II. General Description of the Province.

Otago is in length about 160 miles, and in breadth 195 miles, and is estimated to contain 15,500,000 acres. It may be said to possess every description of scenery, both along the coast line and in the interior, the features being eminently of a Scottish type, whilst the names given to places have strongly stamped this character. "Mountains, with inaccessible, rugged, snow-capped peaks, rising almost perpendicular from their base, affording neither food nor footing for any animal; hills, either clothed with verdure to their rounded summits, on which flocks and herds are leisurely pasturing, or rising in graceful cones, densely wooded with valuable timber; vales, stretching far as the eye can reach, clad with corn or luxuriant herbage, dotted with homesteads, evincing on every side comfort and content; lone glens, closely shut in, where true solitude can be enjoyed undisturbed—or the busy city or town, where all the luxuries and comforts of life are exhibited, and in which squalor and poverty are rarely met; rivers rolling rapidly, or gently gliding to their ocean home; bums and streams murmuring and gurgling in their course to the page 12 river; cascades and cataracts, capable of being converted to useful service, or too mighty to be brought into subjection; lakes, of great extent and fantastic shape, or lochs, quietly reposing on the plains; old ocean himself laving the shores on three of its coasts, here impetuously beating against its sterile cliffs or rolling in breakers far up the sandy beach, or there creeping inland, forming noble harbors or secure havens, where the mariner can safely anchor; islands, from solitary rocks to important settlements, numerous along the coast; its western side savagely grand, while its eastern is tame to a degree."

Along the eastern and southern coast line, the principal harbor is Otago, which is a long arm of the sea, into which vessels of very heavy draught can enter with safety. Steam tugs; are always at command should the wind prove adverse. The channel to Port Chalmers is somewhat winding, but, reaching the port, a large fleet can lie at the piers, or anchor in the different bays, in smooth water and under shelter of the land. Bluff" Harbor, the first port of arrival and last of departure for the Suez mail steamers, is a safe one for vessels of any tonnage. The other harbours are chiefly used for coasting vessels. The West Coast is a succession of sounds or inlets, some of them of immense size, with great depth of water, easily taken, and quite landlocked; but as this portion of the province has yet to be settled, a more detailed account need not be given.

All the principal rivers discharge on the east and south coasts, several of them being navigable for many miles, by coasting steamers and vessels. Their lengths, compared with the size of the Province, together with the volume of water they discharge, are hardly credible. The principal one is the Clutha, estimated at 220 miles in length, having its source north of the Wanaka Lake, at a height of 264ft. above the sea level, and calculated by the late Mr. Balfour, marine engineer, to discharge 1,690,000 cubic feet of water per minute. The quantity of water is greater and its temperature lower during summer than winter, this being caused by the melting of the snows on the western ranges of mountains. Several tributaries flow into the Clutha, the most notable being the Pomahaka, Manuherikia, Cardrona, and Kawarau, the latter draining Lake Wakatipu. The Taieri River page 13 flows through the plain of the same name, and is a sluggish stream for a large portion of its course. It is reckoned as 150 miles long, although the distance from its source to its mouth, as the crow flies, is not above 45 miles. The Mataura is 120 miles in length, the Oreti 130, and the Waiau and Mararoa, by which Lakes Manipori, Te Anau, and Mavora are drained, about 140 miles. The Waitaki, flowing eastward 130 miles, and the Awarua flowing westward, form the northern boundary of the Province.

Lakes are numerous, and some of them of large extent: in the north, the Wanaka, covering 75 square miles, and the Hawea, 48; in the south-east, the Waihola and Waipori, 5½; the Tuakitoto and Kaitangata, 3½; in the interior: the Wakatipu, 112; and the Manipori, 36; and in the west: Te Anau, 132; and M'Kerrow or Kapapo, 10 square miles.

Mountain ranges traverse the Province from north to south generally; the backbone lying near the west coast, thus accounting for the easterly flow of the rivers. The principal peaks in different directions are Mount Aspiring, 9,049; Earnslaw, 9,200; Ben Nevis, 7,650; Titaroa. 5,643; Hamilton, 4,674; Maungatua, 2,280ft. in height. The snow line is 8,000ft; but all the mountains attaining that height are on the west side.

Although the forests handy to market or a shipping port, have to a large extent been thinned out, there are still immense tracts which have not been touched for want of access; but now that roads and railways are bringing them within reach, a supply of timber for railway, building, and other purposes, sufficient to meet the demand for many years to come, can readily be obtained. Longwood and Waiau forests alone contain upwards of 1,000 square miles, and almost the entire western sea-board is a dense bush of most valuable timber.

