THE NELSON EXAMINER. Nelson, February 4, 1843.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume I, Issue 48, 4 February 1843, Page 190

THE NELSON EXAMINER. Nelson, February 4, 1843.

Les journnux deviennent plus necessaires a mesure ijue les hommes sont plus fegaui, et 1' individualisme plus a craindre. Cc serait diminuer leur importance que de croire qu' ils ne servent qu' & garantir la liberte : ils maintiennent la civilisation. Dk TocausviLLK. Me la Democratic en Amcrique, tome 4, p. 220. Journals become more necessary as men become more equal, and individualism more to be feared. It would be to underrate their importance to suppose that they serve only to secure liberty : they maintain civilization. Ds TocauKViLUE. Of Democracy in America, vel . 4, p. 202.

There is npology for us if there be found a tone of over-gratulation in our mention of the Fete which has celebrated the anniversary of the arrival of the first settlers at this their new home. The accident of a cloudy sky, the absence of a popular individual, the lameness of a favourite horse, has damped the flush of enjoyment of many a long-con-templated gala day, and dashed with unwelcome bitter many a cup of carefullymingled sweets. At a mere holiday rush — the ordinary burst of a horse-race, a boatrace, a revel, or a fair — the long- tied and bound, the seldom-released, may have the life', of enjoyment sapped out of them by such slight mishaps. The adjusted catalogue of the amusements, their success or failure at such common-place rejoicings, may, perhaps with propriety, be considered amongst the inferior exercises of the pen of the journalist. If such were our task now, it may be that we should so feel it. But — this is not what we have to record. It is no ordinary circumstance for a newlyfounded, community, on its one white day -in the many-figujjed calendar, to get its members together to stamp with rejoicing the conclusion of its first sun-circle, only tempered by the many recollections which lie close about all true hearts of the old still-loved fatherland. In this light it is that "we look'upon this F6te of ours; and, dignified or undignified ao may be the va-

rious duties which fall to us as part recorders'of the history of the germination or rather grafting of a people,' there is none which we undertake with more pleasure, or are more anxious creditably to perform, than this same announcement of their sports and fun.

On Tuesday there was much assembling together in counsel-taking knots — ordergiving, and work-reviewing — pitching of tentsj erecting of poles, hammering and ramming at temporary benches, like the pit seats of a migratory Astley's ; there was carry ing.and fetching _of fire- wood, watercasks, boilers, and crates of crockery for the tea-drinking ; together with much carpentering and plank adjusting for awnings, wherein the rejecters of the temperate beverage might, for a consideration, smack their lips and tell old tales over more stimulating cups : and over head there was no idleness, for the %Clerk of the Weather had misunderstood his instructions, and had got together as fine an assemblage of cloud-enveloped water-carriers with full skins as ever gladdened the eye of a farmer with a parched hundred acre 3 cracking for thirst. On "Wednesday morning, the sleepers beneath shingled roofs had early warning by the pattering noise over head that the holiday folks would have wet coats, and might consider themselves happy if they had fortune in a dilemma by means of an acre or two of potatoes, which would benefit by the mar-feast showers. But, rain or no rain, " this is a holiday," was the universal declaration, in deed if not in word. Heaped wheelbarrows, full baskets, loaded shoulders, swaying and bending beneath their burdens of many-shaded green, the fresher for the rain, might be seen wending towards the place appointed for the Vegetable " Expedition " (Exhibition ?) : and at all windows might be seen heads peering upwards, and wondering if it would clear up. Nothing, unhappily, could be clearer than that it would not clear ; also, that the people had made up their minds -to have a day of it for all that. All the open space in the central part of the town was chequered by continually arriving specimens of New Zealand vegetable produce, and a stranger, newly come, might have been excused for thinking himself dropped upon a community <)f " Anthropophagi, and men whose " cabbages did " grow beneath their shoulders." The room of the Literary and Scientific Institution would hardly hold the immense quantity brought in, and the show would have been considered a good one in a place twenty years established, with allowance for the absence -of things requiring more than one year's growth to bring them to perfection : but of this in its proper place. The Regatta, the Ploughing Match, and the " Expedition," were to bs the sights of the day ; the rain prevented the rest. The wind was unusually fresh, which gave to the Re- ! gatta an added interest, for, from the sea it caused, there was an appearance* 1 of risk in the rowing match, which heightened the kudos due to the competitors ; the sailing also being far more exciting than it otherwise would. Among other things not unsignificant, we observed, shortly after the boats had started, a bullock-cart rounding Green Point, towards the " Port," apparently cargoed with umbrellas, which, upon nearer approach, revealed to the curious a laughing load of loveliness, faces far fairer and more joyous than are commonly to be seen even in sunshine, far less when hills-are cloudcapped and valleys are rain-fed. Cold lunches were the order of the day, for who was to cook dinners when all were holidaying it ? — a peripatetic and somewhat moist community, lunching at intervals and laughing continually. But we shall never get on at this rate — Order! The Regatta. — Every preparation had been made by the sub-cortmittee for this part of the amusements of the da}'. Captain Anglim, of the Royal Mail; willingly allowed his vessel to be moored in the stream abreast- of Captain England's jetty, for the purpose of stretching a

