EXCURSION TO THE INTERIOR OF THE ISLAND.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 6, Issue 283, 27 February 1862, Page 3

EXCURSION TO THE INTERIOR OF THE ISLAND.

(Continued frv7n last week.) Saturday. 11th Jan.—We furned out before breakfa>t ami made a first trial of tiie warm baths, but as we were not very well acquainted with their nature we got into a mess. Finding a place where the water was a pleasant heat we undressed and stepped in and were surprised to find the mud at the.bottom uquiy degrees warmer than the water, so much so indeed as to burn our feet. However we soon jumped out and found a place with a stoney bottom which was all right. After breakfast the women came and enquired what clothes we had that we wai led washed, and we were glad enough to hand over all except those we had on.- Tokann ' Was not at all the kind of place that I expected, to see. Instead of the native houses being altogether in one place, as is usual with pahs, we found them spread over a large extent of gardens, '’more ' resembling/English*' poolallotments than anything. "The land , consists of a long strip lying betiveen some extensive swamps at the. south end of the lake and a range of hills. At the southern end this strip abuts .'oh. the lake itself and'a fiver runs through it and is tlte agent by which it is drained.- Having" borrowed" a canoe and asked a native to accompany us we started by water to the .'Church .of ..England Mission Station oil' the western shore, and on our way wo* passed several beautiful

.cascades; On. arriving .there we found the missionary,, the Rev. T. S. Grace absent from. • home, but were’ most.'hospitably received by Mrs. Grace. They had-stopping with them*"a Mr. Blackburn, Principal of the' Auckland College, and a Miv-Maunsell, a son of the Archdeacon, who.-were like ourselves travelling for amusement; and from them ..we Jieard all the news from the north and the issue of the Governor’s visit to the Waikato. .On our; way home we managed to bag five wild : ducks. ! During : the - evening the airjbecame quite overcast by the smoke from Tongariro. We'found, on our return that the maories had killed a splendid pig for us and were scalding it in one of the hot springs. Sunday, 12th Jan. —Mrs. Grace having kindly invited us to do so the .evening be - fore, we went oyer to the-.mission station to spend the day settled with Mr. Blackburn an<l Mauuseli to start the next morning with them on their journey lfome, as our routes were for a considerable distance the same. ■ •

Monday, 13th Jan.-—Having left whatthings we did not require, including one of our horses in charge of the maorirs, wo started at eight o’clock round the eastern shore of the lake, our hospitable entertain--ers refusing to accept any payment for all their kindness, dance of broad and pork for our journey. We were delayed for a slu rt time at the. place where they should have joined us, by - wailing for our fellow-travellers, and at last started without them. They however overtook us by mid-day.' We crossed the Waikato smaller rivers running into the lake, and here it is worthy of remark’t.liiat|&lthough many rivers run in, the Waikato is the only one that runs out, and that it does not bear a body of water at all commensurate witli what the lake receives from itself and the others. Its current' moreover, as I before remarked extends right through from shore to shore,, and as the body of water unaccounted for is too great to be absorbed by evaporation, the natural inference is that an underground outlet must exist. 7’i e natives speaks of a whirlpool in the centre, and describe it as dangerous to approach and capable of swallowing up the largest canoes; (his may probably be the eddy caused by the escape of the waters beneath. It is however very difficult to ascertain this fact as they refuse to take a canoe near the place where the whirlpool exists. About dark we arrived at what we found are generally called the ‘ Waikato Heads,’ being the outlet of the lake into tha river. A similar name is applied to the outlet of a river into the sea, and it appeared to me that these being the reverse might.with more propriety he called * the Waikato 7ails.’ However ‘ What’s in a,name.’ We crossed and got supper which was what we chiefly cared about, after, our long ride. The river here is very rapid, and as this is the overland mail route between Auckland and Hawke’s Bay there are posts on either side and a rope strained oyer to assist a canoe in crossing‘during a freshet. The charges for ferrying made us recollect with a kind of affecti >n our old friend at ihe Wangaelm. Two shillings for horse and man 1 Maories are only charged one, and • the sooner her Majesty’s,, lieges, are put on an equality in tiiiaf respect the better. The ferrymen were however very hospitable, doing every tiling .in their power to nxnke us comfortable for tlie night, and cookingq otatoes and fish? for us.

