the Belt did not encircle the town, because the waters of the bay intervened; but the Belt as it existed has ever been carefully watched over by the residents, and so tenaciously have their rights been adhered to and maintained, that even when two small portions, consisting of not over an acre in each case, were temporarily appropriated, one for an Observatory and the other for a Fever Hospital, not a stone was left unturned until both were removed and the sites thrown open to the public. An attempt was also made at one time by the City Council, when Corporation finances were at a low ebb, to lease the Belt in sections for the purposes of revenue and improvement, but so strong was the feeling of the populace adverse to the proposal, that although the leases had been offered and sold by auction, the contracting parties were obliged to abandon the transaction under threat of legal proceedings. It is true all the cemeteries for the town and city have been taken from the Belt, and exceptional excuses may be pleaded for this concession; but when it was proposed a short time ago to increase the size of the Northern Cemetery by including another piece of the Belt adjoining, and of no present value, the opposition was so great that the Legislature refused to sanction the alienation.
The Belt contains 500 acres, and added full one-half to the area of the town, and is now under the control and management of the City Council, although it does not absolutely belong to the citizens, but is the property of purchasers or owners of land within the original Otago Block. From a hygienic point of view, the value of this Belt to Dunedin cannot yet be appreciated, as there is always an abundance of pure air around; but so soon as the smoke from thousands of workshops arises from the lower parts of the city, (and the time is not far distant), the residents will bless the day such a wise provision was made for the health and enjoyment of the population.
Flagstaff, with its associate Silver Peaks that heave their darkling heads aloft, and oft-times
form a fine background, environing the city so as to render it impregnable to an invading force. These grand ramparts, Saddle Hill, Chain Hills, Silver Peaks, Flagstaff, Pine Hill,
