THE MARTIN'S BAY SETTLEMENT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 1641, 29 May 1873, Page 3

THE MARTIN'S BAY SETTLEMENT.

♦ : (From ihe Otago Daily Times.) A correspondent hasjf urnished us with a detailed account of a visit recently paid by him to Martin's Bay, and one or two neighbouring localities. Ab the journey from Queenstown to Martin's Bay has been more than once described in our columns, we take up our correspondent's narrative at the point where he gives his impressions of the settlement at Jamestown: — Tbe settlement of Martin's Bay does not come up to my expectations. I expected to find something of a country fit to settle in, and was greatly disappointed. The township is situated on Lake M'Kerrow, about four miles from the 'sea, and consists of exactly eight houses — only five of which aro occupied. I cannot say much for the scenery of the surrounding country. Lake M'Kerrow is some eight miles long by two broad, and is shut in by perpendicular ranges which come down to the water's edge, the whole lake being rockbound. The sea is nofc visible from the township, tho view being eufc off by bush and sandhills. Of arable land there is but very little, and one-half of the land is swamp and unfit for cultivation, as drainage would be impossible. The further you go towards the ranges, fche more swampy the ground becomes. The same is the case throughout the wholo valley of the Hollyford, and neither will ever be a farming country. Of all the miserable settlements I ever saw or read of, Martin's Bay is the worst. The selection of the site is bad and a mistake, and although it is three years since the settlers first landed here, scarcely anything has been done amongst the whole lot. Only twelve acres have beon cleared. Mind, no stumps have been removed, the ground between being only scratched up with a hoe or rake — nofc dug with a spade — and sown with wheat or potatoes. This extensive area, I was told, waß next year to be increased hy four acres. There are no fences whatever — not so much as one surrounding a garden. Three persons have made gardens, and an area of half an acre will comprise fche whole. About a couple of dozen of currant and gooseberry bushes, with a few willows and oaks, comprise the whole of fche plantations, which are rapidly receding into a state of a nature. .The settlement possesses, in live stock, about two dozen fowls and three pigs. The latter have been placed on an island up the Lake to breed, so that their owners might be saved the trouble of looking after them. The produce of the cultivated plots is scarcely enough fco last fche settlers until next season. How these enterprising people employ their time, it is impossible to say. From what I can glean, ifc is spent thus : — In the morning the head of the family, or perhaps a grown-up son or daughter, goes out to shoot a sufficient quantity of pigeons for breakfast, which is accomplished in about a quarter of an hour. After breakfast the townspeople hold a sort of municipal palaver until it is time to shoot again for dinner. Thoy then 101 l about until tho calls of hunger start them once more into activity, and more pigeons are procured for supper, after which, I suppose, they all retire to rest, overcome] with the exertions of the day. Some* times bread is obtainable, bufc fche usual food of fche settlers is a sort of stew made of pigeons and vegetables. I could nofc procure a bit of fish for love or money, for although fche sea teems with millions, bufc very few uppear to be caught. Abuse of the Provincial Government appears to be the chief occupation of the settlere, who oomplain loudly of neglect, that paternal body not sufficiently often sending them provisions. Complaints of starvation are of course rife during the intervals between these supplies, whioh, I learnt, were almost gratuitous. The last time the Provincial Government sent provisions, some few paid cash, while others only gave I O U's, and thoy were now selling the flour to the diggers afc Big Bay at 24s por lOOlbs for cash down. Another stook of provisions is anxiously looked for to keep theße poor unfortunate people from starving. As one settler had been very clamorous in proclaiming his wrongs and hardships fco fche province, and importuning fcho Government, I Eaid half-a-crown boat hire purposely fco visit is estate snd obtain ocular demonstration of what he had done. The owner was from home, and after much difficulty I found a spot whero probably some human being might have dwelt. Although occupied for three years; this location boasted of improvements as follows :— A few slabs stuck upon their ends formed a sort of enclosure very much like a pig-stye. There had been a roof of calico, but ifc was removed or rotted off ; no ground had been cleared, excepting a small patch which a good working man could accomplish in half an hour. Happily for the peace of ,fche settlement, whisky is unobtainable, or the consequences might be fearful. I can only come to the conclusion that the best thing the Government can do is to send a steamer and fetch A bbrAiyyysA o;'! la-oI oii

