A Trip to Pemberton Settlement.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXXI, Issue 11356, 25 February 1889, Page 3

A Trip to Pemberton Settlement.

. ♦ (BY AMATBUR BUSHMAN,) I • , (Concluded.) ' Onanivingat the steep incline before J; mentioned, wo could not seethe force of ' walking up, ao our poor steeds had to „! carry us the best way they could, we bold- . ing tight to the mane. On the top oMhis : Liflapartyof surveyors found f the' skull ■! of a man. Most probably -that ; of- some . j poor fellow who had lost himself. Next day Mr Stent again very kindly proffered :' his service as onr snide, and took us m " / another direction to Mr Marßholl a estate. 5 ;ii miles through a dense bush at the hack U of Mr Pemberton's. which is a frightful ■ ttack, : leading us t6 Curl's clearing, a i large natural olearing of about 700 acres in • ; ! extent. It was through this frightful traok > that Mr O'Connor had to take his 'sheep, J and it is a wonder that any survived. f. : Last year, while, several of the settlers • ■ ■ were returning from Curl's clearing along A this track, one of the* party decided to walk v ' instead of ride, and sent his horsebn ahead, "j but, being unable : to keep up with the % ' animals, took the wrong track, and lost f • his wayj His companions, did not wait but pushed on, thinking he would turn up : all right. Not making his appenanca a : seirch party wa9 formed next day, headed "■ ' ty Mr Pembarton, after looking for some time they came upon bis tracts, and fol- ; lowed him for miles through the bnsb, oooeyine as they proceeded, and were ; ' very much relieved by .hearing a faint »■ answer, a long distant off, on coming up to * „- tho poor fellow, his first; exolamiuation, , -was, '• Oh, law did you see all the wild •i pigs," at which they could not suppress a ' - laugh. Mrs Pemberton also lo3t her way *. in this bush. After wandering about r hopexsslyi jr some time, she wbb muoh ! relieved at seeiiig Mias Pussy Oat coming towards her, who no doubt was tired Of ■ staying at homo without her mistress. .. Mrs 'Pemberton eat down, and thoughtfully '" 'waited Pussys pleasure to depart, who ' ' after soma time did bo, and led her straight home. This clearing is used by the settlers 0 for their surplus stock. The grass wan 'jj «imply luxuriant, being knee deep. This | fine large clearing, with adjoining property, ' representing about 12,000 acres, is soon to ;| bo put in the market, which we have no '1 doubt will be quickly taken up, Crossing S over this splendid land we again entered | tbe bush, after clambering over a very li steep hill. Here again was a very bad 1 piece of. bush traok about a mile long. ) We were however, well compensated for ;• our rough ride, by the beautiful scenery I which awaited us at Mr Marshall's estate. s. Mr'W, Marshall'was a 1 ; home and made '. na very welcame. He has a nicely finished f? five or six roomed house, which looks ,\ pretty amid the surronndin^ scenery, I ', ' forgot to mention that Mr Stent's daughter, . a robust young lady ot about 12 summers, ' and two yonng sons accompanied us. The -, latter going double baoked. It fairly ns- ; . tonished me how these young people 1 managed t-> stiok on when goiag through the bush, but they appeared . in .their elemaot, laughing, aad staging the whole . way, while poor I waa envying them, stick- ' ing on my saddle like grim death. Fearing every moment we would come to grief. i Dismounting at Mr Marshall's invitatiog, we proceeded to hU garden to feast on the ' delicious gooieberries which grow there i . prof uaely. ' The tr3es were laden with ' tfia splendid fruit, and we were justgeiling >' into the- knack of eating them, when Heaven-'a : artillery burnt .with deafening ' • forda apparently close to us, and the rain ', descended in psrfeat toireats, la the ■ metafcimV Mr -Marshall (who is baoheloriaiDg). instructed ons of his hands to procure refreshments; at the same time making many apologies for having nothing niop to ceinDt our appetites. But I really do ndt Mow what they live on, if the ' spread before oa failed in its effort to J; satisfy^ After legaling ourselves with the '■ good things, and the rain having cleared 1 away/fthe young folks tackled the goose- ... berries once more, but how they managed St I do^t know. - Towirds the latter end, ' I perceived the little rascals unbuttoning their waistcotta, so as to give inreaseu ' stowage capacity, Mr Marshal caught one of his.splondid iqrass-.of whioh he has a number, and proceeded ta show us ronad ' his estate. Major Marshall took up this valuable leasehold block, which ~ comprises about 2400 acres of wellgrassed, land, about 20 years ago, . It was -•. 'then very rough, but by constant stocking ' he has brought it into a state of parfeotion, It is divided into about niuo targe paddoc&D, besides' several smaller ones. The I grass ,growa- .very riohly here,, principally ,'^ojover,- wnioh 'seems to thrive . well on this ' Voil. .