TARANAKI.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 4164, 23 June 1875, Page 3

TARANAKI.

(fhom onrt own corresi'on'dest. ) ]S'i:\v Plymocth, June 14fch. Mr Cheal and the survey party that were sent over by the Provincial Government to prospect for a line of i oail oetween this and the Mokau, have returned without accomplishing completely the desired object. The return was expedited through running short of provisions ; yet, so far as they went, it is satisfactory to kuow that there is no very serious iinpc-dinient to the making of the "proposed lii.c of railway. From a report of Mr Cheal, which was laid on the table of the Council t > day, I gather that, he stirt-d the live ab.mt three chains from the Patea river (north sidt.-), bearing 75 degrees magnetic, and continued running some 12 miles, crossing two large tii bntaries of the Patea riv>-r, th« T.iko, and Maiuiri—the latter running; up a broad flat valley, a miie wide, with high liud on each side. On renc'iing.ipoint where the riverturuT-d to the nirth-east, the party crosses! it, and struck another river called the MangaoUiku, which was followed to its source, aud which ran through fine valleys, with clearings in them. The clearings Mr Cheal estimates at about GOOO acres. The distance along this river was about eight miles, and at its source the party c.une upon a watershed with a low saddle, over which they descended by a gentle decline iuto a line valley, in which was a tributary of the Wang.inni Paver. Following this to its source, they next came on a valley running apparently in a northerly direction, but soon found it led to a rough country. Here the party met with great difficulties, having to creep along sandstone cliffs, and to wade across pools of water waist deep. After proceeding along for some distance, the party struck t!uWait ra River, which, as it went in a north>rly or north-westerly direction, they followed up for about ten mile s, and then left it and aseendel a high ridge. This was kept to till they atriu-k the junction of two creeks, which, after following up for a short distsnee, brought the party again into rough country. Provisions running short, the weather beine most inclement, the party determined to rrake for the coast. Fer ten d iys, I leirn, they had to subsist upon two rneais a day, consisting of broken biscuits and butter, and the last five days their diet was half a pannikin of biscuit dust, mixed with pepper and salt, and made into a sort of porridge with hot tea. The river they followed was thought to be the Tongaporutu, but proved to be the Mirui river. With regard to the nature of the soil, Mr Cheal says the first ten miles is light and friable, more suitable for grass than ploughing. Near the Makuri river the soil changes, and instead of clear water and boulders, the river has a sanely bottom with banks of a mixture of sand and clay. The timber varied during the route. For the first twenty miles little change was noticed except the increase of rium (red pine). About thirty miles in they j-.oHced some fine tr.tara trees, which wer« nho nriM«cd through the rest of thtir j uiruey. Mr (.lioil repo;ts an absence of minerals of every description. They

foiiud in some places quartz with mica j in fact, mica is to be seen in every creek, however small.' To summarise the wholo report, he states that the first GO miles is undoubtedly a good line for a railway. Starting from the Pntea Uiver at the Mountain road, it would run nearly due east for four miles, and from thence up the Makuri lliver to its source, then over a watershed into a tributary of the Waugsnui Itiver; again over a watershed into the Waitara Uiver, which, if followed, he thinks, would lead to the Mokau. He concludes by saying he is fully ta'.isiied that', there are no great difficulties hi the way of a line being.taken along the route. And so the matter rests Whether we shall see the line by thi3 route it is hard to say, but I have no doubt the mattfr will be decided in the House next session. Our Emigration Agent in England—Mr Ruitin—has written a letter to the authorities here, and appears to be hard at work securing agricultural labourers for this Province. He announces that he has secured over 400 for this place, who are now on their way, but owing to the applications coming in in large numbers, another ship has to be laid on, with an additional two or three hundred souls. Mr Burton is in Lincolnshire, ,-md he states that he believes that during the summer he will be able to forward a goodly number of sterling men, like some of the best of our early settlers. Now we are getting lan 1 opened, it will be v«-.ry neces .=ary we should get population to settle on it, which this influx of immigrants will greatly assist in doing. Colonel Tumble, a gentleman who held a gofid (.osition in Liverpool, and a recent arrival, has determined upon settling in this Province. He was in communication with Mr Burton, in England, aud on his recommendation visited this place, the result has been that he has decided upon stop ping here. There was some difficulty about letting him have sufficient land, because our Waste Lands Act very distinctly states that "no allotment ottered for sj,le shall be more than 300 acres ;" but whit Act cann"t be got outside nf ? so the 2000 a<-res of land for Colonel Trimble is to be sold to him under the sp< cial settlement clause. Even if this could not be done, the Government could have evaded the Act by purchasing it itself, and then making it over afterwards. It is astonishing how soon away is found to evade our laws, notwithstanding the stringency with which tiny are drawn up. In this ins'ance it is a good job the Act can be evaded, because, to lose such a valuable addition to our settlement as Colonel Trimble would have been a calamity. j The land in the Moa block is being | quickly taken up, and great enquiries are being made respecting that which will be sold in the course of a fortnight. The land is good, and is thi-refore eagerly sought after. The township of Inglewool is extending in s;ze. There is now a public house, besides several good sized buildings there. A school' house is being erected, and a schoolmaster has been appointed, who will commence his dutif s as so >n as the building is completed. Tli" township lias sprang into existence with all the quickness that is noticeable on a goldfield, and town sections are bought up as scon as t'nt-y arc ofVcred for sale. Several who have purchased I iml are busy clearing, so as to be ready for burning and laying down in grass, and in less than three yeais mrae very comfortable homesteads will be seen dotted over the block. The Provincial Council opened today for the put pose of finishing a session which was commenced at the beginning of the year, but it being harvest time, it was agreed that, i after doing the Government business, it ' should be adjourned till called together by the Speaker. From the statement made today by the Provincial Secretary, the Government have very little business to bring forward ; so if the members themselves do not find subjects for discussion, the Council may be expected to be ad j. turned in a few days. The members of the Harbour Board have been appointed, so there is now no longer a necessity for delay in not calling the Board together. The gentlemen appointed are all such as have considerable interest in the place, and will leave nothing unturned to get a commencement made of the harbour. With such land as we have in this Province, and a harbour to ship the produce from, there can be little doubt but that "Poor little T.aranaki " will, some of these days, become a place of importance. Whether it will be before the present century terminates I should not like to prophecy. We have so often been going to make a start - and not done it—that most of the old identities are beginning to lose faith in the place, and as t)'"v see so many of the early settlers dying off, they think that the same will be their fate before the harbour is accomplished.