these poor unfortunate settlen away. The children who number about fourteen, are to .■..* ber pitied, and for their sakes alone they should-, be removed. With its present mendicant f population no good whatever can come- of -the settlement ; and instead of continually sending provisions to keep those people from starving, ifc would be much cheaper for the province to fetch them all away. I took some newspapers over with me from Queenstown, and gave them to a person to distribute, bufc somehow or another, one individual managed to; get hold of the lot, and would nofc allow anyone to see them, although one man came 15 miles to do so. Tired of fchis horrible place,' and its still worse society, on the morning of tho 18th . I lef fc for Big Bay, where I arrived the same evening. Big Bay is about fifteen miles . north from Jamestown, by following the sea beach, a route not at all agreeable to travel over. The distance could, however, be reduced by one half by cutting a track through the bush, which would occupy three men about three weeks. In the absence of a near cut, I took the beach for ifc, and, in company with a miner who had been visiting Jamestown, I arrived at thia rather unfrequented spot after a rough walk of eight hours. The ; beach all the way is covered with large rounded boulders, many of them tons in : weight, and when wet as slippery as glass. Theße boulders are all packed close together, and lie one deep upon the bare rock. As the timber reaches quite down to the boulders, there is no alternative but to keep the beach. The permanent rock appears fco be largely intermixed with veins of quartz, from one inch to eighteen inches in thickness, but I could find nothing liko a defined reef. The lie of the rock here is more upon its edge thau I have seen in any other part of New Zealand, the cleavage being from north to south. It is quite possible that quartz reefs or lodes do exist, but all the quartz I could see was what miners call " star," i.e., a sort of bunches running oufc into small veins. Rounding a big spur which appears to separate Martin's from Big Bay, I came upon the diggings, and to my mind, Big Bay is far superior to Martin's Bay. About three parts of ifc are in Otago, and the remainder in Westand, the Awarua river forming the boundary; The country is more flat, and has a series of wooded terraces. There is plenty : of good agricultural land ; the harbour is good, well sheltered, and evidently safe for shipping ; and as there is gold in the immediate vicinity, and probably more back in the ranges, the place is much better adapted for a settlement than Martin's Bay. The gold workings are at the present time all confined to the' sea *.- beach, the furthest of them not being more than twelve yards back. It is all paddocking, and the wash dirt is from six to eighteen inches in thickness; but the number of boulders to be removed is enormous. They are so jammed into one another tbat the ground may be said to be' literally paved with them. Were ifc not for these boulders the ground would pay handsomely, bufc their removal is a work of much difficulty, as the paddock would be lost if a face was not kept open fco fche work. The largest of the boulders are got rid of by sinking a hole in fche soft pipeclay bottom and tumbling them in. The smaller ones are roiled away. The gold is obtained either by boxsluicing or cradling. A miner, to go there, should take good strong iron crowbars, from six to eight feet long, which would greatly facilitate work, while a good self-delivery oradle would be of considerable advantage. So equipped, a party might make good wages, lhe population at present consists of some seven persons, who all appear satisfied with their earnings, which may be set down at from £2 to £3 per week. Any person satisfied with reasonable wages will not regret paying Big Bay a visit. The beach for eight miles is all auriferous, and there is doubtless gold in the terraces. There is plenty of water for sluicing purposes, and I have no doubt but that some day there will be an extensive goldfield here. The back country is * flat for some five or six miles, and it is intersected with small lakes and swamps. ' Provisions of course aro scarce, and only obtainable when a steamer comes round from Hokitika ■'• or fche Bluff. About two years ago two large whales were washed ashore— one a sperm whale, valued at between £200 and £300. As there waa no means of saying the blubber, it all wenfc to waste. The other whale waß of the bottlenose species, and valueless for oil. I measured the remains of the bottle-nosed whale, and it measured eleven feet across the head, the length of the skeleton being a hundred feet ; the diameter of the backbone was one foot seven inches. Fish are abundant,' especi- , ally mullet, I caught twenty kelp fish, , weighing upon an average lOlbs each, in less '. than half an hour. While I was fishing a seal made his appearance, and the fish would not bite for some minutes, bufc when ;ho left they took the bait greedily. Mussels, six' inches long, are very abundant, and, good • eating; thoy can be picked up in heaps at low ; tide. Cray fish are very plentiful, and can be : readily landed with sluicing fork, • y ■„ I was very hospitably received by Mr A.,H/ Williamson, a miner who has been resident', here for more than three years past.! He' pos-. Besses a comfortable hut with a zinc roof; and has a nice garden, and a milch goat. X.rer mained with him two days. He is a man of considerable experience in mining matters, arid has apparently settled himself down" here. : Mr Williamson is a seafaring man, and acts . as pilot to vessels bound in for Martin's or Big Bay. It is five years since Big Bay-was : "rushed," when there must haveheen some.'; two hundred people here, but not: being con-" tent with small gains, they mostly all: left. Mr Williamson and his mate formed at times . the entire population. During Jny visit a p'prty of weU-known miners from Lake Waka- ' - tip arrived and Bet in fco Work; A boat also c&me iv from Martin's Bay with two bags of the Government flour described' in the lasts chapter. On the morning of the 21st, I took my departure for Jamestown, with I . . , T ""'.l,:' : .' f

me three dried fitrh for my return journey to Lake Wakafcip. 33ie best means of travelling, over fche botdders is to plait sandals with flax and fasten them round the ankles. They prevent you from slipping, and are preferable to leather shoes for this particular description of travelling. •