NEW CALEDONIA.

Colonist, Volume III, Issue 262, 24 April 1860, Page 4

NEW CALEDONIA.

(From the Wellington Spectator.) \ The progress of the cold-ay' of New Caledonia is, on the whole, steady and progressive, though His Excellency Governor Saisset has had a good deal of difficulties to encounter with the natives; but by a firm policy, together with the bravery of the soldiers under his command and the devotedness of the settlers, he has/been enabled effectually to put a stop to these bar* barous outrages, which, it is a matter of regret, seem to have been fostered, if not instigated, by some lawless Europeans. A number of substantial buildings have been put up in Port de France, excellent streets are being formed, and good roads made into the country. Great encouragement is held out by the Government to induce settlers to come to New Caledonia. Town allotments of land are always on sale by the Government; and the country land, of which there is always a good supply ready surveyed for intending colonists, is sold on very moderate terms, somewhere about four shillings an acre,which ia^paid by instalments at periods extending over a Dumber of years,—in fact, on the " deferred payments system." As the country is principally intended for cultivation, the quantity of land is limited to 500 acres as the largest quantity that can be purchased from the Government by any one person. The Government also holds out premiums to those settlers who will first raise an exportable quantity of Bugar and other products,; and an association is formed whose object is to [give the best possible directions to the settlers for the cultivation of the various articles which the country is capable of growing. A scientific body, too, is formed; whose aim is for searching out the mineral wealth of the colony, and there is every reason to believe that it is.very great. New Caledonia, which is a good [sized island in the Pacific, between the parallels ef 20 and 23 degrees South, and the meridians of 164 aud 167 degrees East, is fitted for growing all sorts of tropical productions. It was discovered by the immortal navigator Captain Cook in 1774- The natives (estimated at 25,000 in number) are active and well made, of deep black color, with curly hair: and as is too much the case in the islands of the Pacific they practice cannibalism. New Caledonia is in an excellent position as regards the Panama route, which it is hoped will not be long in commencing, The French Government in Oceania are fully alive to the great advantages to be derived from it, and have offered to contribute their quota to the undertaking, provided the steamers will touch at Tahiti, the Marquesas, or New Caledonia. This is showing a spirited example to Australia, Tasmania, aud New Zealand. In a short time Polynesia will start into commercial existence, and they will send their valuable tropical freights to these and other temperate regions, in return for which they will take the products of these higher latitudes. There is undeveloped a vast field for all kinds of enterprise in the innumerable islands of the Pacific, as well as the Continent of South America. What is wanted is some gigantic and cheap mode of conveying the over-crowded populalations of the Old World to these unoccupied sunny lands.