The area of land fitted for agricultural pursuits is computed at 9,000,000 acres, and is distributed in every direction. From the northern boundary (the Waitaki River), south to Dunedin, a distance of about 80 miles, and from the coast inland, an average breadth of 40 miles, the land consists of extensive plains and downs, with here and there a few hill ranges, some of the peaks of which rise to 4,000ft.; but generally the spurs and ridges are well rounded and of easy slope. Further in the interior are the page 14 Upper Taieri, thirty miles long by fifteen broad; Upper Waitaki, twenty by fifteen; Upper Clutha, forty by ten; Manuherika, forty by eight; Ida, thirty by six—all magnificent plains, besides other valleys of smaller extent, but of great fertility. South from Dunedin to the Clutha River, and thence to the Mataura, after crossing Saddle Hill, which is cultivated to its summit, the long reach of the Taieri, Tokomairiro, Clutha, and Mataura plains extend for about 120 miles, with a breadth varying from ten to forty miles, the hills on either side, not of great height, noted for their long rounded or fiat-topped spurs and rich sloping gullies. From the Mataura south to the ocean and west to the Waiau River, a breadth of sixty miles, and of similar length, the country is almost a dead level, occasionally interrupted by hills of moderate elevation. The interior, in which the gold fields are principally situate, is much more mountainous and broken, but possesses fine straths and glens, admirably adapted for the labours of the husbandman.

The peculiarly healthy character of the climate is attested by the fact of so many strong, active children seen in all directions, their stout limbs and ruddy countenances being a subject of general remark by strangers visiting the Province.

Originally, the Province was divided into two counties of almost equal area, the 169th degree of east longitude being the boundary: they were named Bruce and Wallace respectively. It is now parcelled out for different purposes, either political, social, or industrial. The political divisions are, first, for the election of Representatives in the General Assembly, or Colonial Parliament, numbering eighteen, and returning nineteen members. The next is for the election of members of the Provincial Council, numbering thirty-four districts, with forty-six members. The social divisions are the educational districts (elsewhere alluded to) Town Council, and Road Board districts, of which there are forty-six. The powers of the road trustees are similar to those of Town Councils. These Boards have effected a great amount of good in their respective districts, and are considered one of the best institutions of Otago. The industrial districts are, first, agricultural, known as hundreds, numbering thirty-six, and containing in the aggregate over 2,000,000 acres. Keeping pace with the page 15 demand for land for settlement, new hundreds are proclaimed, and these are taken from the second industrial division, namely, pastoral land or runs. The occupier of land on lease for grazing purposes must fall back before the settler, who has the prior and superior claim, and which cannot be overlooked. Gold digging is the next, but not the least important industrial division to be noticed. There are now ten gold fields, embracing an area of 10,000 square miles, not by any means all taken up for digging pursuits, but over which the gold-seeker is at liberty to prospect, and to "spot" any claim he may fancy a payable one. Within the gold fields, what is termed agricultural leases can be obtained; which means that a picce of land known not to be auriferous can be selected, fenced, improved, and settled on, at a yearly rent of 2s. 6d. an acre, and at the end of the third year it can be purchased at 20s. an acre.

The Towns of the Province next claim notice. There are about seventy recorded on the map, and of these over forty contain a number of inhabitants. Sixteen of them have become of so much importance as to possess a Mayor and Council for the management of their affairs, and eleven of these incorporated towns can boast of having newspapers published in them. The sites for all the towns have been selected in localities where special industries were likely to be established, or at points of the main roads considered suitable. A short description will be given of the principal ones.

