The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-02-12
Lecture ON Canterbury, New zealand.


The residents of Stroudwater village and vi.
cinity were treated to very interesting lecture
upon the above subject, on Friday evening last,
in the hall at Stroudwater, by the Rev. Fred
Pember, who speaks from personal knowledge,
having been stationed at Port Lyttelton fol
many years as an Episcopalian min lister. Some
! thirty years ago special attention was drawn in
| England to this uncolonized, and apparently
1 untractable region, lying between the province
| of Nelson, on the northeast, and Drago, on the
| southwest. A charter was obtained from the
| British government, and it was decided that it
| should be distinctively Protestant Episcopal
| colony. The association was known as the Can
| terbury Association, named after the Arch
bishop of Canterbury. The leader in this en-
terprise was John Robert Cooley, whose statue.
remarkably life-like figure in bronze now
adorns the principal street of the mother city.
The pilgrims left England in 1868, barely %
years ago. After voyage of 80 days they all
arrived at Port Lyttelton in the same 48 hours,
two arriving one day and two the next-a dis
lance of $4,000 miles. The venture of the col
onists has proved a healthful, and lasting one
The natives of the North Island are warlike
and troublesome at times-they are called Ma
eris, and are no doubt descended from the Ma
lay. Whenever trouble has arisen between the
natives and settlers it has been at the North
Canterbury settlers The principal city of the
settlement is called Christ Church, and is stu
ated at the River Avon, three miles from the
nearest point of the Port Hills, so called, and
eight miles from Port Lyttelton, and is only
eight feet above the'evel of the sea. The only
means of Communication with Christ Church
In former times was by bride path, but this
is not now the case, as the hills have been
pierced, and tunnel one and a half miles long
has been constructed. Christ Church has a
population of about $4,000, and is rapidly in
creasing. Ten years ago there was but one line
of railroad from Port Lyttelton through the
tunnel and past Christ Church to the River
Selwyn, a distance of 81 miles. Today it ex-
tends the whole way to Timaru, port on the
south eastern coast at the southern extremity
of the plains These plains are, at rough es-
innate, 100 miles long by 80 wide, running from
the east to the west coast. They are covered
with tussock, and unrelieved by tree of any
description.
while the small farmer or poorer class works
about 80 acres and enjoys the name of cock-a-
too. The sheep farmers are also called squat
tiers and runholders, and there is always more
or less feeling between the runholder and the
agriculturists, the former being in all matters
of legislation liberal, while the latter are al
ways to be founn with the conservative party
The runholder leases his run from the gov
eminent at two cents per acre. Canterbury
is disagreeably famous for its Winds
Its insular position, lofty mountains,
with profound river gorges, and i'm
mense sweep of plaius account
for this in a larger measure perhaps
than its geographical position as regards lati-
tude and longitude. The prevailing winds are
the norJhwesters, and the southwesters-the
first is both very violent and oppressive, and it
is a very hard matter to ride against one of
these winds. The rivers rise and fall very
quick, being very shallow. On the plains snow
is all but unknown, and in naturally protected
spots, for instance Port Lyttelton, hemmed in
with hills, geraniums and other flowers are pre-
served through the winter almost as easily as
the hardy shrubs of this climate. About the
moment the sun sets (and there is hardly any
twilight) it becomes very cold, at the same
time the word zero is unknown, AMI in the
dead of winter we talk of SO many degrees be-
low freezing point. A great obstacle here is
the water, it is only within two or three wears
that the gre ater rivers have been bridged across
and the smaller ones are not yet. The suitable
rivers are stocked with salmon; indeed there is
scarcely any fish or fowl belonging to Great
Britain which has not been successfully reared.
Pheasants are plenty but are protected by game
laws. Partrdges are seen but must not be
shot. Shocks of earthquakes are not unfre-
quently heard.
Much more of interest could be added to the
lecture, but time and space will not permit,
suffice it to say that it was fully enjoyed by the
large audience. 1t is hoped he may heard
again in larger hall.