upon all high-tariff methods, and would gladly
have free-trade. "We do not want to see public enterprise thus
handicapped in Dunedin," said a prominent merchant of that city to
us,--a sentiment echoed a few weeks later by an English resident doing
business in Auckland, who said to us frankly, "We hope your country will
keep up its high tariff; it suits us exactly. If you were to adopt
free-trade principles in the United States you would eventually ruin the
trade of England in the markets of the world."

CHAPTER XIII.

The City of Dunedin.--Scotch Residents.--The Enchanter's
Wand.--Chain-Cable Tramways.--Volcanic Effects.--The
Salvation Army.--Local Gold-Fields.--Enormous Aggregate
Product.--Trees and Flowers.--The Rabbit Pest.--Port
Littleton.--Market Day in Christchurch.--An Interesting
City.--Wonderful Extinct Bird.--Strange Record of an Unknown
Race.--The New Zealand Forests.

We sailed from the Bluff at sunset on our return from Invercargill,
having a boisterous voyage of fourteen hours to Dunedin, the chief city
of Otago District, and indeed the chief city of New Zealand, if we make
the number of inhabitants and the wealth of the place a criterion of
comparison. Port Chalmers, situated a few miles below Dunedin, forms an
outer harbor, so to speak; but vessels drawing twenty feet of water moor
at the city wharves at high tide. We were told that the channel from the
sea to the town was to be deepened so as to admit of vessels reaching
the wharves at all stages of the tide, and that dredging for this
purpose would begin at once. The lower harbor is land-locked, being
surrounded by hills which slope gracefully down to the water's edge, the
general conformation here recalling the scenery about the Lakes of
Killarney. All the way up the river from Port Chalmers, a distance of
nine miles, the banks are dotted with pleasant rural residences,
picturesque acclivities, and low wooded ranges. Here and there were seen
broad fields of grain and rich pastures, with domestic cattle grazing,
and a few score of choice sheep,--the whole forming an aspect of rural
thrift and peaceful abundance. If, as was the case in our instance, the
tide is too low to admit of the steamers going up to the town, one can
land at the Port and proceed to Dunedin by rail,--an opportunity which
was gladly availed of, as we had "enjoyed" quite enough of sea-travel
for some weeks at least.

The cities o