CALAMO CURRENTE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6823, 29 September 1883, Page 1 (Supplement)

CALAMO CURRENTE.

': ■ ■ , • v v- ' r* i<. an unfortunate thing that at the very Ifme -when public feelicg is awakened to Si dangerous practice by the occHrrence of I Strophe, reticence » ,mTin the express of opinion, by the '■ fei of prepdicmg. the position of some un;!T £ nerwm who may happen to be -°fi It would be aa crnel as unfair unpkcated.• « in re]ation to the de- *? St «<^ nt, y took place at the I!TJa bis chest crushed in frombeingran C V I spring-*"* Proceeding round the e»«by» epng pace Indeed> 80 . far corner a* • Jd fee a i mogt reason,in exculpation of the unable toi ple»a o{ the vehic , e fortunate j> fci f dash . "rners that the great bulk »« t l P Dopulation must be unaware that ♦LiYs any by-law prohibiting the dangerthere is any "j r by-law is sound «"SLf £ut how does it come that it -•■JtowriiW «et defiance? There are I Berhapa no street* in any city of the colonies ? 0 dangerous as those of Auckland; they are for more dangerous in proportion to the Slffic than are the streets of London. It Wd appear as if the city has not outgrown rt,e of its village life when, once from +{,« fewness of inhabitants, a man could get Side o? a wild horse and dash blindfold down the strwst without the danger of colliding. The streets and footpaths are crowded now, but the habita of horsemen and vehicles are still the same. Set a fellow on tbe outside of a horse, or on the box of a enring-van, and he is master of the situation. tL roadway was made for him, so -vere the crossings, and it is faugh-a-ballagh to every one on foot. If you are crossing his path it is hoop-la ! and as you start back and narrowly escape being struck down, he darts a look of scorn at you, as if it was of his forbearance he did not strike you with hie •ship in the face. Either the police or the magistrates or the Council are responsible f.-r this. They have allowed the growth of the impertint-nt assumption that, if a man gets elevated four or five feet higher than his neighbour, the streets and the crossings a*e all his; that he can alap along at the pace he chooses, and everybody on foot mast clear out of the way. Till this baseless assumption is removed there will be no safety in the streets of Auckland. The roidway belongs to the pedestrian, when he has occasion to uee it, as much as to the man on horseback or on wheele, who from his elevated pedestal has no more right to order the other ont of the thoroughfare than the pedestrian ias to seize the norse's bridle. This is the lesson that has to be taught in every city when it attains to the etage of crowded thoroughfares, and whoever they are, whether Council, magistrates, or police, who hare neglected to teach it to Our lords of the highway, they are morally guilty for such deplorable events as that which has bronght 3 poor little innocent child to death's door.

Can aoy one tell by what moral right a man is entitled to block the public thoroughfare with hi? bricks snd mortar, and offend the public eye with hie hideoaa hoardings, whenever it pleases him to remove and rebuild his house ? By prescriptive builders appear to claim immunity for inflicting nuisances, and aeemingly as a matter of course the authorities at once concede the permission, without, either regarding the feelings of the community, or giving a thought to the possibility of protesting the public from the suffering. It is the luckiest thing in the world that two people fairly confronting one another on opposite sides of the street, are notseized with the building fit at one and the same time; for- then would the unfortunate public have to go away rouod'by the other way, or clamber over one another's shoulders, like the two he-goats who met midway on the beam across an Alpine glen. And why, in the name of madness, are the unoffending public thrust from their footpaths by the builders, while they go on sawing their stones and mixing their mortar right out - nearly to mid-street, it may be in the busiest thoroughfares. And yet within these several buildings, on their own ground -doors, there may be twice the space on which the various operations required have been executed without any invasion of the public comfort. Granted, it may be not quite so conveniently to themselves, but quite ae possibly ; and if convenience only is the consideration, then the public convenience first. There is not a building ever erected on our streets, in which there is not convenience enough within the ground plan for storage of stuff, mixing of mortar, chipping of otones, and all the other operations connected with the progress of the building; while the elevation of the materials and the conduct of the building operations can all bo as effectively carried on from within. A substantial platform certainly should cover the footway, to prevent tho vagrant bricks from doin;; mischief; but it is simply a stupid concession to a stupid andjntol'.rable custo.'t. that sanctions bailders buildirg their hideose hoardings au('i carrying on their workings on the public :.v;reet.