• It take& three or four years to get a | gobdjho^d, •• Oa oiir own rounds we came ' aoro'sa some Captain Cookers, fine, 'slender, roman-npaed specimens, who soon made • tracks' to the bush on our approach. Mr Marshall has about 800 head of cattle and : 100 horaes-at present on the estate. There are some really fine specimens in the latter , class. Six splendid black working bullocks ' were quietly resting, and fine animals they appeared to be Tbis, unquestionably, will eventually make one of the grandest , sheep distriots in thia Island, and we ex- ' pressed our surprise that .Mr Marshall did 1 riot keep sheep. He, however, informed ns that tho ravages of thd wild dogs 'was ao great, that it. was useless to try and keep them; ' "Ho ia going ahortly to try, as this 'pest is.fast dying out, aad with the advance of civliizitipn they are drivon 'further ."back; From some of the high hills we past 'over on this, estate, '~bce .gets splendid " ' glimpsea' of -ths surrounding country. We now returned to ■ enter oa our baokwnrd course V.and there- awaited us one of the Bu'biiihest sights that I ever beheld. From Mr Marshall's front door, whioh faces the ■Ruihine'Ttan'geß," you look" down a deep, valley of rich forest land, and then rising gradually, aB it were, terrace upon terrase of beautifaljforest growth, until youc eyea. ''reach the summit! of 'the rugged ranges, ', with Rnapehu in its snowy mantle mount--ing higher still, and from . the rain the !' mists rolling in splendo.ur from the glory of the hills," with the sun sinking in the' *vest, and! -shedding its golden-rays on this L 'beautiful panorama, which fairly entranced' T one, -Thought refuse to describe - this [ spene, arid' l felt sad at tiaVing to leave' so, ■ grandma picture, „ 2ard indeed must be i the nature' and callows' the mind that '. <oould look upon such -a scpae of beauty, ■ - without feeling deeply moved and grateful- ' : to 'tha Great ' Architect who has formed. i auch a world for him to live in. My next , .visit naß to Me Barrett's, about 14 miles ' off the road in another direction. He has : . erected a Small oottage and fenced in a 1 garden. The rhubarb and potatoes were } very fins/ I remained there for the night, 1 J and lud the i pleasure of tasting th^ vege-, ■ .tabiesvriwhich were exosllent.. Mr Barrett ; has .about. 22 hive?, o.£ bee.3, and;exp9ota a t.yield oi.a.hput 12 bwt of honeys It is i snowy, white, and the clearest and best . hon?y ; l have : taßted. Mr John Joneß and . : Mr, Rdae ,hftve cle»rings along this ro.u.tje i , wb|ch.iJQpk, very,; well, tbo grj^ growing ' oplondidly. While I futther wandered f aboqt;my fellow, traveller was busily '. • engaged,'gcass.3eeii ,sqiviug, thrashing,' &s. ':' , IJe hss had gO, acres ■ down this year— the [• whole of a section. It is in-^ splendid t position^bayhig 1 aboijt ?|0 acren of table ,* land.and {a.pjng.Jh.e n^ainroad. Th,eie are ■; : about eight families residing on the blook, ',„ ■ apd ten unma,rried - settlcrs j 2^' or thirty 1 . ot^er holders of allot^oqta b^re faljon! I b'ugh varying from, 10, to 200 a^rej, the '/ < totalbusTifalled being abjut 1700/aores.' I . Settlers; feel the grealj. WMt of « e'dhpol and 5- ■ psstal qQnimuuic,a.tton, but these will all •S» . comb iv, dije op'urao,- MrPemherfconcalied j ' a fflobiiog on Saturday— ifche day we left— ' to consider thcT aotviasbility' of statting a butter paukini» company,, similar to the. ' CUrdiffione, I oannot olosa my jcejjftivrka w-Jh'out \\ . word of,' prn||4 ;. & those h.jble ' fellows who haya put* -up withio many diflSoultiqa, Qgbtiag their way inch by iogh. as^nals not only all the drawbacks ■ jftoidenfc Vo a bush life, but against an Oppressive individual ia the shape of the Hon. Riotiavdson, Minister of Lands, whoSe Si-eat «ni isoema to bo to retard, land settle--4 taeiit;>n4.'gifiiKl / tha.l!»»t oonnii out of the bafd^orkfai; backwooflsmaD. It' will be rfimembcred by your readers the position Dudley Eyre placed them in by stealing tbe hard-earned mouoy paid for the town and suburbia sootions. It was not enough fo

the poor fellows to lose this, butthay wer informed by this worthy iudividua (Richardson) that no concession would b made to them, but they would hava t forfeit their seotion or pay at tha rate _ c £5 an acre for suburban and in some in stances £30 per town allotment, simply because same triflting point of law had no been carried out. And this is the position some are in now who have felled, cleared, und are now residing on their section, a pity Richardson indeed if ever he hai the ill-luok topasa through this settlement, especially in winter timi, for if ever he getH out again it will bo with more Pom, berton mud on him th»n he tops io. Mi Bruce, M.H.ft., went up specially to see this settlement, and, wa have no doubt, will use his utmost influence to benefit the settlers: A good road is the great need, so that communications can ba carried on to advantage.