REMOVAL OF THE CAPITAL.

New Zealander, Volume I, Issue 50, 16 May 1846, Page 3

REMOVAL OF THE CAPITAL.

To the Editor of the New-Zealander. Sir,— The lumours of shifting the seat of Government from Auckland, has for some time, ieasouably, alarmed this community, to whom the subject is a deep game — an interesting stake, the nature of which seems to have risen to a suspending danger j and as a moral duty it demands of the whole to watch and ward the progress of the game — 'the interest of their house— of their adopted country, and to force on its enemies the evidence of the wisdom, or happy hit, 111 the choice of the site of Auckland for the capital of the country. It behoves this community to put forth the naked truths of the relatively paramount advantages of the said site, aud thus mcrease the knowledge, in the " proper quarter,'' of its claim lor the Royal veto to quash this bruited intention " to remove the capital, " through the machinations of publicly influential, but fwrsonally interested, characters. Were the Home Government to be reckless of ettects, and issue the fiat for such removal, the

least felt sacrifice would be the public money, which has beeu expended here in public buildings, during the last five and a half years : this would be something to be regretted. But to establish on some other site the capital of New Zealand, would be an unprecedented act of injustice inflicted by British executive power on its colonists ; and, for the present, would so far depress Auckland, as to sink in rum most of its inhabitants, with many of the " old laud claimants," and entail a beriuusly lasting and general injury on New Zealand, in having rejected Natures propitious pioneering here for the capital. As one or this community— alive to \\\\s pioneering-— I tender my mite of knowledge, in support of the appropriate selection of the site of Auckland for the capital of the colony of New Zealand, in a concise description of the characteiistics of Auckland, its adjacent country, and the prominent features of this island. Auckland is situated on the north-east side of the narrow isthmus of the island, in the focus of the natural tracks most eligible to be pursued, by land and water, for its commerce, or internal or foreign intercourse, its distances, from the north and from the south extremes of the island, are nearly 3 to 5, respectively. It is washed, on the north side, by one ol the best harbonrs (VVaitemata) on the north-east eoasi — a harbour easy and safe of ingress and eg res s in all weathers, and eligible to contain a large number of all sized vessels ; to increase these maratnne advantages, others, of great importance, are in embryo foi the capital, by Auckland's proximity to its second and western harbour, Manukao ; by this, the Hue of our whole western coast, and our distant and western neighbours, &c, have a direct iuteicourse with Auckland, which will continue it the emporium of the North Island. The width of the Aucklaud isthmus is, here, about seven miles ; but the waters, of the two harbour?, approach each other by the south-east estuary, within the distance of half a mile at the customary portage of the natives, for their canoes, from water to water. The intervening land, forming this carrying-place, is level, moderately low and firm, inviting features and quality tor a canal. The position of Auckland, relative to the land, is od the north-western extreme of the rich Manukao plains, which lay between the inland terminations ol the north and south rauges ; these plains are upwaids ot thirty miles long, and their quality, as to soil, holds good to the plateau of lakes Tanpo and Rotorua ; and the eligible qualities of the Auckland district, iv climate, soil, formation of country, and most probably in minerals, will ever obtain prececedence of the more southern parts of New Zealand. The main dividing rauges, forming the water-sheds of the country, run a middle course through the island ; the north and south legs take up most of the length of the transverse diameter of the island — the former leg, only, being parallel with the coast line. A continuation of the lines of the ranges from the north and south, would meet in a point, forming an inward angle of 175 degrees, near Auckland. On the first, is the natural line for the main road through the northern parts, from Aucklaud, north-west to Kaitaia, near the North Cape. On the table land, and east of Lake Taupo, is the angular focus of the continuations of the hues of the four leading ranges ol the body of tht. country, the east and west legs, from East Cape and Cape Egmont, constitute the conjugate diameter, On these four ranges, as radii of ihi-> body, stretching to four of its principal districts, four of the main roads of the island must, ultimately, be formed — leading to Auckland, to the East Cape, to Wellington, and to New Plymouth. On the bearngs, by compasj,, from the said angular focus, nearly N.W., N.E, S.i\V., and S.W A W. (164 and 30 miles, respectively), and S.W. by W., respectively; and from the latitudes and longitudes of these places, their respective distances, from thence, are 162, 187, and 96 (directly) miles, British. These natural features, ot the land and water, concentrating iv Auckland, aie eminent eligibilities for the seat of the local Government, and capital of the country — advantages which no other part of New Zealand can claim. It was but some of these advantages which induced the late Captain Hobson, then Governor, with full powers ou this head from the British Cabinet, to establish, here, the seat of Government of New Zealand. It was on the faith of the Government vouchers, relative to this establishing; that a great portion of its present inhabitants paid, to the local Government large sums of money, for Town lots here, as being the capital. And it was this faith— strengthened by the Home Government's sanction, after five year's standing, of this estabhihing— which induced many of the " old laud claimants" to saciifice their rural homesteads, by exchanging: thevn, with the Government, for lands in the capital and its suburbs, at the rate of 850 and 215 acres for 1 acre, respectively ; but to this faith a renascence is imparted, that no public breach, of that vouch of our Government, will occur in defiance of the claims of this community, and of the ever-abiding causes which gave birth to that warrantry ; that is, those natural features referred to above. They claim a permanence for Auckland, as the seat of Government, too evident to be gainsaid, or even thrown into shadow (in New Zealand) by the sophism of our Southern or London opponents ; and it may be affirmed, that our district will amply eke out the aphorism— " The country makes the town," for the inhabitants of both can entertain gratulation iv the knowledge of the latter being enciicled by a fertile country, extensive for agriculture and pasture, and by a region of rich minerals and other 'indigenous resources of commercial wealth ; these are'converging impulses on the prime mover of'the machine, which will raise a new Town to the dignity of a City. I remain, 'Sir, Your obedient servant, ANGLO-SAXON. Auckland, 12th May, 1846. j