Freeman's Bay, passing by the Roman Catholic
Chapel—a handsome stone edifice, with a
large floriated cross—you descend West Queen
Street into Queen Street, which is long and
level, abutting on Commercial Bay, the business
quarter of the young metropolis. Here
commence the great fuse. Here are the
principal merchants' stores, and here sit
the native Maoris, under little tents of
white calico, their goods spread out in kits
on the ground round them. In this street
also stands the prison; the resident
magistrate's court (similar to the English County
Court), held every day, and in which much
business is done; and the Supreme Court
of Judicature. The last criminal sittings in
this were held on the first of this month
(March): there were six cases for trial: one,
that of a Maori for the murder of a
fellow-native; he was only convicted of
manslaughter. Leaving this, and parallel to West
Queen Street, you ascend Shortland Street, in
which is the principal inn, called the
Exchange Hotel, and several shops, which would
not disgrace any European town. On a line
with this is the Crescent, at the top of which
is the church, neatly built of white stone, in
the early English style of architecture. The
arrangements of the inside are very admirable,
since most of the seats are free. Two lecterns
supply the place of the pompous reading-desk
and pulpit of our English churches; and
two clergymen of capability assist the bishop.

Below the church is Cooper's Bay, then
Mechanics' Bay, and, last of all, Official Bay
where are the residences of the Judge and
the Colonial Secretary. Beyond the church
is the "west end " of the town and the road
leading to Epsom. The officers live here,
and the men under Government. Here are the
barracks and the gardens of old Government
House, burned down some time since, and
not yet restored. The present residence of
his Excellency is a place of the most
unpretending character, distinguished only by the
soldiers on guard. It is situated at a little
distance from the town, on the road to Mount
Eden.

Two newspapers are published, each twice
a week, in Auckland—the "New Zealander,"
and the "Southern Cross; " the former the
Government, the latter the opposition paper.
Sales at auction-marts take place eveiy day in
the week, Sundays excepted, at which every
variety of goods are to be purchased at cheap
rates; and the auctioneer appears to do a
thriving business here. There are daily
schools for children, one for every sect. The
Protestant, the Roman Catholic, the Scotch
churches, each have their own, and the
Wesleyans possess a large college. At the Roman
Catholic school, which is conducted by a
Sister of Mercy, a number of Maori children
attend very regularly.

The country round Auckland is undulating;
hill and dale, with small mountains
interspersed. There are three different kinds of
soil—scoriae land, fern land, and "tea-tree"
land. The last is always poor: the other
two are good; but the scoriae by far the best,
although it involves great labour and expense
in clearing. The roads are in general barren,
and the scenery of a gloomy and solitary
grandeur; but on one highway, which I
traversed the other day, hedge-rows, as in
England, extended for miles; singing-birds
cheered us, and charming cottages, embowered
in trees, stood on the hill brows, or dotted
the fertile plain.

The greatest, in fact the only, drawback of
the country around Auckland, is the almost
total absence of trees, except such as are
planted by the settlers; yet within eight
miles of Auckland the vast forests begin.
Firewood is, consequently, six shillings a ton
in the place where I had fondly hoped to eat
strawberries of my own planting under Rawri
trees five hundred feet high. There is but
one decent macadamised road in the whole
district, the road to Epsom. This is a good
firm road, in the worst weather, for upwards
of ten miles. The Eden, Tamaka, and
Onehunga roads scarcely deserve the name; in
the winter the mud upon them is up to the
axle-trees of carts. At the village of Onehunga
is situated the Pensioners' Settlement;
it is a flourishing and populous little place, on
the opposite side of the island. An omnibus
runs to and fro, between it and Auckland,
every Sunday during the summer. The
prices of provisions here differ greatly from
those of the mother country. Bread, when
we first landed, was fourpence-halfpenny the
two-pound loaf; it has now gradually
increased to sixpence; but it is hoped that the
approaching harvest will again reduce it.
Tea, both black and green, can be procured,
of excellent quality for eighteen-pence per
pound. By taking a quarter chest, you can
get it at fifteen-pence. Coffee, when there is
a good supply in the market, is eight-pence a
pound; when scarce, it rises as high as
eighteen-pence. Butter, when we came, was
a shilling; it is now fifteen-pence. The prime
cuts of beef and mutton are sixpence a pound;
of pork, fourpence. You can buy, for sixpence,
as much delicious fish as will serve an
ordinary family for two days' dinner. The
kinds of fish most commonly brought about
here, are the snapper, the mullet, and a fish
like our sole in look and taste, but rather
smaller. Oysters are sixpence a kit. A kit
is a native basket, made of the platted flax of
the country; one may contain from four
hundred to five hundred oysters. Cockles,
called here pipies, fetch about the same price.
Potatoes (colonially speaking, "spuds") are
bought at from a shilling up to three shillings
the hundred-weight. Peaches and melons are
plentiful and very fine. Oranges and cocoanuts
we get fresh from Tahiti. One may live
well here on a small income. The lowest rate
of interest for money lent is ten per cent.
Twelve and fifteen per cent, are commonly