The Sun.
London, England, 1852-12-03 00:00:00

EMIGRATION TO NEW ZEALAND.

On Wednesday, a public meeting for the promotion of
emigration to the above colony was held in the New
Zealand Colonists' Rooms, 9, Adelphi-terrace. It had
been announced that Mrs. Chisholm would be present,
and that some interesting facts would be brought for-
ward connected with the Pacific ; and the consequence
was that the meeting was numerously attended. The
chair was taken by Mr. Frederick Young, in the un-
avoidable absence of Mr. Tollemache. The meeting was
addressed by the chairman, Captain Robinson, Captain
Hoseason, Mrs. Chisholm, Mrs. James, and Mr. Bur-
nand, the latter of whom read the following interesting
extracts from a letter which had been received only a week
ago, from a gentleman at the Canterbury settlement :
"We are getting on here very well ; stock is pouring
in, and land is being enclosed and cultivated in every
direction. Houses grow up as if by magic all over the
Christ Church district, and I may add that they are ge-
nerally of a better class than are seen in any settlement
of New Zealand. The want of wood fuel and timber
has not yet been felt to any extent ; and when the im-
mediate supply becomes exhausted, our cannel coal and
the woods of Oxford, Kaiapoi, Rangiora, &c., will supply
the deficiency. The coal has turned out even better
than at first expected ; it ignites very readily, burns
with a perpetual flame, diffusing great heat, not much
smoke, no bad smell, and the residuum a mere nothing.
In my excavations for the roads (the writer is a road
surveyor), I have found excellent peat in several places
and it is also found on the surface in large quantities.
Some people, are planting a proportion of their land with
forest trees, and before the blackened stumps of the
clearings about Wellington are grubbed up or rotted in
the ground, we shall have fine plantations. I believe
all are agreed that at present this is by far the
most prosperous and promising settlement in New
Zealand ; and this as much for its natural advan-
tages as from any other causes. Sheep farming is
becoming the rage ; and, to give you some idea of its
profits, Mr. George Hart purchased 1,400 at about 1/.
per head eight months ago. The flock, although the
increase has been compartively small, is now worth
2,1001., and might be sold for that to-morrow ; and, in
addition, the clip has given him some hundreds ofpounds.
Others have been even more successful. I hear that people
at home have got it into their heads that the country
about Canterbury is swampy and undrainable. I can
most positively state, from professional experience, that
there is no portion of the district which is not easily
drainable by the most ordinary methods, there being
everywhere a good fall, and deep natural watercourses
and rivers. A very large proportion may be kept free
from water by ordinary ploughing and cultivation. I
have myself raised this year a field of oats, something less
than two acres, once ploughed. It was exceedingly wet
flax, and toi-toi land. The crop was put in late
from the difficulty of procuring seed, but the yield has
been close upon fifty bushels to the acre. The yield in
this country is thirty to thirty-five bushels.) We do
not trouble ourselves much about the gold in Australia.
I hope, however, our golden harvests will be quite as
productive of real wealth. There is yet no prospect of
the Sumner-road. The Governor proposed a makeshift
road, which no one in a sane state of mind would venture
a cart and horse upon. If you do not raise the money
for us in England we shall have to wait a long time
for it." . . . • • • • • •
Mr. ALEXANDER CURRIE stated that the Australasian
and Pacific Steam-packet Company intended next year
to open steam communication between Southampton and
New Zealand, via Panama, in fifty-five days. (Hear,
hear.) The journey across the Isthmus had already been
made in eight hours.
A vote of thanks having been passed to the chairman,
the proceedings terminated.