AN EXTRAORDINARY ISSUE OF THE "NEW ZEALAND GRAPHIC."

Auckland Star, Volume XXI, Issue 288, 6 December 1890, Page 5

AN EXTRAORDINARY ISSUE OF THE "NEW ZEALAND GRAPHIC."

The " New Zealand Graphic " having more than fulfilled the expectations of its projectors, theyhavebeenencouraored toembark upon a venture still more unprecedented in the history of New Zealand journalism. Thia is the iesue of a Christmas number of the " New Zealand Graphic," in which fche object aimed at has been to cater for the tastes of both our home-bred population and those older colonists who still foster kindly recollections of the old country. The most striking feature of the coming extraordinary number is the presanee of four coloured chromo lithographs, two in tfiie body of the publication and two in the form of a supplement, and capable of being used as cifiches. The two former present respectively, scenes on the Wanganui River and of the Mountain of Rangitolo, near Auckland ; the two latter depict, one of Ihtmi a view of Lake Taupo, the other a fancy subjocfc by Frank Morgan, entitled "The Little Brick," In addition to the coloured plates there are diapereed at suitable intervals throughout the body of the issue nine full-page illustrations —tasteful, romantic, seasonable, and colonial in their character, besides many others of smaller size, chiefly relating to the children's prizes and the prize Christmas stories. These latter are three in number, the winners being- all ladies, and selected from a larye number of competitors from all parts of tho colony. In two of these the interest is divided between the colony and the mother-country, but in the third tho subject is exclusively of a New Zealand character, and relating to the, thriiling episodes of warfare in the North Island. The First Prize has been won by Mise Grace Whifcelaw, of Auckland ; the Second Prize, by Mrs. Bullock, Wnnganui; and tho Third by Miss Stella Dranslield, Wellington. In addition to the text of the prize stories there are others in proso and ver»e carefully chosen and particularly devoted to the interests and pastimes of children, and peculiar to tho joyous season of family re-unions. The whole is enclosed in a tastefully designed cover and piefixed with a frontispiece of the Governor and the Countess of Onslow.

1 Tha ordinary issue of the " New Zealand Graphic " has already elicited favourable monticn from the threegreat English-speak-ing centres of England, Australia, and the U.S.A., but in this extraordinary number, no more welcome or characteristic memento of New Zealand could be found by persons willing to give absent relatives a favourable estimate of the country of which \vs are all so fond, and whose beauty is yearly winning moro earnest tributes from outsiders.