A LOOK BACKWARD

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 54, 5 March 1927, Page 25

A LOOK BACKWARD

FIEST EOYAL VISITOR

THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH

WELLINGTON'S CELEBRATIONS

(Specially written for "The Post.")

The first Royal visitor to New Zealand was H.B.H. Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, the second son of Queen Victoria. He arrived here in 18G9, and spent a week in Wellington, on his way round the world. It is hard for us to realise "the difficulties of those days. There-was no wireless, no cables, no telegraph, only an indifferent and irregular mail service, mostly by sailing vessels. Often- it took ten days before a piece of news from Auckland reached Wellington. That the Duke would arrive in Wellington in April was known, and the 6th was first suggested. But there was no sign of him on that or the following day. Then a fast mail vessel arrived at Hokitika! with the latest Australian news—that the 3rd was the Duke's sailing date from Sydney, so he would be here on the 10th. But on the 10th the jocal paper sadly states that "it had been the intention of our young people to give a ball on Monday, but owing to the Prince's non-arrival it had to be postponed." One can imagine the belles of Wellington looking longingly at their tarlatan furbelows and practising now ways of arranging their ringlets, while they chafed at the delay. All that week everyone's eyes eagerly watched the signal station-om Mount Victoria, for that was the one and only means of knowing the ship was arriving. Another vessel, the well-known Duck, was in port, and her captain sportingly promised to fire a gun when the great moment came. THE DUKE ARRIVES. Sunday was a dull, misty day, with nothing to be seen, and most people went to church. Then suddenly at noon there was the boom of a gun— the captain of the Wild Duck was playing his part! The surprise was a dramatic one, for the mist was too thick for any signal to be seen. Dimly a >great man-of-war was discerned moving up to the moorings, where she smartly dropped her anchor. The Duke had arrived!

In the afternoon, His Excellency the Governor, Sir George Bowen, went off to the ship, but otherwise there was no communication with the shore, though tho waterfront was crowded with spectators. n Monday was the great day. A fresh breeze cleared the ini3t, and the flags 'fluttered bravely. Tree ferns and beautiful, native shrubs from the Tinakori Hills decorated the verandah posts, together with streamers and banners, such as "Welcome, Alfred," and "Advance, Wellington." The star attraction on the official routo was Mr. Owen's drapery establishment, where silks and book muslins and bareges wore ousted by a number of pretty girls. Onlookers came pouring in from the outlying suburbs, Johnsonville in particulai being superbly represented, because Mr. Benjamin Reeve had harnessed seven horses to his biggest wood-wain, decorated it with greenery, and brought in the school children. The little ■ girls in white frocks, tippets, pelerenes, and ringlets, were perched on the best forms among tho greenery of tho wain, and seven intensely proud little boys, in blue pants, white shirts, and red sashes, bestrode the soven big horses as outriders. Mr. Reeve himself in white duck trousers, red shirt, and blue sash, with a huge stockwhip, sat on the boy seat, and controlled the team. It must have taken good driving to get the outfit, with its load of excited children, up and

down tho Ngahauranga Gorge, as it was in those days!

The Royal Prince himself was ovidontly very like his brother, Prince of AVales, who later became Edward VII. This is how a Wellingtonian describes him:_ "He was of middle size, well proportioned, features regular, aquiline nose, mouth and chin well cut." It is specially interesting to know that his "whiskers were manly," anil his "brow smooth." When he landed lie was wearing a dark blue frock-coat and a pair of tweed trousers! And this getup was described as "quiet and gciitlemanly." However, his hat was the "now orthodox" black one. But his tastes were "evidently somewhat flared as he sported a large amount of jewellery and rings!"

A strip of red carpet was laid on the little Queen's Wharf, and there the Governor, the Premier (the Hen. Mr. Stafford), the leading military man (Major Macßarnett), and some Maori chiefs, ftwaited the Prince with a speech of welcome in which were mentioned the financial depression and the "sad tragedies" caused by the war on the East Coast.

Then a "barouche" witli four white horses conveyed the Royal guest through the streets, amid the cheers of the settlers and their families, to Government House —a little one-storied veraiulahecl building just above the Lainbton quay gates of the present Parliamentary grounds.. BONFIRES AND TRANSPARENCIES. Exciting as all this was fit the time, the ret,l thrill came at nightfall, when there wore six bonfires on the liills and illuminations all over the town. People's, breath was fairly taken away by the splendour of the sight, oven now the older generation speak of it with awe. Picture to yourself the family parties touring the streets of Wellington. Papa with bushy whiskers or a long beard, i and baggy trousers, and queer low-

crowned hat. Mamma shawled and crinolined with a pork-pie hat perched on her chignon; the little girls in ankle-length frocks and pantalettes, the small boys in round jackets and "half-mast" trousers.

