Niger. We galloped on without seeing any one, whereas only three weeks ago this expedition could not have been undertaken without an escort. It was melancholy to note the change that has taken place here since these troubles began; to see the smouldering ashes of what had been once comfortable homes, the plundered farms, the wasted fields, or ground remaining untilled! * From the top of the blockhouse the movements of the 40th regiment under the command of Colonel Leslie were plainly visible. They are out destroying rifle pits. If they were employed in destroying Maories methinks it would be more to the purpose. Returned to town by the beach, and in the evening dined with the Major-General and his staff, whose quarters are at the Masonic Hotel.

*

Sunday, September 30th.-The Caroline gunboat arrived this morning from the Manukau, with orders for me to take back the Iris's ship's company immediately. Sunday appears to be the favourite day here for operations of all kinds. Expeditions against the enemy, and the escort of provisions to the camp, which could be equally well sent out on any other day, generally take place on Sunday, which has also been lately made a parade day, when every one is compelled to muster at the various alarm posts to be inspected. In short, there is an ostentatious disregard of the Sabbath, as though it were wished to invoke a curse instead of a blessing upon our proceedings.

But this unrighteous war was commenced on a Sunday, well I recollect it. All the preparations for the first march to the Waitara on the Monday morning (March 5th) were made on that day-and instead of thronging the house of God to humble ourselves before Him, and to ask His blessing on our arms, Taranaki presented the appearance of a fair. The shops were kept open and the churches and chapels were empty; and this before a single shot had been fired, or the smallest desire for hostilities displayed by the natives. Many doubtless besides myself noted this as a bad beginning, and from that day to this the poor colonists have had nothing but disaster and ruin!

*

Before three o'clock I had all the men on board, including my own marines, who were disembarked last April, and started with a fine fair wind for our destination.

Monday, October 1st.-At daylight we were in sight of Paratutai, and crossed the bar at 8 a.m. There was no one at the pilot station to take us up; so I brought the Caroline to with a gun (she sailed from Taranaki only four hours before us) and Marks took charge, anchored us just above the Cordelia, and at 10 a.m. every one was landed. All quiet at Auckland.

October 3rd.-The ship tailed yesterday at low water, so we shifted higher up to-day, and moored head and stern about half a mile below the Bluff. Least water eighteen feet all round.

Monday, October 15th.-I have been long waiting for an opportunity to pay Waiuku and the adjacent country a visit, intending if possible to get to the Waikato, a district which embraces the most extensive tracts of fertile country, grows the best wheat, and contains the most civilized and powerful tribe of natives in the colony. The

Governor having placed the Caroline at my disposal, I started to-day on the expedition, taking Mr. Vietch, the Master, and the Surgeon, Patrick, a most observant intelligent man, with me, as it is not improbable the ship may be stationed some day on the South side of the Manukau.

We got away with the first of the ebb, which carried us past Poponga, although we had to beat down all the way, and the flood carried us up the Waiuku Creek, daylight failing shortly after we entered it at Karaka Point. About half a mile above this point the creek divides into two channels: that on the left goes to Mauku, better known among settlers as the Moke. Here the tide runs with great velocity. A little higher up, and where the Niger might be stationed if necessary, our Pilot, Marks, decided to anchor, for the night was very dark, and we were still some four or five miles from our destination.

Tuesday, October 16th.-Shifted up early this morning to the Needles remarkable cliffs, about two miles below Waiuku, and anchored, as the schooner cannot lay afloat at low water higher up; in fact, the great part of the creek above this point runs off dry at ordinary tides. Pulled up to the settlement which consists of some twenty houses, and promised to become, before these troubles broke out, a most thriving place. Here all the produce of the Waikato district is embarked for Onehunga, and several vessels, handy little cutters, have sailed regularly for years between the two places. The amount of grain and other produce brought from the Waikato, and the amount of goods, agricultural implements, &c., forwarded to that district, would form no inconsiderable items in the custom house returns, were Onehunga a port of entry. But that not being the case, no one knows, except from private information, that there is a bushel of wheat grown, or a pound of tobacco smoked in the Waikato* We found a comfortable inn at Waiuku, and a civil landlord, who did his best to assist me in the object of my visit.