hawser, tp which slip ropes were attached for the sailing .boats to start from. At half- past nine, although the weather was anything but propitious, three whale boats assembled and started shortly afterwards; Mr. Gully's Henrietta, Mr. Wilson's Hound, and Mr. Carkeek's Revenue. Mr. Gully's boat took the lead at first, and kept it throughout, gradually leaving the Revenue and Hound, both of which, however,' pulled manfully. The Revenue came in second, midway between the winning boat and the Hound. The course was rather long, as the breeze was strong, and the tide being up, . caused some sea. At about half-past ten the sailing boats took their stations — The Pilot, Cross, red and white; the Mary Anne, Moore, Union ; New Zealand Company, white and blue ball; Stag, Wilson, English Ensign ; Phoebe, Captain Thorns, red. They were started shortly afterwards, and went off well before the wind, the New Zealand Company taking the lead, followed closely by the Pilot. The New Zealand Company rounded both marks in the bight of Fifeshire Island a-head, but it was evident, as she came to the wind, she wanted ballast, and the Pilot weathered her before she tacked. The race, from , this, wa3 between the two Deal boats, which worked to windward in good style, with as much wind as they could carry whole sails to, the Pilot evidently taking the lead. After passing Green Point, an endeavour was made on the part of the New Zealand Company to gain by keeping on the eastern shore, but the Pilot rounded the northern mark a good distance a-head, and came in winner by nearly half a mile. The race was well contested on the whole by these two boats, both of which are complete models, and remarkably adapted for all the purposes of this coast. The other boats never reached Green Point, as the wind was strong and the ebb tide made, although the Mary Anne made a good fight for it. The New Zealand Company carried away her mast off the upper mark, which was, .however, soon remedied. Although it rained hard, it did not seem to be taken much notice of by those interested in the boat 3, as the only fear had been that there would not have been sufficient wind. A large assemblage of people covered Captain England's jetty and the neighbouring banks, and a booth was erected opposite the jetty, where the musicians enlivened the scene by playing some appropriate tunes. Just as the sailing boats started the crowd were amused by the style of the crier with his bell giving notice from the chairman of the general committee; Mr. Macdonald, that, in consequence of the weather, the sports of the day would be postponed, with the exception of the " Regatta," the " Ploughing Match," and the " Vegetable Expedition" After the sailing boats came in, every body wended his way through the rain as best he might, to get a look at the Vegetable and Flower Show ; but a much greater number of specimens had been sent than was anticipated, and the judges were detained with closed doors for several hours, awarding the different prizes. However, at two o'clock The Ploughing Match commenced, in spite of the weather, although several of the ploughmen and bullock-drivers deprecated working.their beasts in the wet, on account of the yoke galling their necks; but, as it would have been inconvenient to most of them not to return immediately to the Waimea, where they had plenty of work before them, the match came off, with five ploughs and teams of four. The plots (one-eighth of an acre each) were marked out and numbered on a level piece of sward, near Dr. Spence's section : Mr. Kerr drew No. 1, Captain England No. 2, Mr. Duppa No. 3, Mr. Wallis No. 4, Messrs. Tytler No. 5. Mr. Kerr's plough started first to time,"held by his son James Kerr, and the bullocks 'driven by John Kerr. Mr. Duppa's plough was held by William Ranger and bullocks driven by H. Roil; Mr. Tytler's by Edward Whitby and bullocks driven by Samuel Eves ; Mr. Wallis's by Thomas Avery Juid bullocks driven by Fenjamin Crisp ; Captain England's by — Stratford and bullocks driven by Jem Arnold/ The first prize was awarded to Mr. Kerr, and the second to Mr. Wallis. The teams were generally in excellent condition, indeed most of the beasts were'fit for the butcher, and the match excited great interest. The ploughmen understood their work, and handled their ploughs in a business-like way, although few of them probably had been, accustomed to bullocks before they arrived in the settlement; the younger Kerr, a lad of sixteen, was conspicuous for the dexterity with which he managed his team and whip. We should say upon the whole, considering the very heavy rain which fell and the , distance the bullocks had come the day before, and not having been unyoked lest they should stray, that the performance was a most credit1 able one to a new settlement, where the country r land had only been distributed late in August. We hear there was some difficulty in settling to which plough the first prize should be 1 awarded, Mr. Kerr's or Mr. Wallis's. It was . eventually decided in favour of Mr. Kerr. Mr. , Wallis'a was completed in 1 hour and 15 -minutes, Mr. Kerr's in 1 hour and 23 minutes. ' ) The Canoe Race. — Thursday morning ■ broke beautifully, and all were agog for the l completion of : their fun, some not sorry, perhaps, to get two holidays instead of one. All ■ faces were turned towards " the Port," where t the Maoriea were to open the ball with a Canoe Race : the day before it had been too rough for them. Only two canoes were found to start ; 1 some simpletons or other, with an affectation of t sanctity, too ridiculous to be called wicked, and , only deserving of pity, having persuaded the 1 natives that inch amusements were unchristian, i and that, if -they joined the race, they must not a come any more to prayers. One of the canoes

