The Sun.
London, England, 1864-10-27 00:00:00

Choosing the Capital of New Zealand,

The Commission for selecting the site of a new
capital for the colony, in accordance with the reso.
lutions carried in the General Assembly, is now an
accomplished fact. The Commission have coins
menced their inquiries, and we must accept the
proposed removal of the capital as an event toler'
ably certain to occur. The selection being confined
to "some place in Cook's Straits," the Commission
have to choose between the three ports already
established—Wellington, Picton, and Nelson, or to
select a site for an entirely new city. The latter
alternative is an exceedingly improbable one,
and could only bo resorted to in C9BO each
of the three places mentioned should pr)ve utterly
unsuitable. Therefore, it may b 3 regarded as cer-
tain, that either Nelson, Piston, or Wellington
will be fixed upon. We think it well to notice here
a partgraph in the Sydney .3ldrning Herald, a
journal which has always given much attention to
the cffsirs of New 'Z,:alaud, and shown an intimate
knowledge of its affairs. That journal says—"in
New Z-..aland the volcanic action still continues, and

the earthquake has often warned the people that
there are portions of the country where a city of
great dimensions and erected with durable mate-
rial would be liable to some great catastrophe and
sudden ruin. It is not because no such violent
shock has been perceived in the first stages of
colonisation that the apprehension can be discussed.
History does not give any record of the dangerous
action of Vesuvius until it surprised the Plinys by
its sudden outburst, and continued its violence
until it covered Herculaneum and Pompeii with
lava and ashes." We will now briefly inquire how
far the respective places between which the Com.
missioners will have to choose fulfil the conditions
of a suitable site. Wellington cannot for a moment
be compared for salubrity to either of its competi.
tors. Its harbour is tolerably safe
.and capacious,
but the approach to it is none of the safest. A good
deal of joking has been indulged in at the :expense
of Wellington, on account of its earthquakes, but

it must be seen that a locality liable to such con-
fuleions is not at all desirable as the seat of the ca•
pital of a large and important colony. No one could
guarantee the safety of the public buildings or re-
cords in a city which may at some time share the
fate of Libbon. Also, it is impossible to feel sure
that the present is the last Maori war, and the ob-
jections to a capital in the vicinity of a numerous
native population will be at once apparent. With
regard to Nelson and Picton, their qualifications are
pretty evenly balanced. Nelson may be said to
carry the palm in regard to convenience and gene•
ral adaptability. Nelson is a second Naples in
point of climate, but its harbour is neither suffi-
ciently capacious for any extensive commerce, nor
is the city easily defensible. Picton is nearly
equal in point of climate to Nelson, while in other
conditions it is superior. Situated at the head of
a deep arm of the sea, accessible to shipping of the
largest tonnage, and entirely protected from storms,
its position as a port leaves little to be desired. The
site is sufficiently extensive for a largo city, while
being as yet only partially occupied it could be laid
out as became the capital of a flourishing colony.
But the greatest advantage in favour of Picton is
the readiness with which it could be connected by
railway and telegraph with the rest of the Middle
Island. Telegraphic communication throughout
the length of the Middle island is on the point of
fulfilment, and railway communication would nns
doubtedly rapidly follow the erection of Picton into
the seat of Government. As between Nelson,
Wellington, and Picton, the interests of the Middle
Island will certainly be best served by the election
of the last, while those of the North Island would
be quite as well suited as if Wellington were chosen.
We suppose it will be part of the duty of the Com-
missioners to receive evidence on the subject of their
inquiries.— Otago Times.