PATEA and the WEST COAST, BY A YORKSHIREMAN.

Patea Mail, 19 September 1881, Page 4

PATEA and the WEST COAST, BY A YORKSHIREMAN.

Early this year a Yorkshire fa™ier * travelled New Zealand in .the interests 'TT '' w^°’ disheartened l»y bad harvests or prospects, have determined to move. \V riting from Wellington last May to a Leeds journal, the delegate after describing a visit to the Wairajtapa,, district says;—

Gorge, the, wheels of the coach being only a few inches froni the edge of the precipice overbanging the river hundreds of feet below. We were, ferried overlh'e river by Maoris, who swam our horses alongside : the canoe. Picking up an etftpfy coach, wo yoked oiir horses and trotted off through -the' bush and Scandinavian settlements to Palmerston, took train ip Feilding, where Mr Halpombe, the excellent nianager of the “Manchester Block,” kindly drove us to see a Yoikshireman ami other settlers who are clearing the bush and establish,-, ing comfortable homes there.

\Vc proceeded by rail to Wanganui, through a sheep and cattle, district on what had originally been sand done?, bnt which now afford permanent keep for three sheep to the acre. At Wanganui we attended, the cattle sales, and found that a good fair hack with bridle and saddle could be bought for £lO. ;

We next proceeded to Waverley, and ‘aSTenclecl Tnotliof largo sale of cattle and .. J horses, which found ready piirchasers at good prices, the owner having wisely decided to go in for sheep only.

We took horses and rode over the country how being reclaimed from bush. It was a sad sight, indeed, fo sec some * of" the finest' limber in the world felled and burnt, tfeek 12ft. in diameter at'the

base blazing like’huge bbnfirfes. As 5 soow ns the Ashes are coolpgrass seeds abehdwn, they spring np nr this fin©'soil *nd climate, and afford food for

from four or five sheep, pep; acre the first year* We found the sheep all looking , well;; 18lh. .to 221b. a quarter, and thickly ; dotting, for miles, a sight I never saw--nHEngland, even during the

ptilthy days of farming; ’ For 10Q miles

the same sight meets the view; and the - enormous ■* quantity of whiskey- dm nk at the numej-oushotels by the farmers, and: lalkrrei*, plainly shows that money is plentiful, da well as :/ shcep. We care- .. fujly exanained^’this, the very best grazing country ; ititb which 'I have yet been—

htillßcltb killing"!, OOOlb, to I.2ppjb; are quite commonly met with, but jfat tod fat to ipy thinking. The. best cuts are retailed at 4d per lb., and money being plentiful the f atria throwii to the dogs.

From - Hawera we drove 20, miles

through the celebrated Waimata Plains to Opnna,ki r . f wbfcre a half-caste-Maori lady, who owns 800 acres of freehold and a.f (hut) at; Parihako, very kindly provided ns with' liqises, and with her accompanied ns 20 miles to the prophet’s camp.