A.—No. Ba,

side, into rougher ranges and gullies, forming, especially on the West, from Kawhia to the upper part ofWhanganui river, broad tracts of difficult country separating these central terraces from the available valleys and flats round the coast. We omit the open land on the shores of the Bay of Plenty, as at present there is no occasion to deal with that part of the country. 4. Now, the most ready way of overcoming this country, by means of roads and settlements, at first sight would appear to be to strike right through the centre of the island, from Auckland to Napier, and from the Bay of Plenty to Whanganui or Rangitikei, with branches through the heart of the tracts intervening. The first of these lines we projwse at least to take a road along ; but we doubt the expediency of making others of these central roads at first. At present the Colony could not bear the enormous expense of their construction in addition to others, which must be made to connect the settled portions of the country ; nor if it could, would it perhaps be worth while to incur this expense, unless these roads, if made, could be permanently held and commanded by settlements and military posts. This again would require a larger amount of population than we think the Colony could introduce at present. There is no doubt that were these great trunk lines bordered and commanded effectually by chains of settlements, the bulk of the Native population would be so severed and split up, that any combination of a great number of them would, for the future, be rendered impossible. But effectively to do this would require a vast population, as will easily be believed when it is recollected what amount of forces is requisite to keep open the communication along the small length of road between Drury and Pokeno, and to prevent Natives in the country on the one side of the road coming over to that on the other to carry on offensive warfare. But even were these great lines so commanded, they would be so far away from the present settlements, and such wide tracts of rugged and difficult country would be left between the two, that bands of hostile Natives might attack and annoy the old settlements continually, and do great mischief before they could be reached by the population of the central lines, or of the old settlements themselves, as is the case at present; unless, as before said, all these intermediate tracts were thoroughly cut up and permeated everywhere by roads. It seems better, then, to make roads and plant settlers through and about the frontiers of the present settlements, than on the lines indicated above. It is true by so doing we should be dealing with those parts of the country which are liable to become the scenes of attack and depredation, rather than with the enemy's districts, from which the danger comes. We should be dealing with a wide circumference of assailable districts, rather than with the centres wherein the assailants gather in their strongholds. But while the other plan is, we believe, impracticable at present, there is this advantage in that recommended—namely, that we take as the sites of our settlements either the plains and valleys, however far stretching into the interior, still connected with and continuous from those already settled, and thus capable of being included with them within one ring of defence; or the open land along the coasts, avoiding the narrow inland gullies or isolated plains of the more central parts of the country, in which it would be so much, more difficult to plant settlements, and for the settlers to support themselves when once planted there. Notwithstanding this, the roads we propose would still run through the heart of the country up to Taupo, and if thought advisable hereafter, from thence down to Rangitikei; while the settlements would reach as far as Rangiawhia, and the upper parts of the great Waikato basin. 5. Before giving particulars of the roads proposed, let us indicate those postponed for the present, which we have been considering as central roads. These are— 1. The road from Lake Taupo to Taumatamahoe Hill, in that neighbourhood, at the upper part of Whanganui River, and thence to New Plymouth, by Waitara. 2. From Taumatamahoe Hill to Whanganui. 3. From Lake Taupo to Maketu (Bay of Plenty), by way of the Lake country. 4. From Napier to Turangarere, which would connect Napier with New Plymouth. 5. From Lake Taupo to Rangitikei by Turangarere and Otara (if not included in the list below). And the roads proposed to be made are the following:— Miles. From Auckland to Taupo, through Waikato 114 " Taupo to Napier ... ... ... .-. 96 " Raglan to Otawhao 35 " Otawhao to Tauranga ... ... ... ... ... 60 " Otawhao to top of Waipa (Hangatiki) 50 " Pukearahe to New Plymouth ... ... ... ... 30 " New Plymouth to Whanganui ... ... ... ... 106 " Waitara, by way of Mount Egmont, to the sea coast at Waimate ... 50 " Whanganui to Wellington ... ... ... ... ... .-. HO " North Coast of Hawke's Bay Province to the Ruahine Ranges, at the gorge of the Tutaekuri River ... ... ... ... ... 70 " Manawatu River mouth to gorge of the Manawatu ... 56 " Wairarapa (Featherston) to Clive (Napier), by the 40-mile Bush; or " Lake Taupo to Rangitikei, by Turangarere and Otara 150 Total mile* 927

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MILITARY SETTLEMENTS.