Lake Wakatip Mail. Queenstown, Wednesday, March 22, 1865.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 198, 22 March 1865, Page 2

Lake Wakatip Mail. Queenstown, Wednesday, March 22, 1865.

The extracts fioai the Canterbury 'Press' that we publish in another column are worth more than a mere cursory perusal. They teach the legislators of Otago a lesson that should not be lost. It is better to learn wisdom than stupidly follow prejudices. No matter from where the lesson and the example come. We find Canterbury rejoicing in the facts of its rich plains being open for agricultural settlement to one and all; glorying in the fact that, at a certain compensation to the state for the alienation of its lands, the squatter and the laborer are placed on the same footing; and that Canterbury desires to see every acre of land cultivated advantageously. Further, we see that it is not the desire of that Province to expend her revenue upon beautifying Christchurch and enriching Port Lyttelton, but in opening up roads to the seaports, and employing labor. Thus we find the true principles of colonization put into force; in other words, the equitable adminis* tration of the public property. How to effect this, and open up, at the same time, a rich agricultural, mineral and gold country, our legislators will find contained in the very able report of Dr. Hector, of November 3, 1863. In November 1863, and in February 1864, we very strongly drew attention to the advantage of opening up the route to Martin's Bay, but the Dunedin Provincial Government preferred to depend upon an opinion. We will bring up that opinion again, like Baxquo's ghost. Of course people will not believe the monstrosity of the act now. Dr Hector, a gentleman of European fame, who has crossed the American continent, and knows more about routes than all the surveyors of the Province put together, frightened the Dunedin people by his report, and made them think their Vestry interests were at stake, and they immediately sent up a Mr Arthur, who condemned the opinion of the man of European fame, and the little Pedlington interests of Dunedin gained the day. The day of retribution has now arrived. A road to the West Coast by Dr. Hector's route would be of inestiaiable value to Otago just now. We give a series of extracts confirming our views. Dr. Hector, after describing how the Valley is bounded, says, in reference to distance, &c.: —

The total distance from the Kakapo Lake to the Wakatip Late, by the route I followed is 90 miles. But if we had followed straight up the Kakapo Valley, and followed down the Greenstone River to where it enter* the Lake, which would be the proper line to cut a track, the distance would be less than 50 miles. The time actually employed in travelling was as follows: — Hours With the dingy . - - 8 Thence to the height of land - 22 Thence to Wakatip Lake, to Mr Vontunzelmann's - - - 16 Total - - - 46 In the foregoing description of the route I have followed iu crossing the mountains, and of the country at its western extremity, as given in the enclosed narrative, I have limited myself to the statement of what I observed and recorded on the spot, and have intentionally avoided expres>iDg an opinion as to whether the present requirements of the Province are such as to make the result of this part of my explorations of immediate practical value. However, I may state

that when such requirements do exist, there will be no difficulty in constructing a road at a moderate expense between the Wakatip and Kakapo Lakes that will pass over a summit level of the mountains that does noMnvolve a rise of more than 400 feet above the Wakatip Lake, which, being elevated 1000 feet above the sea, consequently makes the western descent equal to 1400 feet, 400 of which may be accomplished with an imperceptible gradient. We shall return to this subject in our next issue.