north under charge of Captain Stokes, of H.M.S. Acheron, which had arrived in port after completing the coast survey. A public meeting was at once convened, at which strongly condemnatory resolutions were passed, and a demand made that the money should be sent back, the "Acheron" having sailed in the interval. The firm attitude taken up by the settlers had the desired effect, and the money was forthwith returned and expended on works.
Another drawback was the absence of banks or other institutions by which monetary transactions could be facilitated.
To supply this much felt want, it was proposed to establish a Joint Stock Company to start "The Bank of Otago," to be conducted on Scotch banking principles. The necessary capital was subscribed, the requisite arrangements completed, and the notes ready for issue; all that was wanted was a charter from the Government to legalise the institution. This was, however, not granted, so the venture was reluctantly abandoned, much to the chagrin and regret of all concerned.
There was no regular intercommunication, postal or otherwise, between Dunedin and the other settlements, everything depended on small coasting vessels, on the regularity of whose visits no dependence could be placed. In fact there was no post office at all in Dunedin, nor Custom House either, both of these important institutions being located at Port Chalmers.
A steady progress continued to be made against all adverse circumstances, so that at the end of 1852 the total population of Dunedin amounted to 628—not a very great increase, certainly, yet it bore a fair comparison to the increase which had taken place in the settlement generally, as at the same date the total population was 1,752. The Editor of the "Witness" newspaper, which had come into existence on the departure of the "News," in concise, comprehensive and conclusive language recorded that during the year "births were incessant, marriages numerous, deaths few." Truly happy was the state of a community such as this.
Our narrative has now arrived at the close of the first epoch—a period during which the people had not a word to say as to their own government, their head centre was a far off, vague, ill-to-be-realised idea, which, exercised a power, legitimate or otherwise, quite unknown to those most interested. Now, how-
