OTAGO.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 4, Issue 206, 30 August 1860, Page 4

OTAGO.

, ;Wc this week m;e;enatJedTo.iay:>before our readers* thstatist|cs* of the-province for*'the a yearf.lßs.9j withu-some ’/details -for

The first six. months’pfr 186,0/ .7 * * ;<i : . c - jS4; li*pkiag..afc»tlieiteblpß.'.biejfore.us,v.itha rate at r the,.peppljngj 4 ojf ithiss,wbiioih;wilderne§| I: is ; progressuig-de|utiiids special attention. 1 -The ? population#;; vvJhi,ch/; at t *tht Jclose •> of: -1857,' I to-but ,4631,- 'had in d 85,8 reached j&MAi' and endMof?:lßs9unumbered *, 8,4*9,9. this s the?excess of immigration over emigration .during:The ' first six months'’Of *.s|6.ptdseu£/yeaiy.we.b'uvc

a total of 10,151 exclusive of “natural in? crease,” the population having thus considerably more than doubled itself in the last two and: a half years. The number of natives shows a decrease' during the same period from, 481: to 433.. The immigration from the, home-.'country -will .' probable Ladd Isopie 2,000»to pur.. population? during the year,; at -the ,close off which wfe, shall not be far - wrong ; in . estimating our numbers ; at. 12,000. .. .• t; :■??

We.find, ion comparing the present' returns ,with ; those for 1857-' (the last taken by the Provincial authorities), ; that the number of acres fenced lias,. increased from 14,628 ito •26,081. The total number of acres owned in 1857. was ;53,371, We, have not a corresponding, return; for-,, 1.859';,/but, as about 203, 934 acres of ; rural ; landi and: 574 afcres of-town land, have been purchased t since the former |period,.we may set down the amount of ;freer! -bold-.property; ; nqwr4 owned h.Vrsettlera.at. iiji* wards of acrVs; * 'When we compare this ; with. the lowest estimate of: the "extent of agricultural land in,this Province?:(4£ millions of acres) it, will at-once be;seen that the enerr: getic, agiiculturistilias pract-ically an unlimited field waiting his occupation. 5 The increase of acreage in has teen :r in wheat only about .50. cent.: : m oats, 100 per cent.; - turnips, 250 per cent.; grass, 50 per .cent. ; and what is perhaps more, interesting Ilian import tant, as indicatuig -.that-attention is being directed to home comforts, .in gardening iabout 300 per .pent. . ' - • - , ’ f - - Large, additions have' also been made to the number of our live stock,: and it may be expected from the. importations of valuable animals/introduced by M. Holmes amb J. Maitland,, Esqs., that-the breed both of; our horses and cattle will be very considerably improved. 'The returns show 2541 horses in 1859, while in. 1857 they only : numbered 1419 ; puttie have increased 'from 16,049 to 28,999 ; and pigs from 1505 to 2017. The produce of our .staple, however, the sheep, exhibits the most 'marked improvement. Against 151,681 in December, 1857, we have, now 378,180 .estimated to carry, at 3|lbs. per. sheep, 1,323,630 lbs. of -wool, which at Is. 6<l. per lb, gives an export value of nearly 4100,000, As the above number does not, of course, include the present season’s lambing (which may with favourable weather be set down at. 80 per cent, of increase), nor a considerable number which have been imported during the present year, we may expect to have a still more gratifying increase to record in bur- next ; year’s report. The quantity o( land now under license amounts to about- 5,000,000 acres; otlier 4,000,000 are under application ; and several runs’, the applications, fox which have become forfeited, Will be open for .re-selection so soon as the country can, be surveyed. - ) It is,)H,pt however ; only in the general or aggregate . developments of the commercial pastoral, or agricultural interests, that the rapid advancement of Otago is.perceptible. The 'centres of what will at) no distaut day he large and thriving townships -have been formed, while their elder sister, Dunedin, is assuming, a dress which shows the improvement in her fortunes. The main line, and immediately adjacent streets, which, up to a recent period were just here and there dotted with , tumble-down shanties,/dignified with the name of stores, will soon present an almost continuous successioa of shops, of no mean pretension. Some .inconvenience was felt, and agoqd deal of dissatisfaction expressed at the delay in obtaining the levels of the streets.; hut opt ,of, this- evil good has arisen:; for if the old ricketty houses had been ; built upon (he proper, level, .they would not now perhaps have been so easily displaced by more sightly erections. . " The meeting called for the dismemberment of the province at Invercargill in March iast was ajailure, so far as the object of the promoters was concerned ; and we hope and believe that .Jtlie , statements here-made by‘the Superinteudent,,, together w.itH the evident desire on the-' part, of the government to meet all the just [demands of that important district, and the exposure that has been made of . the working of the New Provinces Act, in other places, will so operate upon the-good sense-oi the peqplg as> ;to prevent: a consummation so devoutly ?to'-baVshunned. We may mention that.; all the ; run-holders Lin the district; with the exception of Dr. Menzies, the leader of the .movement, have forwarded a petition against ; separation ; or that: in tlie event of its pccurfen.ce) their eouaitry majr not be included in the. proposed new - province—- eColoni&i July. 20. ; - . -- L - : * ;