Chapter XV.
1864–1870.
Election of Mr. Moorhouse as Superintendent—The Waimakariri—Visits of Sir George Grey and of Lord Lyttelton—Resignation of Mr. Moorhouse—Election of Mr. William Rolleston-Visit of H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh.
The elections of a new Superintendent and Provincial Council were held in May, 1866. The Superintendency was keenly contested, the chief opponents being Mr. W. S. Moorhouse and Mr. H. P. Lance, the latter representing the squatters’ interest. Mr. W. T. L. Travers also was a candidate, but the contest really lay between the two first-named, and resulted (May 30) in the easy victory of Mr. W. S. Moorhouse for his fourth term of office. The first session of the new Provincial Council was opened on October 19, when Mr. H. J. Tancred was elected as Speaker.
About this time Christchurch was seriously threatened by the vagaries of the Waimakariri River.
The Canterbury Plains are crossed from west to east by three snow rivers, which rise far back among the glaciers of the Southern Alps. In their upper reaches each is a mountain torrent—rock-bound in places—carrying along in its impetuous career vast quantities of shingle and silt, and rolling great boulders along its course. On reaching the plains the streams divide and spread, and the flow of the water is moderated, allowing the silt to settle, and giving the shingle and boulders
