21 April 1872

Next day we went from Balclutha to Molyneux River with Mr Brinton. Here we received an English Telegram from Dunedin with charges £6 for messenger. The Railway was not surveyed in this part – the land was very good. There are some Water Falls rather pretty, close by Camerons, Mataina Bridge where we stayed. Speaking of the New Zealand Rivers, it may be here stated that the Clutha discharges more water than the River Nile, altho’ for former is not 200 miles in length. An idea of the rain fall may be gained from the fact that 7 inches occasionally fall in one day and that it sometimes rains for three days together – the bush on the mountains in the interior and that which is reserved as snow form the reservoir.