214 
HISTORY. 
Auckland itself is very remarkable for its singular advantages 
of position: seated on a neck of land which projects into a 
land-locked harbour, it has a water frontage on both sides, 
and into this harbour the Thames empties itself by a gulf, 
bearing its name, which gives access, to that part of the interior; 
in fact, Auckland harbour may be said to form the corner ol 
an inland sea, of about one hundred miles extent, openingup all 
the adjoining country, by numberless arms and creeks, to a 
secure trade with the capital. Nor is this the extent of its 
local advantages: Auckland stands on a neck of land, which 
is only five miles across to the large harbour of Manukau, on 
the western side, and from it there is the most direct and 
expeditiouscommunication with the Cook’s Straits Settlements, 
which now are regularly visited by a steamer. 
Manukau is close to the Waikato, the largest river of New 
Zealand, which flows with a deep stream from lake Taupo; 
and it is not improbable before many years have elapsed, that 
a canal from the Piako to the Waikato will be made, which 
with a few locks, will enable vessels of almost any burthen 
to penetrate to the great central lake by the Waikato, 
which flows through the finest and most available district 
of the entire island. Another canal of lialf-a-mile from the 
Tamaki to Manukau will enable vessels to go from Auckland 
to that Port. A short distance north of Auckland, on 
the West Coast, is the harbour of Kaipara, the estuary 
of another noble river, the Wairoa, which has its source 
near the Bay of Islands ; a canal of a few miles would connect 
Auckland with it also. Captain Cook was, therefore, quite 
justified in the high opinion he formed of it as the future site 
of a capital. The town of Auckland has now a population of 
about 8,000, and the villages around it on the Manukau have 
fully 4,000 more. In 1852, there were 20,200 acres enclosed. 
The trade of Auckland is perfectly surprising; the number of 
small coasters, most of which belong to the natives, and are 
laden with their produce, cannot fail striking the stranger 
who visits the port with astonishment; there is also an increas¬ 
ing trade springing up with San Francisco. Wangarei, a port 
to the north of Auckland, has a small population. The Bay 
