Climate.

The beautiful Egmont with its snow-capped cone greatly modifies the climate. On its inland side, the south-east wind, surcharged with watery vapour, unburdens itself, giving rise to heavy showers, and passing over to the New Plymouth coast as a dry wind, whilst the N.E. acts as the reverse, being wet to the seaward and dry inland, The temperature of the district is never excessively warm in summer or cold in winter. To a limited extent the floral and vegetable productions of a country convey a tolerable idea of the mildness or severity of a climate. Mr. Kidd, whose opinions on such matters should carry weight, states that he is firmly impressed with the idea that Taranaki, if care was taken in gradually acclimatizing, would yield a greater variety of plants than any climate he had ever met with.

At certain seasons of the year the nights are occasionally cold, but this: results from pure radiation, arising from a clear unclouded sky.

Dr. Leatham has kindly supplied the following remarks on the health of the climate: No endemic diseases in the district, no miasmatic influence, no infectious fever. During the 5 years I have been in practice in this district I have seen of measles two or three cases; of scarlatina, none; dyptheria, about a dozen. Varicella and pentunis occasionally occur in epidemics of a mild form, enteric occasionally, and generally can be traced to filth, drainage, sewer emanations. In the five years I have attended about five cases of enteric fever, but since the waterworks have supplied pure water to the town, none have come before my notice. A very frequent complaint was a form of mild typhoid, which evidently depended upon poisonous matter in the form of gas or sewerage in drinking water. The complaint had some of the characteristics of typhoid, but could not be truly called page 24 enteric, and for the want of a name I have designated it, colonial fever; but since the introduction of pure water to a great extent this has disappeared. The most frequent ailment is the result of sudden changes of temperature, producing cold, congestion of the liver and internal organs. The liver is excessively liable to become affected. In fact, chronic dispepsia and hepatic congestion are more frequent, and this may be accounted for by the mild, moist, and relaxing state of the atmosphere, joined with badly-lined, ventilated, and damp houses. On the whole, Taranaki, though generally speaking an, enervating climate, is a very healthy one. The chief ailments, consequently, from which the people suffer, are generally brought about by their own neglect and carelessness in hygenit matters by eating food that does not agree with them, and by general disregard of factors of health. When we consider the badlyrlined houses, badly-ventilated, damp underneath, and draughty walls, it is a wonder that people are as well as they are. If we also consider the absence of drainage, &c., &c., the wonder is that we escape a violent typhoid epidemic.

To sum up the opinion thus advanced by Dr. Leatham as to the healthfulness of the climate—there would be almost an entire absence of sickness if people would only act in accordance with the ordinary sanitary laws.