There are at this moment, many large tracts of land, leased, which are lying, for all purposes of reproductiveness, utterly valueless; in fact, to use an old Victorian expression, being ''shepherded'', the lessees of which, are, Micawber-like, ''waiting for something to turn up'' in their neighbourhood, before they turn to with a will to work the ground. Under such vicarious action, ground, probably very valuable, will take an indefinite time for its proper development. - I believe, that as yet, the Thames District, i.e. all the lands ceded to the Government for Gold-mining purposes, (including Coromandel, which is virtually part of the Thames), requires for its proper development, a much larger amount of Capital than has hitherto been invested upon it; and that if that Capital has been found insufficient for working purposes , it would be suicidal to attempt to work a field without more labour and more Capital, than it at the disposal of the Province at present. Had the same amount of capital which had been invested in Scrip, for purely gambling purposes, been employed in obtaining skilled labour, the Thames District would already have been much nearer to the attainment of that position, which it ought, and is ultimately destined to occupy, vis:- the largest reefing field in the world, than can be said of it at present. Hitherto it may be compared