28
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.

Islands, or of the quantity of available land,
as I have never seen a chart of them, and the
short time I was there I had little opportunity
of gathering reliable information on these
points; nor had I an opportunity of visiting
Pitt's Island, but persons who had been there
described it to be of small extent, covered with
bush throughout, almost entirely steep hilly
land, with no good harbour, and only two
places where a landing can be effected with
any safety.

As to the "resources of the Islands," the
best information I can supply I think will be
a short description of the nature and quality
of the soil and its productions.

In the centre of the main Island, which is
nearly all low and undulating, there is a large
salt water or brackish lake occupying fully
one-third of its area. This lake has a hard
sandy bottom and is easily fordable over about
half of its extent, when the mouth is open at
the point where its waters flow into the sea;
at times, however, after heavy gales of wind
I believe, this is closed up, and then it is too
deep to be crossed except in boats; a large
portion of it is always very deep.

Nearly all round the sea coast there is a
belt of bush varying in width from a mile or
more down to one or two hundred yards; this
portion comprises the best land. Between it
and the lake the ground is open, and is covered
either with flax, or with rushes, low fern and
a kind of heather. The flax land is generally
good, the other is mostly very wet and swampy,
even on the highest parts; but it could all be
easily drained as it appears to be everywhere
considerably above the level of the lake. The
soil throughout is light and rich, and is com-
posed principally of peat mixed with fine
quartz sand, varying in their proportions in
different places. In some parts, near the sea
coast, the quartz sand entirely prevails, forming
long lines of sand-hills; in others, the ground
is composed exclusively of peat. In many
places in the open ground this fine white
quartz is so thickly strewn over the surface as
to present the appearance of a recent fall of
snow. The bush land, which is the only part
that has yet been cultivated, is the richest that
I have ever seen; it sustains a dense growth
of vegetation, and when cleared yields abun-
dant crops of the same kind for many years in
succession. Wheat, oats, and barley, have
been cultivated with great success; all the
English fruit trees, such as the Apple, Pear,
Peach, Plum, and Cherry, &c., grow most
luxuriantly and bear well. Anything that is
cultivated in the Middle Island of New Zea-
land would do well, I have no doubt, at the
Chatham Islands, as the climate and tem-
perature must be much alike. The crops
never suffer from drought, and no blight of
any kind has yet made its appearance.

A change of seed wheat is much required,
as the sort the Maories now have, from want
of proper care and attention, has much
deteriorated. If a few bushels of really good
seed wheat and barley could be sent down for
distribution among the Natives it would have
a most beneficial effect, and would perhaps be
the means of inducing them to cultivate more
grain, for which there would always be a
steady demand at remunerative prices; and
they would then not have the mortification of
seeing their whole year's labour thrown away
as is now the case in consequence of potatoes
being the only crop cultivated, for which, as
I have before pointed out, there is often no
purchaser at all. Great benefit would also
result from sending at the same time some
white clover seed, which if only scattered over
the abandoned Maori cultivations would soon
rapidly spread over the Island, besides con-
verting these waste places into excellent
pasturage. At almost all the pahs there are
small patches of English grass which look rich
and luxuriant, but I did not see any clover.
The principal woods are the Karaka, Ake
Ake, Matepo, Hoho, and Karemu. I enclose
a list of all the trees that are found on the
Island, with a brief description, showing the
size they grow to, and the various uses for
which they are applicable.

Stone suitable for rough building purposes,
and plentiful enough, is to be had in some
parts, and limestone also, but in other places
scarcely a stone of any kind can he found.

The Islands are not visited by earthquakes;
only once since the Europeans have been there
has a slight tremor been felt: this was about
seventeen years ago.

With the wind off shore, vessels can call at
almost every part of the main Island, and
things may be shipped at one time or other
from all the Native settlements. Waitangi is
a good roadstead, where a vessel, with good
ground tackle, may lay with almost any wind.
Kaingaroa is a good harbour, but small, with
two and a half fathoms at low water; here two
vessels not over two hundred (200) tons burthen
may be safely moored. Wangaroa, however,
is the only really good harbour: it is com-
modious, it is quite land-locked, and has deep
water close to the beach. This I was told by
the master of a vessel who had often been
there, for I had not time to visit it myself.
Unfortunately I understand the land in its
vicinity is swampy, and there is no timber
near.

From the abundance of quartz and other
indications, similar to what I have observed at
Otago, I have little doubt that gold will be
found at the Chatham Islands; and I am con-
firmed in this impression by the opinion of a
gentleman in Wellington of acknowledged
authority in such matters, to whom I showed
specimens of the rocks that I brought back
with me.

Altogether it must appear, from what I
have stated above respecting the soil, climate,
and productions of the Chatham Islands, that
they are admirably suited for settlement and
occupation by Europeans; yet it is doubtful, I
think, whether settlers, without some special
advantages being granted to them, could be
induced to go there, while so much land yet
remains open for selection in New Zealand,
where already great facilities exist, in the