THE DEVONSHIRE OF NEW ZEALAND.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 7378, 23 May 1887, Page 4

THE DEVONSHIRE OF NEW ZEALAND.

A BEPRttSFNTATiv? oE tho ' Ch.'stchui'ch Press (Mr. W. H. Trigg), wbo bus recently paid Tnrariabi a yißit, thus writes reapecing this district :~j '. . ■ ; - ■ • j [Continued from SattirdttiJ.il • '■ ' In one'respect New* Plymouth ,hos an advantage -over Timain, in ( $be streams that flow, through th^ \oxth.' and,- the picturesque bush by which., iti is surrounded. On the other, hand, while* the New Plymouth people rejoice in the glorious , sqow-capped ; ,cone •of .Mount Egmont, which foiraa Biich >a strißing feature in their landscape, the residenfs of Tiraaru are able lo point to the Southern Alpß, proudly rearing their snow-clad slopes in tbe background, and even to a distnnt vision of the monarch of all New Zealand mountains, Mount Cook himself. So it is a repetition of the, old story — " How ; bflppy coDld Ibe with.ei'her, _ j " Were t'olber dear charmer away." There is, however, one respect in which New Plymouth takes a very high place among all the towns of the colony. I refer to its charming Recreation Grouod, with its sheet of artificial water, its fountains, its lovely fern-trees, its water-lilies, its bind stand and bathing pavilion, nnd all its other attractions which go so far to, endear it to the old resident and impress the passing Btranger, "Thp inhabitants very justly take all the Jnore pride in it, because in. a large ireas.ure it ia a monument of j iheir own self - denial and publio spirit. They are' t not- to be found clamouring to the Government for * funds,' 1 and- 'failing State' aid letting everything 1 go to ruin ' and ' decay. The Borough Council have 'florie'muen, and private liberality baa done .more. , Ip all directions' you'see v b fountain', or gar. Jen seats/ or something of that kihd ■presented by'^Bome^'cUi&j'p/ and even the, wgvthy Chinese storekeeper, Cliew 'Chong, has given, a flagstaff., The . handsome bridge which spans tbe artificial lake was built by a resident at an expense of £150, and banded over free, of co»t. It is called " The Poet's Bridge," and you are struck with the appropriateness of the title, which so aptly fits in with the romantic reflections called up by the chaiiniat; Bcenery around. you. Alas, for ihe romance, when the' prosaic resident lels you into the history of the bridge. You tiiea learn that Us excellent donor, bemi? of a sporting turn of mind, drew a racehorse known to fame aB "The Poet" in a consultation on tbe Auckland Cap. .Being in a votive mood he declaied that if the horse won be would build a bridge for tbe Rrecreation Grounds. Tbe horse did win, the bridge was built, end in this way it got its name. People in New Plymonth appeared to me to lead a very comfortable, easy kind of life. It is free from any vtry exciting episodes, and they gave me to understand that it was not a place for rapidly amassing a large fortune. There certainly seemed an absence of .that feverish race for wealth characteristic or! life in, most colonial towns. ' Bnt I am quite sure the New Plymouth people are much' happier as they are. There is no. among them, they live in comfortif not in affluence, and they take life easily. At the time of my visit the residents were jubilant over the victory of tbe local Bowling Olub, who had just .■ returned, from Auckland, having defeated the, players in the Northern city. One of the team confided to me the secret of their saccesß. A Taranad business man, he said, bad plenty of . time to play bowls; the Auckland man hadn't. Happy Taranaki ! _ ; ; 1 have already spoken .of th©; genial mafeof the district. . In one,, garden .1 saw, a tree laden with/lemons, while everywhere tbe Norfolk Island "pine was seen growing with the greatest freedom, adding a charm to tbe landscape such as is given by no other tree. For an elderly man with a hobby for gardening:, and ankious to find a quiet spot ia which he might spend' the reßt ,o£ bis days in a peaceful contented, fashion, I should ihiDk New Plymouth is quite a paradise. It has one important advantage in addition to those Ihavo already mentioned. Living ihere is cheap. You can get a comfortable house with five to fiUy acres of land for about a pound a week, nod all tbe necessaries of life are very moderate in price. [To be continued.'] Remember this. If you are sick Hop Bitters will surely aid nature in making you well when all else "fails. If yeu are costive or dyspeptic, or are suffering from any other of the numerous diseases of the stomach, or bowels, it is your own fault if you remain ill, for Hop Bitters is a sovereign remedy in all such complaints. If )ou are Nervous' use of Hop Bitters. If you have rough, pimply, or Ballow skin, bad breath, pains, and aches, and fee! miserable generally, Hop Bitters will give you fair skin, rich blood, and uweetes., breath, and health. That poor bedridden, invalia wife, sister, mother, or,daoghter; can be made the picture of health, by American Co'e. Hop Bitters, costing but v trifle. Will you let them" suffer? In short they cure all Diseases of tbe stomach, Bowels, Blood, Liver,' INerves, Kidneys, Bright's Dißease. £500 will be paid for a case they will not cure or help. Druggists, and, . Chemists keep — Pbosecotb thb Swindlebs I 1 'If when, you call for American Hop Bitters (see green twig of Hope on the white label aiid Li. Soule'a name' blown in the bottle), the vendor hands oat anything but American Hop Bitters, refuse it and shun that vendor as you would a viper ; and if he has taken youi money for anythxry else indict him for the fraud and' sue him for damages tor the swindle, and we will pay you liberally for' the conviction. my 30