LETTER No. 4.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume II, Issue 115, 15 May 1863, Page 2

LETTER No. 4.

Being a true and unvarnished narrative of the incidents and adventures which befel a trustworthy, truthful, and veracious traveller in his journeyings and discoveries in the unknown regions of Hawke's Bay. Dear Sir, —Having recruited my failing strength and spirits by a timely rest and refreshment upon the grass, at which point in my narrative I left off, and having, in the fact of partaking of refreshment on the grass as aforesaid followed the example of that much-abused individual Nebuchadnezzar, I again took myself into the saddle. I must be allowed to make a small digression here, upon the subject of the habit of the great ruler of men above mentioned, and which I have incidentally alluded to. Upon this point the learned Dr. Colenso, Bishop of Natal, is of opinion that when young New Zealand calls for a “ Nebuchadnezzar” in a house of entertainment, that young gentleman, in applying the name of that illustrious monarch to a “ salad,” altogether misuses that name, for, according to the erudite prelate, in his new version of the Pentateuch, Nebuchadnezzar did not dine on the grass, but upon the grass. Which slight and apparently insignificant difference of the reading of the original Sanskrit or Hebrew entirely alters the case. I may be excused touching upon what to all appearance is foreign to the subject in hand but it is a part of my duty as trustworthy expounder of truths and recorder of facts, to remove all and every kind of misapprehension winch may have found lodging in the minds of my readers, and with which I may fall in. I resume my journey. Between the Mohaka river and the great Valley of the Wairoa, little of interest is to be seen or heard. We were duly ferried over a small but deep river,— “ Here, foaming down the shelvj rocks, In twisting strength I rin ; There, high my boiling torrent smokes, Wide roaring o’er the linn,” &c. This stream is situated about half-way on the days’ journey, and we managed to get across it in a nondescript sort of an article between a punt and a canoe, with a touch of the boat in it. This perilous machine is peculiar to these waters, but wo were securely landed on the further bank, notwithstanding the combined fears entertained of the conveyance by myself in it and my horse out of it. I believe that although this hybrid boat looks as if it was not secure for the transit of one man, yet that it is capable of carrying as many as four full-grown people, to all appearance in the enjoyment of sound health and good appetites. There is one remarkable feature in connexion with the constitution of the public ferries, and that is that while the Europeans pay for the dry passage afforded by the boys and boats kept at these ferries, the Native is exempt from any such toll, yet there are possibly somewhere about tenMaories to every one European travelling on these roads. Having got rid of the acquatic transit in question, and having settled satisfactorily that the whites doing all the paying part of the business, in connexion with everything in New Zealand, is most miraculous, we went on our way rejoicing. “ The Sun’s perpendicular height Illumined the depths of the sea, And the fishes, beginning to sweat, Cried, 1 d n it, how hot we shall be’ ” when I, your industrious contributor, first caught sight of the far-famed Wairoa Valley. What might have been the particular sensation which came over the Patriarch Moses, when from the heights of Mount Pisgah he beheld the far-off but fertile plains of the long-wished-for and wearily-sought Promised Laud, I am not in a position positively to state; but if I may judge of that inspired leader by my own comparatively insignificant and worthless hopes, that greatest of men must have experienced a feeling of joy under the somewhat similar circumstances with my own of his responsible position, which is more easily imagined than described. There, round a yet distant point, but still there—there, I repeat, could be distinctly traced the embouchure of the vast waters of the Wairoa river into their kindred element of the Bay. And as Evening’s shadows gathered fast, I found mj r self, to the inexpressible joy and relief of my hardly despited horse, rapidly approaching that “ far bourne” from which I had some hope, notwithstanding my being a traveller, that it would be my happy lot to return, bearing my sheaves with me.

About five miles from the entrance to the Valley of Wairoa the road falls down from the hilly country to the beach, along which soft and heavy sand it passes until it finally runs into the valley I mention, towards which my longing eyes have been for so many days and nights in reality and in imagination turned.

There can be do doubt in the mind of all impartial observers that the country lying between the Mohaka and Wairoa rivers is extremely rough and valueless. Hills upon hills in interminable succession, cut up by innumerable streams, and interspersed with small patches of bush, scattered hither and thither along the j precipitous sides and banks. The eye becomes weary with constant and never-ending expanse of dreary wilderness, and the mind of the gazer reverts back to the beautiful grassy valleys and fine undulating hills, and rich flats of Ahuriri. A keen observer of the beauties of a country is that Chief Land Purchase Commissioner—what a pity that such a valuable talent had not found practical use in the purchase of some more of the fine lands to be found in the neighborhood of Napier. But the description of what I saw and what I did not see, and all the many wonderful things which are to be seen, I shall defer until a future date, when I shall have the high gratification of communicating to expectant thousands such an amount of important information, accompanied bysuchachoice assortment of astonishing facts, that at present it appears to be probable that like all other great travellers, half of the information which I shall give will not be believed and the whole of the facts and data collected and collated with surpassing care‘and attention as to the truth of them, will be looked upon as so much fiction. Such is the weakness of human nature, that although it gets worked up to an extravagant height of anticipation, as to the results of the opening of the seals, and is prepared to believe anything, yet when that great event does take place, and the hidden mysteries therein contained are revealed, men turn away and assert that it is all a sham and a delusion. Men, ray good Sir! generally believe the statements of the ignorant and presumptious in preference to the ascertained observations of the wise and well-informed. In short, a prophet or a traveller is but seldom appreciated in his own country. But I must conclude, the day is past and the night is at hand—- “ By this, the Sim is out o’ sight, And darker gloaming brings the night, The bum-clock hums wi’ lazy drone ; The kye stand routin’ i’ the loan ; ” and your obedient servant The Modern Mercury turned in.

To the Editor of the Haiolce'- s JR a:/ Times: Sir, —For a long time I have been considering why the residents of Te Wairoa have not the privilege of voting. Is it because they live on Native land ? or is it because they are termed outlaws ? and as such recognised by Government, who have given them a ferry, a weekly mail, and aid for the instruction of their children, thereby aiding them in their lawless disobedience. Had the Government officers done their duty, doubtless a large portion of Te Wairoa would have been in the hands of the Government. Such gross inconsistency is a disgrace to the Province, and should be rectified as soon as possible. I am, Sir, yours, A Reader.