TELEGRAPHIC.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1668, 24 April 1884, Page 2

TELEGRAPHIC.

'■ , (UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION.) JIR MITCHELSON'fI OVERLAND ■ TOUH TO AUCKLAND. HIGHLY INTERESTING D& TAILS, Auckland, April 22. . Tho Hon. Mr Mitchelson arrived in town yesterday from Wellington rather 'unexpectedly. He was a passenger train To Awamutit and Wnikato by the down train. His present visit, however, is specially interesting, as he is on a tour of inspection along the proposed railway routes between Auckland and Wellington, collecting information to bo laid before Parliament during next session of the General Assembly. With this object in view, he travelled overland from To Awaiinitu, accompanied by Mr Knorpp, civil engineer, and a guide, with packhorses. He left Wellington on Monday, the 7th inst.. and Martin's station on tho same day. His route lay along " Roclifoi t's line," or, as it is belter known, tho " central line" of railway route, which extends along by the head waters of,the Wanganui River. On Friday, the 11th, the party reached Tuburangi station, where they examined tho bush country along the western side of thcßuapehu. They travelled through the Murimotu and Rangihoa country, and reached To To Kaana on the night of tho 12th. From there tho party proceeded to Kakaramen, and thence to Maungatapu, on the western side of the burning mountain Manihoe (commonly known as Tongnriro). It may be stated that it is not alone the direction but the character of the proposed line in which this inspection is concerned, The Hon, the Minister for Public Works'took observations 61 the character of the country on either sido of- the line,' of tho naturo of the soil, its adaptibility for settlement, and the advantages likely to be presented for special industries. From Mavuhoe llie party proceeded to Waimarlno, ;whence they could see right back lo Tuhurangi and to the Upper Wanganui country. They mounted to every accessible trig station from which an extended view was to be obtained of the surrounding country, and .from Waimarino thoy proceeded to the trig station at Hahaungatahi. Here the party entered bush country, and found' the land for the most part very good, On the road from Waimarino to the trig station known as Puketapu (a very high hill) they met the first of the King natives of Wanganui country, The party slept at the settlement ou the Pungapunga River on the night of Tuesday, tho' 15th inst. They were received- with welcome, and-kindly treated by the natives. On the morning of Wednesday, the 16th, they reached Taumaranui, It was at this place that the unfortunate Mr Moffat was murdered, The party was received very kindly by all the natives there, kit they were" troubled" about said they were annoyed by Europeans going into tho'Talma country to prospect for gold. They had heard that a man named Berry had been in the country for two or three weeks, and they had sent out scouts to look for him, but had failed to discover any trace ot him, and at the time that MrMitchelson left the place, they had

not succeeded in finding him. From Taumaranui the party 'passed to Winiiha, where. they were also welcomed and hospitably treated.•'by tlio natives. Theyslept at the latter place on the 17th instant, and•. from -there they proceeded to Te Kuiti,\iii the "Waikato "King.country; 1 where they were received in a mannerstiil more friendly 1 than by tho Wanganui natives. From TeKuiti they travelled" to Kihikihi, which place they reached on Sunday last. So far as the "central line" is itself concerned, Mr Mitchelson speaks of it very favorably. He considers Mr Eockforfc deserves great credit for laying it off, considering thecoun-. try he had' to go through. The grades are all easy, one in 80 being the steepest. As the .party had to observe the ieatures of the country that lies along the route, they were obliged to follow a somewhat zigzag route. The distance they travelled was about GOO miles. ' As already stated, they ascended to every trig" station that was at all accessible. Mr Michelson thinks it scarcely possible to obtain an easier line than that surveyed.by Mr Rockford—that is, one that cau be constructed for i5000:: : a mile.'' Jhe distance from Mar'tiir Station, on the Wellington side, to,-, Kihikihi, on the Auckland side, is 200 miles. Jf this lino wero consut'UQted,;the railway distance from Auckland to Wellington would be 420 mites'. 1 Tho Hon Mr Miichelson next proceeds to inspect tho Taranakior western route. The above infermation must be regarded as somewhat in the nature ct a bird's-eye view oi the central line. Mr Mitchelson has gathered a.largo mass of interesting information, which, will be laid before Parliament in detail, will be accessible to the public by its publication in the next Parliamentary Blue Book, Wellington, Wednesday. The Zealandia, with the March English mails left San Francisco for Auckland on the' 13th. of April, two (lays, later than tho time table date, The City of Sydney, with the April colonial mails arrived at 'Frisco from Auckland on the 21st of April, two days earlier than the time table date.

Dunedis, Wednesday. An accident occurred at the Princess Theatre last night : durlng the performance of" Drink," while Miss Nelson, Miss Rosamond, Miss St John, and Mrs Knight were 'standing on a bridge, secured .by. ropes at each end, one of the ropes gave way, precipitating them somo 30 feet. Miss Nelson had her lack injured, Miss. Rosamond sprained and contused her arm, Miss St John was severely bruised, and Mrs Knight's'knee was injured and her ancle sprained. ' .'"' Auckland, Wednesday. Arrived—Penguin; from Fiji. The schooner Tasuian has been wrecked on Ba coast, the crew havo been saved. :,..-..- Du'nEdin, Wednesday. Preston, a younpian, in the employ of Rennie and /Born well, butchers, has committed suicide by hanging himself in a jwatercloset ejirly l this morning. Mondtavy difficulties' -were the supposed cause. He ( was only recently married.