FROM MARTIN'S BAY TO QUEENS TOWN.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1477, 29 April 1873, Page 3

FROM MARTIN'S BAY TO QUEENS TO WN.

Mr John M 'Bride, of Queenstown, who has undertaken the supervision of the making of the track from the head of the Lake to Martin's Bay, has returned for business purposes. He will, no doubt, report to the department what has been done. That, of course, is a matter of detail. Generally* the Wakatip Mail gathered that a large extent of road in the more difficult places has been made ; that its informant (Mr Sandison) in its last issue must have made some mistake, his statement being "that he crossed the range with the greatest difficulty, there being a foot of snow on the track." Mr M'Biide says that a partial fall of snow did take place, but the ground was not covered over the depth of one or two inches for a couple of hours. He further adds that the climate is delightful, and the road party have been able to work all the time. The Mail is also informed that the improvements made are so great, that a journey which has hitherto taken two and a half days to accomplish can now be done in less than half that time. Mr M'Bride himself reduced that time to nine hours and a half in which he reached Dartmouth (Head of Lake) from the Hoilyford River, !From former pursuits and experience, he says that a finer country for settlement does not exist. The soil is deep and rich ; the timber is magnificent; straight trees over one hundred feet in the barrel are met with generally, and thousands of acres tempt settlement ; and the valleys excel ordinal/ ideas of them, and the climate is delightful. As to Martin's Bay there is no precise information. Money is evidently not plentiful, and the steamers trading on the West Coast are not over anxious for accounts current.