141

Colonial Secretary's Office, Auckland,
8th September, 1854.

HIS Excellency the Officer administering
the Government has been pleased to
direct that all Postmasters, or others in charge
of Post Offices in the Colony, are to forward
their accounts direct to the Auditor-General
at Auckland.

By His Excellency's command,
ANDREW SINCLAIR,
Colonial Secretary.

Colonial Secretary's Office, Auckland,
8th September, 1854.

HIS Excellency the Officer administering
the Government has been pleased to ap-
point

EDWARD H. E. BLACKMORE, Esq.,
to be Emigration Officer for the Port of Nelson,
for the purpose of carrying out the provisions
of the "Passengers Act" 15 and 16 Victoria,
c. 44.

By His Excellency's command,
ANDREW SINCLAIR,
Colonial Secretary.

Colonial Secretary's Office, Auckland,
7th September, 1854.

HIS Excellency the Officer Administering
the Government, directs the publication
for general information of the following
"Sailing Directions" for the Pelorus Estuary
as furnished by Captain DRURY of H.M.S.
Pandora.—

By His Excellency's command,
ANDREW SINCLAIR,
Colonial Secretary.

PELORUS ESTUARY.
(Cook's Straits.)

This extensive estuary, with its numerous arms, is
situated between Queen Charlotte's Sound and Blind
Bay, and is included between latitude 40° 52' S. and
latitude 41° 15' S., and between longitude 173° 45'
E. and longitude 174° 8' E.

The coast line is no less than 250 miles. The depth
of water varies from 45 to 16 fathoms, until gradually
decreasing in the main branch towards the head, where
it receives two rivers, forming banks at the head of that
arm, but with this exception, and one sunken rock near
the entrance, there is no obstruction to navigation, and
having this anomaly, that the nearer you approach the
points the deeper the water.

With the exception of the head of the main branch,
the general character of the country is mountainous,
rising with almost perpendicular acclivity to the height
of from 2000 to 3000 feet, and clothed with dense forest.
The intervening bays receiving the mountain streams
are equally impenetrable, as the sides of the ravines are
steep and rugged. With the exception of the site of
an old settlement in one of the arms, there are few acres
in any one spot that could be brought under cultivation,
and in proof of this the natives seem never to have had
any settlement but the one mentioned, and it is deserted,
they told us, because the ground is cursed. However,
the soil every where accords with the luxuriant moun-
tain vegetation, being generally of the richest loam,
and of considerable depth.

The geological feature of all the points and banks of
the river is soft clay slate, with frequent veins of quartz
an inch thick. The whole country abounds in it, blocks
being found on the hills, and the beach is strewed
with quartz pebbles.

The following is the order in which the bays and
anchorages of this estuary follow, beginning at the East
Head, or Point Entry. After passing Guards Bay,
which has rocks above water stretching half way across
to the East Head, but with 20 fathoms between the ex-
treme rock and the head.

The first bay is Ketu, one mile within. At the head
of this bay there is Snug Cove, having 10 fathoms, but
across the entrance of it 30 fathoms. Kopaua, or
Richmond's Bay, is immediately beyond, forming a
bight of one and a half miles. Here again the anchor-
age is at the head in 14 fathoms, the hills rising 1800
feet. There is another sheltered bay before reaching
Takaka point, which is immediately opposite Chetwode
Island, the channel being a mile in breadth, 40 fathoms
deep. Here the main branch of the Pelorus bends to
the eastward, while another considerable arm, the Ta-
whiti-nui reach, stretches nine miles S.W., containing
islands, and having a bay within a mile of Croixilles
harbour.

Having rounded Takaka point, the course leading to
the Hoiere changes from S.W. to S.S.E. for three miles,
when a bare point, Towero, is rounded, and the course
again is S.W. for seven miles, then South seven miles
to the upper anchorage, when the channel winds through
banks in a westerly direction, four miles, to the mouths
of the Hoiere and Kaituna. Opposite Tawera, and two
miles east of Kaka point, is the bay of Kauauros, a
good anchorage, round the south point of which we
come to Whakamawabi, an extensive arm of the Polo-
rus, having three branches, the Hikuraki, which is sepa-
rated from Guards Bay, at its head, by a narrow neck
only 100 feet broad, and about the same height. The
middle Mamiaro having land remarkably bare for the Pe-
lorus. The third Karepo runs south for five miles. On
its east shore is the before mentioned deserted village
of Kopai, having excellent anchorage, and the only
part of these sounds having a tract of land adapted to
cultivation say 200 to 300 acres.

Passing this arm, the next reach, for seven miles, is
Popoure, having bays on either side. The Pokohino on
the east, the Tamuakaiwawi, the Piaukshe, and the
Opouri on the west. The west bays having the best
anchorage, the channel of this reach has twenty-seven
fathoms, mud.

The next reach, Pinohikapu, is less indented. The
head of this reach was the anchorage of H.M. Sloops
Fantome and Pandora, which, with the exception of the
Government Brig, the Tory, and H.M.S. Pelorus, I
believe are the only vessels of any size that have yet
navigated the estuary.

At this anchorage, ready communication can be had
with the natives. Their cultivations are now visible,
and small fishing stations seen on the banks, and it is
about five miles below the villages, East of this an-
chorage is the long arm of Toreamonuoi Kipuru, ex-
tending twelve miles E. by N., having a depth of not
more than fourteen fathoms, gradually decreasing to-
wards the head. It is an average breadth of three
quarters of a mile. The Mahau Sound is three miles
in length, divided from the last by a narrow ridge,
Putahinu, and at its head there is a level plain,
a mile long, and one and a half miles in breadth, ex-
tending to the Torea-mounu arm.

Ohingoroa Bay and Moi-Tapu have cultivated lands
one mile S.S.W. of the anchorage. The Mahakipawa arm
is very shoal, the head of it is about an hour's walk from
Anakiwa bay in Queen Charlotte's Sound. Mahakipa-