belonged to Apekoe; and, the^ other to Luke, of Ranghitoto, being rather'the smaller of the two. It was a capital race, from Captain England's jetty round the .Vanguard schooner, which lay off Green Point, then back round a boat moored off Fifeshire Island, and up again to the jetty. Luke kept a-head, after a sharp pull for the lead, but was baulked after rounding the boat, by the Mary Anne running right across, which stopped, and lost her all her way. Apekoe was in first by a few feet, having kept up close to the beach, forcing the small canoe close in, and nearly grounding her upon a point which juts out just before they came to the jetty. This race excited a great deal of interest from its^ novelty, as well as from the evenness of the contest, to say nothing of a little fouling, which gay* a spice to it. A. sailing match then came off between the " distanced" of Tuesday, joined by Mr. Schroeder's Ocean. The Ocean won by a considerable distance, the Mary Anne came in second. The Stag failed to round the flag boat at the head of the Haven ; the wind was again too much for her. The Hurdle Race. — The horses entered to start were Captain Wakefield's Sly-boots, ridden by Mr. Thompson, Hairtrigger, by his owner, Mr. Duppa, Mr. Weigbtman's Lottery, by Mr. Thorpe, and Mr. Tinline's Cannonball, by Mr. Rutter. The course was from the cricket ground, round the hill on which are the old emigration houses, and back to the cricket ground again; going out on the N.E., and returning on the S.W. side. From the startingpost, a little to the left of the bank, up between Mr. Shepherd's and Mr. Cooper's houses, then past Mr. Mill's house, about half way along whose garden fence the first hurdles were. Here the rise begins, and gradually increases up to a little warrie near Mr. Tuckett's garden, from which towards his house ran out the second line of hurdles. There is still a good bit of rising ground, then a bends almost flat, leadihg to a sharpish fall, which begins rather suddenly just .outside Mr. Elliott's garden. Cleared the down-hill, you come to a bit of flax land (which one would rather pick one's way through then gallop over), close round the steep side of the hill which forms the centre of Trafalgar Square, from the base of which the third hurdles stood out — past the Literary Institution, over a bit of flax land, with an awkward hole or two in the neighbourhood, just where the fourth leap comes, and then in past the bank. The betting was slack when the horses were seen together. Hairtrigger was the favourite, so much so, that his backers were obliged to give heavy odds against the field to get takers. There was no false start, and the horses went away in good style, Hairtrigger taking the lead at a pace that made his faith in the^existence of a line of hurdles right a-head of him rather doubtful; Slyboots and Lottery followed at a more discreet pace, with Cannouball just at their heels. Slyboots evidently kept back and well in hand. Hairtrigger took the first hurdles — not the leap — bodily, swerved to the left, and while he was getting round Slyboots and Lottery slipped through the gap he had made; he was after them, however, by the same road in a twinkling (followed by Cannonball) up the rising ground, and showed them the way over the second leap, which Slyboots also took in good style. Up to the top of the rise Slyboots did not decrease the distance between them, which was considerable, but it was neck and neck before they were many yards down the hill, Mr. Thompson working his horse well and keeping next the fence, bringing out his rival's pluck at a down-hill gallop with a hot horse splendidly. On the flat ground Hairtrigger was a-head again, and led the way over the third leap, which Slyboots-swerved at and passed, but he was brought round beautifully, overed it, and followed Hairtrigger quietly over the last lea]) to save his distance. The other two horses were nowhere. Lottery refused the second hurdle twice, had a try for it the third time, and hung — his rider making a safe roll of it. Cannonball would not have anything to say to it upon any terms. Anything upon Hairtrigger. Now's the time for gentlemen fond of getting long odds. The horse had been better ridden or more tractable than was expected ; it was his temper that was to have lost him the race, but he had behaved too well to leave much hope of that. Fewer takers than ever. . . 2d Heat. — Hairtrigger and Slyboots should have had it all to themselves this time"; but, by some misunderstanding, Lottery, ridden by his owner, was allowed to start with them, and took the benefit of as beautiful a purl as one could wish to see on a summer's day, over the first hurdles. Luckily no damage was done, and rider and horse picked themselves up all safe, the latter being, however, so long about it as to excite some apprehension as to the result of his experiment. Slyboots kept nearer Hairtrigger than before, pushed him close at the leaps, but still followed. Down the hill it was neck and neck again, well ridden both, at a slapping pace, Slyboots, or rather his rider, keeping it up to the mark, Hairtrigger next the fence. Slyboots, managed, by dint of good riding, to scrape halt 1 a length a-head, but lost it again, and followed over the third laffi, touch-and-go both. Hairtrigger made a gap through the last fence, and Slyboots was through it close upon him, but evidently had not the go left in him for a last spurt. Hairtrigger won by rather better than a length. Some of the gentlemen who had taken the { long odds were heard to surmise that, if the last hurdles had been firmer, Mr. Duppa would have stood a good chance of breaking his neck, and they would have come upon his executors ; but, as it was, they had .to stump up. Mr. Duppa'a ueck is, we are happy to say,, quite safe, and— a thing not to be despiseoV-so are the dibs. Both horses were beautifully ridden. Mr.

