THE STORIED PAST

Northern Advocate, 15 August 1935, Page 8

THE STORIED PAST

ANTIQUE EXHIBITION

MANY MARVELLOUS THINGS A MINIATURE WAR MUSEUM. LARGE ATTENDANCES. The exhibition of antiques and curios at the Presbyterian Hall continues to draw crowds of fascinated sightseers, who marvel that such a fine and comprehensive range of things, rare .and valuable, could be obtained in the Whangarei district. Yesterday, £l7 was taken at the door, and still larger attendances are expected this evening and tomorrow. Military Section. 1 A section which is claiming a great deal of attention is that devoted to war trophies. The organisation of this was largely undertaken by Colonel J. N. McCarroll, who secured the co-operation of many old comrades in arranging what is a truly 'wonderful display. 1 One of the finest collections of the war in the East is in the possession of Colonel McCarroll himself, and it is well represented with Turkish swords, daggers, entrenching tools, flintlock pistols, a German rifle, a Bedouin powder horn and many other things, Then there are graphic pictorial records of historical incidents of the Palestine campaign. Captain Foster and Mr D. J. Baker sire others who are-large contributors, ''with German sandbag covers made of paper, headgear, tin and otherwise, as worn by Tommy and his opponents, a Turkish water bottle, bombs, hand-grtmades and bullets of every kind (including a German anti-tank cartridge), and gas masks. Pieces of the first and second Zeppelins brought down in England have been forwarded by Mr Dawson and Mrs F. H. Keeble. Decorations. - Examples of practically every decoration won by British troops during the Great War, and not a few Iron Crosses, are on view, and rewards for valour and service in earlier campaigns are well represented by Mr E. Pateman and others. Especially attractive to the eye are the C.M.G., D.S.O. and Croix de Guerre insignias. Perhaps the oldest emblem of all is a flag used at ■ the Battle of the Boyne, 1690 (Mrs A. Jack). There is a sword used by General Hopper in the Indian Mutiny (Mrs Harman Smith), and a pistol which Mr J. Mason’s grandfather used when, as captain in the Hampshire Regiment, he brought the first contingent of prisoners to Norfolk Island.. Maori Wars. The Maori Wars are not forgotten. They are represented by cannon balls fired at Ruapekapeka (Mesdames C. Reid and R. Weaver) and a leg of the first machine gun used in New Zealand. It was employed in the operations against Hone Heke. This is .exhibited by Mrs Copperwaithe. A box which contained chocolates as a Christmas gift from Queen Victoria to the British troops in the Boer War is shown by Mrs' M. Fraser. A wooden nutcracker in Bismarck’s image, given by the great German Chancellor to his grandfather, :in 1860, is the property of Mrs Marsden Woods. Further historical flavour is given in a collection of souvenirs of the late. Sir Robert Douglas, forwarded py Mr Douglas, of Hora Hora. These include a bugle given by a wounded Russian in return for a drink of water at Sebastapol; Arabian and Turkish knives of great antiquity; an Indian lance; and an old Maori canoe paddle. Interesting household ornaments with military associations are an inkstand and paper knife made from various remnants of 1914-18 materials, the hoof being procured from a horse owned by General Godley (Mr L. Garry); and a jug made from a shell fired by Sikhs in the Afghan War (Mrs Boult). From The Orient.

■ Perhaps the most astoundirlg of all is the Oriental section, which is 'a source of continual wonderment. Looted from the Summer Palace dur- ■ ing the Boxer Rising, and said to be 400 years old, is a genuine Chinese lacquer workbox, painted in real gold in solution with a feather (Miss M. Wiglby). A set of priceless chessmen, carved in ivory, is shown by Mrs J. N. McCarroll, while other things from the Celestial Empire include soapstone ornaments, hand carved by convicts (Mrs J. Fisher); a Chinese tear bottle ap used by mourners (Mrs Sur- • man); a hand beaten Chinese vase, inlaid with jade, 150 years old (Mrs C. Clarke); a card box made from mother-*of-pearl by Korean Chinese (Mrs Boscawen); an inkstand inlaid with mother-of-pearl (Mrs R. C. M. Harington); 'ian antiqufc vase supposed to have belonged to Napoleon (Mrs Deverell); and a junk, carved in ivory (Mr W. E. Wood). From India come beautiful hand beatep, and worked plaques and tables (Mrs W. Elliott), and a set of intriguing ornaments (Mrs F. Woodman). Japanese work includes an ivory cabinet, 300 years old (Mrs . Stewart); and a gorgeous kimona, I presented to Mr Unitt when he accompanied the Prince of Wales in Japan. A Turkish stool, inlaid with mother of pearl, is shown by Mrs Noel Johnson; and Mrs P. H. Basley has a richly designed sarong and headdress. Duelling Pistols and Love Letters. With affairs of honour returning to fashion, especial interest attaches to a pair ’of real muzzle-loading duelling pistols (Mrs J. D. Mitchell), which is one of the features of the miscellaneous section. The sea cap- ! tain who purchased a pipe, representing Bacchus (Miss A. M. Goldie), carved by a prisoner in the convict settlement of New Caledonia in the 60’s, was fired upon as he escaped J with his prize. Scent bottles owned I by the Duchess of Dunraven, 1860 j (Mrs Mitchell) add a less adventurous touch, while romance is symbol- j ised in a walking-stick made of old love letters (Mr Unitt). Mr T. Conaghan shows a striking model of the ship Mayflower, while, from the graveyard of ships, come walking sticks and pieces from the Wairarapa, the Orpheus and the Boyd, u Go-a-shore” cooking utensils, used by sailors when they landed on the Scottish coast, are shown by Mrs D. X. McLeod, while Mrs Nicholson has a picturesque box made fiom poicupine bristles. i

Maori Arts And Crafts. Slightly disappointing in contrast with other sections, considering that Northland is the cradle of New Zealand’s history, is the representation of things Maori. However, what is lacking in numbers is largely made up in quality, and there is a big Maori adze (Mrs > Elmsly) in perfect preservation, which many a museum would covet; a handsome model of a Maori outrigger canoe (Mrs Orchiston, Onerahi); spades and clubs (Mrs A. Coutts); and a carved walking stick, given by the natives to one of the first white men in the 1 North (Nurse Eowe). i The Pacific Islands. ! Much stronger support has been j given from those who have connections with the Pacific Islands, and here the collection of Mrs G. N. Morris is worthy of the highest praise. It features relics and treasures from the Gilbert Islands, Niue, Samoa, and New Guinea, and deals with almost every phase of native life —weapons, including a dart bound With human hair, fans, mats, and I gaily-coloured dresses. A root of the kava tree (Mrs Graham) rests appro- j ' priately in a huge wooden bowl in i which the natives make the bever- j age (Mrs Morris). Samoan tapa cloth, j made from the bark and pulp of | trees, is exhibited by Mrs Orchiston, while Mrs Chandler and others add to what is truly a wonderful assortment. In a bay by itself is a collection of Fijian weapons, fish, shells, coral, baskets and dresses, very educative and unusual, and shown by Mrs A. R. Pickmere.