A TRIP TO OXFORD. (BY A CORRESPONDENT.)

Waikato Times, Volume XVII, Issue 1439, 22 September 1881, Page 3

A TRIP TO OXFORD. (BY A CORRESPONDENT.)

Not many-mpt^n^'ago it occurred to the owners of!>th&t vast tracj. of land known aa the Okoroiri' Estate, lying to the north of the Patetere country, that as the 'fertile plains and undiilatihg. fern lands, eittendmg for miles in every direction, would, in the usual course of natural civilization, sooner or later come under -the influence of the agricultural knowledge and progressive energy of the small capitalist class of English farmers, who ' were at that time negotiating through their agents, Messrs Grant and Foster, and others, for the securing of a suitable block of country in New Zealand for settlement purposes, that ' a- township in the immediate vicinity of the future settlement would not be premature, and that it wpuld serve as an attraction to intepdmg settlers and be a convenience to the traveller, the labourer, and the extensive native population of the surrounding country, the laying off a township on the banks of the Orakau liver, about a mile from the Okoroiri station, was entered upon, and the various allotments constituting the infant settlement accordingly placed in the market. Whether this step was preinatiuc or not— and from all appearances it seems vciy likely — or whether the nomadic tribe ot storekeepers, traveling tradesmen, etc., who are the usual advance guards of settlement and civilisation, lacked their usual spirit of enterprise on this occasion is more easily imagined than expressed. Anyhow the present developments of the place are not of such a nature as to realise the most meagre expectations of the enterpusing owner. A ride of about 25 miles, which in good weather can be accomplished in three hours, brings the traveller from Cambridge to Oxioid. A moie picturesque piece of landscape scenery could not be imagined than that through which lie passes, the like of which could barely — if at all — be equalled in the province. Passing the magnificent homestead of Mr R.. H. D. Fergusson on the Gorton estate, the traveller passes on through the beautiful pabture lands oi this extensive property, the luxuriant grass paddocks of which are well studded with cattle of the best procurable breeds. The magnificent slopes of the stately hills ot Maungatautaii, with the native cultivations and grassy awards around its base, stretching along the western bank of the deep and gloomy Waikato, present to the eye a perfect panorama ot .scenery, and recalls to one's mind fond recollections of the rural scenes of childhood, with all their charms and enchanting influences increased tenfold. In fact, the whole distance between Cambridge and Oxford is almost one unbroken picture of nature in its most enhancing rudeness, and with the exception of the road on which one travels, and the comfortable Paeroa Station reposing in the distance, with its shining white outhouses and thenumcious flocks and herds of sheep and cattle scattered at intervals along the way, thcie is nothing whatever to impress the mind AWth a, sense ot civilisation, 01 that ungovernable faculty characteristic of the Englishman — progression. A stranger would n:i tm ally and reasonably enquire why is it that these extensive and no les-> foriile lands are permitted to be alrnobt desolate and unoccupied : why thesf lands, n hich aio ready tor the plough to-moriow are ptirrnittcd to be unsettled, when at the .same time capitalists and companies arc lavishly expending capital and time in draiuing and reclaiming swamps, which notwithstanding this the eftect of the tannin (the chemical element with which they are h tturated), which paralyses the organic qualities of the soil preventing either vegetation or delay, prevents them from being brought under cultivation for yoais to come? The stranger would again admit that it is better to have the land monoplised by individuals who prepare the way for more > denned and minute exertion, and whose apparent object it is to dispose of it in time when an opportunity offeis sufficient to recoup them for their physical and mental exeition, and personal ri->k and haziud, than to allow it to lie under the dominion of tho savage in whose soul the onward spirit of victorious human energy never dawns. One grand feature of this country is the illimitable Bupply of scone suitable for road metalling purposes, with which the neighbouring hills abound, and which in the coui\se of time will prove valuable to tho distiict for the purpose abovementioncd. Indeedalittleofitwould be very seiviccable at the pie&eut time for filling up the numerous horse-traps scattered at intervals along the road, which, like vico ihelf, aro eas'ly fallen into, but only got out of with :i haul and determined btruggle. There is very little to indicate the approach to a township when one is ncaring Oxford, and, indeed, when a person is set down in the main thoioughfare of the township he requires borne one to come and inform him he is really at his destination, or otherwise he would think himself in the middle of a profound wildnerness ; and with the exception of a solitary hotel and store there is nothing else within, sight 'to indicate human habitation. The hotel is a neat and commodious looking building owned by Mr Montague, and the store, which is owned by Mr A.. Isaacs, of'Gambridge, with the excellent, ;Btqck which it contains, would do credit to a more advanced community. Where the customers come from i<», to the visitor, an insoluble prob-> lem. Nothing but an unearthly desire to lose good capital could have possibly induced a business man to seek a livelihood in such a place, and to judge from Mr Isaacs' expressed opinion, that gentlemen will* shortly evacuate the place. No doubt the township occupies a very prominent and healthy position— coniniancliug < a view of the beautiful Patetore country lying to the South, lihe undulating grounds in the direction of Tirau, and the majestic hill of B|laungatautauri rearing its purple heights towards the, north. Indeed, as far as the eye can reach t in every direction, nature appeafs"to have'endowed the country with the most attractive of her natural ornaments, the famous hot springs being' but a couple of miles distant, and nothing could be said which would be too exaggerated as to the future, developments which a few'ye,ar's 'time will Effect in these favored haunts of nature's choice endowments. , ( ( A new sensation of gift packages, etc., will open, for a few days opposite Bank , of fJetv' Zealand. , f ; , , ( )( , ( „ Tenders are ivyi feed for, trimming furze hedg'ok oh"bt6ne's't«trni, Waipal v ' A. D. Whitlock, an absconding New' Yor^olerky who robbed his employers oi 50,000 dollars, was arrested in England' on the steamer Naokar. '• Fort ythomnnd Scotch' volunteers' were present a't r the Royal review in '^dinburgh oa the 25tb« August, i