77

DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY.

2. The Greenstone Valley is open from Pass Burn upwards, and has a belt of ordinary sized birchwood on either side, the hills rising up very steeply from the plain. This plain is all shingle, and carries a growth of coarse grass, spear grass, and scrub, but at the lower end the grass is much better and finer—blue tussocks and cockspur mostly. It offers but scant inducements to settlement, and is nowhere more than three-quarters of a mile broad. The Hollyford Valley is very shingly in some places, but in others has a sandy loam somewhat like the soil of the Molyneux Island. Its length is from fifteen to twenty miles, the breadth varying from half a mile to a mile and a half, and forming an area on that length and breadth of from eight to nine thousand (8000 to 9000) acres. All this valley covered with bush, the mountains run up from it abruptly to a great height, and are snow-clad on the top. For fifteen miles from the lake upwards there is a deal of very heavy birchwood, the trees being of great height and thickness. I did not see much of any other kind of timber, save a few red pines, and some clumps of very tall and straight white pine. There is also the usual growth of underwood, with ferns and fern trees, and the native broom, which on the shingle beds of the river attains great size, perfumes the air with the most delightful fragrance. The bush as a rule grows to about half-way up the mountain sides. We saw none of the green parrots and kiwis we heard of, and we were accompanied by a very good dog, which caught no birds within ten or fifteen miles of Lake M’Kerrow; the last wood hen we were fortunate enough to get being found at that distance. The bush, however, at the lower parts, especially of the Hollyford Valley, is well stocked with pigeons, kakas, and smaller fowl, while the river has blue ducks in it. The New Zealand crow is very plentiful in part of this valley, and also in the Greenstone Valley. It is a remarkably handsome bird, and I recognized it at once as the same which I have seen on the east coast of the Province. Of smaller birds, the parson bird, thrush, mocking bird, canaries, robins, and wrens comprise the most noticeable. The Hollyford River does not seem to have fish of any description in it, at least we saw none, and the stream is very cold, swift running, and of a pale azure color. I am still of the opinion I stated previously, that the top of Lake M’Kerrow is quite unsuitable as a site for a township, but I shall endeavor to determine positively as to the height to which the floods rise. It will be seen from the tracing and also from the above, that the Hollyford Valley is narrow and contracted as compared with its length, and is hemmed in on either side by ranges of mountains, which appear to be impassable. The only outlet in a transverse direction being by the valley of the Wa-wai-i-wak or Lake Alabaster. These mountains rise abruptly out of the plain attaining a great height, so much so that when we were camping in the valley one evening I observed that the sun was lost to view at five o’clock. I have put these remarks hurriedly together in order to send them in before I set out for a second time to penetrate to the west. I have sent the bulk of my camp, with instruments and so on, down to the Wakatipu Lake, where I leave a man in charge of them till I return, which, if the schooner be there, need not exceed two months. We shall go through with just the smallest possible swags and ten days’ rations, and

I have the honor to be,

Your most obedient servant,

WILLIAM ARTHUR,
Assistant Surveyor.

J. T. Thomson, Esq., C.E.,
Chief Surveyor,
Survey Office,
Dunedin.

Provincial Treasury,
Dunedin, 1st March, 1864.

HIS Honor the Superintendent directs it to be notified that he has been pleased to appoint the following gentlemen, viz.:

ROBERT DAY BUST, and

JAMES SMITH,

to be Inspectors of Cattle for the Province of Otago, under the “Diseased Cattle Act, 1861.”

JOHN L. GILLIES,
Provincial Treasurer.

Provincial Treasury,
Dunedin, 1st March, 1864.

HIS Honor the Superintendent directs it to be notified that he has appointed the following gentlemen, viz.:

FREDERICK WAYNE,

CLEMENT MACLEOD ORBELL,

THOMAS JONES,

WILLIAM STEVENSON,

ANDREW TODD,

GEORGE SHAND,

THOMAS HENDERSON,

JAMES CULLEN,

WILLIAM JAFFRAY,

DONALD BRUCE,

FREDERICK LOWE JEFFCOAT,

NEIL JOSEPH BRUCE M’GREGOR,

ROBERT GIBSON,

GEORGE TURNBULL,

JOHN MACKIE WILLIAMSON,

GILBERT BUCHANAN,

JOHN YOUNG

ALEXANDER FAMILTON

WILLIAM REYNOLDS HAYNE, M.D.

WILLIAM CRAIG

ROBERT HASTIE

WILLIAM MURCOTT

WILLIAM YOUNG SPEIRS

WILLIAM DUFF

ROBERT CHARTERIS

DONALD M’MASTER

WILLIAM GREY

ARTHUR GERRARD

JOHN HALL

ALEXANDER MERIVILLEES

to be Assistant Inspectors for the Province of Otago (without salary) under the “Diseased Cattle Act, 1861,” and that the appointments as Inspectors of Cattle under the said Act, of the said Frederick Wayne, Clement Macleod Orbelle, Thomas Jones, William Stevenson, Andrew Todd, George Shand, Thomas Henderson, James Cullen, William Jaffray, Donald Bruce, Frederick Lowe Jeffcoat, Neil Joseph Bruce M’Gregor, Robert Gibson, George Turnbull, John Mackie Williamson, and Gilbert Buchanan, have been cancelled.

JOHN L. GILLIES,
Provincial Treasurer.