From time to time borne velic of the bad old times of irresponsible government obtrudes itself. The case of Mr. J. L. Thompson, recently arrested on a charge of embezzlement and robbery, is one. It is not that there wae anything in the action of the polioe themselves in illustration of tht3. They iieem warranted in all they did. In name and appearance tht accused man cor"responded with those of the man who was "wanted;" nor was there tho least attempt to enforce the charge when 5t was seen lo be a case of mistaken identity. The avMused was promptly liberated, atfd g6es forth 'without a iita*ii en his character. But he passes from the dock without &ny red'rfcss for the suffering and humiliation to Sfhich be v -•j subjected. Had he beeii So wronged by a fellow-citizep, he would have found recompense in an action for damages ; bnt, because the wrong was perpetrated by the State, he must juat submit to the indignity and bear the psiin in silence. Had he been convicted of the ofießCea charged, and, after bearing portion of the penalty, he had been ehotvp to be ss ie is, wholly innocent, he would have received a " free pardon." And this is law ; and this is the usage tolerated in these days of freedom and "responsible government." There is no one that will say that this is justice ; and it is as hard to feol that it is expedient. For why should a citizen be wronged by the State more than by an individual V It is inevitable, of course, that such mistakes should v\vccur, hut on what principle of reason should the State, which is but toe representative of the whole body of the people, be exempt from rendering recompense to a man whose lights have been invaded ? So far as Mr. Thompson is concerned it is the same to him whether the ■wioug has been inflicted by one or by wany, and surely it is contrary to riglit teasonthat a wrong should be inflicted with impunity, merely because the State has the po»2r to hold itself exempt. "My son," said a father when, putting himself in shape to thrash his boy, and desirous of improving the occasion by a suitable lecture, " do you fX w ypy. l am s oin g to beat y° u ■" '' Yes . lather, said the lad, " I suppose it is because you are bigger than me." And the principle w exactly that on which the State appears to *ot- It is bigger and stronger than t'je inaivKiaal and having power to make the «" 8, it laid down the principle that.theinwoent man shall have no redress a'zainsfc it perpetrated a wrong. It war, entirely in accordance with the, governS lr 'l° fOt^ er v days; butnow vhenthe ««tiiien .3 h.mself, through his repre ecntatives, anomaly should be removed, o aA that an SI man S^ Ould , - have red ' *£ whether

It seems premature to 8- appose that the Wave troubles ended J£ the di 10 . *at, c mt erchan gea of oo- jrtcoUß aßmT J ces m P f ee \, e ( ?' enChaD, i E»gMßh Governmentß. The fust eplas. , was Lrd in England and aroused ke m atfcenti but t £ e *av s let3 are only be? to bre ' akonthe S£? action to' ■ ?- noth T ? OmiQ e J 1 ? " ot explosion in the " le out in regard to the Gn« »,;„,, u far-away Afncan island. fml 7 8 • J™* r ° lled "I «>e beach in P -' * be »«*• Mr. Shaw, b4. *sUmary,and Exeter Hall has Pationofliis, £ state of excitation in anticination are al> end , a, , mß fo , r /? om P enof Mr Glad formulated, and the souls Party' ar £tpne and the peace-at-any-price oauE;» of ' '•bout'to be grievoaely vexed be*of se " ous n& ture of the agitation ■■tome b | ■Wβ can see the premonitory symp- ''■■;■' ' ' >t was an iavil day for peace when

the French Admiral laid his sacrilegious hand on the missionary, for of all the complex elements of which English society is composed, there is none so powerful aa the religious sfement. difficult it may be to move, but absolutely irresis able when moved to act in unison on a question of international relaiioDs. Peoplu thought that whtn Mr. Shaw* was set frte it wae. an end of it, and the matter having seemingly passed into eilenee, that we had heard the last of thia p"art of the complication. But Mr. Shaw appears to have quietly bottled up his wrongs and turned his face homeward, that, on the platform of Exeter Hall, he might pour them out in the face of all men. Exeter Hall ie ready for him, the sensational programme ia sketched in outline, and an agitation is fairly begun, the end of which we shall not see to-day or to-morrow.

By the law of" compensation things are usually kept right in moral as well as physical government, and ote extreme usually receives its corrective promptly in its opposite. The claim of Mr. Wortbinglon to retain bis seat aa member of the Parnell Council, though a school teacher in the city, was so strong in itself as ;?,!u>ost to lead to the apprehension that it would brtak down every barrier preventing teicheru everywhere from dashing into the arena cf public affairs. But just in the nick of time a case comes up from Paparoa that provides the proper adjustments and restores equilibrium. There is a teacher down that way who is a member oi the Road Board, and, in truth, he seems to be a lively fellow. The charges are explicit enough, and if he deports himself in the fashion narrated he must be a potent factor in social life in that rural district. " Wrangling and squabbling at meetings, canvassing for votes, violent partisanship, favouring his sectarian friends and th6ir children, severity to the children of those parents with whom he entertains a difference of opinion, by such conduct inviting dii.respect from the children," aud so on. That is bad. It may be that the picture is from the I hand of bi» enemies, but if it ifi true, as his defenders alledge, that "he was able successfully to retard and defeat tbe schemes for illegal expenditure of the late Board," at the election he received vot<-s two to one of others, and that "his political opponents were rejected," it may be safely concluded j that he is no cipher in the district, but a man o£ vigour and determination, and very likely to do the wrangling and squabbling at meetings, and to whack the children of his opponents. The results charged are so exactly like those that would flow from teachers cf an active temperament takiDg part in local politics in country districts, that in the face of the picture presented to the Board, not even the clear and exceptional case of Mr. Worthiugton is likely to make theperniiasiongeneral; and if teachers are liable tothumpthe unfortunate youngsters because their daddies voted wrong on the question of a culvert at Muddy Gully, of two evils the lesser certainly would be to clip tlio wings of the teacher and make the cobbler stick to his last. One redeeming feature in this dark catalogue of charges must be noted to the honour of the teacher — ho "upholds and preserves a chivalrous respect to the female portion of his school." Now, that is something; yea it is a great deal; and in the present prevalent sentiment in the Board of Education, and their deep aud chivalrous interest in everything relating to the welfare of the adorable sex, there is little doubt thut it will have an influence iu inducing the Board to overlook the eccentricities of the teacher who visit the political sins of the fathers on the children, whex> they learn that at all times he "upholds and preserves a chivalrous reapect to the female portion of his school." We may accpt it that this is the highest and snblimest form of sympathetic aycord, not the vulgar and unworthy practice of k'S3ing and cuddling, as indulged ia by that other teacher, who very properly received the reprobation of the Board, l>ut aa it were a reverential gazing afar off, a waving as it were of incense at the shrine of grace and loveliness,an undefinable somethiug,like unto the ethereal sentiment of tender and chivalrous solicitude , , wherewith the members of the Board themselves concern themselves in the corsets and garters and high-heeled boots of the fair young eleves of the Girls' High School.

