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supplied from the Engineer Department,
and the whole distance laid down with
fascines.

A bridge on the truss principle has been
thrown across the Makarewa River, after
the design and under the superintendence
of T. Heale, Esq., Chief Surveyor. It has
now been available for all description of
traffic for some time, and has proved
itself one of the most useful and best-
designed bridges in the Province. The
northern approach has been cut and
formed, and needs only metalling to
make the whole work perfect.

Between Wallacetown and Winton Bush
three well-constructed bridges have been
completed: one over the Tomoporakau
stream, one over the Haugh-meadow
Burn, and the other over Winton Creek.
Culverts have been placed on every
swamp and small creek, and their ap-
proaches and drainage adequately at-
tended to. Several portions of the road
not hitherto touched require forming and
draining. These and the remainder of
the line are provided for in the annexed estimate.

The Winton Flat has been gravelled,
and for a time sustained the traffic
better than could be expected. It has
now, however, broken down in many
places, and fallen beyond repair until the
dry season sets in. The approaches to the
culverts have for some time been almost
impassable. To remove this difficulty, I
have instructed Messrs. M’Neil and
Wilson to lay down fascines on the narrowest
crossings of the swamps. This has been
done accordingly, and materially assisted
the traffic.

The Winton Bush has proved the
greater difficulty to this Department of
any work on the whole line. It was the
first contract issued, and stands likely to
be the last completed. Four contractors
have had it in hand, three of whom
abandoned it at different stages; the
present contractors, Messrs. M’Neil and
Wilson (who, I feel it but just to remark,
have always given satisfaction to this
Department) are progressing very favour-
ably considering the bad state of the
weather. Another six weeks I estimate
will be sufficient for entire completion.

The next contract following Winton,
as far as Mr. M’Lean’s Run, has been
throughout the whole distance in the
hands of Messrs. Campbell, Robertson,
and Co. These gentlemen have laboured
under great disadvantages. They under-
took the contracts (which were serious)
without any knowledge or experience of
either the peculiarly unfavourable climate
of Southland for engineering purposes,
or the fluctuating state of the labour
market in a locality bordering on rich gold
diggings. I believe they have done their
best to complete the works in accordance
with the specified terms, but have been
prevented from so doing from causes not
under their control. The items of their
contracts consist of ditching, forming,
and metalling, covering a line of some-
thing near ten miles. The drainage in places
is deficient; but this is owing more to the
outfalls not having gone through a process
of careful levelling. This, as I stated in
my preliminary Report, I hope to remedy
in the ensuing summer.

The works performed under the above
contracts are something near as follows,
viz.—thirty miles of ditching and outfalls.
Between ten and twelve miles of forming,
about 7000 cubic yards of cutting, 3000
cubic yards of filling, ten culverts, and
ten miles of gravelling. The curving of
the most acute angles is now in hand, and
a bridge across the Cabbage-tree Creek is
completed. The cuttings through the
forest (which I have hitherto omitted
to mention) were in another contract,
and anterior to the works of Messrs.
Campbell, Robertson, and Co., the whole
consisting of Winton Bush, Centre Bush,
and Last Bush, amounting in all to
three miles. The width cut was sixty-
six feet, and the whole of the timber or
scrub, &c., on the line to be burnt or other-
wise disposed of, and thirty-three feet in
the centre to be grubbed. This prelimin-
ary work was in progress when I took
charge of the Department.

I have now enumerated the works
completed and in progress on the Great
North Road for your Honor’s information.
At the northern extremity of works above
described, there is a patch of country two
miles in extent (or perhaps less, for we
have made no survey of it). It runs through
the swampy part of M’Lean’s run. This
requires ditching, forming, and metalling.
I have not described it in the estimate
annexed, as T. Heale, Esq., Chief Surveyor,
has stated to me, from information lately
acquired, that he thinks it desirable to
cross the river Oreti, immediately at the
completion point of Messrs. Campbell and
Co.’s contract at the Cabbage-tree Creek,
and follow a line on the west side on the
Dipton Flat, which line is good through-
out, and requires little or no outlay.
I
have not examined it myself, but the Chief
Surveyor has done so carefully. I have,
therefore, omitted to give an estimate of
the two miles mentioned until I have
made a personal examination of the whole
country on both sides.

From Benmore (Mr. M’Lean’s) to
Messrs. Holmes and Barnhill’s (Castle
Rock), a distance of about fourteen miles,
but two points of difficulty occur—one
the Sheepwash Creek, and the other a
swamp about five miles to the southward
of Castle Rock. Both of these have been