E.—B,

1873. NEW ZEALAND.

RAILWAY: FOXHILL TO GREYMOUTH.

(INSTRUCTIONS TO AND REPORT BY MR. CALCUTT ON THE LANDS PROPOSED AS SECURITY.)

Presented to both Souses of the General Assembly by command of Sis Excellency.

No. 1. The Under Secretary to Mr. T. Calcutt. Sir,— Public Works Office, Wellington, 7th June, 1873. I am directed by the Hon. Mr. Richardson to request you to proceed by first steamer to Nelson, and to place yourself in communication with His Honor the Superintendent of Nelson. From the enclosed letter* of introduction, you will learn that His Honor has been requested to afford you every assistance for rapidly inspecting and reporting generally on the lands proposed to be granted to the Government as security for the suggested Southern Railway in the Nelson Province. You will be good enough to take the earliest opportunity to travel as far as practicable over the line of railway, which will be pointed out to you, with the view principally of ascertaining whether any, and if so, what proportion, is fit for settlement and cultivation ; and also what proportion (roughly) is really good timbered land, easily accessible to the railway. The land proposed to be granted and pointed out for inspection is in the watershed of the valleys through which the railway is intended to run. As soon as possible after your inspection, you will report to the Government, and return to Wellington. I have, &c., John Knowles, Thomas Calcutt, Esq. Under Secretary.

No. 2. Mr. T. Calctjtt to the Hon. the Minister for Public Works. Sir,— Wellington, sth July, 1873. In accordance with the instructions contained in Mr. Knowles' letter to me of 7th June last, No. 810, directing me to proceed to Nelson to inspect certain lands proposed to be set aside for railway purposes between Foxhill (Nelson) and Greyinouth (Westland), to ascertain principally whether any, and, if so, what proportion would be fit for settlement and cultivation, and also (roughly) what proportion was really good timber land, I have the honor to report that, accompanied by and under the guidance and direction of Messrs. Mackay and Sayle, gentlemen appointed respectively by His Honor the Superintendent of Nelson and by the Members of the "Inland Communication Committee," to point out the country, I have travelled through and over (so far as it is possible so to do for the dense bush) nearly all the valley and terrace lands lying between the watersheds of the Buller and Grey Eivers, from Foxhill to Point Elizabeth. The route chosen by the gentlemen guiding me was from Foxhill over Spooner's Range, down Norris's Valley to a ford a little above the junction of the Motupiko and Motueka Rivers ; thence along the Motupiko and Hope Valleys to Newport's, on to the junction of the Owen and Buller Rivers at Dillon's ; thence along the north bank of the Buller River to its junction with the Mangles ; and thence to a ford on the Buller at the Government Clearing, across to Rowe's at Hampden. From Rowe's we returned along the south bank of the Buller up the Mangles River, crossing the Blackwater and on to Mr. McGregor's Station on the Tiraumea Plains (the first open land I had seen since leaving Motueka Valley). From McGregor's we continued our way to Hunter's Station on the Upper Matakitaki. From Hunter's we proceeded down the plain for about four miles, crossing the Matakitaki, Glenroy, and Warbeck Rivers, to the homestead of Mr. Moonlight, situate at the junction of the Warwick and Marina Rivers, and on to Mr. Walker's Station. Here is the Marina Plain, con- # This letter was a merely formal one, and was not copied.