SIXTY YEARS AGO.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 205, 30 August 1926, Page 13

SIXTY YEARS AGO.

A ROMANTIC WEDDING. TRIALS OF THE EARLY DAYS. At a wedding breakfast at Remuera last week the uncle of the bridegroom quoted from "White Wings," the book written by Sir Henry Brett, to show hew the weddings of 60 years ago and over, often had the glamour oi romance and adventure strongly intermixed with them. According to "White Wings" when the, grandfather of the bridegroom of last week wanted to get married after being imNew Zealand for over four years seeking out a home to put his bride in, he had to send Home to Scotland for her, after a long courtship of over six years. It was the day of sailing ships, and it was not known when the ship carrying the bride would arrive. In the meantime, the young colonist was down in Taranaki, fighting under Colonel Warre, clearing the coast between New Plymouth and Opunake of hostile natives. The ship, the old Pegasus, arrived in port a couple of weeks before it was thought possible for her to get here. The trouble was how to inform the bridegroom that his bride had arrived. There were no telegraphs in those days. When the good news did at last reach its destination, the only way of getting- to Auckland was to take passage in a ten-ton cutter sailing for the Manuka v. Adverse winds were met with, and for over a week the small craft, with her sails torn by the fierce winds, battled with the elements, till those on board had almost despaired of ever reaching port. Eventually they reached Onehunga and for the first time for a week were able to put on dry clothing, have a good feed and then a sound sleep. All the perils of the trip were forgotten when the young man met the girl he had not seen for four years, and who had always remained true to him although he was away at the ends of the earth. The young , couple were married in Princes Street, and then went to their home in Taranaki, where they lived for well-nigh sixty years. When they got to New Plymouth the only way to get to their new home, right on the very outskirts of civilisation and near to the Maori stronghold of Parihaka, was by bullock dray, over unformed rough roads and along the sea beach. The house they first lived in had an earthen floor and sacks and bags were used for mats. Ten of a family were reared on that old farmstead. Now, for the first time for over sixty years a person of the same name and a grandson of the old pioneers, was getting married in Auckland, under totally different conditions. There were hundreds of such instances throughout the country, and amongst all their festivities it was well for them to be reminded of the past and to drink a toast to their forefathers and the love and romance of a past generation, which was the tie which bound them to the early colonisation of this great little country—the brightest jewel in the crown of the United Kingdom.