NELSON.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VIII, Issue 675, 21 January 1852, Page 3

NELSON.

[From the Kelson Examiner, December The New Road to the Wairau. —The return of Mr. Barnicoat and his party from cutting the trial line to the Wairau by way of the Pelorus and Kaituna, enables us to announce that no difficulties exist to obtaining a good bridle road through the valleys named, by which the Wairau Plain may be reached in less than forty-nine miles from Nelson, instead of upwards of 100 miles. The supposed difficulty of crossing the Wairau River, Barnicoat shows can be easily obviated

by a ferry about five miles above the Kaituna, where the river flows in one deep channel, with welldefined banks,sothatduringa freshet, when the fords are not safe, the ferry will always offer to travellers the means of crossing, and to many without adding to the length of their journey.

Massacre Bay. —We are glad to be able to state that Major Richmond, during his late visit to Massacre Bay, was able to arrange satisfactorily with the natives for the purchase of a large tract of land in that district, which had not been previously alienated to the New Zealand Company. We hear also favourable accounts of the coal and other mineral treasures in the same district, and we have seen a specimen of quartz, brought over by Mr. Travers, which, if not containing gold, has something imbedded in it which bears a strong resemblance to gold. We believe, however, that it has stood the application of the proper tests, and shown itself to be what we say, but the quantity is far too small to be of any account to treasure-hunters, otherwise than proving the existence of gold in the country, and the discoveries it may lead to of larger quantities existing in the neighbourhood. Major Richmond, we are sorry to say, while in Massacre Bay, met with an unpleasant accident, which must have caused him great pain and annoyance. In fording one of the rivers, his foot slipped, and he fell on the stump of a tree, which severely wounded his forehead. Although confined to his room since his return, we are happy to be able to state that he is now fast recovering.