the whole of the ascent from Sumner valley has been thoroughly metalled, and a great deal of improvement has been effected at Sumner by blasting away points of rock where the road was dangerously narrow.

11. The works at the drawbridge at the old Heathcote Ferry are suspended until the arrival of the ironwork, which was shipped some months ago per Holyrood, now considerably overdue. The bridge can be opened at any time within a month after the delivery of the ironwork upon the site of the bridge.

12. Great improvements have been made in the Dyer’s Pass road, the Governor’s Bay road, and Charteris Bay road, which have the effect of rendering the country at the head of the harbour much more accessible than before. The Governor’s Bay road has been widened the whole of the way from the jetty in Dyer’s Bay to the west side of the Maori Pass, thus opening a cart road between Lake Ellesmere and Port Cooper, and the ravines at Governor’s Bay have been spanned by stone bridges, which though of small size, deserve mention as being the first stone bridges built in the province.

13. The bridle path between Purau and Duvauchelle’s Bay has been cleared of timber throughout its whole length, and benchings cut at the steep sidings; it is now in good order with the exception of a few places which require blasting, and may be kept in good repair at a comparatively small annual outlay. Great progress has also been made with the cart road between Duvauchelle’s Bay and Akaroa.

14. A great deal of improvement has been made on the North Road, but the only works which call for special notice are White’s new bridge at Felton’s Ferry, the drawbridge erecting at Baxter’s Ferry, and the works now in progress for opening the permanent line through the Weka Pass, which are in a forward state and will be completed before the end of the present year.

15. The drawings for the proposed wrought iron bridge over the Hurunui have been prepared and forwarded to the Nelson Government for their approval. It is proposed at present only to bridge that part of the channel which is covered in ordinary freshes, and to carry the road over the remainder of the river bed on low embankments. This arrangement greatly reduces the original estimates, but it must be considered only as an experiment. Should an extraordinary fresh, however, make a breach in the proposed embankments, they can readily be repaired in a few days at a moderate cost.

16. There is little to call for remark in the works on the South Road, which are all of an ordinary character, with the exception of those at the new ferry now being established at the Rakaia. The principal work has been done near Timaru, and between Timaru and the Otago frontier. So soon as the works at the Weka Pass are completed the permanent line of road will be open from frontier to frontier, a distance of about 200 miles, a work of which any colonial Government might well be proud.

17. The road over Porter’s Pass to Craigie Burn and Lake Pearson is now open for dray traffic; this line of road is a good instance of what may be done by careful engineering over a most difficult country at a very small expense. It is very desirable to extend this road up the Esk Valley to the township reserve at the west end of Lake Sumner, which is likely to become of importance as a depot in connection with bridle roads, branching from this point to the valleys of the Waiau, Maruia, Grey and Teremakau.

18. The principal drainage works undertaken during the past year, have been the extension of the Rangiora main drain, the completion of the drainage of the Papanui district, and the clearing of the rivers Avon, Heathcote, and Halswell; all these works have been executed successfully and with highly beneficial results.

II.—ROAD SURVEYS.

19. Since the date of my last general report, the Road Surveyor’s department has been placed under the Chief Surveyor, that officer being at the same time instructed to furnish a copy of the plan, and longitudinal section of each new line of road to the public works department for the approval of the Provincial Engineer before marking the road reserve on the authenticated map of the Province. This arrangement appears likely to work well, leaving as it does to the Survey Department the entire management of the work of the Road Surveyor, whilst at the same time it ensures the concurrence on all engineering questions of the Provincial Engineer, who is the officer practically responsible for the construction of the roads.

20. The province has lately sustained an irreparable loss by the death of the late Road Surveyor, Mr. H. Whitcombe, who was drowned whilst crossing the Teremakau, on the West Coast of the province, on his return from an exploration undertaken to ascertain the practicability of opening a route to the West Coast, by way of the valley of the Okitika, from the head of the southern branch of the Rakaia. Mr. Whitcombe’s scientific attainments and thorough knowledge of his profession rendered him peculiarly fitted for the appointment he held, the duties of which he discharged conscientiously under a series of painful hardships up to the hour of his death. Few men could be named more useful in life or more regretted in death than the late Henry Whitcombe, and it will be long before his name or his services can be forgotten. Mr. Whitcombe’s last journey has shewn the impracticability of forming a dray road to the West Coast by way of the Rakaia, and it may now be considered as proved that the only two really available passes are those over the Teremakau saddle, in the extreme north, and at the head of the Wanaka Lake, in the extreme south of the province.

21. The former of these passes has been opened by the cutting of a bridle track through the bush, under the directions of Mr. Charlton Howitt, who reports the country near the mouth of the Teremakau to be auriferous, although it is as yet uncertain whether gold exists in paying quantities. This track will probably be open for packhorses the whole of the way to the mouth of the river Grey by the end of the winter, when a considerable amount of traffic may be expected on the road, especially if the Teremakau gold-field is found on examination to rival the neighbouring gold-fields of the Lyell and Buller. Looking at the importance of the Teremakau Pass, I think it is very desirable that no time should be lost in laying out and reserving the permanent line of road over the saddle, throughout the whole distance from the mouth of the Grey on the West Coast to the main gorge of the Hurunui, from