Two miles from Waiuku is the landing place of the Awaroa, a small river, or fresh water stream, which after winding about seven miles through a level swampy country, partly open, partly bush, (as the forest here is called) joins the Waikato. The sinuous course of this stream, and the logs and stumps in it retard its navigation very much. The natives are however gifted with great patience. Time is to them a small object. They dam up the stream, and wait till the water accumulates sufficiently to float their canoes over the logs, and this operation they repeat every bar of logs they come to, until they work up to the landing. It seems a pity that no attempt has been made to improve the navigation of this stream. There are no rocks to blast, no cuttings to make; the country through which it flows seems, judging by the eye, as level as a table, and presents no engineering difficulties A few good bushmen armed with spades, shovels, saws and axes, and under proper direction, are all that is required, and a

whatever.

* Since these lines were penned, Onehunga has been made a Port of Entry, and a custom house officer appointed.

NO. 3.-VOL. XXXII.

R

very moderate sum would be sufficient. Until, however, this civil war is brought to a close, it cannot be expected that the Provincial Government will take any step in the matter. For the same reason the canal projected to join the Awaroa and the Manukau, which might be constructed with the greatest facility, and at very trifling expense, must remain in abeyance. The delay is much to be deplored, as nothing contributes so much to destroy the exclusiveness of the native race, and lead to their disposing of their surplus lands, as the opening up of the numerous creeks and rivers, so as to facilitate a free intercourse between the races. These are the initiatory steps towards the effectual settlement of the vexed land question; for it is evident their direct result would be the bringing of the two races into closer contact, by which only the civilization of the Maori can be effected.

The view from the landing place is magnificent: over the primeval forest in the foreground rises the South bank of the Waikato, well wooded, with an occasional clearing. Kohanga, the residence of Archdeacon Maunsell, being conspicuous from its lofty position; the river is concealed by the bush. After waiting some time, and finding there was no prospect of obtaining a canoe, I reluctantly gave up until another opportunity my intention of reaching the Waikato. But there was plenty to be seen here, and the rest of the day was fully occupied wandering over the vicinity of the settlement, which contains some beautiful farms already, and many thousand acres of valuable land lying uncultivated all round. The land may not be all equally valuable, for there is no country perhaps where the sudden change from one description of soil to another of a totally distinct nature, is so observable as in this locality. But however the varieties of soil may differ from each other, they may be all utilized, and taking all the circumstances into consideration, the vicinity of a good market, and easy water communication, if I had the choice, I would infinitely prefer four hundred acres of land here, than the same quantity in the much lauded province of Taranaki.

Wednesday, October 17th.—I sent the Caroline back to Onehunga this morning, and started with Dr. Patrick on my return by land. The road which is little better than a track, as no attempt to metal it has been made yet, skirts the forest here; and there clearings have been made, and their appearance testifies "in looks more eloquent than words" to the fertility of the soil, while "nature blossoms in her virgin pride" also, and we passed great quantities of that valuable plant the Phormium tenax, growing with great luxuriance.* I have mentioned in another part of this journal that the Kauri tree does not

There is a flax mill established in the thriving district of Papakura, not far from here, and great progress has been made in the development of this useful and, to New Zealand, most important product. The stimulating effect of the rewards lately offered by Government has doubtless something to do with the accomplishment of the object. But the Phormium tenax is far too valuable a plant to be permitted to disappear with the cultivation of the country, and I do not despair of seeing this valuable fibre rendered fit for the manufacture of paper and cloth, as well as of rope, and other articles.

grow South of the Manukau, there are still, however, some stray ones to be seen in this neighbourhood.

A pleasant walk of about eight miles brought us to Mauku, a very scattered settlement, which we found in a state of great excitement, owing to a native having been found shot dead in the bush not far off, and an investigation which commenced last Saturday was still going on in a native pah, at Patumahoe, about two miles distant. We called on the resident magistrate, Major Speedy, but he was absent attending it; so after an hour's rest, and some refreshment at the newly established Mauku Bridge Hotel, which is well situated at the head of the creek, I left Dr. Patrick to hear the result of the inquest, and went on to Drury the next settlement, distant about thirteen miles, in a storm of rain which lasted the whole way, the most pitiless I was ever caught in. Nor do I know a drearier road, if road it can be called, for there is not a single settler's hut in the whole distance.

