Akaroa is a small settlement formed, in 1840, by tho French, who had attempted to land in the Bay of Islands, but were prevented by Governor Hobson; and under his direction, and accompanied by an English magistrate under the British flag, they were settled at Akaroa. Akaroa Is near the south-east point of Banks Peninsula in New Munster, in 43' 52' S. lat., 173' E. long. The harbour is an inlet 7 miles in depth, with steep shores, and has a bar at the entrance, but it is per fectly landlocked within, though exposed to furious gusts from the highlands around it, and there is 14 fathoms water inside the harbour. The town contains a church, the residence of the magistrate, a jail, and the cottages of the inhabitants, who are chiefly agriculturists. Bay of Islands, at the northern end and east coast of New Ulster, was originally the seat of a whaling etatiun, and was at first selected by Governor Hobson for the site of the capital, but was abandoned in favour of Auckland. Two towns however sprung up, Russell and Kororarika; the first was burnt down and the inhabitants expelled by Held, and from the other they withdrew to Auckland. Still some Europeans have kept their position here, and the government returns suttee the population as 400. Canterbury is the name of a settlement in New Munster, first founded in 1849, upon strictly Church of England principles, and with a large ecclesiastical establishment. It comprises the whole of Banks Peninsula, and • large district running back westward to the range of mountains, and extending along the eastern coast for a direct length of about 100 miles. The population in 1850 was estimated in the government returns at 1600; but Mr. Fox, in his 'Six Colonies of New Zealand' (1852), gives the number at 3734; and two towns had been formed, Lyttelton, at Port Victoria, and Christchurch, on the plains, where temporary churches had been built, and a college and schools founded. Kaitaia is a native village, and a missionary settlement in New Ulster, in the valley of the Awaroa, a few miles S.W. from Doubtless Bay, and 8 miles from the western coast. The natives in the valley are estimated at 8000. The village is extremely picturesque, and much resembles an English one. There is a large church, with a wooden steeple, the work almost entirely of native builders ; the houses are adorned with gardens in front, where roses and other flowers are cultivated; aa are also various fruit trees, the vine, vegetables, and some tobacco ; they grow wheat and hops, and they have cut a road 32 miles long through the forest to Waimate on the Bay of Islands. llfonganui is a small settlement on an excellent harbour within Doubtless Bay, on the eastern coast, towards the northern end of New Ulster. Motueka is a native village, with a slight admixture of Europeans, about 50 miles E.N.E. from Nelson. In this village, of which the population is about 1400, agri culture seems to be the chief pursuit, though lying close on the shore of Queen Charlotte Sound iu Cook Strait. Nelson, situated on Nelson Harbour, in Blind Bay, New Munster, on the southern side of Cook Strait, in 41• 15' S. let., 173° 16' E. long., was the second settlement of the New Zealand Company, and was made in 1843. The port is a good one, but the district is chiefly agricultural. The population of the whole district, which is extensive, amounted in 1851 to 4237, of whom 2317 were males and 1970 females. There are in the town one church, one Wesleyan chapel, two other chapels for Dissenters, and one Roman Catholic chapel There are three other churches and six chapels at various villages. We have noticed the great extent of sheep farming in this district, and as the pastures lie wide it has led to the construction of a great length of road ; from 60 to 70 miles have been already formed, and a communication by land has been opened with Canterbury, a direct distance of about 170 miles, to Lyttelton. Coal exists in great abundance in the vicinity; one seam at Nelson and one at Waikati have been worked for some years, and in the latter end of 1852 a new seam of superior quality was dis covered by a landslip at South Wanganui, at the north-west corner of the island, about 60 miles from Nelson in a direct line by land, but easily accessible by sea. Copper is also found neer the Dun Mountain, about 8 miles from Nelson. New Plymouth, in New Ulster, is situated between two small streams, the Huatoki and the Henui, near their entrance into the sea, on the northern side of the peninsula of which Cape Egmont is the western termination, and in the midst of which stands the extinct volcano of Mount Egmont. There is no harbour properly so called, as the rivers are not navigable, and the mouths aro small, nor ie the roadstead a secure one. But this is the only draw back, for the country around has been called the garden of New Zealand. The land is so dry and so level that good roads are made with but little trouble, and the soil is the most fertile of any yet cultivated in New Zealand. The settlement was founded in 1841. In 1851 the population was 1532, of whom 845 were males and 637 females. The town fronts the sea, about half a mile from the beach, lying scattered on the slope of a hill, and contains two churches, one of them of stone, a Wesleyan chapel also of stone, two Dissenting chapels ; a jail, schools, and some other buildings, all constructed of wood ; and there are a brewery and three flour-mills. Several bridges have been formed over the various small streams that descend from the sides of Mount Egmont and traverse the country. Iron and coal exist in the neighbonrhood. Coal is found In abundance near the Mokan River, about 50 miles N. from New Plymouth. Otago, in New Munster, is the district in which a settlement has been made by members of the Free Church of Scutland. It is toward the southern end of the island, on the eastern coast. The town named Dunedin is on the Molyneux River, which has been re-named the Clutha. The harbour formed by the mouth of the river is an excellent one ; it is 13 miles long, and averages 2 miles in width ; but the channel hal difficulties which have been guarded against by laying down guiding buoys. The settlement was made early in 1848; in 1851 the popu
