PUBLIC DINNER TO DR. HECTOR.

Otago Witness, Issue 620, 16 October 1863, Page 6

PUBLIC DINNER TO DR. HECTOR.

Seldom, if ever, has a more influential assemblage met in festivity in Otago than that which greeted the distinguiihed explorer, Dr. Hector, on Tuesday night. About 110 gentlemen sat down to a dinDer which reflected great credit on the worthy host, Mr Murphy, the landlord of th» Shamrock Hotel ; in the long room of which building the banquet was heW. The chair was filled by his Honor Judge Riciimond : and the vice-chair was occupied by Mr E. B. Cargill. After due justice had been done to the viands, The Chairman proposed "The health of Her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen." He adverted to the immensity of the Empire over which the Crown of England held sway, and in feeling and eloquent language referred to the circumstances which pecu'iarly recommended Her Majesty to the sympathy and regard of her subjects. The Chairman then in suitable terms proposed " The health of the Prince and PrineeEs of Wales, and the rest of the Eoyal Family ;" and followed by proposing that of " His Excellency Sir Gfeorge Grey, the Governor of the Colony -"'—the whole of which toasts were drunk with enthusiastic applause. The health of the Superintendent of Otago was next proposed and duly honored, and wa3 followed by the toast of " The Army and Navy, aud Volunteers."

Captain Bloss and Captain Keddell responded in appropriate language on behalf of the Volunteers of Otego. The Chaibman proposed the next toast, " The Clergy.' 5 The Key. Mr Edwabds and the JRev Mr SrswARX responded.

The CHiiRMAH then proposed the toast of the evening—" Our guest, Dr Hector." He referred in complimentary terms to the indefatigable perseverance and ability with which Dr Hector had conducted his investigation on behalf of the Provincial Government, and was sure his hearers would join most heartily in drinking the toast it was his honor lo propose.

(Drunk most enthusiastically.) I)r. Hectob, who on rising was received with loud and continued cheering, said : I feel that I am quite unable adequately to return you uiy fhanks for the great honor you do me this evening, of which I feel myself modt unworthy. But although I sincerely feel, and I hope fully appreciate the compliment, 1 am comforted by feeling aware that it is partly due to the deep andhcartfelt interestwhich youfeel in all that may advanceand farther theinterests and prosperity of the Province. The hopes which have been excited by the mere tact of my having arrived overland from the West Coast have not unnaturally led the public to expert that additional available land will be found fn the Province in a district where least expected, but where it is most to be desired, and that too in a country hitherto supposed to consist entirely of mountains and covered with perpetual snow. It has led too to the expectation that a settlement can be formed on a point nearest to the Australian colonies. But of that you will be better able to judge when I have gives you a sketch of what I have observed in my exploration of the West Coast. But before doing so, as some uneasiness has been expressed by some kind friends, lest I should place myßelf in a false position, and claim for myself the credit of that priority in theee explorations which properly belong? to others, I must disclaim any such intention I would observe that while the public was in possession of interesting acosonta of Journeys made in this western direction by Oapeby Cameron, Alabaster, and Sutcliff, who stand foremost, I waa entirely ignorant of these publication*, and derived not the slightest assistance from them in dfr«cting my own explorations. In the case of the interesting narrative of Copies, which, with its accompanying sketch, was sent to me late last evening by my friend the Secretary for the Gold Fields, from the knowledge I now have of the country I can follow, with tolerable clearnecß, the account which he gives of Ms journey to Martin's Bay and the various routes he followed, going and returning ; and though I think he and others hare somewhat overdrawn the difficulties which are neoessary to be overcome, and have perhaps followed difficult routas, where easier might have been obtained, still I must express my admiration at the wonderfal zeal tnd perseverance with which he (Caples) mnst have been animated when prosecuting his lonely and hazardous journeys j Bnd the credit of having first traversed the country to the north-west of the Wakatipu Lake is now due to Mr Cnples, But I have found tracea of many distinct parties of miners In the same district, he has at least the merit of haying given a first written description of it. Indeed it would be difficult to find any part of the whole Provincs into which diggera have not penetrated and left tracea of their visit in some sbapa or another, go that all thoughts of gathering mite? of fame from mere priority of exploration may safely hi relinquished by any intending explorers. However, , I must avoid digressing further for the purpose of defending myself from what, after all, is only a fan- j cied imputation, and proceed as briefly as possible to relate a few of (he principalincidents of my expedition to the West Coast of the Province. The object of the expedition was a geological aurvpy of the West

