VICE-REGAL BALL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14110, 12 July 1909, Page 6

VICE-REGAL BALL.

THE VISITING WARSHIPS.

OFFICERS ENTERTAINED.

A small informal, but very enjoyable, dance was given by Their Excellencies the Governor and Lady Plunket at Government House on Saturday evening. The entertainment was arranged in honour of the captains and officers of H.M.S. Challenger and H.M.S. Encounter, ■ at present lying in Auckland Harbour, and the' naval uniforms of these guests made ail agreeable variety in the ballroom to the conventional black garb of the civilians.

Every possible arrangement for the con- J venience of the guests had been made, I and the reception rooms looked very pretty and homelike, brilliantly lit and effectively decorated for the occasion. The beautiful white ballroom was bright with a blaze of white light, under which the dresses of the ladies, the polished floor, the soft green of trailing lycopodium and branching fern used for decoration, and the rich reds of hangings and carpetings showed to great advantage. The stage at one end of the ballroom was screened off by heavy curtains of deep claret velvet, and below this were placed the seats reserved for the use of Their Excellencies and the house party. The other end of the room, deeply carpeted in red, provided seating accommodation for the majority of the guests, while also a narrow platform running the length of the room on either side gave further resting places. Warm royal red is the keynote of colour in Government House, and' the handsome drawing-room in this tone was beautifully decorated with huge growing palms and masses of pure white flowers; the diningroom, in which supper was set, repeating the came scheme of colouring. The supper table itself was delicately decorated with fine trails of lycopodium, and tall vases of paper- narcissi and growing plants, placed in splendid jardinieres of gold and of silver plate, completed the floral decoration. The "clou" of the scheme, however, was v the magnificent branching candelabras of gold, which were disposed in the centre of the supper table. These four splendid pieces are authenticated as former possessions of Napoleon, and were presented to Lady Plunket by | her father, the late Lord Dufferin.

Their Excellencies entered the ballroom at nine o'clock, when the official set of lancers opened the dance. In, this Lady Plunket danced with Captain ,da Costa, His Excellency with Mrs. Colomb, Miss Hill with Captain Colomb, Mrs. Archibald Clark with Colonel Tuson, Mrs. E. D. O'Rorke with Commander Lnxmoor, Mrs. J. F. Studholme with Commander Grant, Mrs. W. H. Parkes with Mr. A. Clark, and Mrs. 0. Bloomfield with Captain Gathorne-Hardy. Lady Plunket wore a handsome gown of bamboo-brown supple satin, the skirt cut in a narrow tunic style, the corsage draped with valuable lace, and further trimmed with folds of velvet several tones darker than the tint of the satin. In her hair was worn a fine tiara of diamonds.

Mrs. Colomb was gowned in an exquisite robe of wh : Brussels net, richly inset with lace and elaborated with sprays of pastel-pink chiffon roses, and naturalcoloured chiffon foliage, while the whole gown was: showered with delicate diamante embroidery. A diamond ornament was worn in the coiffure. Miss Hill (of the house party) was in creamy charmeuse, the draped corsage finished with lace and narrow bands 'of copper-coloured galon. Mrs. • Stud holme wore black eatin draped" over an underskirt of black net posed upon silver; Mrs. O'Rorke, white satin, with gold ornaments fastening the white chiffon draperies of the bodice; Mrs. Parkes, white chene silk patterned with a floral design in pastel-pink and blue; Mrs. G. Bloomfield, white satin, with gold embroidered bands; Mrs. Archibald Clark, mole-coloured chiffon over salmon pink. Miss Clark wore white, and Miss Isabel Clark an elegantly cut frock the end of the week.

Satin, in its several varieties, was, with few exceptions, the favoured fabric, and white was selected by a number of the ladies present. Mrs. Waterikld wore a trained gown of oyster-white with raised white silk embroidered motifs; Mrs. E. Horton's white satin gown had silver trimming upon the corpage; Miss Roie Nathan's draped satin skirt had a short bodice of chalk-white chiffon gauged on silver thread; Miss Kirker and Miss Daisy Benjamin also wore whit©. Miss Gorrie wore lemon-yellow crepe de chine with gold ' lace; Miss Gwen. Gorrie, dark cream silk mousseline; Miss Gwen. Nathan, Empire toilette of willow-green supple satin; Miss Prickitt, pale pink silk muslin over pink silk; Miss Holland, coral pink taffetas": Miss E. Holland, turquoiseblue silk; Mrs. Guy Williams, vieux-rose Empire gown with soutache trimming; Mies Kate Devore, cream Limerick laco aver primrose silk; Mrs. Guinness, ivory filet net and lace robe; Miss Moss Davis, pale blue ninon; Mies Browning, white chiffon and lace; Miss Lulu Browning, rose-petal pink striped silk; Miss Ida Thompson, pale pink satin; Miss Nellie Thompson, eau de nil silk; Miss Towle, Saxe blue princes gown in channeuse; Miss M. Towle, Nile-green silk; Miss Jessie Reid, white tatin with blue and" white embroidery upon the cor-

sage. * The dance concluded at 12 o'clock with the playing of the National Anthem. . The official list of invited guests is as follows: — i Captain da Costa and the officers H.M.S. Challenger, Captain Colomb and the officers H.M.S. Encounter. Mr. G. Bloomfield, Mrs. G. Bloorafield, Mons. Boeufve, Mies Benjamin, Captain Boscawen, Mrs. Boscawen, Dr. H. D. Bnfßftford, Miss uoult, Mr. Noel Bamford, Miss Browning. • \ Mr. A. Clark, Mrs. A. Clark, Messrs. N. and R. Clark, Mrs. Colbeck, Mr. Colbeck, Mr. H. Cotter, Miss Cotter, Mrs. H. C. Clark, Mr. H. C. Clark, Mr. M. C. Cor'bett, Mrs. P. H. Colomb. Messrs. C. 'V. and G. Dargaville, Mrs. R. A. Dargavnie, Miss Moss Davis, Miss Devore, the Misses Dyer, the Misses Dawson.• - •-

Miss Fowlds, Mr. G. M. Fowlds, Messrs. R. and C. Fen ton.

Mr. J. Gilfillan, the Misses Gilfillan, Mr. D. Gorrie, the Misses Gorrie, Mr. G. C. Gorrie, Mrs. G. C. Gorrie, Mr. A. Gordon, Mrs. A. Gordon, Dr. Guinness, Mrs. Guinness, Mr. S. Thome George. Mr. E. Horton, Mrs. E. Horton, the Misses Holland.

Judge Kettle, Mr. D. Kettle, Mr. C. Klette,

Sir Robert Lockhart, Lady Lockliart, Miss Lloyd. Miss Mills. . '

Mr. L. M. Nathan, Miss Nathan, Miss Roie Nathan. Mr. C. J. Nathan, Captain Noyes, Mrs. Noyes. Mr. E. D. O'Rorke, Mrs. E. D. O'Rorke. Miss Prickitt, Dr. Parkes, Mrs. Parke?. Mr. R. Rathbone, Mrs. R. Rathbone, Mr. Reid, Miss Reid.

Mr. Studholme, Mrs. Studholme. The Misses Towle, the Misses Thompson, the Misses Tole.

Mr. C. A. Whitney, Mrs. Whitney, Mr. J. D. Williamson, the Misses Williamson, Mr. Guv Williams, Mrs. Guy Williams, Mr. H. E. Worsp, Mr. J. G. Worsp.