ows how. He is not altogether
bad--not so frequently thieving and breaking the law, as intent on
simple mischief and practical jokes of the coarsest and roughest
sort--still, he is a pest that Aucklanders inveigh heartily against, and
would gladly see extirpated by the strong arm of the law.

We turn out of Queen Street into Shortland Crescent. At the corner is a
large and handsome block of buildings constructed of brick, and having
an imposing frontage on the Crescent. This contains the General
Post-office and the Custom House. Not far distant, on the opposite side
of Queen Street, is the New Zealand Insurance Company's establishment,
more generally known as "The Exchange." It is the finest building in the
city, excepting the Supreme Court, perhaps, and has a tower, and a clock
which is the Big Ben of Auckland.

At the corner of Shortland Crescent and Queen Street, and just under the
front of the Post-office, is a kind of rendezvous that serves as a
_Petite Bourse_, or Cornhill, to those who go "on 'Change" in Auckland.
Here congregate little knots of eager-eyed men--stock-jobbers most of
them--waiting for news from the Thames gold field, perhaps, or for
telegrams from elsewhere. Ever and anon some report spreads among them,
there is an excited flutter, mysterious consultations and references to
note books, and scrip of the "Union Beach," the "Caledonian," or the
"Golden Crown," changes hands, and goes "up" or "down," as the case may
be, while fortunes--in a small way--are made or marred.

Toiling on up the steep ascent of the Crescent, we come out on a broad
road that runs along the summit of the range, and close to an ugly
church, St. Matthew's, that crowns the bluff looking over the harbour.
From various points here there are good views of the city obtainable;
and our guide is able to expatiate on most of its beauties and
characteristics. Down below us is the splendid and extensive harbour,
land-locked, and capable of containing the whole British navy. Right
opposite is the North Head, or North Shore, as it is usually termed, on
whose twin volcanic peaks is an Armstrong battery, to defend the harbour
entrance in case of need. There is also the signal station on Mount
Victoria, whence incoming vessels may be sighted outside of Tiri-tiri
and the Barrier Islands. There are the villages of Stokes' Point, West
Devonport, and East Devonport beyond, facing the open Pacific, and
renowned for its salubrious sea-breezes.