[From the Nelson Examiner, Oct. 4.]

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume II, Issue 54, 18 October 1845, Page 3

[From the Nelson Examiner, Oct. 4.]

The egregiousness of the mistake made byCaptain Hobson in choosing a locality for his capital becomes more and more evident every day. By it the colony is thrown into the position of that " brewer's horse" of poetical notoriety, *' who put his Head where his tail should be, and drank up all the beer." And the object and employment of Government, as well as its position, are symbolized with equal correctness in the classical lines just quoted. For everybody knows that its head having thus changed places with its crupper, it makes us aware of its existence chiefly by its assiduity in sucking up and absorbing for its exclusive benefit the revenues which it only holds in trust, and with which it should have no business whatever, except, like a good servant of the public, to circulate them carefully and regularly through the community. But while the malt-imbibing horse we are alluding to is recorded to have put himself into as absurd a position as the New Zealand Government, and in some respects for a similar purpose, we think the wiser quadruped must have changed qualities with its cousin-german, the ass, before it would have done so with the inevitable certainty before it of getting its head into such a noose as Government has put its own into by placing it where its caudal extremity should he, namely, at the further end of the Northern Island. . The returns of the Maori population of New Zealand laid last session before the Legislative Council, make, this embarrassing entanglement of Governmet' very apparent. They show how completely it is surrounded and hemmed in by the natives. Thus, north of the Waitemata, or the isthmus on which Auckland is situated, there are two tribes, the Rarawa, under NoperaAContaining 4,000 souls, and the Ngapuhi, *under Nene (Walker) and Pomare, amounting to 12,000. At Waitemata and Coromandel Harbour are Kauwau's tribe, the Ngatiwatua (2,000), and Teraia's, the Ngatimaru (4,000). In the interior and on the West Coast, from Auckland to Taranaki, are the Waikato, under Tewerowero, amounting to 18,400 souls ; and the Taranaki tribe (who or what they are does not appear; probably the manumitted slaves and returned ftgatiawa), containing 2,000 more. Round the Bay of Plenty, as far as East Cape, are three tribes (NgatiawaJ Ngatiponi, Ngatikahununu), numbering in all 30,000 souls. The Roturoa natives (Ngatiwakane) are 9,000, and perhaps complete the list of natives in the Northern District, which is bounded by a supposed line from a point north of Taranaki, by Tkupo Lake, to the north of Hawke's Bay. All these are probably within 150 miles or so of Auckland, and make a total of 81,400 natives. South of this line, on the northern shores of Cook's Straits, the native population is estimated at 21,950 souls; including the Hawke's Bay natives (5,000), the Ngatiraukawa and Rauparaha's (5,000), and the Wanganui tribe, under Turoa, who died lately, amounting to 5,000. The population of the Middle Island they make 4,7u0 in all : 1,000 of Rauparaha's Ngatitoain Cloudy Bay; 100 Rangitani on the Pelorus; 3,000 Ngaitahu, the tribe of Tairoa, and 600 under the same chief at Otakou. Those in Blind Bay are forgotten or not slated ; but as it seems probable that the numbers of those actually mentioned are overrated, perhaps the total above given may be taken as correct. Possibly the Taranaki natives (2,000) ought to be included in the Southern District, but they are subject to Tewerowero ; and the Taupo tribe of Heuheu (1,500) may belong to either. We have counted them among the southern natives, because the last-mentioned worthy (Heuheu) was down upon Wanganui with his "mob" some time back. The whole native population is given at 109,550. It will be observed that the different numbers given are round ones; 5,000 and 10,000 I seem particular favourites ; the estimate musfc \ therefore be rather a loose one; but as it agrees | within a few thousands with those of Dieffenbach, Terry, Halswell, &c, it may be considered tolerably near the mark. In the Supplement to the London Spectator (January 6, 1845), they are calculated at 100;000 souls. It appears, then, that Auckland is placed exactly between the two most powerful tribes in New Zealand, the Ngapuhi, north, 12,000 in number, and the Waikato on the south, 18,400 in number. Could Government have put its head so thoroughly into a noose, had it placed it at any other part instead of the tail of the islands? Take tbe European population next into account, and you find somewhere about 2,000 a?

