R—No. 3a

Enclosure No. 10. RECEIVER OF LAND REVENUE TO HON. THE COLONIAL SECRETAIiT. Office of Receiver of Laud Revenue, Southland, sth February, 18G-1. ■Snt — I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your Letter of 21st December, 1863, transmitting copies of a correspondence on the subject of Betting apart GB,OOO acres in this Province, as security for the Loan to be raised under Debentures' Ordinance, 18(33, and requesting me to report as to the value of said land. In reply, I do myself the honor to state that I fully expected to have been able to forward by this mail my report, as required—based conjointly on information drawn from trustworthy and authentic sources, and on the result of personal inspection ; but I regret to add that arrangements which I had made for visiting the locality on the first of this month were obliged to be abandoned, owing to the adverse state of the weather, and other circumstances, over which I had no control. I have thus been prevented from testing the information I have gathered -on the subject by personal examination in time to report by this mail. I purpose, however, to carry out my intention of visiting the locality in a day or two, if possible, and shall report the result by an early opportunity. In the meantime, I have the honor to state, that the opinion I have formed with regard to the land in question, from information drawn from sources on which I can rely, is that while a portion of it (from 12,000 to 15,000 acres) is comparatively worthless, being swampy and honey•combed, the greater part of it is of fair average value, and a considerable portion equal, if not .superior to the best land in the Province. I have, &c, A. J. Elles, Receiver of Land Revenue. The Honorable the Colonial Treasurer, Auckland. MEMORANDUM. The extent of land which is almost utterly worthless is from 12,000 to 15,000 acres. A. J. E., Rec. of L. R. Sub-Enclosure No. 1 in Enclosure No. 10. Office of Receiver of Land Revenue, Southland, 4th March, IS6-1. ~Sm, — I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your letter of sth ultimo, referring to a former letter from you of 21st December on the subject of the value of land to be set apart as security for the Debentures, under the" Debentures' Ordinance, No. 2, ISG3," and requesting me to reply to the last-named letter as early as possible. My letter of sth February, containing a report on the value of the land in question, based on information drawn from what I considered reliable sources, will have been received by you by last mail. In that letter, I also stated my intention, at an early date, of testing by personal inspection the truth of the information on which the report therein contained was based. I have now the honor to report that I have carried out that intention, and sec no reason to alter the opinion formerly exjjressed by me. I have ridden over a considerable portion of the land, and enclose a sketch, which will give a general idea of its quality and value. As there shewn, the land between the Opio and the Aparima River is Aery superior; a belt of good land runs along the eastern bank of the Aparima, and the western bank of the Oreti —• the area comprised within these belts is an extensive plain, well grassed, but of the quality of which I could of course form only a very general idea, as it contains patches of swamj), and crab holes interspersed with good land, which made riding over it impracticable; but I have no hesitation in expressing my opinion that it will be found to contain as fair an average of good land as any other areas in this Province of the same extent, though being entirely destitute of bush, it may possibly not be immediately marketable. The portion marked " Waimatook Moss " is utterly worthless. I have, &c, A. J. Elles, Receiver of Land Revenue. The Honorable the Colonial Secretary, Auckland.

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