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steep hills and sidlings over which the
old road passed. The line here has
been expensive, the works having been
difficult, but where it is metalled it
will be found a useful work. If oneor
two short pieces were made on Dunn's
run, vehicles of all descriptions could
travel with little difficulty by this line.
The expenditure has been, under Wel-
lington Government, to 31st October,
1858, £863 3s. 7¾d.; from 1st Novem-
ber, 1858, to 31st December, 1859,
£2260 18 3; from 1st January, 1860,
to 30th June, 1860, £2748 17s. 5d.

No. 3. This road has been opened
for drays as far as the Eparaima bridge,
now in progress, and the creeks bridged
from Eparaima to near Black Head, so
that drays can proceed by it as far as
the latter place. Many parts of this
work have been expensive, but the line
is an important one, bringing, as it will,
a large inland district into direct com-
munication with the shipping place at
Black Head, and the suburban lands
there and at Porangahau. The bridge
at Eparaima will be the largest in this
Province, having a span of 102 feet;
but the nature of the stream rendered
this necessary, as any piling in the
water-way would not resist the heavy
freshes to which this river is subject.
The line should be crossed across the
level land at Motu Otaria; it is much
shorter, and less liable to flood or in-
jury from flood, than by taking it round
the valley to the right, going to Epa-
raima, for I have seen the latter on
two occasions this winter under wa-
ter, while the former was free from
it. The expenditure has been, from
1st November, 1858, to 31st Decem-
ber, 1859, £723 0s. 2d.; from 1st
January, 1860, to 30th June, 1860,
£2809 11s. 9d.

No. 4. This road is now open through-
out. All the creeks have been bridged,
the swamps drained, and a portion of
the formation metalled, and easy com-
munication can be carried over it to the
Ruataniwha Plains. The expenditure
from 1st November, 1858, to 31st Decem-
ber, 1859, £957 12s. 7½d.; and
from the 1st January, 1860, to 30th
June, 1860, £566 2s. 2d.

No. 5. The road through Petane has
been nearly completed from the cros-
sing of the river near Mr. Villers' to
the valley, and when metalled will
be a good carriage road. The line has
been further continued towards Moha-
ka as a bridle track, principally under
the direction of Mr. Thomas. It passes
over several high ranges, and is not a
very good road; yet it is an improve-
ment on the old one, and when it be-
comes consolidated will prove an ad-
vantage to travellers and pack animals.
It is doubtful if an additional outlay
should be made except for repairs until
the inland country is thoroughly ex-
plored, and its fitness for a permanent
line of road ascertained. The expendi-
ture has been up to 31st October, 1858,
£98; from 1st November, 1858, to
31st December, 1859, £129 3s. 3d.;
and from 1st January, 1860, to 30th
June, 1860, £1960 17s. 11d.

No. 6. The road between Clive and
the Ferry is in a forward state, the
formations are completed and part of
it metalled; the old bridge may stand
for another year, but after that it will
require extensive repairs or rebuilding,
as the white pine of which it is con-
structed will soon decay; even now the
flooring is not the best state. The
expenditure from 1st January, 1860,
to 30th June, 1860, £394 6s. 1d.

No. 7. The Shakespeare road, now
the principal thoroughfare through
Napier, has been executed in a sub-
stantial manner, and since its opening
has borne an amount of traffic equal to
a large proportion of the highways in
old countries. When in progress the
idea was general that it was of un-
necessary width, but I believe this has
been found to be a mistake, and I have
no doubt that it will be found insuffi-
cient for the requirements of the traffic
after a short time. The expenditure
up to 31st October, 1858, was £701;
from 1st November, 1858, to 31st
December, 1859, £713 15s. 1d.; and
from 1st May, 1859, up to the time that
Mr. Wright took charge £840 7s. 11d.

No. 8. The outlay here was in
making passable a very swampy portion
of Carlyle street, which previously in
winter was impassable for drays or even
foot passengers, without trespassing on
private ground. The expenditure was
£205 11s. 6d., from the 1st May, 1859,
to the time that Mr. Wright took
charge.

No. 9. This work has been executed
by Messrs. Toogood and Campbell and
Marshall, they having received a grant
in aid from the Government. It has
opened up the country for drays from
the Petane valley to several inland
runs, and close to a bush of the finest
timber in the district; an additional