D.—No. 6a,

PAPERS RELATING TO THE

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No. 66. The Hon. W. Gisboene to His Honor AV. Fitzherbert. Sir, — Colonel Secretary's Office, Wellington, 17th July, 1861. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of tho llth instant, in which you forwarded a memorandum of the Eailway AVorks recommended by the Provincial Council of Wellington to be undertaken by the General Government, and which you state have your entire approval. The plans of the survey of the line of railway to Patea, through the Wairarapa and the Manawatu Gorge, are now in course of preparation, and will be submitted to tho Assembly at the approaching Session. I have, &c, His Honor the Superintendent, Wellington. AV. Gisborne.

No. 67. Air. Blackett to Air. Stewart. Sie, — Auckland, 3rd January, 1871. I have to acknowdedge receipt of your letter of 7th December, 1870, informing me that you consider it will be necessary to have an Assistant Engineer to act under your direction in surveying the line of proposed railway in your district, and requesting permission to secure such assistance. In reply, I beg to state that it is of importance the proposed survey should be proceeded with without delay, in order that the necessary plans and estimates may be ready for the next Assembly, and you are authorized to engage temporarily such assistance as you may deem necessary for the purpose of pushing forward the work. Should you not be able to find any really capable engineering surveyor in your district, you will please to communicate with me at an early opportunity to that effect, in order that some one may be selected to act under your orders. I will endeavour to procure in Auckland a prismatic compass, as you desire, for the proposed survey. I have, Ac, J. T. Stewart, Esq., District Engineer, Alanawatu. John Blackett. Note. —Mr. Stewart lins charge of the railway survey from Manawatu Gorge through Manawatu towards Wanganui, ■and Mr. Carrington of the survey from Wanganui northwards towards New Plymouth. See previous section of these papers, under the head " Taranaki."

No. 68. Air. Blackett to Air. Stewart. Sir,— Public AVorks Office, AVellington, Bth February, 1871. I have the honor to inform you that Air. Al. Fitzgerald, surveyor, has been engaged to assist you in the survey of the railway line Alanawatu to AVanganui. He has instructions to place himself under your orders. He has expressed a wish to do the work by contract at so much per mile, and I have no objection to an arrangement of this kind; indeed I should prefer it, under fair and reasonable terms, if equally convenient to you. I have, &c, John Blackett, J. T. Stewart, Esq., District Engineer, Alanawatu. Acting Eugineer-in-Chief. Note. —In addition to Mr. Fitzgerald, Mr. James Mitchell has also been appointed under Mr. Stewart on this lino of railway 6urvey.

No. 69. Air. Eochfort to Air. Blackett. Sib,— Featherston, 25th October, 1870. In accordance with your instructions, I proceeded to explore for a suitable pass for a railway into the AVairarapa A'alley. I first examined the present road through the Eiinutaka, and found that starting from the level of the Afangaroa Hill (a much lower point can be got, or the hill avoided altogether by going down the river, but this would lengthen the line unnecessarily) the summit can be attained with the gradients you limited me to; about ten miles distance could be made by going up the Pakuratahi three or four miles, and crossing more than sufficient for the height (about 877 feet). A short tunnel of 200 yards or thereabouts would cut off a little, perhaps 100 feet in height, and reduce the difficulty on the other side, where a much greater fall has to be overcome (1,663 feet) to Featherston. This height would require a distance of about twelve miles and a half at a gradient of lin 40, and would fall in with the valley level some three or four miles up the Tauheremkan, and most probably come in contact with a very awkward slip, which I will describe presently; it would also leave out Featherston. Captain Smith's line by tho Tauherenikau is lower than the road by some 230 to 280 feet; like the former line from the Pakuratahi side, no difficulty exists to the summit.