Dunedin, being the largest and most important city, not only in the Province, but in the Colony, first demands attention. It stretches along the head of the bay, and has a north-east aspect. A large number of the dwelling-houses are built on the hills embraced within the boundaries, and the fine foliage trees with which they are in general surrounded, give a highly picturesque appearance to the scene. Decidedly, the best view is obtained in approaching by water. As the prospect is opened up, a pleasing impression is made on the visitor; and, on nearing the jetty, the numerous chimney stalks; and the sound of many hammers, give the idea of busy industry. The entrance by rail from Port Chalmers is certainly faulty, as the train passes amongst a lot of "shanties" anything but attractive. These are, however, rapidly page 16 being cleared away, and the sludge-holes filled up. The southern railway has not the same objection. The fine stretch of the harbor is first opened up, then passing through the clean, compact suburb of Kensington, the South Recreation Ground (where cricket matches and other healthful games are carried on), is skirted, and the train at once enters the busy line of the south end iron and wood factories, wool and grain stores, wholesale warehouses, and shipping jetties. Roads from all parts of the Province converge on Dunedin as the capital: the main north road by the North-east Valley; the main south road by Caver-sham; the roads to the interior by Stuart-street, Maclaggan-street, Pine Hill; and to Otago Heads by the Peninsula. By all these routes very fine views of different parts of the city are obtained. The area is 865 acres. There are ninety streets, each 66ft. wide, the greater number being metalled, having curbed and asphalted pavements, and well lighted with gas. The length of Princes-street and George-street, the one being a continuation of the other, is two and a-half miles, or, if the extension of the city through the suburbs of Kensington, Forbury, and St. Kilda is included, there is a straight line of street four miles in length, and almost level. The longest from east to west is High-street, about one mile. In the centre of the city is the Octagon, and around the landward sides a belt of 560 acres is set apart for the recreation of the inhabitants. The banking establishments and retail houses are mostly in Princes-street and at the south end of George-street. Some of the shops would-do credit to Princes-street, Edinburgh, after which city Dunedin and its streets are named. Drapers, grocers, confectioners, bakers, ironmongers, jewellers, cabinet-makers display the newest patterns and most elegant designs, the best description and variety of articles of daily consumpt, the most complete furnishings and attractive ornaments that can be obtained anywhere, either at a very little advance, or, for the necessaries of life, at lower prices than they can be obtained in Britain. The wholesale houses are mostly situate in some of the quieter streets, but are gradually being attracted closer to the terminus of the railway. The timber and ironworks are distributed to the north and south of the Octagon. A considerable proportion of the industries of the Province have page 17 their principal seat in Dunedin. The public buildings are handsome and numerous: amongst others may be mentioned the University, High School, Custom House, Post Office and Provincial Government Buildings, Hospital, Lunatic Asylum, Benevolent Asylum, Masonic Hall, Caledonian Grand Stand, churches, particularly the First Church, (pronounced the finest ecclesiastical edifice south of the equator); the banks, warehouses, and free and bonded stores; and, as private buildings, the residences of the principal citizens. A large addition is being made to the number of such buildings, and, as the material used in building is stone, brick, or concrete (wooden structures being now discarded), they are of a substantial character. The places of resort for information, recreation, or amusement, are the Athenaeum (with its reading-room and extensive library), the Museum, Botanical Gardens and Acclimatization Grounds, the Princess and Queen's theatres, music and concert halls, recreation grounds north and south, racecourse, and public baths. The Corporation affairs are managed by a Mayor, and Councillors, whose attention is chiefly occupied at present in promoting measures for the sanitary im-improvement of the city, and in arranging for a Town Hall, with offices attached, intended to be the finest structure in the city, and to cost £30,000. The police arrangements are part of the system in force throughout the Province, being under the charge of the Provincial Government, by whom the expenses are defrayed. By private companies a good supply of excellent water and gas was laid through all the streets and into most of the houses. Recently the Water Works have been purchased by the Corporation, and are shortly to be considerably extended, and terms are proposed for the purchase of the Gas Works, or the erection of new ones. A Harbor Board for the Port of Otago has recently been formed, and is now actively engaged in extending the piers, reclaiming land for warehouse and traffic purposes, and dredging the channel so as to permit the larger coasting steamers to come up to Dunedin. It is proposed to carry out the work of dredging so as to permit the largest vessel that can enter the harbor to come up to town to load and discharge. Wet docks, comprising about thirty acres, are also to be undertaken forthwith. In addition to the present steam dredges at work, a con- page 18 tract has been entered into with a Dunedin firm to build a powerful new dredge to lift 500 tons per hour, working to a depth of 30 feet, and raising the stuff to a height of 25 feet. The contract price is £20,000. The Board has been endowed with valuable lands, which will soon realize a handsome revenue, and thus make dock and other charges as light as possible on the shipping. Two morning papers and one evening paper are published daily, besides five weekly and seven monthly periodicals. The Chamber of Commerce, Association of Underwriters, Law Society, and others of a similar description, are important institutions. Edina has been distinguished by the name of "Modern Athens;" Dunedin, with its salubrious climate, its attractive scenery, its elegant buildings, its enterprising citizens, its noble institutions, and its comprehensive provision for a liberal and classical education, bids fair to claim the title of the "Athens of the South." The population at the census, February 1871, was 14,857; at the census, 1st March, 1874, the number was over 18,500, showing an increase of about 3,700 in the three years. If the suburbs are included, the number will amount to 26,000.