and about Auckland, somewhere about 10,000 in and about Cook's Straits. So in the Northern District you have one-fourth or fifth of the European population, and three-fourths (82,000) of the whole Maori population ; in the Southern District you have three-fourths or more of the whole European population, and only one-fourth (26,700) of the Maories. And the "capital" is between three and four hundred miles from the latter. But then compare the size of the Northern with that of the Southern District, including the Middle Island, which alone is half as big again as the Northern. Then you find that the three- fourths of the Maori population are confined to an area forming only one-fifth of the whole surface of the islands. The Northern Island containing 31,174,400 acres, the Middle 46,126,080 acres, and the Southern 1,152,000 acres; and the Northern District comprising only about half of the Northern Island. So the Northern District has about 16 millions acres wi h 82,000 odd Maories ; the Southern about 63 millions acres with 26,000 odd Maories. The seat of a Government, which seems from its proceedings hitherto to have been established exclusively for the benefit of the Alaories (though it has signally failed in this its object), has been consistently enough placed in the very thick of them. That the claims of the Southern District to contain the seat of Government are as superior to those of the Northern in respect of agricultural and commercial wealth and success, as in respect of European and native population, need hardly be more than asserted. To get at the exact amounts furnished respectively to the revenue by the two districts is difficult or impossible for any one but those who have access to the Treasury books; for nothing is so easy, and few things have been more desirable to our Government, than to keep the public at home and out here in ignorance of its financial condition. To confuse accounts is an accomplishment of very easy attainment, in which our Government is not behindhand. But one thing is certain, that the funds supplied to the revenue by the Cook's Straits settlers have been, at the very least, as superior in amount to those furnished by Auckland, as the numbers of the former are to the latter. The commercial capital is undoubtedly Wellington, wherever the Maori capital may be. But once more, compare the Northern with the Middle Island, and the position of the socalled capital seems even more extraordinaiy. There are only 4,700 Maories in the Middle Island, or one native to about 10,000 acres; in the Northern there are 104,850 Maories, or one native to 297 acres. That is, the ratio of land to native population in the Middle Island is thirty times greater than it is in the Northern. But has Auckland any advantages, then, in the character of the country or soil to counterbalance these serious disadvantages above mentioned ? The surrounding country is level, certainly ; but hear the evidence of a competent witness as to its qualities : " For about three weeks I exerted myself to be able to form a correct opinion of the character of the surrounding country; and its agiicultural and mineral resources. It is a very pleasing country to the eye, and most easily traversed on foot and on horseback; but the fertility of the best land has been, in my opinion, overratedgreatly. The bulk of the occupied land is such as would only barely repay the capital and industry of an experienced farmer; and the bulk of the whole surface, especially north of Auckland for thirty miles, including the surveyed lands, is not worth having at a gift. From the great extent of nice surface, had there been any natural pasture, it would have been a pleasant country for stock-keepers. Again, "The only extent of land worth occupying about Auckland is south of the Tamaki and on the south-east of the Manakau harbour — the Papakura and Waipapa districts. Respectable settlers have already been there plundered and beaten, &c. It is perfectly obvious, and now felt and acknowledged by the disappointed settlers, that an entire regiment permanently stationed at the capital could not afford protection to the occupiers of land against the Waikato tribe alone, whenever diminished income, &c, shall incite the chiefs of that tribe to act on the aggressive." And more to the same effect may he found in the extract from a letter from Auckland published in this paper on May 17th, 1845. The want of pasture land about Auckland is confirmed by all accounts. As it is vastly inferior in population and commerce to Wellington, and as an agricultural district to New Plymouth, it is equally inferior lo th« Southern Island as a grazing district. Contrast the last passages quoted with the vivid and picturesque and evidently accurate descriptions of the East Coast of the Middle Island, and the interior visible thence, in the Journal of Dr. Monro, published about August and September la^lt in our paper. We believe we may say of those descriptions, that they are as clear and complete as pictures, and as exact as plans. We should like, did time and space permit, to gather together all the passages descriptive of grassy slopes and plains given in that journal. We take some at random. Thirty miles from Moiraki : "We could see a large extent of low, sloping land, apparently grassy, with high hills in the background." Next day : " Immediately opposite us was a pleasant grassylooking country, hacked at a distance of six miles or more by a range of hills," &c. Near Waikouaite : " The general character of the country was open, and more or less grassy." Again, at Waikouaite : " There is a considerable extent of grazing land." Head of Otakou Harbour: " The country is open and grassy." yairii Plain : " We looked down upon a plain stretching away to the southward for at least twenty miles, with an average breadth of five or six. The appearance and colour of this tract of country indicated that it was partly though not purely grassy. I believe it will be found to be covered with short fern principally, with a considerable sprinkling of grass, anise, flax, &c. * * * The country above these cliffs," (ten miles north of Molyneux Bay) "is perfectly level for a few miles back, and covered with a most luxuriant growth of flax and long, coarse grass." At Molyneux River; "At the distance of about ten miles inland,|gentle slopes, apparently grassy, rose to a moderate elevation, behind which no mountains were visible save in one direction, towards the north-west, where the white summits of a very far distant range showed themselves." " The level land to the north of the Bluff appears to extend a long way into the interior ; distant ranges are seen4>'ehind3tr”- The Moly-

