A VISIT TO NAMOKO.

Bush Advocate, Volume I, Issue 72, 20 October 1888, Page 2

A VISIT TO NAMOKO.

(from our own rbpobter.) Lying westward from Norsewood, and about Ah miles distant from the Crown fiotel, is about the centre of the Namoko settlement. I say about the centre, for the reason * that it is hard to say where Namoko commences or Norsewood ends, as one is but a continuation of the other, the only difference being that Norsewood was settled some sixteen years ago, while Namoko settlement only dates back some seven years. Passing the Crown Hotel, which"* is situated at the corner of the Namoko road, I turned my horse's hear l in the direction of the mountains and proceeded at about the standard evolution trot, passing Miss Christophersen's drapery establishment, Mr H. Olsens /butchery, Mr i Sydney Parson's cottage, Mr Nordby's farm, the cemetery, ana thefarm of Mr Hansen ; across the third line, which brought me, as I thought, clear of Norsewood, and into the back country, or Namoko. The sun shone brightly, and save here and there a ; white fleecy cloud, the sky was of that blue which seems to remind one that compared with wh*at man has not seen, and what he knows nothing of save in the way of conjecture, the part of the universe ol which he can speak from personal knowledge is but | as a grain of sand. The mountains, too, covered almost to their tops with ! trees, and the cfwls and ravines looking like dark patches,, and the few snowy spots on their summits seemed , to remind one of his insignificance, , until the beautifully level road takes \ him through standing scrub where the tuis make music as they try , to run up the scales, two notes I at a time, but always choke before . getting their top note, and then begin r again at the bottom, and go over the practice again. The notes of the birds soon chase away the impression made by the grim mountain and the un- \ fathomable sky, and the world appears > to be very pleasant to live in, or on, j and a certain amountof pride isfelt on seeing on either side good fences, and > pretty, comfortable houses, showing i man's mastery over the wilderness. > Of course I called at some of the , houses, and equally, of course, was 5 received with that courtesy and hos- » pitality alwwi* f ou n<i in the Bush settlements where visitors are fpw and 7 far between, for we never know what 1 a strong affection we feel for our i fellowmen until we begin to miss » their visits. Here also, a« elsewhere, f the Advocate is greatly in favour, \ not only with the lords of th*. soil but with the ladies, and having the latest [ copy with me the news of the day was , at "once forthcoming. I, of course, gob som^ new-eubscribere, and the promise

of some more as soon as the "good man " would come home, but could not wait as I had to catch the last up train in the evening. There could be a great deal written of this place, but as some whom I had promised to look up were from home, I was unable to glean the particular '"•kind of information that- 1 required to write up the settlement, and so can only speak generally of tne quality of the land which is first class, of the very neat and comfortable appearance of the houses, and of the kindness of the settlers. The fences are principally plain and barbed wire, with here and there an enclosure of stabbs. The great trouble to the settlers here is that so many of the property holders do not live there, and consequently there is no school, no stores, nor yet a place in which to hold Divine service. In time this will all be altered, and a flourishing settlement will be found where now only a few families reside.