "Mr Caplea gave Mr M'Kerrow a minute description of the West Coast and offered to conduct Mm to it. This Mr M'Kerrow's other work in hand would not permit. It was because of Mr M'Kerrow's good offices that the discoverer of the lake named it " M'Kerrow," hia right to do this his been proven to be undoubted. Now, Mr Caples at this time was exploring the country at his own expense, he set out for several months and tracked the gorges and snowy ranges unaided and alone. Further than this, unlike the explorers who concealed their discoveries and demanded public money to reveal the same, he liberally and •gratuitously in a most handsome manner tendered all his hard acquired Information to the Government. # This he did by means of a lucid report and minutely accurate map of the country—this map it has been proved was adopted into the official gold fields maps, and thence into the survey maps (as it appears in the latest publication), before Dr Hector's was Under these circumstances, could I blot out all record of Mr Caple's work and give Dr Hector all credir, 1 Even if I desired it, it had become impossible. We might have done Capl s the injustice to have wiped out hi 3 work from the maps in this Province, but evidence of our guilt would have ris^n up in London, at the Bank of New Zealand or Otago agency to which place a copy of the gold fields map containing Uaple's discoveries had been transmitted, and this also before Dr Hector had published hia own map ignoring Cuple's names and rights. I now leave thn public to judge between yourself and me; I leave br Hector (if he deems fit) to make ex.^ria'iood cf Ins own nct< m tin matt-r. He took up UU position wih the lull knowledge of Caple's discoveries, given to him 'to myself and Mr VinmntPyke. J' J I am, &c..' W. Thomson, Chief. Surveyor.

Survey Offic3,Bunedin, 10th February, 1864. [We do not quite understand whether Mr •imply their adoption without acknowledgment.

Mr Caples had not the facilities for accurate mipping, an'l it was utterly impossible that his sketch could be " minutely accurate." It is very hard on the public that Mr Thomson's seuse of duty makes him feel it, necessary to ignore an authoritative survey in favor of one which, however meritorious, could not be expected to have attained to the tame accuracy. We leave Mr Thomson to choose between the two dilemmas. Either Dr Hector's information has been used in a very shabby manner, or else Mr Thomson's delicate consideration for Mr Caples, has led him to deprive the public of tlv advantages of accurate and scientific information, and to emperil the reputation of the offida' maps No doubt Dr Hector is quite indiflerent to any acknowledgment, but he is not like'y to entrust his reports in future to the delicate consideration of an interpolator. But this is a part of the subject, from alluding: to which Mr Thomson wisely abstains.]— Ed. D. T.