PROCEEDINGS FOR 1897 CLVII 



been acquired by the city, partly by puix-hase and partly by the generos- 

 ity of the Society of the Merchant Venturers. This great natui-al park 

 is used as a place of recreation for the citizens, as a play-ground for 

 youths and young men, and upon a large portion of it, horse riding is 

 permitted. The citizens are intensely jealous of their rights upon this 

 property, and any attempt to put any erection, even upon the fringe of 

 it, creates very considerable opposition. Very little money is expended 

 upon these downs, as it is the wish of the citizens to retain this property 

 as nearly as possible in its wild and natural state. The part of it known 

 as Clifton Down is extremely picturesque, being beautifully wooded 

 with hawthorns, which in the spring give to it a very pleasing appear- 

 ance when they are in full bloom. The scenery at this point is excep- 

 tional in its beauty. It runs down with a precipitous bank to the water's 

 edge, forming what is known as the Avon Gorge, and travellers and 

 tourists in search of the beautiful may go far and wide before they can 

 equal the scenery which here meets the view. Across this gorge 

 stretches the Suspension Bridge, a structure which is visited by tourists 

 from all parts, because of the beauty of its situation. The building of 

 such a bridge was suggested as far back as 1753, when an alderman of 

 the city left a sum of £1.000 as a nucleus for this purpose ; nothing was 

 done until 1830, when the original sum had accumulated to £8,000. 

 Plans were drawn by Mr. I. K. Brunei, and the piers were built, but the 

 great expense of completing the structure caused it to remain unfinished, 

 but in 1861 a company was formed, and the money was raised for its 

 completion. The height of the bridge above high water is 245 feet ; the 

 span is nearly 700 feet. As a bridge pure and simple, it does not com- 

 pare with some of the bridges which have since been built, but for its 

 beauty and general environment, there is no bridge which I know that is 

 comparable with it. 



Within and around the city are other parks which have been acquired 

 by the corporation — these are of a remarkably beautiful character, in 

 consequence of the extremely undulating nature of all the suburbs of 

 Bristol ; but they have much in common with the parks which may be 

 seen in many of our large cities, either at home, or on this continent. In 

 addition to the large parks there are many smaller open spaces, all adding 

 to the healthfulness and picturesqueness of the city. 



The city possesses an excellent record for health, even when compared 

 with places absolutely regarded as health resorts. In former centuries 

 few cities suffered more than ours from constantly recurring epidemics 

 and plagues ; now fortunately modern drainage and our tidal river which 

 is used to convey our sewage into the Bristol channel has altered all this, 

 and the thorough system of isolation required by the health department 

 of our sanitary authority, as well as municipal fever hospitals which have 

 been erected, have all tended to make as impossible as any human effort 

 can provide, the spread of any infection. 