Before we have done with the Gazelle, New Zealand will be pilloried. Given one Wrong step and sufficient stubbornness, and nobody can tell the result. The seizure of the Gazelle was, no doubt, the suggestion of some officious official, who has landed the Government »nd the colony in an unpleasant position, in which they will be probably kept by the mulish instincts of the Government itself. Action is now being taken by Mr. Ellis, the owner of the confiscated ship— who is one of the largest shipawners in New South Wales, a member of Parliament, and a man of influence—for the purpose of having tested the question whether the New Zealand Government have Ihe power to seize the ship of a resident outeide the colony, who is personally innocent of an offence against the laws of the country; and the action of Mr. Ellis is being Supported by all the shipowning interests in the sister colony. There can be little doubt that Mr. Ellis and his advisers know that th '. appeal as affecting the question whether the laws of the colony permit such seizure, will be futile— the law of New Zealand appearing to be clear enough, if the administration !s so illadvised aa to put it in force. But this is only preliminary to the for higher question wh-tnei the Parliament of the colony can legalise piracy, It is accepted as a general truth that ati Act of Parliament cau do anything i bufc the statement is subject to very considerable limitations, and one of these Inust surely be the*- no people have a right to seize the goods of a stranger, without excuse sufficient to satisfy the requirements of honcat dealing aa recognised elsewhere. No doubt the practice ol giving a share of the plunder to the parties participating in a robbery of the kind is a direct stimulus to dishonesty, and it is an intolerable thing that New Zealand must now be dragged through the mire, and become a scoffing to all the commercial circles in the Australasian colonies, through official covetousness backed up and sustained bystolid stubbornness on the part of the Government. It is not in tha colony alone that tbe exposed will take place, for it is contemplated to bring the matter before the Privy Council, where the general usage in such cases, and the fact of the Government having omitted to put the piratical law in force agaiust powerful companies, like the Pacific Mail Company—whose steamer might have been confiscated if the Government had dared—will present the colony in the unenviable position of a little piratical State that would rob and plunder when it can, and is honest when it must.

Within the past few days a disoovery oi the greatest interest has been made, in fact a perfect mine oT 'literary treasures has been unearthed. In exjpWing certain subterranean caverns in Sh-otiland-street, in a building occupied a few years ago by a publication devoted to the elucidation of the myateriee of social life, the searchers caaie upon a vasl accumulation of literary material, intended I in part by their authors for publication, and in other cases as , mere private information tc the editor, giving him insights into domestic and personal history as an aid to him in the solution of the problems of humanity, Indeed this particular department of th( establishment appears to b<we been devotee to communications that were of too racy anc spicy s kioxl for publication., but the trutl of which \s generally authenticated by thi signatures and addresses of the senders, no necessarily for publication but as a guarantei of good faith. Some of these, it ia said are of the most extraordinary kind, no inertly for theii lilting the veil ol sociil life, but for the character and posi tion -of she ssnders. Near and dear friends boon companions and associates, and most o nil, our fair and gentle hearted sisters, ar here shown as evincing the deepest interea in. each other's goings on ; and the little tit bits of social goesip and domestic sonnda: derived from the moat intimate and authenti source?, supply a rare fund of material fc the diligent student of human life. C course, all were.intended for the eye of th editor alone, who is in irany cases implore to preserve the incognito of the sender in manner that ia pathetic to the last degret At times there is something grotesque in th asssociation of the names of some of our roof etaid men and matrons, youths and maideni with the communication of items of iutell gence regarding their intimates and familial altogether too racy for the pages of tt journal ; but the manner in which tl favoured editor was admit led in these bosoi confidences behind thn most sacred scenes i private life, is a wonder, if not a horror, 1 those who .ire privileged ia perusing the! secret recorcs of Auckland's inner life. Pollex,