graphical and other information as fell within mv observation. I, therefore, dH not require a la'^e stalF, and in ovder to conduct the examination w'uu g-cater ease, l obtained a moderate sized v. ssel with the consent of Captain Thom-on. Some of my fi iends thought her too small for the work, but she has proved to be adapted for it, and has been safer than a larger and more cumbersome vessel would have been. Ske was fitted out by Captain Thomson, and we Lai no cause to feel that anything owld. have

keen added to render her more adapted to the work. The first yiace wo mado for was Riverton, as it was thought I sl.ould there obtain the assistance of a uafire crew, ia ord*>r to nssi-,t in towing. There we ■were delayed several wee-is, mail we got a slant of wind which Carried us down to the West to Stewart's Island. We there eil ed at Port William aud Pateriou's Inlet, which laU ia one of the most magnificent Jiarbors in the wotld. I employed my time at ltiverton in makinsf an examiuitim of the interior up to the Te Anau Like, aud was able to connect my knowledge of the country, which I obtained during the previous year of the South Coast, which was of great use to me aftetwirJs in my examination of the West Coast. .There are about 200 ppople now rpsidinjr on Stewart's lalar.d, although I do not think it belongs either to this province or any other. There is ouly very little land which can ever bs cultivated I there, as the country is mostly of granite with very little covering of soil. Wh&i little there i*, is principally a stiff yellow clay. The timber is the chief source of profit, but that is inferior to that found on the Wesfr Coast, From Stewart's Island, we ran in a single afternoon to Preservation In'et, but drifted past where we wished to go, an I it w.is with great difficulty we got into Chalky Inlet. We arrived there about I a month after leaving Duuedin. That was making the ' West Coast for the first time. The first port we entered there was Soutbport, a place visited by the Lady ' Bird some time ago. We found the names of some of the passengers carved on the trees. The hnd ia that neighborhood will never be of much use, for there is a comparatively small quantity of level land. Some of the land being three to eight thousand feet above the level of the sea. There are sheltered spot 3 where small settlements might be made if minerals were found to render it worth while. We spent n fortnight in Chalky Inlet before we got round to Preservation inlet, most of which time was spent in exploring. One remarkable circumstance that strikes one on entering the Sounds is the great depth of water close on the shore, which arises from the form of the rocks about the Sounds. But those are details which can only lie diacuased ia a report. The coal veins at Preservation Inlet consist of the same class which occurs at Patterson'-? Point in Australia. And there are patches of coal there just as there are patches at Patterson's Point, and like them it will be almost impossible to work them to a | profit. But all Australian geologists agree that the coal beds at Patterson's Point are of the same age as those of Sydney, and, I therefore, it is possible ultimately they mny be profitably worked with such a magnificent harbor as Preservation Inlet. Most of the rook consist of granite of very fine quality as building stone, andalmost every variety of color. Splendid red an<l grey granite could bs quarried with great ease and in many places blocks are hid ready for ship ment, and vessels could load alongside. Those two Sounds abound in fish of very excellent quality. In tha Founds further north we never got hsh so fine as in those two inlets, which arises no doubt, from the difference in the temperature of the water, owing to a particular set of the current, which infringes on that part of the coast. The fish are of the same description which appear in the market here, but very superior to them, and it may ba worth while for those who cure fish to establish themselves there. The great danger to vessels arises from two reefs which lie to the right of the Sound, and on which the sea breaks feartully. Fresh water ia discharged here in such quantity as to form a perfect film over the surface of the salt water several inches thick, and which remains so constantly that there are very few tittoral animals. In consequence of that, barnacles are almost entirely wanting, on account of the fresh water playinpr up on the surface of the rocks and carrying them off. It was in trying to beat out of Preservation Inlet that we got into a very queer position for a short time. We were caught by a strong current and heavy sea way, and the wind failed us entirely. We could not use oars, and we were drifting towards the retf where the sea was breaking so that we were obliged to drop the anchor in thirty fathoms of water. A breeze sprung up before dark and it wbs in making sail out that I hurt myself. It was not until the 22nd of July that we jrofc round the West Cape. After passing the West Cape, I had arranged with tli3 Maories to proceed at once to Milford Sound, but I suppose that they had never taken advantage of the breeze we got, and never followed us, so that they returned a short time afterwards to Kiverton. We were bpcalmed off Caswell Sound, and about seven miles offwhen day broke. I shallnever forgot the view of tha whole coast from Pembroke Point to Dusky Bay. It was a perfect panoramic view of the whole coast. The mountains seemed to rise like great a black wall from the sea, along 