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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume X, Issue 179, 20 July 1875, Page 2

The first of the promised series of papers in the Australasian, written by " a special representative commissioned to enquire into the state of the islands, and report upon ' New Zealand as it is,' " was published on the 10th instant, and is devoted to " The City of "Wellington." It gives a short sketch of the settlement of that province, and traces the growth of the town up to the present time. In perusing this, the first number, we must confess, after the flourish of trumpets by which it was preceded, to a feeling of disappointment. It is what may be best described by the expression " dull reading," the descriptions of scenery and events being singularly heavy and wanting in life and spirit. Unless tbe writer should warm to his subject as he proceeds, we are inclined to predict anything but a success for this new literary speculation of fche enterprising Australasian. The following extract will not be considered complimentary by those to whom it refers, nor will it give a favorable impression of the proud '-Empire City " to outsiders : — "The aspect of the city as it is, ia, as I have eaid, picturesque. But it has become so hy accident. The original settlers were too much occupied with the care of their own persjni and households to study the amenities o! the future city. They built each nfter his own fcslrioa. The result was not harmonious. For many years the progress of Welling' on was but slow ; there were no impottitions of living freight from home or the other colonies; no particular interest was taken in making tho city a.tractive to strangers ; and it w-*,s not till in 186.% when Wellington bee.me, in plane of Auckland, the seat of the Generd Government, that any sign*) of activity began to 1)3 shown bythe inhabitants. To that lotU3-eatiag state ot things may be attributed the fact ihat thou. h Wellington has now aa active city council, presided over by an intelligent mayor (Mr Moorhou'-e, formerly superintendent of Canterbury, and admittedly the father of the railway system in New ZiaUnd'}, it is still without a pl**n_ ha 5, not confcemp'ated the aj-thetics of the posit : oi; his made no pravision for drainage or Bfcwert-g*?; has not Buweedei in naming or numbering ita street- excepting on payer; hns no building act i,\ force; Jibs no control over its two volunteer fire brigades, which iceu*io_Hlly delight themselves with acci- ; dentiilly throwing water over each olher j intended to extinguish a fire ; and, gene* ally, j Ins le* matters dirt on as happily as they may." *- - *** ' -*»