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presentatives confirmed the engagement formally
entered into by the late Colonial Government for the
erection of a Central Lunatic Asylum at Nelson, and
which, in consequence of that engagement, a site
was purchased by the Province, the reproach, which
is utterly inadequate provision at present existing
being casts upon our social condition, would long ago
have been removed. The small building now occu-
pied by lunatics in this town was erected only for
temporary occupation until the General Asylum
should be built. It has, of course, been little ac-
commodation for all the patients requiring it. The
General Government has lately published an Act, to
be introduced into the General Assembly next session,
to authorise the Governor to cause provincial Asy-
lums to be erected at the expense of the provinces re-
spectively, should they not, within a given time, take
the duty upon themselves. On every account, there-
fore, it is incumbent upon us at once to provide for
the establishment of this institution. I trust that if
a bill be submitted to you, as it is my intention to do,
enabling me to raise a loan for this purpose, it will
meet your cordial concurrence, as well as the sanction
of his Excellency the Governor, who has already
promised his sanction to loans for objects much less
indispensable.

The increase of the public debt for the last-named
object I regard as almost forced upon us by circum-
stances. But opposed as I am, as a general principle,
to entailing upon those who succeed us pecuniary bur-
dens of this kind, I think it my duty to recommend
you no longer to delay the appropriation of an annual
sum to commence a sinking fund for the liquidation
of our previous debt, and that now proposed to be in-
curred. A bill will, therefore, be brought in to enable
me to invest any sum appropriated by you in the man-
ner most likely to secure this desirable object.

10. I come now to the efforts which have been made
    during the recess, to open up the country. In my ad-
    dress, on opening the last Session of the Council, I al-
    luded to the hope, then entertained, that a route might
    be found from the upper part of the Wai-au river to
    the Grey district. The passes through which this
    route had been expected to be discovered, had been ex-
    plored, as then stated, but without leading to the re-
    sult desired. Since then, one of our most enterprising
    explorers, Mr. John Rochfort, has succeeded in pene-
    trating from the Grey to the Hammer Plain by the
    Ahaura river.

Mr. Rochfort having agreed to point out this route
to Government, provided a bonus were paid upon the
the information, I consented to pay the sum required;
and immediately sent a person on the part of the Go-
vernment to report upon the practicability of the route
for a bridle track. This report proving very satisfac-
tory, a road party was set to work without delay up-
on the route. When myself in the Grey district,
I directed another party, under Mr. Rochfort, to com-
mence at the other (western) end of the line, at
the junction of the Ahaura and Grey, so that, in a few
months at the farthest, I trust that a horse road will
be at last opened, which, though a circuitous one, will
at least allow our settlers to enter and occupy this
district with sheep and cattle.

The delay that has taken place in attaining even
this result, has been as much a matter of regret to
the Government as it has been clouded to any of the
public. But it has been unavoidably occasioned by
the necessity of endeavouring to find a really practi-
cable route to the westward, and by the failure of the
many attempts that have been made to achieve the
object. I allude particularly to the explorations of
the valleys running into the Upper Waiau from Lake
Tennyson, southward; and of those leading from

Mount Arthur to the south and west. No practica-
ble route was found in any of these directions, except
that by Mr. Rochfort, just spoken of, and which is
very far from a direct line even to the Grey district. I
will not detain you with a detailed account of the seve-
ral explorations in connection with the reports which will
be laid before you, but merely state, as a general re-
sult of them, the apparent certainty that no more di-
rect line to the western districts can be found than
that by the Lakes Arthur and Howick, and thence
into the valley connecting the Grey and Buller rivers;
cutting off the angle made by the river flowing down
that valley (which it has been proposed to call the
Thackeray) and the Buller itself into which it flows.
Some further investigation is still required to deter-
mine whether this cross line is practicable or not.
But it seems so clear that main line to the west
must follow the course thus generally indicated (whe-
ther or not some abbreviations of it may be made here
and there), that I have no hesitation in asking for ra-
ther a large vote to open a road at once in this direc-
tion. It is gratifying to know that, although this
road may be rather an expensive one, it may ulti-
mately be made a dray road, and one that will be
available both for winter and summer, as its course
is supposed to be below the snow-level of the high
central ranges which are rendered impassable at the
former season.

I have thus endeavored to explain what is doing,
and what should be done, to open a communication
by land with the West Coast. Meanwhile, I may
here observe that Mr. Rochfort has instructions, as
soon as the line commenced at each end, between the
Ahaura and Hammer plain as before noted, is finished,
to make a clear foot-track from the Ahaura junction
to the mouth of the Grey river; thence up the coast
to the Buller mouth; continuing the coast-line to the
Heaphy or Wakaponi river, and on to Collingwood.
This will greatly increase the facility of communica-
tion for diggers and foot-travellers between the
several districts of the West Coast.

This being done with respect to the opening of the
district by land, the next object is to open it from the
sea; and for this purpose, in my opinion, our most
advisable course at present would be to get the best
road practicable from the mouth of the Buller River
to the Thackeray valley, because of the great supe-
riority of the mouth of the Buller as a shipping-port
to that of the Grey River. A report, by Mr. Clous-
ten, will be laid before you, containing his opinion on
the respective capabilities of the two river-mouths as
harbors. That of the Buller has been carefully sur-
veyed by him, in conjunction with Messrs. Brunner
and Burnett, and its geographical position laid down;
which, I may remark in passing, proves to be closely
in accordance with that given in the New Zealand
Pilot.

11. A great and reasonable desire, fully participa-
    ted in by the Government, exists that something should
    be done to accelerate the occupation by settlers of the
    West Coast. As far as relates to the attainment of
    this object by road-making, I have said what appears
    to me to be the utmost that the means at our dispos-
    al will enable us to do. The other principal means for
    stimulating the settlement of that part of the country
    is undoubtedly the mode of disposing of available
    lands.

These, as you are aware, can only be dealt with in
strict accordance with the regulations established by
law for that purpose; and the Waste Land Regula-
tions give the Government no other power whatever
than that of surveying the land into sections, and
putting them up for sale by auction to the highest
bidder.

Instructions have been given to lay out the land