The Beach which we know as Lambton quay, was the chief scene of all the celebrations, for there the shops and offices and hotels clustered thickly though they only straggled along Willis and Manners streets. One building is described as having a dazzling effect because it had placed tiers of candles m every window! And special mention was made of the wonderful appearance of Mr. David Anderson's new house on the heights overlooking Willis street. More candles, of course! But the real splendours of the occasion lay in the transparencies," pictorial and highly coloured, that were displayed with much rivalry in the windows. Peter Lamg was the great baker and confectioner, and one of his transparencies as a large sheaf of wheat s^rmount . ing a globe.. Y et there was more for the money in the other window where among the ruins of a temple and a shady grove you could see Britannia and Apollo, with Mercury just ready to rush off on an errand. The old Empire Hotel stood where the present one does, but on its east side a httle jetty ran out into the harflnvn, * na'ural]y g^e a nautical R V he. t^Parency which I^l I / tannia am- bnt thss time t! ? eP, tUne both of them flying through the foam on ocean steeds with Tritons blaring trumpets to "-ool" them or. an albatross soaring overhead, Wi™ £ ggC? Ship aPPe«™g on tho ITp'. Ms y°u *ould have seen Prince Alfred in a Eoyal barge once with the British Lion as crew, and again looking more at ease, with a bevy of beautiful girls on board giving tw n£ a£"T" in Spite of the *«* that O d Father Time is regarding them gloomily from the bank. Cohen, tbe tobacconist, showed a crown blazing with diamonds, but he was cut out by another tobacconist named Lehman who depicted a scene, on board a mano -war, with two officers in *ull. naval uniform leaning up against a caironade and each enjoying "a weed," ■ while the old-time tar in the background has a "quid" of 'baccy in his cheek. But if you can believe it possible there was no mention of the brand of tobacco! ; One hotel window had a portrait of its barman, "Sammy," in the act of mixing a' cocktail, while a naval officer of high rank—who may or may not have been the Duke—looks on, But this was considered in bad taste. Crease's and Tustin's, had inconspicuous heraldic devices, and so did a small draper's shop called Kirkaaldie and Stains. Tho "Evening Post" chose an allegorical picture in which figures of Liberty and Art were surrounded by broken busts. The greatest crowd collected before the Fire Brigade Station. There, in brilliant reds and yellows, was painted a lurid conflagration. In the very midst could be seen an heroic fireman descending a ladder among leaping tongues of flame. Suspended from his teeth by its nightclothes is a little gol-den-haired child, while over one arm he carries a fainting female form! Cculd any of Superintendent's Creeke's men do this? VARIOUS ENTERTAINMENTS. There was an orgy of amusements for the distinguished guests—something every day for nearly a week. First came a sports meeting and a cricket match iv tho Basin Beserve (afterwards there was a row about the expenses). This meeting was further .enlivened by a Maori war dance, for which the Government paid the Natives £00. Whatever Royalty and the naval visitors thought of it, the settlers were very scornful, comparing it With the real thing which at that moment was actually going on up tho East Coast. One festivity was a drive up the narrow, steep, winding road tlirouph the Ngahauranga Gorge, where there was tho magnificent scenery of towering crags, lofty forest trees, rata vines with

filmy ferns, and moss and cascades of foaming water. Johnsonvillo was en fete for the great occasion witn sports in a big paddock, and tho games included kiss-in-the-ring.

A ride to Makara was another day's outing, and a. regatta was also a memorable event, while there, was also a paperchase along the Evans Bay hills. Then ai'.ere was another picnic, this time to the Upper Ilutt, a lovely drive along tho narrow road thai twisted round the shores of tho harbour, bush clad to the water's edge with wator falls in every point. His Royal High ness held the reins of the four-in-hand, and drove so fast that he disconcerted the Hutt Cavalry who had mrned out to escort him. Their grass-fed horses could not keep up; some trotted, some broke into a nondescript canter, all looked the worse for it, "and the gen eral appearance was anything but military," laments the local paper. All the neighbourhood had turned out for tho occasion, but the Royal party was cxclusivo and lunched alone, liui afterwards the Duke invited anyone to join in, and numbers did, mostly small boys.'

Next day there was still another picnic, this time at Howe's Farm, which was less than two miles from the Welt lington Post Office, at the back of the present Hospital. This event was got up by the Fire Brigade, and the Foresters for .tho bluejackets. The >uke did not stay long here, because he was on his way to Miramar for a pig-hunt ing expedition with Major Macßarnctt. Somewhcro about whore the golf links are now situated was tho scene of that adventure, and the newspaper accounts say that the Duke first wounded a wild boar with a shot, then dismounted and dispatched it with his hunting knife. That is tho official version. But people who were eye-witnesses, tell a different story. It seems that the pig nearly killed the Prince, and the member of his staff who saved him was afterwards dcebratod for tho deed. But the story

is somewhat spoiled by -a later statement that the wild boar was a tame pig released for the occasion!

The best part of the sport so far as the settlers were concerned was when His Eoyal Highness took a Header into a deep ditch and emerged dripping. The Duke returned some of tlie hospitality by a dinner party at, Government House and a lunch on board H.M.S. Galatea. He is reported to have chatted affably with some dusky guests at the luncheon, for the loyal Maoris were made much of. The climax of the Eoyal visit was a wonderful ball, which was held in the Government offices" at Thorndon. The band from H.M.S. Galatea and the uuke s own piper supplied the music, and the decorations were said to be wonwiv .Lady Boweu had not come to Wellington as there was a very new b by in her family, so the Duke opened the ball with Mrs. Stafford, the wife o± the Premier. The supper room was so crowded that only the most distinguished guests and some of the ladies found seats, and the speeches wen. many and lengthy. But the ball weut tf S?% and with Sreat spirit uuti! the daylight gun was fired from tho

On the Saturday after his arrival in Welhngton, the Eoyal guest left with his ship for Nelson and Lyttelton. Ho back h? *2 DUnedi "' and the» came back here for a few days on the way HonS and> fr°m W" Cace "c went to