The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1887. REMINISCENCES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1737, 16 December 1887, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1887. REMINISCENCES.

The recurrence of " Anniversary Day" naturally leads the settlers of Canterbury to cast their thoughts back to the early days of the Province. Since 1850, when the pioneers first landed, what vast progress has been made m every direction. In less than forty years since the first band of pilgrims -landed at Port Cooper how changed all the surroundings have become. The work of settlement and colonisation has gone on apace. T n fact, we know of few places where a few short years have produced so great a change. The spot where, m 1850, the pioneers first landed presents a very changed aspect from what it did then. Splendid docks afford shelter to some of the finest steamers and sailing vessels m the world, which make the passage now m as many weeks as months were spent m accomplishing the work then. The iron horse too almost annihilates distance, and the vast bridges which span some of our larger riyers are monuments of the indomitable energy and enterprise which form the chief characteristics of the Anglo-Saxon race. The telegraph system, too, has been so greatly developed that there is scarcely a hamlet or centre of population that is isolated from communication with the other districts ol the colouy, and we enjoy the luxury of reading the latest news occurring all over the world almost as soon as the inhabitants of country villages m the Old Country. We have not been behind hand either m the matters of manufactures, and we turn out articles from colonial looms which the manufactures of the Old Country are glad to imitate or copy. Unfortunately, however, notwithstanding all our progress and all our enterprise and energy a widespread depression has settled not only on this provincial district but on the whole colony also, and the remedy has not yet been discovered, at any rate it has not yet been applied, We can only hope that Anniversary Day, when it again comes round next year, will find us better circumstanced, with the last of the depression gone, to return no more.