(To be continued,)

smell; which 'they have to ’ catty upon their fleeces. This pest also keeps the sheep in an unhealthy and poor condition. Their feet should be examined at least every month and slightly, and kept in proper form' an/1; shape, as you ■will see upon the lamb when first born. - X have seen feet allowed to grow to the length of 6 and 8 inches, which is o most cruel neglect; it prevents the sheep from travelling to . procure its food, and it is obliged to lay down and starve With hunger and poverty. If their feet are not kept'in a sound state it is impossible to prevent them having the foot rot. ; There is a great error in paring their feet until they bleed, which I have often witnessed. It makes their feet tender and porous, opens the arteries, and wet. and damp peheti’ates the foot, and gradually causes the rat. P*r© often but pare cautiously and not deep. The diseases which prove most fatal to sheep commit the greatest ravages either in spring or at the latter end of the year, when the seasons, are unusually wet, cold and damp, or changeable. Sheep are very much subject to fulness of blood; it is therefore dangerous to change them from a. bare to a more luxu--riant pasture, especially in wet seasons. They should he kept on the highest and driest lands, for dry air is peculiarly congenial to health of sheep. For the want of good and experienced shepherds in this district, the flocks of sheep are in a most precarious state of unmanageable diseases, and my advice to. all sheep owners is to adopt this system. It is simple, and I have not the least doubt but it will prove beneficial to. owners and their flocks. The owners of sheep must adopt a more determined and practical mode of management in order to keep their sheep- in a more wholesome,' healthy and sound condition. The health of sheep must have promotion and atten-. tion, which is very much neglected. Before dressing sheep for the scab. I should advise all owners to look after' the removal of any obstruction .that may cause the sheep to rub against it, which is very infectious. Tie up furze against gates or gateposts, and be very particular on this point. I should strongly advise owners to do away with those hot and parching, and dry dressings, whicli are now being used for the scab. It only drives tire outward appearance of the disease [into the whole body and system, which can be easily shewn ; for as soon as the lambus born you will see it completely covered with the disease, and that will shew that the system of the dam is infected. The liquor-dressing also dries up the skin and the wool, stops the free circulation of blood, and the poms of the skin are dried up, so thatf the heat and fermentation of the blood and body cannot find vent to evaporate through the skin, to cause a free growth of wool. The fulness of blood in sheep when in gthis confined state is the sole cause of so much foot rot in dry weather which is tei'med the dry rot. The heat of blood. and body must find vont somewhere, audas the foot is softer and mo-re TRorou i than any other part of the body, the. feet get inflamed and it terminates In dry rot. If the scab is not quick ly eured, there is no doubt that when thebody gets overpowered with eruptions and confined diseases, it is most likely to terminate fatally in the ret, which will be of a more serious nature than the scab, as it is likely to. carry a whole flock oft' in a few weeks. In purchasing sheep select those raised from the healthiest and best stock, chuse- those in preference which have been fed upon lower pasturage than yo-ur own ; hut be careful not to place them, at. once upon land with very, superior pasturage to. what they have* been accustomed to. In all cases where attacks them, be,;prompt in ascertaining the cause, and ready in administering theproper remedies, as many of the diseases terminate]} in a few hours. I have not the least doubt but that many hundreds of sheep have died in New Zealand and no cause ever ascertained, but supposed to have been killed by dogs or died from poverty. To any gentleman who wishes to adopt the system I will give all the advice he may require in getting; rid of this contagious disease and pestilence.

Important InvENTioN in Agriculture.— Under'this title the Dundee Courier and Argus makes the following statement:— ‘ ‘ About a mile to the north of Errol there lives a man who is most, eccentric in liis manners, and lives a life characteristic of a perfect oddity (if the expresion is allowable). Thi3. man has long been looked upon by the people of the surrounding, district as fib* better in his intellectual attainments than a mere idiot, and in his external appearance as if fitted Out, for nothing better than'a 3care-crow. But though odd and idiotliko ho appears, he has proved himself to be a man of genius and of high intellectual attainments by;the invention of an instrument that will ever be held as a boon to agriculture while it is‘practised as ah art.' This invention is a subsoil plough, but far different from anything of the,kind we have either seen or heard of. It is so constructed as to go eighteen inches deep, nine broad, and can be drawn by two horses with-all manner of ease and freedom; and it matters but little though the land has been made a cart-road for years, it will go through it with as much ease as though it were, a field of sand.' This plough is so simple in its construction that a smith of any Skill and ability will make it in ten hours. What advantages will the farmer gain from such an instrument? A S at ease to his horses: the eoat of it nothing contrast to any other thing of the kind. We would recommend all farmers who have it in their;power to go and see it, as it is impossible to speak of all, its advantages in so few words. It can bo seen any day on the farm of Flatfiehl, about two miles from Errol station. ” Cruel !—Young Svvell (log.)—“I say, Thoznpson (hair-dresser), do you think l shall ever have any whiskers ? ” Thompson (after careful examination) —f 4 -Well, sir, I really don’t think as yoji ever will—leastways hot to. speak of 3 ” Young Swell—“ That's rather hard, for my pap—l mean Governor—ha 3 plenty 1.” Thompson (facetiously)Yes, sir—but p’r’ps you take after your ma !” (Total collapse of Y.S.) — Punch. ... \ The Height o? Egotism; —Spurgeon lecture .ng oh the Gorilla;— Funck.