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unused in the Hundreds, and 2000-acre Blocks, I believe that with judicious management there will be no occasion to interfere with the occupiers before the expiry of their leases; and that thus, while deriving a large and steady revenue from this source, there will be ample security to offer, should the development of the Province necessitate the raising of large sums on loan.

I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your Honor’s most obedient Servant,
WALTER H. PEARSON,
Commissioner of Crown Lands.

To His Honor,
The Superintendent,
Province of Southland.

REPORT OF THE CHIEF SURVEYOR ON THE PROPOSED BLUFF HARBOUR AND INVERCARGILL RAILWAY.

Survey Office, Southland,
16th February 1863.

Sir,

I have the honour to submit herewith two Maps showing the course of the proposed Railway from the southern boundary of Invercargill to the western one of Campbelltown, together with a longitudinal section of the line throughout.

In designing the Railway, it has been judged necessary at present to stop short outside of both towns, but there can be no doubt that when this line becomes the mode of transit for goods in considerable quantity landed from ships at Campbelltown, or at the Lower Harbour, it will be necessary to construct an extension, for goods’ trains at least, along the outer side of Gore-street to the Jetty. A similar goods-extension from the Invercargill terminus through Annan-street to the mouth of the Puni Creek may also hereafter be required.

With a view to these future extensions, the termini have been so placed as to admit of rails being carried on by short curves, in either case without interfering with the present stations. That at Invercargill has been fixed on the western portion of one of the blocks of the Town Belt, immediately opposite the south end of Clyde-street. This piece of land is swampy and part of it submerged; it is quite unfit for the ordinary objects of a Town Belt (ornament or recreation), and is admirably adapted in every respect to the purpose to which it is now proposed to apply it. The Station will front the most important street in the town. The proposed jetty at the south end of Annan-street will be immediately on its left, and the highroad to the Bluff and the south country on its right; it will thus be in the very centre of the traffic, while it will be perfectly out of the way, and cannot in any degree interrupt any desirable communication. This block of the Town Belt, including an imaginary road outside it, contains a little more than ten acres: of this, I propose that nearly one-half, being the dry portion, should form a green or garden fronting the side entrance to the Station. The necessary road and approaches will occupy nearly one and a quarter acres; the remaining four acres will be appropriated to the purposes of the Railway. It will only be necessary at present to fill in about two acres; this will require about 7000 cubic yards of material, and will involve a cost of £1000. Should the Government think proper to go on with the Jetty plans proposed for the south-west angle of the town, the station might then be extended, and this work would materially assist in making a handsome, a most convenient, and in every way desirable termination of the town in that direction.

The site of the Campbelltown terminus has been fixed on a piece of land, about three acres in extent, at a very convenient spot immediately abutting on the town; the greater part of it is on the property of A. M’Nab, Esq.

The Railway proceeds from the Invercargill Station by a straight line outside high-water mark for a quarter of a mile, then by two curves of 80 chains radius—84 chains long together, the line just touching Sections 3 and 4, Block III., passing through Sections 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and crossing the present highroad in Section 6, and again in Section 9. This road has been made from time to time as convenient, and without reference either to the most direct line or to the road as laid down in the Survey Map; it is therefore very crooked, and it will be necessary at two places to divert it to the inland side of the Railway: this will bring it much more nearly to the position originally designed for it in Block III., and in both cases will shorten it and eliminate objectionable angles.

From the end of the curves in Section 7, the line proceeds straight one and a half miles, passing for the most part on the flat immediately below an elevated terrace, one salient point of which it crosses; all this is on excellent ground, nearly level, the sub-soil being gravel at a moderate depth. After leaving Block III., the line nowhere touches private property until it reaches Mr R. Dalrymple’s boundary, 260 chains from the Station. It will necessarily pass quite through this estate about thirty-seven chains. Shortly before reaching it, the line takes a short curve to the east, with a radius of sixty chains, and again crosses an angle of the road, involving a second divergence of the latter. At three miles from the terminus, commences a curve of 100 chains radius concave to the westward, which is continued nearly two miles. In the course of it the line crosses the Waimatua and Mokotua streams; the only considerable ones which occur in the whole distance between Invercargill and Campbelltown; their breadth scarcely exceeds thirty feet, and pile bridges of four bays of ten feet each will answer every purpose. The land on either side of these streams is peaty and wet, but it has a sound bottom at a depth seldom exceeding three feet; and as the line crosses a point of the high gravel terrace between the streams, and again rises on to elevated ground immediately beyond them, the material lies quite at hand for the low embankment required (as well as for ballast); and the expense of constructing all this portion of the line may be taken at the minimum, requiring little beyond ditching and forming: the same