Page:Picturesque Dunedin.djvu/47

Rh for all, the solution was arrived at by the Provincial Government undertaking not only to fill up the south end swamp, but also to form and maintain the whole length of street from the entrance to the town at Cargill Hill, to the exit at the Water of Leith, thus treating it as a portion of the main trunk road running from north to south of the province. Although thus relieved of a great responsibility, the Board had still serious difficulties to contend with. Every street presented a formidable undertaking to make it fit for traffic, and constant appeals had to be made to the Provincial Council for assistance, which generally were very graciously granted.

There was also the difficult question of sanitary drainage, which was raised by a few alarmists. The culvert across Princes-street from High-street was the source of a large amount of contention. As in other cases, so in this, every one had his own idea of how best to put the evil down. At length, after a long period of incubation, the happy idea of building a stone culvert across the main street was resolved on, and having been contracted for and honestly completed, this fountain of complaint was finally dried up. Minor questions arose as to other localities, which were looked on by those immediately interested as of first importance, but time, that soothes down all things, so acted as to relieve the Board of responsibility.

It being deemed advisable to close the original cemetery, at the top of Rattray-street on the grounds of its inconvenient position, and the risk of drainage there from proving injurious to the health of the inhabitants, the Board first selected for a burial ground a portion of the Town Belt at the southern end (28 acres), which was known at the time as "Little Paisley," having been so named by a native of that ancient town who had squatted there, who afterwards obtained the renown of being the first weaver of woollen cloth in the Province. A second site was afterwards chosen (also part of the Belt, 31 acres) at the entrance to the North East Valley, close to the Water of Leith, and now the Botanical Gardens. But this one was eventually abandoned, both because it was considered unsuitable, and because it was objected to by a number of the settlers.