H1ST0KY. 
217 
About ten miles from Wellington, at the north end of the 
harbour, is the valley of the Hutt, a very fertile district of 
trifling width, but considerable length, where the chief agri¬ 
cultural proceedings have been carried on ; the Hutt has a 
population of about 1,500. Porirua, a lake-like harbour of no 
depth, but considerable beauty, at a distance of twenty miles 
from Wellington, has a scattered population of near 1,000. 
Wairarapa and Ahuriri on the east coast, are two fine districts, 
which have drawn off more of the Wellington settlers than 
even the Gold Mines. Although Wellington is celebrated for 
its wet and windy climate, it has the credit of being one of 
the most healthy of all the settlements of this universally 
acknowledged healthy country. The Cape shrubs here 
flourish with great luxuriance, and the blue gums of Van 
Diemen’s Land, seem to have more beauty and bid fair to 
attain a greater size here, than even in their own island. Some 
of the Wellington gardens are extremely beautiful, but they 
are all in sheltered positions. Party spirit has always run high 
in this settlement, but it is generally acknowledged that this 
is chiefly owing to the high winds,* which render the minds 
of the settlers so irritable, that, were it not for politics, which 
act as the safety valve of the place, there is no saying what 
would be the result. It has been remarked that those living 
in the most exposed positions suffer most, and become the 
bitterest politicians, whilst others who have selected more 
sheltered localities, are the least acted upon by these baro¬ 
metrical changes. The best and longest roads in New Zea¬ 
land belong to this province. 
The next settlement in importance is that of Nelson in the 
middle island, which is seated at the termination of a long bay. 
The harbour of this port is a very remarkable one, being formed 
by a long boulder bank, stretching out from a promontory, in 
* Some years ago when one of these high winds was blowing at Welling¬ 
ton, a poor woman was killed by a whale boat, which was blown like a feather 
along one of the streets. The respected minister of the place told me, that on 
another occasion, he was compelled to run for shelter into a shop from a boat, 
which he saw thus rolling along the street. The prevailing winds are from 
the S.E. or N.W. On an average they blow 202 days from the N. or N.W., 
and 141 from the S. or S.E. The two printing-offices arc also situated most 
unfortunately in this respect, being near a point named Windy Corner. 