• THE ISLAND OF MEW BRITAII is AND ITS INHABITANTS. ;0 BY JOCELYy J. FLKTCITER, GOVKHNMEST V LARJUK AUE.N'T, FIJI. n Blanch B>y, New BritaiD, is without iWt " one of the prettiest sights <>ne would imagiu y could be seen in the Southern Hemisphere lt It has got a look of the Bay of Naples, bn p instead of one Vesuvius it has two, one c 1, which is in uction ; the other, which ia com e shaped, rises to a height of about 4000 feel j and has got a large reservoir, or lake, 0 n freah water on its summit, to which n h bottom can be found. And, stranger still thei-e are fish in She. lake, and the native use the water for drinking pnrposes. Th e women are to be seen trudging up and dowi 8 in groups, carrying bamboo poles, or pipes e which they fill with water, and return 11 There are also many extinct volcanoei a visible, which, when in motion, must havi 1 made a fearful glare. A long the shore then ' is a coral reef, which extends in and out t< a a distance from tha beach, of half a mile . aud the beaches are composed of whit< b coral sand, which is spotted here and then b with that black he.wy iron sand which is t< B be found in all volcanic countries. Blanci ' Bay is about thirty miles from end to end, j and at the entrance is the lovely Duke oi 3 York Island. At a further distance still, oi 1 about twenty miles across St. George's k Channel, are to be seen those lofty Alpine • ranges of New Ireland, • the summits ol ' which one would imagine, are connected r with the clear blue of the sky. 3 The DuUe of York Island is low, but a 3 real flower garden. The exquisite perfume - of its vegetation is noticed while entering 1 any of its harbours. Meoka Harbour is the J finest and the principal one on IJuke of YOlk s Island. The firm of CoSeffroy aud Co. have ■ a trading station established here. The • vegetation ie luxuriant and beautiful. The ; leaves of the trees are almost touching the ; water, and are of many rich colours. When > oue enters the buah, they are almost I deafened by tile noise of the cockatoos and 1 parrots, as well as the cooe of the dove., and 1 other birds whose species Ido not know: ; but they are of excellent plumage, aud so > tame that they will almost light on one's ' hand. The trees are lofty and of beautiful foliage; the camphor, lignumvite, mahogany, box, as well aa many other varieties of trerjs flourish. The herbage is one vast flower garden, containing many varieties of rich-tin ted flowers, some of which I never saw before, all in their natural loveliness. The soil is excellent. It consists of a fine vegetable loam, over a rich volcanic nubaoil. The vegetation that this soil brings forth is quite proof enough for its richness. An Irish gentleman named Mr. Farroll has got a plantation of several thousand acres just started. He saye he planted Queensland cotton in the middle of February, and the plants were ia the beginniug of May between four and five feet high, densely covered with branches. They ara alreadv covered, with blossoms. No doubt all varieties of tropical plants will thrive well here. In different places in this bay are tracts of thousands of acres adapted for sugar and others for coffee and cotton. Mr. Farroil Bays he would like some of our colonial moneyed gentlemen to come up here and have a look around ; that they would soon find out this would be the country lor future large plantations. He stated thit there is no difficulty here as regards labourers. He has gut toyetber in a fow days about eight}' men, who stop at the place and work for him at a certain rate of wages. Besides he can at any time have aa many labourers as required, who will work a whole day without getting any food from him, just for one small stick of twist tobacco. Mr. Farroll has purchased a largo tract of land iu Blanch Bay, not only between Cape Leeson and Sohultze Point, but also around Cape Gazelle, and he has started his plantation halfway between tbe two last-mentioned Capes. The labour is cheap and good, too. Mr. Farroll viforres me that he gets sixteen large taros for onis stick of tobacco, and, although he does not expect much return from the plantation the first year, he feela quite certain tho second year will help to cover expenses. The natives dc not wear any kind of covering; the men, women, and children go about as naked as the day they were born, being ignorant to what shame is yet. I have been some miles into the interior of tbe country. It is densely popnlated, and covered with extensive plantations of taro, yams, sugarcane, and other things. Tbe natives in moat cases fled when I approached, and at last, after many signs, they ventured nearer, and saemed much astonished. My opinion is the natives are not so dangerous here as they a,rc reported to be. Wo doubt they look dangerous enough when one sees them armed with spears, bows, and slings, ready for action, and no doubt they would soon reveuge themselves if anyone did them any wrong. Mr. Farroll told me he gets on well with them. He settles their disputes and quarrel?, cures their sick, and, iu fict, gets on well in all respects. They are a fine, noble-looking race or people, and their average height seems to be from five feet five inches to six feet, and the women are the drudges. They have very slight traces of civilisation amongst them. They have no king, but a reigning chief exists over each tribe, and minor chiefs over eaoh village. Two great tribc3 do exist, known as the beach and bush t<ibe9. The bush tribes are the farmers and tillera of the soli. The beach tribes have certain market d-iys, and on these days are to be seen hundreds of naked women coming down, accompanied by their lords and children, loaded with the productions of the bush. They then barter with the beach natives for tobacco, matches, and varioua kinds of European trade, such as beads, plane irons (which thr / make adzes of), tomahawk?, and fish, as well as salt water and shell money, which passes current amongst them. The beaeh natives do almost entirely depend on the buah tribes for their supplies. These natives are not treacherous, but exceedingly revengeful. If a trader employs any native in his boat—which they generally 1 do as a boat's crew—and if any of these . natives are wounded or killed by any other i tribe while sailing the boat, the trader who i owes the boat is compelled to go himself, • leading a lot of natives frorr the village of 1 the deceased, to the town where he was ! killed, and thi 11 burn the town down, chop J up their canoes, and punish them severely. ! 