1 which gleams of sunlight shone and the Bounds nnd Inlets had the appearance of black fissures* When you looked at them along the distance, the effect of the light and shadow was most singular. We put into Thomson's Islet for a fortnight. When once hi those places it is a long time before you get out again. It was on the sth of July that we experienced a most i'earful hurricane. The wind was so powerful that we were blown about with two anchors 'down, 'so that we found it necessary to put a rope to the trees on the shore to keep the vesssl steady, and the ram came down so heavily that nn inch, by the rain gauge, fell in six hours. That will give an idea of the quantity thai Tails on that coast. I made an estimate of the quantity of available land to be found on the West Coast. Compared with the extent of country it is not very great There were only about 3500 acres of flat lan-1, about 45,000 acres not elevated more than 1200 feet of moderate slope and good quality. Of the rest it w absolutely mountainous, and is only fit for feeding shiep and aattle. The structure of these sounds was best displayed at Mil ford Sound, which we passed through from Thompson's Sound, I had previously a glimmering of how the sounds were formed, I had an idea that they had been formed by the sea breakiug upon the coast. It was at Thompson's Sound that I saw that waa impossible, but it was not till v/e arrived at Milford Sound that I paw how they had been formed. There in no doubt that there have been there, mountains which have been submerged to such an extent, that the two Alpine Valleys formerly filled' by glaciers being now reduced to the sea level, the cavities are occupied by the sea, and thus we have the remains of a range of mountains, which at one time were many thousand feet higher than at present. There were several facts of great scientific interest, which we were enabled to observe, but none of immediats interest until after leaving Milford Sound. We spent a fortnight or three -weeks there, during which I explored all the valiies at the head of it, but I found it surrounded on all sides by a precipitous wall of mountains soaething about 4000 feet above the level ot the sea,. To the north, of Mi/ford Sound, the coast change.? altogether. The mountains which hug the shore recede in a nonh-easterly direction, and retire from the coast, leaving between the shore line and the high mountain district what would be called a rangy country, not level, but not uiouutainous. It U about six or eight miles in width, aud extends very likely all the way to the point where the mountains retire towards Mount Cook, eighteen milea north of Milford Soucd, following the coast north, the immediate coast line is rocky, but still there are miny beaches and sandy bays, as described iv the "New Zealand Pilot." I was miking for Martin's River when I was led to examine the middle of those bays and came upon a large river, which I found afterwards was the river which leads uttimatelytoward3tbe WakatipuLike Thediscovererof thisriyer was, I believe.Alabaster, who communicated some information through Mr Thomson, the Colonial Surveyor. I believe he was on im way a-head in a whale boat, for I went on with three men in a boat fox* several days, and when we approached the river we saw a fire on shore, and then a party of Maoris. The sea was too hi^h for us to [and, and going on we found thh river. It was then the Maoris came to us, and I learnt from them that a party of white men had been in there not long previoasly, and that two men had been up the river and camped in a dangerous place. The water had come down upon them so suddenly that they were obliged to leave their gun and provisions, and jump into the dingy, and had only time to save their lives. When the schooner had come up, we had some difficulty in entering the river, not on accouut of the nature of its bar, nor of any internal impediment to entering it, but from the fact that the schooner accidentally arrived there a few minutes after high water, and a north west wind wasb'owing. There was no choice between going in then or going back to Milford Sound, which would have lost a fortnight ; so, with some risk we took her over the bar. While we were getting her in, the windlass broke, and I thought the expedition had come to an end, but we managed to get her in safely. A considerable time was spent at the mouth of the river in surveying it, and moking an examination of the neighboring country, after which we took the schooner right up the river, four and a half miles through a beautiful woo led countvy, with fine alluvial banks extending for several ralies on either hand, and then entered a large lake ten miles long, where the schooner now lies. The lake lies north and south, and forms part of a large valley whioh lies across in that direction. A short examination of the country oonttrme.l my idea of my position, and I determined to communicate with th« GovGi-nm-nt by the route of the Wakatipu. I therefore left the schooner on the 23th of last month and with a few duj".' travelling -many days were wet, so that we had only three days of actual travelling— l reached the Wakatipu Lake. In reaching it I followed a river of no great sizj. The river receives tha waters of a large lake in the north, which ia not laid down on the map, The road ia up a valley which is continuous throughout. There are two valley 3 with a low hill in the cntre, continuous ti the Bouth. ■rtr^MrrT FfflP RP t ( lf* Sfttltjh.ifcff^faftitiftmft| ln.lffl &n'l the other

