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Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 352, 17 September 1889, Page 2

Mb Bell, notwithstanding the section of the Land Aot to which attention has been referred, hue placed Ins case in regard to Sunday Island in the hands of a solicitor. He contends that the island is his by virtue of occupation and possession, and owipg to the fact that most of bis children have been born there. He states (according to the New Zealand Herald) that he has received no Crown grant, as proposed, for his cultivations (100 acres), and that he does not want any. The grazing right over 1200 acres, he states, looks pretty on paper, but it is not worth the paper it is written on, inasmuch as the land is precipitous even for stock, and eovered with pohutakawa. He regards the 100 acre freehold grant as altogether disproportionate, being only a fraction oyer eight acres far each member of hie family. With regard to the island he considers much of the information published at various time? a 8 to its resources &8 very and that if tho special settlers would send pionfifFS down to friapeot and report, it would possibly save BrGat8 rGa t hardship and possible loss. The following, from the source named above, will prove of interest“ In Denham Bay, where it is proposed to locate the settlers, be and hie family would have perished in 1877 for want of food, bui were relieved by the timely aifrivalj’of an

American whaler, the Canton, of New Bedford, Captain Sherman, who relieved their necessities. During seven months he only succeeded in raising one solitary pumpkin. The rats cleared everything, being in myriads. He tried poison and cats, unavailingly. When the rats were out the mutton birds were in thousands, so that the cats lived on mutton birds, and would not touch the rats; and at the season when the rats hybernated in holes in the ground, the cats got wolfish, and preyed upon each other. There was no quantity of arable land, and agriculture war: out of the question on that account, and also on account of the high winds. In the winter there was simply a succession of westerly and southerly gales, the centre of the Island was a vast crater which had thrown out immense quantities of pumice in terraces on the surrounding land, and there was no water on thia pumice bed, which was covered by a sort of grass, As regards tropical fruits, he did not think these could ba grown for the Auckland market; certainly not bananas, as had been talked about, Mr Bell states that when he first went to the island he imported a number of Kanakas from Savage Island with a view of raising produce for export to Auckland, but after giving the experiment a two years' trial he abandoned it, and returned the laborers to their homes. He claims to have spent £2OOO during his stay on the island in endeavouring to develop its resources, and thinks he is entitled to compensation from the Government. Mr Bell expresses himself as willing to sell out his rights in the island, being willing to leave it,”