MARTIN'S BAY.

Southland Times, Issue 1236, 12 April 1870, Page 3

MARTIN'S BAY.

A number of gentlemen in Oamaru being desirous of obtaining reliable inforination as to the capabilities of Margin's Bay for supporting a population, decided upon sending, by the expedition recently despatched by the Otago Government, a properly qualified person to collect the same. The gentleman in question having returned, gave bis report at a meeting of subscribers towards the expenses, held lately. The local journal gives, the following synopsis of the state iient : — After detailing some incidents of the passage, the speaker said the party arrived in Martin's Bay—^which greatly resembled Oamaru Bay, but was narrower from point to pomt — on Saturday, the 26th February.. Captain Thomson and a boat's crevv, consisting of volunteers, of whom the speaker was one, proceeded up the channel, taking soundings for the steamer's guidance, and then signalled the Charles Edward to follow. There was a bar at the river mouth, having 6ft. of water at deadlow ebb ; at high water a vessel of 400 tons could enter with, safety. Near the entrance were some dangerous rocks, which, however, could be removed for an expenditure of about £500 ; and on the starboard hand was a long* narrow sandspit. "Until 'the channel was buoyed, therefore, it was a task of some difficulty to avoid the bank on the one hand and the rocks on the other ; and the steamer in coming in got on the rocks. She was lifted off, without injury, by the tide in about half-an-hour, aad subsequently got aground on the spit, causing a delay of three-quarters of an hour. After some further mishaps, which were detailed by the speaker, the little bay, an indentation of the shore of Lake M'Kerrow, on which the township is situated, t was reached, and the party landed in safety on Monday the 28th. The upper part of the river, next the Lake, was deep enough to admit a vessel of large tonnage, and the Lake itself, which was a magnificent sheet of water, gave soundings of from 20 to 70 fathoms, indeed, in one part no bottom had been found. The scenery was very grand, mountainous for the most part, and thickly timbered. With the exception of the sandy beach beforementioned, there was no clear land. From the township to the top of the Lake, there was occasional strips of flat land covered with bush, but the most part of the land fronting the Lake consisted of hills and terraces, the hills varying from 500 to 5000 feet in altitude, the scenery much resembling that of Port Chalmers. The shore of the lake was in some places a perpendicular wall of rock, with deep wkter to the very edge, and in others, a beach consisting of shingle and angular quartz. This quartz was of the kind usually found to be gold-bearing, but he had not found any which contained indications of the precious metal. He had no doubt, however, that gold would be found there, for, only a few miles north of the site of the settlement, a party of miners had been at work on the quiet for some time, and had been getting good re turns ; sufficiently so to enable them to payfor their provisions being brought down by steamer from Hokitika. While he was at Martin's Bay this party, consisting of three men," came down, and each took a 50-acre section. The site of the township was "well chosen, free from swamp— and indeed there was a marked difference between this and most other portions of the West Coast; as although it waswell watered by numerous creeks, a person could travel through almost any part of the bush, except on the higher terraces, where it was mossy and spongy, without being impeded by swampy ground. The climate too appeared to be excellent, so that there was every reason to believe that the site was a most healthy one. The bush too was not choked with undergrowth as in some parts of New Zealand, and indeed almost anywhere might be traversed without difficulty. The timber was of splendid quality, consisting chiefly of white and black pine, birch, and totara, increasing in size as you went further back from the lake. There was abundance of tall, straight timber, suitable for masts and spars, and for all other purposes for which timber could be used. Any quantity of pines could be found measuring 70 feet clean straight bole, and from two to four feet in diameter. He measured one magnificent birch 14£ feet in circumference. A single pine tree growing close to where his'tent was pitched was worth £30 as it stood. There were abundant facilities for shipping the timber, as in almost any part of the lake a 20ft jetty would run ! out into water deep enough for a good- 1 sized vessel to come alongside. During the three weeks he was at the settlement he traversed the bush in different directions, following the course of the numerous creeks, going over a great part of the ground comprised in classes A and B. Class A comprised 10,000 acres, and class B (purchasable at ss. an acre) 80,000 acres. The soil generally was light, varying from one foot to two feet in depth, consisting of sand, enriched by deposits of decaying vegetable matter during hundreds of years. It was fit to grow oats and all kind of roots to perfection. [The speaker here produced a sample of the soil.]. The soil of course varied in different localities, and he 8a w several parts of the country where it was well adapted for wheat. There was no open grass Land, ! nor any patches of flax, though flax would evidently thrive there, as oe-. casional bushes might be met with, strong, and luxuriant in growth. He had no doubt whatever that when cleared the land would yield good returns to the agriculturist ; but any person going there must make up his mind to clear his way. With such excellent timber, and such first-rate facilities for shipping it, sawmills should pay well, and there were two or three localities where water-power could be obtained. At the time he left about 1500 acres of land in class A had beentaken up, principally upon the side of the lake opposite to the township, he himself being among the number of those who had taken up section*. After

detailing tile cirdiimtttanoes of the wreck of the Charles EdwatJ, arid giving somd ccount of an Attempt itiade bjr liimaelf . and others to come oferiAad by way ot. Queenstown, which wAa unsucce*Bful» ... owing to the awplleit state of the riyera* the speaker Baid: that he had taken advantagdof the opportunity atfdrded. by. the visit of the Kennedy to tba relief ot the Charles Edward to return. 4t&- Hoki* tikaj ; : • ; ; \