LETTER No. 2,

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume II, Issue 111, 1 May 1863, Page 3

LETTER No. 2,

To the Editor of the HawJcJa Bay Times.

JBeing a true and unvarnished narrative of the incidents and adventures which befel a trustworthy, truthful, and veeacious traveller in his journeyings and discoveries in the unknown regions of Hawke's Bag. Dear Sir, —Let no man disparage the ■works of genius, or make light of the doings of men of skill. Still, when I found, on the morning I awoke from a profound and refreshing slumber under the hospitable roof of mine honest host of the " Glencoe," that the sun which was then risen, at that precise hour on that precise day, when the great fact of my waking occurred, would have the task of lighting me over a continuation of ray yesterday's tribulations, I must confess that my heart began to fail me, and my mind reverted to the ominous warning ■conveyed at parting in the mild but melancholy grunt of my respected pig. And I began to curse the folly of the man of skill who invented the abominable road over which, in the pursuit of knowledge and for the advancement of the interests of my fel-low-creatures, my path lay. However, shaking oft the dispiriting influence before-mentioned, I " called upon" my highly-valued " Tobias" with whip and spur, and began one, but alas ! alas ! not the last, of the most tremendous ascents ever recorded in the versatile page of history. That an enlightened, liberal, and, by popular election, representative Government should be ignorant of the state of the roads, and of the country through which those roads pass, would be astonishing, but from the fact that by a most remarkable contradiction the more popular the Government of the day, the more perseveringly indifferent will that Government remain to the wants of the people who elected it. I deeply pity .and sincerely commisserate the highly accomplished and in every way worthy of a better cause Engineer whose duty compels him, in obedience to the mandates of his Imperial Highness the Superintendent, firstly to make a road over this kind of country, and then, as if the aforesaid magnate delighted to add insult to injury, to be obliged to travel over it. That gentleman—the Engineer to wit—must, however, derive much consolation, under the circumstances of the hardness of his fortunes, from the fact that there is to be found amongst the anointed Fifteen one individual of surpassing sagacity, w r ho is of opinion that a level road could be made through this to all appearance most mountainous of countries. Let no man laugh! Remember that Sir Isaac Newton discovered the great mathematical fact that the centre of gravity is somewhere about the centre of the earth, for which discovery he was laughed at; and bear in mind that GaliHo was persecuted by the Inquisition for asserting, amongst other profane novelties, that the earth was round and not square. Nor should it be forgotten that many other philosophers and men of seience have suffered in like manner in the cause of truth. But fortunately for the clear-sighted member referred to, persecution, except from petty Provincial Governments, is out of date, and being laughed at is a thing which he is quite used to, and therefore that also is harmless. And it is equally fortunate in the interests of this generation of Hawke's Bayites that the gentleman in question can see a great deal more clearly through an unbroken succession of high and rugged ranges of hills than any other man living.—But stay—let me remember—let me not forget that with

unsparing impartiality I shall inflict punishment, so with equally unsparing impartiality I ought to inflict praise. In short, my friend is right, for by making a small detour of a matter of about 150 miles, the object sought may he accomplished, and by levelling certain obstructive irregularities on the face of the country, the point to be reached, viz., 'the Mohaka River Mouth, can be effected, at the small, and as money matters with this Province at present stand, perfectly insignicant sum of .£I,OOO per mile. A mere trifle, Sir ! a mere trifle !!

But to proceed upon my journey. •* Tobias,” having, by a succession of supernatural efforts, succeeded in carrying himself and your servant to the top of ascent No. 1, we stopped at that great elevation to take breath, and to admire the scenery. The mind of man is expansive !—and therefore no wonder that the view from the terrific height at which we had arrived was one that struck the mind of the gazer with astonishment, and tended from its vastness to stretch the imagination of that fortunate individual in endeavors to fill up the numerous blanks which occurred between the tops of the circumjacent mountains, and the confines of the habitable globe. I have been told that the Government of New Zealand have purchased the land comprising the fertile valleys of the rivers Arapawanui and Moeangiangi, and unfortunately an extremely disproportionate quantity of the surrounding hills, at a great expense, and vast trouble. While thus moralizing and reflecting on the greatness of the works of Nature, as exemplified in the view far stretching before me, and upon the smallness of the works of man, as instanced in the purchase effected as above mentioned, my trusty and well-beloved steed, taking advantage of my absence of mind, and of my profound reverie, and being moreover, I deplore to record, more strongly devoted to corn than to travelling, had begun, to my extreme horror, a retrograde motion down the abominable declivity, the ascent of which we had hut lately accomplished with so much labor and perseverance. Sir! it is my painful duty to record this, and I tell you a fact when I assert that that otherwise most noble of animals frequently mentioned in my letters, my invaluable Tobias, was in the act of deserting the cause of Science, and leaving me, the most enthusiastic of devotees at her shrine, in an undignified state of helplessness, while he, the sinner, went off in pursuit of further supply of carnal corn. However, by a great effort, and by the special assistance and intervention of my guardian spirit, I succeeded in cutting off the untimely retreat of my quadrepeded companion, and thus was the cause of Science vindicated, and your devoted correspondent replaced in a position to prosecute his researches, with comparative satisfaction.

About tins time, no sooner had I got over the one difficulty of capturing my recreant horse, than I beheld another difficulty making its appearance in the shape ofaS.E. gale, which was rapidly gathering, and which ominous appearance was, we may be sure, far from exhilarating to my spirits. But borne up by the glorious feeling that the eyes of the whole civilized world were at that moment turned in the direction in which I journeyed, watching anxiously the progress of my researches, I gathered up the reins, and girthed up the saddle of my invincible, but, alas, weak-minded horse, and proceeded onwards.

The valley of the Moeangiangi Stream is a valley which presents much the appearance of a Highland glen, and is remarkably small and picturesque. It is surrounded by mountains of portentious height, and which are only descended and ascended by dint of great perseverance, presence of mind, and patience. But why dwell upon the hair-breadth escapes from falls into bottomless gulphs, or into deep, unfathomable ravines ? Or why harrow the feelings and sensibilities of the readers of these annals with minute details of all my many perils, ere I reached the confluence of the magnificent River Mohaka with the mighty waters of the Bay. Deep answers Deep ; and the roar of waters tells that a great conjunction of the twin brother of the Amazon with the foaming billows of the Ocean is taking place but a little distance from my path. We have journeyed all day over a most unprofitable, most unenviable, and most provoking country, and night has now spread her mantle o’er the land, and nought is to be seen save the dusky outline of the high ranges which in all directions gird the horizon. Still we plod on ! Presently the barking of dogs indicates our vicinity to the habitation of man, and my hungry horse pricks up his ears in anticipation of a supply of the long-deferred and as long-wished-for feed of corn. Soft slumbers presently steal over my fa-

tigued limbs in the spacious hall of Mr. Sim’s hostelry, where, I need hardly remark, I was treated with that warmth and welcome, which is the wonted tribute paid to the weary and enquiring traveller by his countrymen and fellows, no matter under what circumstances, or where placed. With the morning light I shall give you some account of this remarkable locality. In the meantime, I am, Sir, Yours, Stc., The Modern Mercury.