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enterprising Yankee proprietor to the inconvenient cruelty-van drawn by a 

 single jaded horse. On every side, as we travel along these highways, we see 

 evidences of energy and civilization ; farms and corn fields stretching for miles 

 on either hand, enclosed by well-kept hedges and fences ; sleek-looking cattle 

 and sheep, and happy horses snorting, as with tail and mane erect they canter 

 over their pasture ; steam threshing engines puffing their circles of smoke 

 into the clear air, whilst the rumble of the machine as the sheaves pass through 

 the rollers, mingles pleasantly with the various other sounds of country life, 

 all tending to carry the traveller back to those home scenes which are usually 

 associated with his happiest hours. Here, too, we see the mighty iron horse 

 drawing his load along a line of I'ailway, constructed under circumstances and 

 in a manner which, but a few years ago, would have been looked upon with 

 wonder, even amongst the greatest countries of Europe. Indeed, it is almost 

 impossible for those who had not seen the country I refer to in its original 

 condition, to realize the amount of change and improvement which have been 

 effected by the energy and industry of our race in the shoi-t space of twenty 

 years, and it is dilEcult, even for those who have witnessed this gradual change, 

 to comprehend or grasp its wonderful results. 



Take again the Province of Auckland. Here we find a chief city, also 

 distinguished by the possession of handsome and substantial public and private 

 buildings ; its merchants, men of enterprise, carrying on extensive commercial 

 operations with various parts of the world ; its harbour not only filled with ships 

 and vessels the property of Europeans and foreigners, but also teeming with 

 small craft belonging to native proprietors, engaged in exchanging articles of food 

 and export for others either of local or foreign manufacture. Outside of the 

 city, too, we see numbers of handsome country residences, and farms in a high 

 state of keeping and cultivation, and occupying ground which was not long 

 ago the battle field of some of the fiercest native tribes, and the scenes of 

 barbarities at which humanity recoils. 



The Province of Otago presents equal evidences of change. Here, too, we 

 have a large and picturesque capital city, vying successfully, if not in many 

 respects surpassing, the other cities of the colony in the elegance and substantial 

 nature of its public and private buildings ; its people distinguished not mei'ely 

 by their commercial enterprise and sagacity, but also by the higher character- 

 istic of devotion to the cause of educational progress. Here, also, outside of 

 the chief town, we find civilization spreading its arms over millions of acres, 

 and gradually converting a wilderness into a smiling country, whilst thousands 

 of busy and hardy men are daily engaged in exploring the recesses of its hills 

 and valleys, and the ancient deposits of its river systems, in seai'ch of mineral 

 wealth. Indeed, in the cases of Auckland and Otago, not less than in that of 

 Canterbury, it is almost impossible to realize the extent of change which has 

 taken place since they fii'st became the scenes of systematic colonization. 