by Greenstone River to ths wakatipu Lake. "The rise is ab )ut 300 or 400 feet in furf >ur miles, nfter which tliers v a me of 800 or EOJ (ect, nnl then a jreutle rise for a few miles. I could not lietarmine the exact ms;a<?urem,3uK as the barometers were broken. The barrier appearance presented by the mountains is entirely overcome by the natural valley. Ot course, a road across would be of no use without a good port by the sea, but whether tbnt exists or not is difficult to decide upon a short visit. The entrance to tho river

is extremely narrow, the channel being about HOfeet wide. There is a shelf of rocKs on one side, and a sandbank on the other, both of which might, to a great extent, be rem-ived Cut a'"ter all, it is a very exposed coast, aud I hardly think the port cfiuld at all times be entered without an extensive breakwater. The difficulty, however, would not be gieat, esppciaUy for steam bo its, or vessels independent of wind. There is only one Maori family there now, but there was at one time a lurge number. The country round the lake is of fair extent, and there is a good deal of level land ; but I saw no trace of any road by which Jackson's Bay could bo reachsd. The natives, however, have been iv the habit of passing that way ; and I believe the last party comprised a little boy and two girls, who passed by that route. With regard to the prospects of gold on the West Const, I cannot give an opinion. The rocks cnifcbt of syeaito, and later rocks where gold does not often occur. But the rocks in which gold 13 often foun-J are in the lower part cf these mountains and as the land retires towards Cascade Point, it may be found there. In the low ground ib is very unlikely, that is, in the deep valiies, because all those valiies have rocky wnlls which dip to a great depth, and lh« deposits are of the most mixed character, consisting of Iftvgo angular blocks alternating with clay in (ho most desultory manner. 111 1 eally feel it necessary to ask your excuse for the way in which I have given an account of my journey. I have not done it in at all a satisfactory way to myself. (Cheei'3.) I therefore ask your indulgence, lor T have only come across tho mountains a few days, anil have had many other things to attend to. I had a sketch of my journey written before I crossed the country, but have not had opportunity of referring to it. So that raany events which occurred some time ago have passed from my memory, while others are comparatively fresh. I thank you for the honor you have done me, and bey your excuses of my very imperfect account of my journey. (Loud cheering.) Mr K. B. (Jaroill proposed " The colony of New* Zealand," and in the course of his speech traced the history of the various New Zealand settlements.

Mr Tnos. Diok responded. ! Dr Hector, in proposing "The Province of Otago, l^ said that his various researches, which had almost included the whole of the Province, hnd established the opinion in his min3 that it contained within itself all the elements of future and lasting pro^parity. The Gold Field?, he was convinced, would become far more ex t?nsive than was generally supposed. Gold was even now being found where p-e-vious sea"eh had proved defective. But when thf present gold workings were exhausted— and of course in a country so limited as this suoh would be much sooner the case than ia Victoria where so hrgean area of the Country wag exp\os>etl for the operations of the miners, he was convinced there would be another branch of gold-mining industry spring up, which would find in Otago a far greater field for its successful operation than any other part of the world. He referred to groundsluicing on a largo scale ; there were in this Province immense areas of country covered with auriferous drift, so extensively deposited and so irregularly formed aa to contain gold throughout. He predicted that for many years this deposit would give continuous and remunerative employment. Besides the gold deposits of the Province, he was stronjly impressed with the conviction that metalliferous ones would ba found in important, quantities, particularly in the western portions of the Province. Bands of metalliferous ores were met with at various points, and he had just been made aware of the discovery of copper ore at the Kakapo Lake by Captain Alabaster's party. Dr Hector then referred to the peculiar adaptability of the province to the growth of wool, which industry, he believed would always occupy a position supsrior to that of agriculture, and would at some future time become the most important article of export.

The toast was drank- with applause. Mr W. H. Cuxtek, in a humorous speech in which be took credit for being one of the fathers of the settlement, responded. "The Bar" was next proposed by the Chaibman, and responded to by Mr Prkndbrqast Mr Bartojt proposed " The Mining Interest.'" Mr V. Pyke, in responding to the toast, bore testimony to tha indefatigable labors of the miners who had done so much, in the face of co many difficulties ia developing the auriferous resources of Otago resources the extent of which he was sure were only as yet faintly imagined. The Chairman then propored " The Ladie?," a toast drank as usual, with immense furore. Dr Uooken and Mr Murison responded. Mr E. Ch am er proposed "The Press." Mr VoGisii and Mr Webb responded. Mr B, B. Martin then proposed "The health of the Chairman," who ia a few appropriate words expressed the pleasure he had experienced in presiding over nn entertainment of so g»atifyiug a character. The proceeding's then terminated, at about halfpast 12 o'clock.