REPORT BY THE INSPECTOR OF SURVEYS ON THE TRIANGULATION OF THE BAY OF PLENTY DISTRICT.

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1868 Session I, D-10

D.—No. 10.

REPORT BY THE INSPECTOR OF SURVEYS ON THE TRIANGULATION OF THE BAY OF PLENTY DISTRICT.

PRESENTED TO BOTH HOUSES OP THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, BY COMMAND OP HIS EXCELLENCY.

WELLINGTON.

1868.

D.—No. 10.

REPORT BT THE INSPECTOR OP SURVEYS ON THE TRIANGULATION OP THE BAY OF PLENTY DISTRICT.

Copy of a Beport by Mr. Theophiltjs Heale to the Hon. the Native Ministee. Inspector of Surveys' Office, Sib,— 11th August, 1868. I have the honor to transmit a map of the district over which I commenced triangulation last autumn, reduced to a scale of six miles to an inch, to correspond with the map of the Province of Auckland which I sent in June last, and to which I hope you will cause this to be added. The Lakes Eotorua, Taupo, &c, were lightly placed on that map, from Hochstetter's, with a view to their being expunged whenever the information now furnished could be got ready. I have had the surveyed lands at Tauranga placed on this map, and tinted pink ; the confiscation boundary which crosses it is indicated only by a dotted red line, as it may not be requisite to place it on the general map. The western boundary of the confiscated land at "Whakatane is also marked by a single red line, aa the trigonometical elements for the determination of its extremity near the Tarawera Valley have not yet reached me. "While sending this first result of the triangulation, I trust I may be permitted to make a few remarks upon its success as an experiment. The work was only commenced in February, when the best part of the season had already passed. The necessary instruments only arrived from England in April. Many delays necessarily arose at first, all my assistants but one being quite now to the work ; the commencement of winter accordingly found us only entering upon the upper plateau of Taupo, where the cold and the want of feed speedily put our horses Jiors de combat, and necessitated the discontinuance of the work. The area actually included between the outer stations is upwards of a million acres ; but, making the largest deductions for the additional work required properly to complete it, the whole may be taken as at least equal to half that quantity finished. The gross outlay to the end of last month was £848 ss. Id., to which should be added a proportion of the cost of the instruments, and from it should be deducted the value of the horses and equipments now on hand; taking these to about balance each other, the cost will bo 4d. per acre. I think myself, therefore, entitled to cite this experience as a proof that the whole country may be triangulated, in a permanent and really trustworthy manner, at a cost not exceeding id. per acre ; or, say, £2 per thousand acres. I trust this will be considered sufficiently satisfactory to justify the prosecution of the work with increased vigour, and the extension of it to every part of the Island which is accessible to surveyors and open to the action of the Native Lands Court. One surveyor, Mr. A. C. Turner, is still in the field, carrjdng the work up the lower Eangitaiki Valley, where the climate and the abundance of horse-feed permit some facilities for winter work. The other officers of the department are all on leave of absence, without salary, for the winter, with the exception of Mr. Clarke, who has just returned from Tauranga, having been prevented from completing his work there in consequence of the disappointment of the Natives on learning the new direction of the confiscation boundary. In order not to lose the winter, I propose to send Mr. Clarke to continue the triangulation commenced by me at the Bay of Islands last winter, which has already been found of great service, and the extension of which is urgently needed. As it was necessary to recompute in the office all the calculations made in the field, and to enter them up in proper books, I contemplated retaining one of the junior assistants in the office for these objects ; but I found that arrangement not desirable, and I employed a young man, Mr. Benjamin Betts, provisionally, at a salary of £2 2s. per week. He has speedily acquired great facility in the use of formulae, and has become an excellent computer ; he is also a fair draftsman, the map I now send being his work. I should be glad therefore to be allowed to retain his services for the triangulation, assisting when necessary in other office work, at a salary of £150 a year. The only expenses, then, now going on are —Mr. Turner and party, say £60 per month; Mr. Clarke, Bay of Islands, £60 per month; Mr. B. Betts (in office). I expect Mr Mitchell and Mr. Grace about the end of September, and then I hope to take the field with the full complement of assistants contemplated in my estimate of June last. I have, &c, The Hon. the Native Minister. Theophiltjs Heale, Inspector of Surveys.