Port Chalmers is the principal seaport town of the Province. It is built, on a peninsula jutting into the harbor, half-way between the Heads and Dunedin, and at it a great proportion of the commerce is conducted. It claims to be the oldest town in the settlement. At the railway pier and in the stream, there are always large vessels loading for or discharging from different parts of the world. The large addition which is being made to the pier will give increased facilities for trade; and the patent slip, floating dock, and stone graving dock (the only one in the Colony—measuring 328ft. long by 50ft. wide, having 22ft. of water on the sill), make it an attraction for ships requiring cleaning and repairs. The time ball by which chronometers are adjusted drops daily at noon, and is erected, along with the signal station, on the hill on the west side of the town. The building of wooden vessels, together with ships' smithwork, are the staple industries of the town; and the vicinity is famous for a hard bluestone, much used for house building. A start has also been made in sawing a flag-stone, suitable for footpaths and courtyards. Fish curing is carried on here more extensively than in any other page 19 part of the Province. There are several substantially-built churches, a grammar-school, banks, stores, and hotels. Gas has already been introduced, and the Town Council are arranging for a water supply. The population, including sailors on board the shipping, in March, 1874, was 2,887.

Oamaru, in the extreme north, is decidedly the maritime town of Otago. It is situated on a terrace overlooking the Southern Ocean. The vast expanse of water, and the healthy and refreshing atmosphere, render the locality an invigorating one. The bay or roadstead offers inducements for sea bathing which will not be overlooked, and in a short time bathing machines, with all their appliances, will be profitably engaged here. It is the shipping port of the largest pastoral and agricultural, and perhaps mineral, districts in the Province. The quantity of wool, wheat, oats, barley, and grass seed produced in the district around is very great; and the quality may be judged, when it is stated that Hour with the Oamaru brand commands the highest price in the market. The building stone is unrivalled, and can be got in any quantity. Limestone, cement, pipeclay, and coal exist in abundance; and the substantial breakwater which is being rapidly built will greatly facilitate shipment, and offer shelter in any weather to coasting vessels. In building the breakwater, concrete blocks, weighing over thirty tons, are used: these are made on the shore, lifted, carried, and placed in position by a steam crane made in Dunedin, only two or three men being required in the operation. The town has an imposing appearance from the sea. The streets are wide and regular; and several fine buildings, substantially constructed and profusely ornamented with stone from the vicinity, confirm the impression when one has landed. As regards population, it is the second town of the Province, the number in 1874 being 2,829.

Palmerston is situated at the junction of the Dunstan road with the main road, and is rapidly rising into importance. Hampden, Moeraki, and Waikouaiti are coastal towns, with fine country around them.

Southward from Dunedin, the first important town is Milton, near which the junction of the road and railway to the Tuapeka gold fields is made. Being in the centre of one of the oldest page 20 settled agricultural districts, and having energetic and persevering residents, it has become the most flourishing inland agricultural town in the Province. Agricultural implements, coach building, lime burning, pottery works, brick and tile making, are the main industries. The Milton potteries deserve more than a passing notice, not only from their having been the first started in the Province, and carried on with great spirit, but also from the superior character and fineness of the different wares produced. Glazed tiles are principally made in Milton; and the Corporation have effected great improvements in forming the streets and attending to sanitary matters. Population, 1,161.

Balclutha is a stirring township on the banks of the Clutha River, and is making strong efforts to overtake some of its older rivals. Population, 430. There is a very fine bridge, of wood, across the Clutha River at this point.

Invercargill is the principal town of the late Province of Southland, and is well placed near the head of the New River estuary. Some of the main streets are two chains in width, and all of them are laid off at right angles. Considerable advance is being made in the material and architecture of the buildings, and the merchants are possessed of great ability and penetration. The first railway in Otago was constructed to connect this town with its shipping port at Bluff Harbor, a length of twenty miles. The line was constructed under the Southland Provincial Government. A continuation of the railway for an additional twenty miles connects it with Winton, a splendid district of country, and branch lines are being pushed forward in other directions. Large quantities of wool and grain are produced, and are shipped direct from the Bluff to London and Melbourne. The extensive forests around the town give an immense trade in shipping timber to less favored localities. Nearly twelve million feet are sawn annually. Another feature of the trade is the export of preserved meats from the works at Woodlands. Two newspapers are published in the town. In 1871, the population was 1,952; in 1874, 2,484—increase, 532.

