CANTERBURY.

Otago Witness, Issue 38, 7 February 1852, Page 3

CANTERBURY.

| We notice by the "Lyttelton Times," that j the " Fatima" had arrived at that port on the i 27th December, with upwards of 100 passeni gers, having sailed from England on the 12th , September direct for Canterbury. Public meetings of the inhabitants had been held at Christchurch on Thursday the Ist of January, and at Lyttelton on Friday the 2d, for the purpose of deciding upon the question of an easier communication between the Port Town of the settlement and the agricultural and pastoral districts, the report of the Committee appointed for that purpose having been before the public for some time. Some disoussion took place as to the most advantageous route from Lyttelton to Christchureh — some one having suggested the road over the Raupaki spur, instead of that by the Sumner, as being less expensive : but several objections were raised against the Raupald road, and that on good grounds — both from its great height, and the length of time a horse would have the stress on the collar, and the many sharp and dangerous turns in such a road ; it being 1100 feet instead of 640, and the ascent and descent being each 4^ miles instead of 2~. Several speakers having given their opinion in favour ! of the Sumner road, and as £6000 had already

3 been laid out in commencing it, it was resolved - that the Sumner route should be adopted. A - sum of £32,000 (if we are informed right) is to be t borrowed for road-making, &c, and which is >• proposed to be charged upon the general revet nues of the settlement. A committee have also - been appointed to communicate with His Ext cellency, with the view of ascertaining whether , such a loan can be effected ; as also two of a r deputation to wait upon His Excecllency for P the same purpose. In answer to the Memorial of the settlers, i praying for the erection of Canterbury into a > separate Province, .which was forwarded to His . Excellency some time ago, a letter has lately , been received, in which His Excellency pro- • mises to grant the memorialists their request, s if the power of so doing is left in his hands by the royal instructions from home. : A spirited sailing match took place in the > harbour on New Year's Day between some of . the small vessels chiefly engaged in the Sumner . trade. The match, which was hastily got up i by the exertions of a few of the settlers, was . for two prizes of £7 and £3 10s. respectively. The following vessels started : — Cutters " Kaf therine Ann and Fisherman ; schooners "Wave, • Flirt, Elizabeth. William Horina, General Pal- , mer. and Diana; sailing from opposite the town, round the ships Cornwall and Fatima. retracing their course round a craft mooivd off the town, again circumnavigating the ships-, f and back to the Jetty. The coming in was full of excitement : Ihree vessels, the Katherinc > Ann, Flirt, and Wave bgLpg nearly abreast of each other. The Umpirs;.. awarded the first ' ' prize to the Katherine Ann — lie!!, master ; | and the second to the "Wave — M. Crockett. j Coal. — Abed of coal has been discovered j • upon Mr. 3)eans'^ Sheep Farm, about 40 miles ! from Christchurch, which promises to repay the trouble of working; the disco\ery of which, from the great want of wood on the plains, is ' considered to be invaluable.

Akaroa. — (From our Correspondent.) — There is one part of the Canterbury settlement well known by name to our colonists, but as yet visited by few of them ; we mean Akaroa. Founded and fostered by the Nanto Bordelaise Company, this place is a striking proof of French deficiency in the qualifications necessary for colonists. Brought from France at the cost of the Company, supplied with provisions for fifteen months, presented with four acres of land each, on the single condition of clearing it in a given time, some of the settlers have not yet, after the lapse of so many years, completed the cultivation of the small plot. Latterly the neighbouring market offered by Lytjtelton has aroused some little energy amongst them. Their gardens are beginning to prove that the extraordinary tales told us in England about the productiveness of the New Zealand soil were sober realities. Sight only could convince us that peach trees year after year would bear some hundred dozens of fruit. Of the excellence of the potatoes, lettuces, asparagus, peas, cherries, iS:c., we have had the best of all proofs — taste and experience. The harbour of Akaroa is the best in New Zealand. Formerly it could boast of the presence at one time of several French Men-of-War, and seven or eight Whalers. Now it is a rare thing to see more than two small vessels at anchor. Had Captain Thomas been assured of the possession of the Peninsula by the Association, he would have made it the port, and then how different its appearance. Eight I land pnrchns'.M-s have fixed their residence in Akaroa or it* neighbourhood. These gentlemen ;\re preparing, assisted by the old settlers, to build a small church and school. They are I also petitioning the chief agent to afford them \ a shorter and c^ier bridle path to Port Vici tor a. When this shall have been cut, and the Nelson .steamers be plying from port to port, hotels mul boarding-houses will rapidly spring up, bathing machines will appear on the beach, | and crowds of visitors escape from the monotony of Olmstchurch and dust of Lyttelton, to j enjoy the pure water, cool breezes, abundant foliage, and varied scenery of the fashionable watering-place of Akaroa.

Observations.— There are two features in this month to be noticed : the first js the amounS-Qf broken weather. Since March last there has been no month but one, viz., Juno (it had exactly*!;^ Sanaa number), which had so small a number of perfectly dry days. The secorid is, that the niean tgmpgyataire.. ' - of the month, as compared with January 1851, is i\ degrees lower. The quantity of rai& X 4 so much greater than in January 1851, which was 2.92 inches. "Whil3t the weather t>aa been x^x&t, m^ot-.'* able for the pastures, the wheat crop, having ripened under such cloudy weather t very likely wil^jujfiTj^-^ sent so fine a sample. It is gratifying to record that grahrof every description will be a full crop/ -'i^&jj-ii ing hus already cegun in several localities, and v.ill he general in the opufse of 'a few, days. * . • •*'

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