Mulgrave, Viscount Normanby, and Baron Mulgrave of Mulgrave, all in the County of York, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom; and Baron Mulgrave of New Ross, in the County of Wexford, in the Peerage of Ireland; a Member of Her Majesty’s Most Honourable Privy Council; Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George; Governor and Commander-in-Chief, in and over Her Majesty’s Colony of New Zealand and its Dependencies, and Vice-Admiral of the same; and issued under the Seal of the said Colony, at the Government House, at Auckland, this second day of May, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.

EDWARD RICHARDSON.

God Save The Queen!

RABBIT NUISANCE.

The following is published for general information:—

Invercargill, 9th May, 1876.

Sir,—In terms of your request we have the honor to submit the annexed report, with enclosures, on the rabbit nuisance presently prevailing in the District of Southland.

We have the honor to be,

Sir,

Your most obedient Servants,

J. RICHARDSON,
WALTER H. PEARSON.

REPORT OF THE COMMISSION APPOINTED BY HIS HONOR THE SUPERINTENDENT TO ENQUIRE INTO THE EXTENT OF THE RABBIT NUISANCE IN THE DISTRICT OF SOUTHLAND, 10TH MAY, 1876.

REASONS FOR APPOINTMENT OF COMMISSION.

When your Honor constituted us a Commission to enquire into the extent to which the rabbit nuisance prevails in Southland we were aware that enquiries had been instituted by a Select Committee of the Provincial Council in 1875, and we had been told of the earnest desire expressed by a deputation from certain pastoral tenants of the Crown that a Commission should be appointed to visit the districts said to be infested, and to report the result of their personal inspection and enquiries. Though many of these Crown lessees were suffering severely from the rabbit nuisance, and were well acquainted with the extent of the evil, they deemed it would be judicious in the Government not to be guided entirely by those more immediately concerned, nor upon the testimony gathered at Dunedin. The reported rapid and sudden increase of rabbits within the short period of two years created in some minds a feeling of doubt whether the statement of the case was not somewhat exaggerated by the fears of those who found themselves exposed to the evils resulting from this invasion, and hence the Crown tenants were urgent that the facts should be fully ascertained and the necessary remedies immediately applied.

NATURE OF DUTIES.

In the prosecution of the duty assigned to us we have ridden over some three hundred miles of country, visiting the pastoral tenants and others at their homes, inspecting those portions of the runs of the former considered by them as fair indications of the evils they suffered under, and making personal enquiries of every class as we passed through the infested districts. The result is embodied in this report. While we have not considered it to be within the bounds of our commission to make any formal recommendation, we have thought it not unadvisable to group together the suggestions we have gathered as a contribution, for what it may be worth, towards the abatement, if not extermination, of the nuisance; nor have we deemed it obligatory on us to confine our attention to that portion of Otago known formerly as the Province of Southland, but have extended our enquiries to other portions of the united provinces; and have, moreover, endeavoured to ascertain what had been done in other colonies similarly afflicted, and with what results. In this direction we have been indebted to the Governors of Victoria and Tasmania, to whom we applied for information; to your Honor, from whom we received communications from the Chief Secretaries of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania; to the report of the Chief Sheep Inspector, and to that of a Select Committee of the Provincial Council which had been specially appointed to take evidence on the subject.

ROUTE.

With a view of acquainting your Honor with the line of country traversed by us it may not be undesirable to roughly indicate the route we adopted. On leaving Invercargill we passed through the Lothing and Lindhurst Districts to the falls on the Mataura, and following up the right bank of that river to Gore we proceeded to McCaughan’s Station, diverging into the Hokonui Ranges to Mount Peel, to ascertain whether the rocky districts were affected. Thence we proceeded up the right bank of the Waimea Stream, a tributary of the Mataura, passing by Young and McKellar’s Stations to Cowan’s Station on the left bank of the Oreti or New River, returning down the bank of that river to Webster and Gibbs’ Station, and thence by Winton, Ryal Bush, and Wallacetown to Invercargill. This may be termed the Eastern District.

On the 28th March we resumed our inspection and enquiries, and passed through the Sandhills to Riverton, and from Riverton up the right bank of the Aparima, or Jacobs River, by Gummy’s Bush, as far as Otautau; thence, diverging, we left the beaten track to visit Merivale Station, and passed onwards through the Waiau plains to Clarke’s Station, on Lintern Creek, visiting the eastern slopes of the Takitimu, at an elevation of some 3,000 feet; thence we crossed over to Brown’s Station at Bellemonte, near the left bank of the Waiau, and Brown and Barnhill’s Station of Blackmount, and striking northward we visited Dunrobin’s Station near the same river, and in close proximity to the Manapouri Lake, ascending the Cheviot Hills, which lie half-way up the western ascent of the Excelsior Peak, and then advanced to Hankinson’s Station, our most northerly point, about midway between the Te Anau and Manapouri Lakes, gathering as we went information about the few stations on the right bank of the Waiau River. This portion of country may be termed the Western district.

Having passed the boundary of the former province of Southland we struck off along the Mararoa River, crossed over some intervening ranges to Campbells’ Station at Burwood Forest, leaving Centre Hill on our right, and the West Dome and Five Rivers Plains on our left to Thornhill’s Station on the Oreti. Leaving this river to the left we passed through the Waikaia Downs near Hassian’s Station, and Stevens and Kaymond’s Stations, touching the Aparima again by Johnson’s Station, near Wrey’s Bush, and crossing the Oreti District to the town of Winton, on that river, and thence to Invercargill. This portion may be called the Centre district.

It will thus appear that we have personally visited a very large portion of the Southland country reputed to