Thompson has laid Slyboots closer alongside of i Hairtrigger than he is ever likely to be with another rider. The Rifle Match was not so well contested as we had expected, though the entries were numerous. Dr. Monro carried off the prize with -two shots to the others' three — his first shot being thrown away by accident, in raising his piece to his shoulder. Mr. Lucas was second, his best shot being but the eighth of an inch from the winner's. Apekoe entered for this, and we believe was third. Meanwhile and afterwards the Pig Hunt, the Wheelbarrow the Sack Jumping, the Jingling Match, Running Matches, &c, &c, came off in capital style, creating the usual amusement, and all was fun and laughter. After the tea, cake, and bread-and-butter had been most liberally partaken of, the musicians were iv request for country dances on the Cricket Ground, in which all joined, from highest to lowest; and it gives us the'greatest pleasure to be able to say that the result of what some considered a dangerous experiment in so mixed a population, without many mutual ties, was perfectly satisfactory j there was not a single instance of indecorum, "nothing to offend the most fastidious. After the country dances there was an attempt to get , up a waltze, the failure of which, from the unevenness of the ground, caused considerable amusement. The dancing was only put a stop to by the darkness, when the musicians found work enough within doors, assisting the more enthusiastic followers of Terpsichore. We intend next week to give a detailed account of the Vegetable Show, which we are unable to do now, both from want of time and the materiel which would enable us to give the particulars of so important a part of the Fete.

By the Vanguard we received Port Nicholson papers to the 24th of January, and Sydney papers to the 7th. We have given all the extracts for which we have room. Mr. Cotterell returned from his exploring trip on Saturday afternoon last. We shall be able, we trust, to give the particulars next week. The return of the Rev. C. Reay from Queen Charlotte Sound, Ranghatoto, &c, where he has been visiting the natives under his charge, has made us acquainted with the death of the Reverend Mr. Mason, of Wanganui, under the following distressing circumstances. About three weeks since Mr. Mason and the Reverend Mr. Hadfield were journeying in company, on horseback, and had occasion to cross a river in "the neighbourhood of Wanganui. As the fiver is one which has shifting sands, it was necessary to take the deep water. Mr. Mason, wishing if possible to avoid getting wet, knelt on his saddle, and when in the middle of the stream unfortunately lost his balance and fell into the water. Mr. Hadfield, who appears to have been in advance, reached the shore, dismounted from his horse, and swam to the assistance of his friend, whom he reached, and for some time supported. After a long and fruitless endeavour to regain the shore, and finding his own strength failing, Mr. Hadfield was compelled to relinquish his hold, and leave his freind to a watery grave. The body was found the next day washed on diore at some distance. Mr. Mason was ordained by the Bishop a few months since, but had officiated previously for some years under the Church Missionary Society. This is the first accident of the kind thai has happened to a minister of the church, since the first residence of any of that body in these islands. We hav/e been informed that Mr. Reay ran considerable risk of losing his life, having been overtaken by a heavy gale of wind in the Straits while returning from Queen Charlotte Sound in a canoe. If it is the duty of that gentleman to visit the coasts of Taeman's Gulph, Massacre Bay, and Cook's Straits, he ought to be provided with a safer conveyance than a canoe, and with better sailors than the Maories, who, on being overtaken with a squall, invariably lose all self-possession,, and do nothing but chatter. We have been informed -that on Sunday week last one of the body of dissenters calling themselves the United Christians, visited the Waioiea, and performed divine service. Arrangement.^ have been since made for one of that body to visit the district every Sunday, and, we are most happy* to say, to establish a Sunday school there.