neux again : " This delta is surrounded by a grassy country of inconsiderable elevation. In a westerly direction it extends a very long way, &c. In a north-westerly direction the mountain ranges are far distant. An immense surface of country, admirably adapted for sheep grazing, waits here the introduction of stock to become a certain source of wealth." Then the Tokomairero plain . " Its colour was the uniform yellow of dry grass; its length seemed to be about twelve miles, with an average width of four or five. * * * It is entirely grassy^ I should think that the soil is light; but a great extent of valuable country surrounds it, and the field for grazing upon it and its vicinity is very great." And so on, perfectly justifying the conclusion of the writer, that the Middle Island "offers a large extent of level and undulating land; while the circumstance of its being covered with grass is of the greatest importance, as affording to industry a natural production of inestimable value, capable of being converted with the smallest amount of labour and outlay into a source of wealth and abundance." And again — " There is a very large field for the production of wool along the East Coast of this Island, and I am convinced that it can be grown with greater profit there than in any part of Austtalia. * * • There is abundance of water, enabling the flockmaster to wash his wool thoroughly; and the climate of this country is particularly favourable to the constitution of the sheep. Having seen most of the Australian colonies, and acquired a little experience at some expense, I see no occupation which affords so good a prospect of a rapid return for money invested as sheep grazing in this country, where pasture is sufficiently abundant; and there is a great extent of grass land between Bank's Peninsula and the Bluff." Lastly: "This district of country possesses also a great advantage in this, that there are almost no natives. On the great plain to the south of the Peninsula, there are not, we are told, more than 30 or 40 altogether. Otakou and Robuki are their head-quarters, and there their numbers are very inconsiderable. In the fine district behind Molyneux Bay, there are only 4 men. To the northward, along the coast, there are hardly any." i We say nothing of the other advantages of the j Middle Island — its fine harbours, its coal and other minerals, and the quantity of Mie valuable greenstone it possesses. The mere fact of this abundance of grass land, almost entirely uninhabited by natives, must inevitably in a very few years indeed render this part of the country the seat of a numerous and rich population. There can be no doubt that of all our exports wool is the most certain to pay, and the most certain to continue and increase. That end of the Middle Island is perhaps destined vei3 r soon to become the best peopled, wealthiest, and most flourishing of all the districts of New Zealand. And from that end of the Middle Island the present Maori capital at Auckland is situated at a distance of one thousand miles /! We have said nothing of the Wairau and the Wairarapa plains, each with their hundreds of thousands of acres of pasture land, and their few or no Maoi'ies, although the same arguments apply in a minor degree to them. The fact just stated is, we think, sufficient to decide the question among reasonable men.