'But if the trads.r does not take those steps, • his own life "? tnken for the ono which was loßt in hie service. The women tire nothing more or less than E mere slaves, frr on market days regiments ; of young maidens, naked, good-looking, f well-made, with fair features and a coppercoloured skin, are to be seen exposed fir 1 sale to the bjachmeu or traders residing ! ashore. It ia from this resource the beachl men, as well a3 moat of the traders obtain 1 their wives—in other words, "slaves"—and t I WB.B informed that the general market I value for a good-looking, clean-skinned, I healthy, and strong young damsel is two > trade mnskefcs, one tin powder (Jib.), and 3 ten sticks of tobacco, and then she is, for 3 better or for worse, the buyer's property foi . life a I have seen very few bash houses, but the I beach tribes houses' are roomy, healthy, and 1 substantial—built of bamboo and reeds. 1 The floors of some of them are raised about s three feet off the ground, with a bamboc t floor, covered with a coarse mat made out o: e cocoanut leaves. The natives are verj , clean in their h..'?'tg, and use lime on al t parts of their bodies where there is hail Ef growing, and its constant use barns the hail L- a rich golden colour. They are also veri !, fond of chewing "'bstal nut" and lime if which stains their teebli and mouths a dar! e brown colour. It fa the only unnatura it habit which exists amongst theru v with thi t> exception of cannibalism, in the eatable line I, It looks strange to see them walking alouj ic with a small grass made-bag in •one hand>r not unlike a tobacco pouch—and in the othe )f hand a betal «ut, which they dip in th ie lime and take a bite, like raciUhes and sal d with us. They are always chewing thi a betal nut, both men, women, aau children e. They live in general upon yams, fowls, an 10 their ep-;s—these fowls are very like th 3t European domestic fowl—which are plec s, tiful, as well ae yamE, tnros, bananae, an i- cocoanuts, and that ia their staple food, rs lam sorry to say such a noble-lookin ie race of people are cannibals, but, indeed ie they are, and of the very worst type, fc m, they eat one another, and I undersfcan of that there is not a market day which p£iss( to but some of the bush v/omen fall victims t se the cannibal appetites of the beach tribei The victim is toma'a? wked, cooked in baaan ! leaves, and then suten, and they alivaj

THE ISLAND OF MEW BRITAIN AND ITS INHABITANTS.

y prefer eating women to men. They taiikt fine canoes, some of them'eapable of holding thirty men in a heavy lump of a sea. They alao make large creels out of cane, which they_ uae for catching crawfish. A stranger coming close to the beach would wonder what these creels were, a , * they are in bt general hanging out of the trees over the I each drying in the sun, and they 10-ik at a distance verv like the large blackbird cages °" at home. These nafciv<s are indeed very it friendly to European.", and they offer traders of every indue-ment to st-ttle down amongst ,e. th<-m. Tb-ir great desire is to imitate »he £ Euiopean babita as much as possible, but I ' '. am sorry to say that the habits which they °f imitate are' of the worst type. With the 30 exception of ~ the. few ■ Fiji missionary. 11, teachers they do, not get many good exes amplea. The missionary teachers reijiding Je here are doing a great deal of good. These natives are now innooenfc and happy, rn bntlam afraid that in , the coarse of time! s > thpy will be corrupted, and become cute .and a. trtacherous. These suppositions I derive es from what has taken place with the natives i e of the New Hebrides abA Solomon Islands. If history be true, they were innocent and happy once, but now they are treacherous "° and full of vice, and in many islands disb, eased with diseases of the worst European te kind. I feel;ccrtain that if New Britain and - e New Ireland were annexed to some of onr gieat Christian powers, through time they ' wonld be a boon to that power. New n Britain, New Ireland, apd the adjacent isles I, are nearly as large as New Zealand, and for >f beauty and verdure they are undoubtedly ,f the Emeralds of the South. 