D.—No. 8

guide vessels through them safely; and, to that end, you should make any necessary changes in the position of the buoys and other leading marks, and send me an account of what you have done, to be published in the Gazette. In the event of your requiring assistance in reducing the results of your survey to paper, I shall endeavour to make an early visit to Auckland myself, or to send a competent marine surveyor in my stead. Please let me hear from you on the subject with all convenient speed. I am, &c, James M. Balfour, Captain Wing, Harbourmaster, Auckland. Colonial Marine Engineer.

No. 4s. Mr. Balfour to the Hon. J. Hall. Sic, — Marine Department, Wellington, 9th November, 1868. I have the honor to forward for your information the accompanying letter from Captain Wing, the Harbourmaster of Manukau. It will be observed— 1. The new channel seems to have been well known to Captain Wing, and is not the new discovery which the letter of His Honor the Superintendent of Auckland, I presume unintentionally, led me to imagine. 2. The channel being known, and signals even devised for it, there is no such pressing hurry for an exact survey of it; and indeed charts of such a harbour are little better than a delusion, as in all probability the channel will have shifted again before the corrected (?) chart is published. A certain amount of surveying ought however to be done, so as to give Captain Wing confidence in his knowledge of the changes taking place. 3. The buoys, beacons, and establishment generally, appear to be in a deplorable state ; worse than I fancied when writing my Memorandum No. 177 c, of date 2nd November, 1868 ; and it is clear something must be done shortly, either to put matters straight or to close the port. I believe that it will cost not less than £200 to £300 to make the survey ordered, and put buoys, beacons, &c, on a satisfactory footing again. As soon as some necessary works have been attended to here, I propose, with your approbation, to visit Auckland and Manukau, with a view to ascertain exactly how matters really stand. I have, &c, The Hon. the Postmaster-General, James M. Balfour, Wellington. Colonial Marine Engineer.

Enclosure in No. 4. Captain Wing to Mr. Balfour. Sic,— Harbour Department, Manukau, 30th October, 1868. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated 24th instant, in which you inform me that the Colonial Government has instructed you to communicate with me on the subject of resurveying the Manukau Bar, with a view of making any changes which may be necessary in the positions of the leading marks, buoys, &c. ; also, that the Hon. the Colonial Secretary had requested His Honor the Superintendent of Auckland to instruct me to make such survey without delay. In reply to the above, accompanied with your own remarks, I have to inform you that a fresh survey of the Manukau Bar is necessary to a certain extent to prove the soundings, which cannot be done with safety in an open boat, without having a vessel in attendance. The most urgent requirements are the extension of the beacon-ways at the South Head for readjusting the line of beacons to clear the south-east part of the Tranmere Shoal (which has grown to the south-east of late ; also to have all the buoys cleaned and repainted which is absolutely necessary for the safe guidance of shipping passing through the channels. The buoys at the entrance of the harbour are so foul that they will not show above water during the strength of spring tides, and will require the services of a suitable steamer to remove them for repairs and repainting.. But as regards the buoys inside the harbour (which are also very foul), they can be attended to by a cargo boat. It will be necessary to have a few spare buoys to replace them, while the others are being cleaned and painted; also, all the beacons require painting, for the purpose of making them conspicuous, as well as preserving them. The hiring of a steamer in the place of the "St. Kilda (as mentioned in your letter), for the purpose of moving and replacing the seaward buoys and otherwise attending to surveying, is a matter of further consideration, as there are no steamers about the Manukau that can be got for the purpose, and will have to be brought from elsewhere, —most probably from Auckland. As regards my undertaking to resurvey the entrance of the Manukau, so as to stand the scrutiny of the Hydrographical Department of the Admiralty, is a responsibility I do not feel myself qualified to undertake. Yet, at the same time, Ido feel to have a thorough knowledge of the harbour, and would willingly assist any one you might please to appoint, for the purpose. At present I have received no communication from His Honor the Superintendent of Auckland, on the subject of resurveying the Manukau Bar, as mentioned in your letter. In your Notice to Mariners, dated 24th instant, referring to alteration of channel, Manukau Bar, there appears some misunderstanding as regards the notice given that the south bank at the entrance of the Manukau Harbour is reported to have shifted, so as to render it unsafe to enter on the line of the leading beacons on the South Head; also, as this line would now lead on the tail of the bank. In reply to the above notice, I have respectfully to inform you that there is no bank at the entrance of the Manukau bearing the name " South Bank," as above quoted, and have to request that jou will refer to the directions for navigating all the channels at the entrance of the Manukau, which

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