Riverton is a beautifully-situated town at the mouth of Jacob's River. In addition to the local trade and the export of grain, seal fishing occupies a considerable deal of attention, and the page 21 opening up of the Orepuki gold fields, and the immense timber forests adjacent, will give the town a considerable impetus.

The towns in the interior of the Province are, for the most part, in the centre of mining districts. Lawrence, on the Tuapeka gold field, was the first created. It is the seat of a considerable amount of industry, and its residents are alive to every opportunity of promoting its prosperity. In the Tuapeka district, the gold mining is principally confined to what is called alluvial workings. Immense sums have been expended by the miners in bringing in water from distant streams, some of the races being twenty to forty miles in length, winding round hill sides (which are often tunnelled), or carried across gullies by fluming or pipes. By means of the water, the face of the working is washed down, and all the soil carried away, leaving the stones behind, which must be removed, and the gold, which, being the heaviest metal, and in very small particles, is gathered with the refuse dirt at the bottom, and carefully separated by a process of washing. An idea of the quantity of water needed may be formed when it is stated that the height of the face to be washed down at the celebrated Blue Spur is 110ft. by a width of 600 yards. To assist the work of the water, shafts are driven into the face, chambers formed, and large quantities of powder used for a single explosion, bringing down many thousand yards of stuff, which is all washed away. Many men are employed in mining here, whose supplies and material are furnished by the merchants of Lawrence. The town is well built, and, like all the Government towns, regularly laid off, no street being less than a chain wide. There are a grammar school, several churches, banks, Athenaeum, mills, breweries, hotels, and every other requisite.

Proceeding further into the interior from Lawrence, up the valley of the Clutha to the Dunstan district, the next towns of importance are Roxburgh, at Teviot; Alexandra, at the junction of the Manuherikia River, a distance of sixty-eight miles; Clyde, on the banks of the Clutha, seven miles further on; and Cromwell, at the junction of the Kawarau, thirteen miles further. At the latter town, the Clutha is spanned by a suspension bridge, 350ft. long, 15ft. wide, and capable of sustaining a heavy traffic. The mining in these districts is of different descriptions. When page 22 the great river is low, its banks are stripped and the material carried to a higher level, where it is subsequently washed, the refuse carried back into the river, and then lost to sight. Often the workmen unfortunately find that, without any warning, a month's hard work is in an hour or two lost, without the possibility of saving, by a sudden rise of the river sweeping all their stuff away. Another mode of gold finding is dredging the bottom of the river by machinery, bringing the precious metal along with the silt to the surface, where it is saved. A novel dredging machine has lately been built for this purpose, being a strong cigar-shaped tube, of iron, with an opening in the floor, in which four or six men can be placed. It is to be sunk to the bottom, and the inmates will collect the stuff and work at it in their prison-house, air being forced down to them from above to enable them to exist. Quartz mining is still another method. In this case, the gold exists in the solid rock, which has to be blasted, sent to the surface, and there crushed to powder by powerful stamping machines driven by steam or water power. The veins of quartz run into the mountain side or dip downwards: in either instance, hundreds of feet have often to be gone over in what is called "bringing the stone to grass,"—that is, to daylight. All these workings require skill and carefulness in carrying them on. Although the digger at times makes lucky finds, it is no more than he deserves for the energy and industry he has to exercise.

Proceeding onwards from Cromwell, and crossing the streams Roaring Meg and Gentle Annie, Arrowtown is reached after twenty-six miles, and Queenstown after forty. The latter is prettily situated on the shore of Lake Wakatipu. As in all the other towns, the residents here are doing their utmost to make their town attractive, each one trying to excel. The great distance from the early agricultural producing districts making carriage very expensive, caused the settlers here to try what they could do in raising grain. When gold miners first went into the Lake district, it was alleged that not even a potatoe could be grown there; but, in fact, the district not only now produces much fine wheat, so that a very large flour mill is kept continually page 23 employed, but various fruits are cultivated, and they ripen earlier and better than in districts around Dunedin.

The other gold fields towns, Hamilton and Naseby, are on the road from Dunstan to Palmerston. Each is a municipality, and vies with its neighbour in progress, both relying on Gold for their prosperity.