's r^=^^=r^:^^ j LA TEST AMEHICAN GOSSIP. d : * ~ [FROM OOlt SPKOTAI, CORRESPONDENT.] a San Francisco, August 20.' e THE KNIGHT TEMPLARS'PARADE. S On the following Monday the town was v astir at an early hour, aud groups of knights, e with brilliantly-dressed women, went forth e into the streets, each having some appointed , e place from which to view the spectacle. ' We had to go hours before the appointed t time, in order to find places, and, in fact, In , J actariiblo through the dtnoe crowd was in 1 itself an uodert iking, eince all the cable : lines had broken under the severe pressure ' of double the number of passengers for j which space is alloted. Behold us, then, . wedged together closer thau peas in a pod, 3 elbowing, pushing, gasping, till our,seats *■ were gained.' Windows were at a premium, selling freely for £10 a window, and 8s and 12s for single seats. It was a curious sight 3 to look at the spectators alone, from base ■ ment to roof. Every house and store was ! filled; verandahs bent down beneath the weight of foolhardy sightseers ; while lamp- ( posts and telegraph poles were utilised by . the street gamins, who clung to them like [ bears or monkeys. Yet, in all the "apt ' multitude, not a disorderly or drunken person could be seen. The various devices i resorted to by those who could not procure [ seats were amusing. Some brought out . ahairs nnd sat on the sidewalk, or out iu the . middle of the street, until told to "move on" by the police. Some barrels, wita . planks resting on either end, did duty until , knocked down by tbe crowd; but every avaiJarls spot was eeized. by the delighted , crowd, who were all, iu the beat of humours , and on the tip-toe of expectation. I sat on , Market-street at a comfortable window, while a, splendid luncheon, set by our ; hostess, Mrs. Tregullis, helped to wile away the time in a delightful manner. That I hospitable lady e"er and anon through the , waiting houra presenting us with a' fraqrant cup of tea, or anything else we chose, so ■ that sightseeing under euch pleasant cir- [ cumstances becomes indeed enjoyable. I know of nothing more hateful than sitting for hours starving on the tip-toe of expec- ; t%tion, and the a more hours, still starving, , while the pageant'goes on, which was not ■ our fate on that oventful Monday. To givo a detailed account of the grand fihow would , take up too much space. Suffice i." to aaj ; that it was a magnificent spectacle, the Cali- , fornian knights far eclipsing those from the East, both in appearance and dress. Their accoutrements were of the finest, all ablaze with silver and gold, and the handsomest figuro among the crowd was our ex-Go-vernor, Graad Commander Sir George C. ; Perkins. His uniform was gorgeous, and ' his splendid white charger, caparisoned in [ crimson and gold, made a tout enscmbCe that showed Co advantage, and was singled ont , amid the enormous host of knights, number- . ing thousands. He rode.Lext Grand Master Dean, who also rode a white ateed, housed in trappings of purple a , J a gol.l. At the , other side rode Sir Reuben Lloyd, on a black charger, splendidly accoutred, and these j three figures abreast, with fc bevy of- Splendidly dressed aides behind Uiem. were the point of attraction. The sireet, from end , so end, was flanked at either side by a line of knights belonging to this State, between l which line t'ne visitors passed in bodies. Aa they rode they went through various i manoeuvres, forming crosses and squares, having, as it were, a sort of marching re- . view. The knights galloped up and down ; the lints, orders were shouted forth, and , loud cheers from the crowd filled the specj tatui'a with enthusiasm. One of the com- , manderies carried on a polo a living pagle, . who kept his winga widely spread during l the whole march, as if trained to do so. The magnificence of the banners is beyond [ description of any pen. They were made of t'je rio'iest satiu, exquisitely painted, and I laden down with heavy gold bu'rlisn fringe I and tassels half a f oot long. Our beautiful [ trade win'l, now at its height, which beats j the wild weird wind of Wellington, played . some wild pranks witli the banners, c.itcbing and hurling them to the ground, one being i so heavy that it took tweive men to lift it. j All the banners had scenes painted on one j side, principally of the Holy Land, eaval--5 cades of knights, and so on, while the j reverse side bore the name of the cominamlj ing aud State to which bjlon^ing.' THE EASTERN KNIGHTS i are about the poorest-looking specimens of 5 manhood I ever gazed upon. Take (iff their ! plurnea and regalia, and thpy look an army 3 of hod-carriers. Some few here and there r were. Gne-looking, but very few, and the 5 California men eclipsed them in toto. As. • they fame down the street in companies, ' bands of music a"t intervals, gorgeously 5 habited in brilliant colours and uolden ' effects, preceding each commanding, the • tight wos a most striking ono ; but, looking • into tlie faces of tho men, with an opera 9 glass, jou could hardly reconcile it to youtonscience that those common, unimellcc--1 tuallooking individuals gloried in the name 8 of "Sir Kniglit," each one of them. ' Digging in a field or scrabbing down a horse '" would, I should' judge, be an occupation r which would fit them to a T. If this bo the S flower of American manhood, and they are j ' from all parts of the States, give me the ' weeds every tune. The only thing enviable about them was their plumes. Such thou- *" sands of long white ostrich feathers, droop- • ing over tho3C male shoulders, set every ? wonwn'n heart benting, for. if there is ouo • more thau another we seek after in our r city it is feathers—that is, the general puiilic ir fern-de. For my own