lation was 1740, of whom 994 were melee and 746 females. The chief town, Dunedin, stands at the head of the harbour, and another has been formed nearer the month, named Port Chalmers, which lies in 45° 46' S. lat., 170° 43' E. long. There was in 1848 only one place of worship, a Free Church chapel; but in 1850 the number of adhe rents to that doctrine barely reached a majority. The Clutha is a line river, and, though difficult of entrance from a bar and consequent surf at its mouth, is said to be navigable for 60 miles for vessels of considerable burden. Coal is found at Coal Point, about 10 miles N. from the mouth of the Clutha, and at a spot within a quarter of a mile of the left bank of the Clutha, about 4 miles inland ; traces have also been found in other places. A kind of green serpentine or jade is found here. Otuki is an exclusively native village on the western shore of Cook Strait, about 50 miles N.N.E. from Wellington, and was the village where the celebrated Ranperaha lived, and where ha died. The church missionaries have taken much interest in this village, and not without success. Mr. Tyrone Power (' Sketches in New Zealand') describes it in 1848 as consisting of "houses neatly built, in the midst of well-fenced gardens ; and there is abuudant proof of prosperity in the number of pies, cattle, and horses feeding about." The houses are of Maori architecture, with English doors, windows, &c. Mr. Power adds, that eeveral of the thief!' kept a bank ing accouet at Wellington, and relates a story of one of them asking an English officer to cash a cheque for him, having immediate occaaiou for money, which was done, and the cheque duly honoured. Rauperaha, after peace was restored, exerted himself greatly in forwarding the building of a church, which was done entirely by the Maories. It is only of timber, but it is the largest building they have ever yet erected, being 300 feet long, end in the churchyard attached to it Rauperaha was buried in 1849 with due Christian rites. His son is still the acknowledged chief, and is deacribed as dreesing in black, and looking like a clergyman. The population in 1850 was 664. Prtre is a small but flourishing little place on the west coast of New Ulster, and on the right bank of the Wanganui River, 4 miles from its mouth, and about 100 miles N. from Wellington. The population in 1850 was 452, of whom 276 were males and 176 female& It consists of about 40 houses, a church, a school, a poat-office, and a small jail, all of wood. It was founded in 1842, soon diatioguiebed itself by its agriculture, and acquired a great local reputation for its hams and bacon. In 1S47 however an unfortunate quarrel with the natives of the valley led to the destruction of the place. On peace being restored the colonists returned, and have resumed their occupations success fully. A email detachment of military is stationed at Petre. Putiki icaransi ie a native village on the Wanganui, opposite to the town of Petre. It has about 2000 inhabitants, but the whole number in the district probably amounts to 5000. The inhabitanta have now applied themselves sedulously to industrial pursuits, bringing their produce down the Wanganui in canoes, which they manage with great dexterity down the rapids, with a cargo sometimes weighing a ton, and contrive even to ascend them with their canoea light Waikenae ia a native village about 20 miles S. from Otaki, at the mouth of a small river of the same name. It is in the same style as Otaki, but smaller. In thia village one of the natives set up an ordinary—an unlimited dinner for a shilling ; but as his fellow.citizens prepared themselvca for it by fasting the whole of the previous day he found it unprofitable, and restricted the meal to two pomade of pork, two pounds of potatoes, and a pint of coffee. It has a timber church—like a huge barn, saya Colonel Mundy (` Our Antipodes ')--and the military coast-road from Wellington passes through it Wangaroa Bay (celebrated as being the scene of the massacre of the crew of the Boyd in 1809) ie about 25 miles N. from the Bay of Islands iu New Ulster. The entrance to the harbour is narrow, between steep rocks of great height ; but the water is deep, and the inner harbour is very spacioua, and sheltered from all winds. The country around is mountainoua, and not adapted for cultivation; but the hills are covered with timber, among which the Kauri pine was particularly abundant, but has been much thinned. A few Europeans are settled here, and there ia a native village of about 2000 persoos, with Protestant and Roman Catholic missions, both per suasione having chapela. Timber ia still occasionally exported, and some small craft have been built here.
Trade, Commerce, and Manufactures.—The shipping returns show the following results for the year 1851 :—Inwards, 253 veasela, 67,856 tons ; outwards, 236 vessels, 64,734 tons. The total imports in 1851 amounted to 349,540L, of which 122,7331. went to New Ulster, and 226,8071. to New Munster, which, as we have before noticed, includes for such purposes Wellington and its diatrict. The exports in the game year amounted to 84,1601., of which 47,707/. were from New Ulster, and 36,4531. from Now Munster. The chief articles of export were cordage, flax, and hemp ; leather and ekina • whale and sperm ' oil • whalebone ; and wool. In 1853 the declared value of articles produced or manufactured in the United Kingdom sent from Britain to New Zealaud was 230,809/. Of tradea and manufactures, there are breweries, brick-kilns, candle-manufactories, atocking-looms, cooperages, flax-mille, rope-walka, sacking-looms, wind, water, and steam flour mills, lime-quarries, lime-kiln% coal-minea, saltspita, ship- and boat building yards, tanneries, and saw-mills. In all the towns, and par ticularly in Wellington, the usual trades and profession's have their practitioners.