HOME BAY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume II, Issue 353, 29 December 1864, Page 4

HOME BAY.

The holidays proper to tlie season liave passe » and most people have set tkemse ves consider tlie balance upon tlie yeai s - t i. tions. Christmas comes not here witn icicles, but rather wearing tlie burn*g coronal of tlie dog-star. Here the tljermonwte in tlie sun stood at 105, while in thost, place whither at sucli a time our imagination ioncu strays, it stands some degrees below zero. every misfortune has its own compens.l ■. bright sea-coal fire illuminating gentle tender faces compensates for the fog SW

that creep up the outer -walls and cover in si thousand crystal formations the glass upon the comfortable English drawing-room or parlour. Here are brilliant skies, the air so transparent that distances approach and virgin nature having upon its surface the elementary refuse of thousands of geological transformations invites curiosity and mingles in a singular manner the solemn reflections to be derived from a survey of mighty changes with tlid levity of a mere el aucrc from the dull souud of ordinary life. It is hardly any news to tell our readers that in England and in Ireland, and once iu Scotland, if not now, it was customary to hunt the wren " through break, through briar," and when the poor little bird was fairly run down, she was honoured with pompous although tiny funeral obsequies. But, the railway speeds across tlio frosty rime, the whirr of the telegraph wires aid the diabolical quiet of the hawk in the yew tree tells us that although the world lias <nven its all up to good cheer, new hopes, old memories, and on thc side of the ladies to a prospective '• match " between some dear yount; Mr. George and some young Miss Georgiana, there are messages of death passiug by, or heavy hearts beinu hurried along by the demon steam, and if the sparrow is not very wakeful. Christmas notwithstanding. he.lias very little chance of making one round the yule log in the country fa nil house. But >ivus amis changez tout ce'la. "We are at the antipodes, and midsummer airs above the ground as well as upon the ground give buoyance and merriment. There are two steamers at the Auckland Wharf whose decks are packed with what number shall we say, of well-dressed men and elegantly dressed women, some of these looking as beautiful and elegant as their airv muslins or their brilliant silks, but all faces beaming with the one thought, giving a real significance to high festivity, and ready^ for the dance, the quiet walk, thc merry banter, as they have proven themselves qualified for those tender and yet onerous duties which sometimes devolve upon them within the precinets of the domestic circle. When the steamers were full, men and women jumped into dingics, cargo boats, cutters, and schooners, and trusted to' fate to arrive at (he North Shore, or at the Flagstaff. "We have ! a'ready «iven some account of what took place in these localities, but by no means the least in attraction was Home Bay, which had an air iu every respect of an extemporised Cremorne j Gardens. It will be in the knowledge of the I public that this pretty spot was formerly the residence of JNlarsden. It slopes downwards towards the Waitemata river, somewhat as Cremorne does toward the Thames. Seats were erected in sliady spots, awnings were carried along the limits ot the ground. A space was devoted to cricket and the manly sports. There was a monster platform, for certainly it was not much less in dimensions than that so designated iu London, and there was the exceedingly efficient band of the 14th Begt. There were indeed no lofty and umbrageous trees—thei'e were not the ices and the creams, nor the strawberries, and neither was there the wizard who tells fortunes. Why did not some speculator rent the little island known as the "Watchman." It surely is au appropriate residence for no other being than a wizard or an anchorite. Unfortunately there was a total want of organization, but we do not mention this for the sake of imputing blame, but rather an incentive to those who would cater for tho public, so that they might economise both labour and money to their own and the great advantage of the public. The holidays here have been a'great success. The merry dance was prolonged into the cool evening, and even a considerable way into the night, but it is to be regretted that some person was not present to take charge of the dancers, that is, to act as master of the ceremonies. We protest that when interested in our polka, it is a most unpleasant sensation to have thirty stone of very pleasant feminine nature jump down upon your little toe, much to the distress of your partner and your own disconcertment. It is due to those who took this place in hand to say that they provided an excellent lunch and dinner at reasonable prices, that there was an abundance of every thing as far as we could observe, and that the speculation deserves certainly more permanence than the few days annual holiday can bestow. There were busses, which went" from Queen-street about every half-hour, freighted with a numerous if not a heavy load of pleasure seekers. Everything went off well. People even who were disappointed kept their good humour and discretion and as in all these cases half the pleasure consists in mutual agreeablenesss why everybody lent his quota to the general result. There was merriment, good cheer, abundance of kind wishes ; no poverty met your eye as in similar neighbourhoods at home ; and content, sweetened by the memories of successful labour, came upon all who made use of the good things of this life provided at Home Bay in moderation, and cast behind them the care of the market, the shop, the desk. We "would say eg to jperpetua. but this would not be a blessing even if could be obtained, so we wish our friends many happy returns of the season.