part, a satin bow Is good enough, but theso splendid plumes sent ° many an envious thrill through the hearts of a the iadies. [t THI? EASTERN LADIES 10 are not any better-looking than their jf spouses, and very inferior to our own haudy some girls, who arc noted for tbeir good 11 looks, albeit powder and paint help a great ir deal; but, '-hen, the visitors are just as ir much painted, aud br,ve not the ground ■y work to go upon. Tfcey aro a remarkably e, plain-looking crowd, 'take them' ob a_ whole, •k and, as to dress, do not, compare .with San al Francisco women, -w\o spare no expense on ie their personal appointments. To return to e. my programme. Tuesday and Wednesday jg were devoted to excursions on the' Bay and — rail; and such vile weather 1, It was"cold as ur mid-winter, dark and foggy, aad'maDy a ie half-smcthered anathema broke from the It lips of strangei-3 who had contracted, oven in iia that brief time, a real California sold, which n. is a determined influenza, in which eyes and id nose are for the time being turned into lie small water-mills. Every evening during n- tho week a promenade concort has been held id in the pavilion. , Oα Wednesday drill was held by tho knights, and there was also, a ng " broomstick" drill performed by sixteen d, yourjg iadies, under tho command of Captain or Mary , Stinson,. which .was , very well oxad ecutod. On Fridity another ■ ■■■ proceesion ies marched through the town,, and. to. the to Golden Gate Park, where the., first stone of 38. the Garfield monument was laid by,the na Masons of the State of California.:? • On ys Saturday a grand competitive- prize v : drill,

e and at night the distribution of prizes I g the pavilion. This being Saturday, and tt y day on which the mail goes, lam not in h position to state who won the prices, whic <r are models of beauty. T THE FIRST PRIZE " the "Mounted Knight and Column " Th a column is a »la.it of California onyx, roun which twines a wreath of silver vines, th grapes and ieires being oxidised 10 reprt g sei.t nature's colours. The capital, which i j. has on the amu'et four shields of gold g bearing quartz and other mineral specimens I four mulals in silver and gold are placei { - between" the shields representing minini a sC'-ni'S. The base has banners and arm ". made of silver and bronze, and the whole i [' crowned by a knight on horseback, made o F chiselled > brooze, silver and gold. Tin ' whole trophy etands four and a iialf fee high, and is a most magnificent specimen o [ art. '.■'' [ 1 , " THE SECOND TROPHY ■ ;is a plaque, the centre being a view o I Yosemite Falls engraved in gold of varioui hues. A narrow border of gold quart: I surrounds; the centre,, while a broadei , border, filled with medallions, entwined . with vines, is made of precious metals, a , silver ..bear, siirinouuting the whole, fur th< plaque stands ou an mal marl« of California . wood; in thefprni of two battle-axos crossec , with a sword. • THE/THIRD PRIZE ia called the''Globe and Knight iu Armour. , The globe being of burnished silver, represents the world, the State of California being a let-in of solid g01d... On the globe stands a knight of silver and gold. At the base, to the right, is a castle made ot gold quartz in tiny blocks, with silver flag and portcullis. ;. to the" left thred. tents in dead silver. Altogether, this is, a beautiful work of art, and there aro two others equally handsome. "' PAPERS IN DEMAND. This will conclude my description of the Conclave, which I hope may pnve inter.esting. One of the notable features of the wei k is the issue of the Chrouicle on Sunday, the 19th, which was a quadruple sheet (sixteen pages), in which was givtn a full history of Knight Templari-m from the earliest period. The sale was so enormous that there have been four' editions printed, and one edition went up from-the" original five cents first to ten, fifteen, and, finally, to twenty-five.cents. The newsboys made quite a pile, one boy netting £2 in one day. The week has passed over without a jar or an accident. , The different eommanderies have held receptions, and the" good feeling and hilarity that has reigned is worthy ol note, as such an> occasion, as this is ,rarely free from broils of some kind, but certainly the crowds here are the most orderly I ever saw, as I have often remarked before. AT THE MASQUERADE. To you who have nothing of the kind in your quiet community, die sight of the oharacters in our masquerades would startle, horrify, and shock a Jarge portion, particularly, those good ladies who think that even "Silver, Pen" is out of, reach all pardon for the terrible thinas ste writes about. Nevertheless, I am to describe the scene I saw a couple of weeks ago. The La/ masque was given in tbe pavilion, which was superbly decorated for the occasion. The seats for spectators were covered with the brightest crimson, while hundreds of banners waved over the scene, and thousands of gas jets lit up the magnificent dressc glittering with gold, silver, and diamonds. The grand march was sompoeed not only of maskers, but l>uge chariots and wooden steedf, mounted by living figures, pranced round the hall; how I cannot tell, but there they were, as life-like as possible. Most curious are the characters represented, and fabulous prices are paid for