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should be finished up to datum line, and the filling in completed by the soil dredged out of the canal, and by excavation from the hill side as required.

The first part of this Section to be carried out, should be that along the Eastern Spit, as it presents but a limited area to fill in, and could quickly be prepared for sale, so as to furnish funds for the prosecution of the other works—and with this object in view it might probably be found advisable to let this portion take precedence of Section No. 5.

As the propriety of laying out such an extent of canal, may be questioned, it will be well to observe,—

Firstly.—That the portion tinted dark blue is the course of an existing channel more or less perfect, that it is necessary to give access at both ends to the main channel, and at the same time the area is no greater than common prudence dictates should be reserved for the future requirements of the Port.

Secondly.—That although the portion tinted light blue might be dispensed with for very many years, yet it would be imprudent to fill it up, as the doing so would cost as much as the construction of the retaining walls, whilst by its formation you obtain a great addition to the water frontage, enhancing the value of the land on either side; and the canal itself, by the facilities it would afford, would tend much to lessen the cost of filling up—this being a point that must always be kept in view; as unless means are thus afforded for getting rid of the soil taken up by the dredge, and the cost of alluvions promoted over the area to be reclaimed, the bare cost of filling up this space by excavating and carting soil from the hills, would amount to no less a sum than £58,000, of which it is estimated that about one half may be saved, by encouraging the deposit of alluvions and by the ready means afforded by the canal for disposing of the soil taken up by the dredge. But if this branch canal is eliminated from the plan, recourse must be had to a much greater amount of wheeling and carting than will otherwise be necessary, which added to the cost of filling up the site of the proposed canal, will more than equal the cost of the retaining walls.

Taking a summary of the whole works proposed, there is—

Filling in soil £58000
Deduct one half the saving to be effected by silting up and the deposit of the soil from the Dredging Machine £29000

£29000 | 0 | 0 |

£53000 | 0 | 0 |

Pile driving apparatus, tools, and plant generally | 2000 | 0 | 0 |

Total,— £55000 | 0 | 0 |

And if the value of the land to be reclaimed is taken at £70,000 there remains a balance of £15000 towards the expense of the dredging operations, and the whole of the improvements above enumerated are effected free of any expense beyond the interest on the capital employed.

And it must not be forgotten that these improvements will effect a very considerable saving annually, that will grow in amount directly with the growth of the district, so that in a few years it will form an important item in the economy of the Province.

Wellington, for instance, at the present time spends fully £3000 per annum for lighterage alone, and it may therefore be safely assumed, that since the commencement of the settlement she has sunk in this way at least £30000, in addition to which she has spent £7000 to £8000 in the construction of some dozen different piers, and yet has nothing in the whole harbour that can be called a serviceable shipping pier.

Reverting to the subject of the gradual filling up of the lagoon, by the mud and sand brought down by the floods, as before observed, this may be allowed to continue to a great extent, before the scouring power of the ebb tide would be diminished, provided the