Ahuriri Described

Wellington Independent, Volume XV, Issue 1328, 2 March 1859, Page 5

Ahuriri Described

The Lyttelton Times of the 15th ult, contains a long letter headed " Jottings down of a traveller about New Zealand." The writer pitches into Wellington as a " weather-beaten, earthquake-shaken, pent-up town!" and, indeed, has a quiet "slap " at the provinces all round, Canterbury of course excepted. He thus alludes to ourselves:—

" Of the new Province of Aburiri or Hawke'e Bay, perhaps it may be said that its former "eversbadower Wellington might have ruled more leniently, and the people of Ibe new province Lave passed a more charitable judgment upon the actions of the miijority. As it is, however, the land of the Hawke's Bay province participates in the flourishing progress of the flock-masters. But for the town of Napier, situated upon an island by no means fertile, and less than four square miles in extent, with a harbour to be entered only by small vessels, aiid i\tat only at certain times and always with much danger, what can be its prospects ? The flock-musters connected with it, when roads nre improved, will probably be as cheaply supplied from Wellington as from Napier; and the resources of the latter town within itself appeir to be few indeed. At pieeent it makes great pretences; I hope they may be realised ; but the contrary is much to be feared."

This paragraph, brief though it be, contains more misrepresentation than should be passed unnoticed. That the Imrboiirof Napier cannot be entered except with' much danger is grossly untrue. It has been entered times almost innumerable without danger or accident of any kind ; and it cannot have escaped the memories of our readers, that, some twelve months ago, a large brig, the Sivan, bound from Auckland to Lyttftlton, entered Napier harbour in a leaky state, where she was safely hove down and rendered (it to lesuniD her voyage. The re sources of a town within itself are not usually many ; it being generally supported by the district of which it'fonns tlie olitjet; but we niay remark'that the islaiid'(so-called)'of Scinde cannot truthfully be characterised as "by no means fenile ;" : on tlurco'ntrary, it has a rich loamy soil, oversprea'd-witb'-'nutiitibus grasses. The assertion that,' 1 when' 'roads are the flockmttsteis yvill ! be .as cheaply supplied from Wellington as"fr6in Napier, isone so replete with absurdity that the reader is tempted to doubt the fact of the " traveller" having ever seen the locality of which he so depreciatingly writes in his precious epistle.— H.B. Herald.