dresses, while imagination is tixed to the uttermost for these balls. The list of prizes given for the best" dressed, most original, best- sustained characters, &c., are costly and numerous. There wjs a headless Zouave, who, for a horriblo" sight, beat all others. It was a Zouave dressed in uniform, but headless, the blood streaming down the mutilated neck. He carried before him a large tray, on which-lay a white bloodstained napkin, and on this the ghastly head. He walked about all "night with his hortlble tray, and, of course, took, a prize. Then there was a coffin reared up against .the wnll,' ia which a young girl was laid out, eh'rouued and lifeless, to all intents, and purposes, never blinking &u eyelid from 8 to 12, when the maskers are relieved from duty. A bronze statue was the most wonderful and beautiful thing I ever eaw, with face, hands, and bare feet bronzed, hair ditto, and drarery exquisitely arranged and bronzed. This poor woman sat immovable for four hours. So wonderful wae the deception, that people merely looked at it, thinking it part of the decorations. A Venus, whitened to the semblance of marble, etood on her pedestal in the same manner. There was also a picture of " Young California"—that is, sin enormous frame on wheels was drawn about the room, in whioh a splendid female form posed as in the picture—that is, she rests one arm on a eword, while the other is thrown upwaid over her head. Her long fair hair partially hid her shoulders, but leaving one,side in a state of nature. This was a wonderfully artistic character, reminding me strongly of Etty'e pictures from life. "Matrimony" was clever. One side of the woman was dressed aa r, bride ; the other id poor garmento, with a baby'swathed in aa old shawl. How true it is that the men do often give us these two sides' of double life. Thnre was a Cupid—the most perfectly fanned woman in the town— dress- J in white eilk. ti«htf, and nothing else. It. makes one feel plad tint a mask conceals the blushes that will arise when the gentler sex so far ferget themselves a's to make such a flis-pUy before thousands of eyes. One character, a bundle of straw, was vety original; al&o a waterlily aud a milk-can, a clock going on wheels, a .gauze cupboard enclosiog a grinning skeleton; '"No cupboard without a skeleton ,, f-or a motto. Artiste, whose dresses were beautifully painted, thf fringe composed of paint brushes, tl" ornaments, dozens ot small, bottles .of powder colour. A. man in a canoe, who paddled round the room all night—"Puddle your own canoe." A washerwoman, who ,in<?.utrioualy washed for four hours, an iror.er; for it is necessary to keep up your oharacter in or-ler to secure a prize. There was a woman dressed in knives and forks, another in spoons, sewed on canvas. Another was dressed in clothes-pegs, and she, indeed, was a perfect nuisance, for her pegs rattled like dead men's bones' as she waltzed round aud round. Roosters, bears, elephants—in fact, at a grand masquerade ihere is nothing that is not represented, and nothing seems original any more. The prize;, away are so haudaome that they warrant any amount of display. They comprise diamon.l jewellery, gilt tea services, chains, watches, &c. A dentist in' the city always takes firnt prize tor Rcailemen, and he has already eight splendid watchea with chains. Odo lady had awarded cne velvet case with 17'2 pieces of eilvr and cutlery. Therefore, taking the points into consideration, the cud justifies the outlay. MY PRIZES. II is hard to be obliged to trumpet your own fume, but, then, since I have no one to do it for me, why I cannot refrain. Severul months ago a prize was offered for the beet poem on "The Per, Cigarette." As usual, evory child 1 have pestered mo to "go for it," aa they declared 1 "should -win. The tobacco mu3e did not descecd, aud I never gave tho matter a.thought till one day I happened to see in a window, plvjed upon a large silver' tray, a very hanrlaome silver ooffee and tea service. Tliij was the cigarette prize, and I felt how d- ligluful it would be ouce more to drink out of the precious metal, a brown porcelain teapot having ,done duty- for a long time. So J wrote my poem, to my children's great i delight, and then forgot all' about it. 1 i must say that, being possessed of some self j conceit, I felt euro of winning that set, anc 7 in fancy drank from the silver vessels. And 1 I wa3 correct, ■ for a few days ago the ce' 3 came up, though all thought of it had fler. i my memory long-ago. In fact, I though' 0 there would not be fair dealing displayed 1 Of course, 1 feel a little proud, as withii i four years I have won twa silver sets I one bronze medal, and tht-ee diplomas fc 0 poems, wax flowers, and painting on vood— ?■ an invention of my own. I have tried to b 1 as humble as possible over the recital, whii s I only mako because I know it will,pleas a some of my old friende. lam,dail> hopin q that a rich husband may be written for, o d a house and lot, or for any trifle of tha - kind I am willing to try my luck. M i lotter has come to a close. All news give o way this month to the Conclave, and we ar if in suoh a chronio state of excitement that i e would be impossible to think of any thin n else even if we had it to think about. 1 ( J'i/.;,■■.■,,..'. - '...■■'■.- Silver Pen.