(To be continued.)

SHIPS' EQUIPMENTS, FISHING VESSELS, AND LIFE BOATS.

Jury

The progress made in the improvement of the form and equipment of lifeboats, and in the establishment of them around the coasts of the United Kingdom since the Exhibition of 1851, has been marked and successful. At that period numerous models were exhibited, and several boats which had done good service in saving life were stationed on our coasts, but not a single boat combining all the qualities that are now generally acknowledged to be essential to a good lifeboat had then been built. There are at present 120 such boats, completely and efficiently equipped, stationed at all the prominent and most exposed points of the shores of Great Britain and Ireland.

Before proceeding to describe the models of lifeboats that have been sent to the International Exhibition of 1862, the awards that the Jury have made, and the grounds of those awards, it may be useful and not without interest briefly to give an account of the rise and progress of lifeboats in this country, to point out what are considered to be the essential properties of a lifeboat, and to say a few words on the organization of the National Life-Boat Institution, in order that any other nation that may wish to adopt a similar system may have the means of information at hand to enable it to do so.

In a country bounded on all sides by the sea, with extensive fisheries, with a large coasting and foreign trade, and whose shores in every winter's storm, notwithstanding the precaution of well placed lights, buoys, and beacons, are strewn with the wrecks of ships caused

by rapid tides, outlying sandbanks, and stress of weather, we may naturally expect to find that every means that may aid to save our sailors from the risk incident to navigation under such circumstances has been attended to, and accordingly we learn that the earliest lifeboats in Europe were placed on the shores of the United Kingdom, and that the county of Northumberland may claim the honour of having established the first.

The more immediate circumstance that led to this result was a very disastrous wreck of a ship at the entrance of the River Tyne, in September, 1789, when the crew were seen to drop from the rigging and perish in the presence of thousands of spectators, who watched them from the shore but could render no assistanee. A subscription was forthwith entered into by several gentlemen, and a reward offered for the best model of a lifeboat. The premium was awarded to Henry Greathead, boat builder, South Shields, and the boat was launched on the 30th of January, 1790. This boat was 30 feet long, had great camber or curvature of keel, very raking stem and stern, alike at both ends, 30 inches sheer of gunwale, a cork lining, and a cork fender outside 16 inches deep, had 10 feet beam, and pulled 10 oars double banked, and was not unlike a steamer's paddlebox-boat in form. The utility of this boat being proved, she was soon followed by others, the second one being built for North Shields at the expence of the then Duke of Northumberland. In the course of the next thirteen years, Greathead had built 31 lifeboats, which were placed at the chief ports on the east coast of Scotland and England, and at seven ports in the Baltic; and were maintained by funds collected as a small voluntary tax on shipping entering the several ports.

From the year 1803 until 1824 no alteration appears to have been made in the form or fittings of the lifeboat, except, perhaps, in the sailing boats adopted on the coasts of Norfolk and Suffolk. Yet as far back as the year 1792, the Rev. James Bremner of Walls, Orkney, demonstrated that a boat could be made to self-right.* In 1806 Christopher Wilson exhibited before the Society of Arts the model of a lifeboat with a double side, a foot wide, forming an air case, as indeed had also been proposed by one Lionel Lukin, a coachmaker in London, in the year 1785, or four years prior to Greathead's first boat; but we have not been able to trace that any full-sized boats on these latter plans were ever built.

In the year 1824 the National Institution for the Preservation of Lives from Shipwreck (now the Royal National Life-boat Institution) was established in London by influential city merchants, Mr. Thomas Wilson, then M.P. for the city of London, and the late Sir W. Hillary, Bart., taking a leading part in it. The institution granted rewards for services in saving life from shipwreck and assisted local bodies in placing lifeboats on the coasts, and so far did good service, and doubtless they were animated with the best intentions: but no trouble appears to have been taken to search out the best form of life

* Transactions of the Society of Arts, vol. xxviii. p. 135.