NELSON DIAMOND JUBILEE

New Zealand Mail, 5 February 1902, Page 32

NELSON DIAMOND JUBILEE

CELEBRATION CEREAIONIES

(By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) NELSON, February 3. The jubilee of Nelson ten years ago was successfully celebrated, and the ' citizens have felt, that they should mark the sixtieth anniversary with even greater eclat, for it seemed to them that i this was an epoch marking entry into a : period of permanent progress and steadier prosperity. Hence this present i week of carnival celebration, begun in ; true British fashion with religious ser- | vices on Sunday in all the churches, | which were crowded. ! The weather promises to he consistently fine. For Sunday and Monday it was brilliant, though sultry. It is cloudy at : present, probably because of tho heat, i There has been an extremely large in- ! flux of visitors. Tho steamers have been ! crowded for a week past, and accommo- ; dation has become scarce. It is thought , that there some three or four thousand ! visitors in the city, and some doubt is expressed whether tho attendance of visitors is larger than it was in 1892. Though there are not moro strangers about, yet a greater number of people formerly connected with Nelson havo come hack for the celebrations. There is scarcely a house in town which does not accommodate a friend or relative It is stated that fully 1500 persons hooked passages from New Plymouth Wanganui and Wellington, while many moro came from the West Coast. The Jubilee Committee has expended £IOOO on the celebrations, and different societies _ nearly a similar sum. The result promises to he remunerative and tho effect of the arrangements is certainly very fine.

This morning the gala week was ushered in by a salute of sixteen guns by H Battery. Afterwards a special commemorative servico was held on tho Anghcan Cathedral steps by Bishop Mules and others. This had particular interest jfrom the fact that at the time ?L th ° W TT affair the hill whereon f!^'fi ICtra . 11 stands was hastily fortified against an anticipated Alaori attack which never cam© off.

A close holiday was observed in consequently the sides of the streets at its foot wero if,, pomts of vantage with Iml, i lned at a U clad in the lightest sun was scorchingly hot mt’ for ttr" tuted one of the largest gather!* C ° Dsti ' seen in Nelson. Dow? at?,"" crowd Volunteers in varied uS™ th ® shining accoutrements, m the sunlight, stood ranked 4 banners and regalia of frienHlt T ? 9 ties lent further colour to tfe lcene 16 - With the clergy on the steps were k Premier and Airs Seddon r * Ward, the Hon c! H * and Art Mills, Colonel Pitt, AI.L C ’Ah- p 3 ham Al H.R. and local bodies. After the Benediction had been Denounced a procession moved off, led by the Garrison Band and Volin teers The City Councillors followed', preceding the Premier and others Jll occupied carriages. Among the visitor was Captain Rich, R.N., of HATq S Ringarooma, which, with H.AI.S Lizard arrived in time for the celebrations ’ Julia Alartin, known as the Grace' ' Darling of Maoriland, was given a sue cial place in a carriage. She wore V somewhat bizarre combination of a modern black silk dress, with a Maori mat . Suspended over, her shoulders and around her black locks was a spray of English passion vine, and in her hair were stuck the huia feathers of a rangatira. ■

There was a contingent of Alaoris, all men, and all dressed in European garb. Following carriages which contained representatives of local bodies came the great feature cf the procession—three car-loads of old settlers. The one hundred and fifty veterans who filled the carriages were but a fragment of the heroic men and women who laid the foundations of the settlement.which now numbers some 37,000 people. The onlookers, with uncovered heads, cried “Honour the old,” and cheered tho ancient folk.

Another feature of the procession was a ten-bullock team yoked to an old-time waggon.

Friendly societies made a brave show with banners, and they were followed by a largo crowd of school children. The procession was long, but somewhat straggling. It took ten minutes to pass a given point at a fair pace. The streets were splendidly decorated. Trafalgar street was festooned with small flags. These were fastened to buildings and poles erected in midstreet. About the poles and verandah posts there was a great abundance of palm and fern fronds. Other streets were decorated with flags. Several firms beautified the front of their buildings. Sclanders and Co. had about the best display. They arranged a small garden, with a fountain in the centre of it, on the top of their verandah. Proceeding to the Botanical Reserve the assemblage was addressed by the Premier, Sir J. G. "Ward, Air Mills, Colonel Pitt and Air Graham. Sir J. G. Ward, who made his first speech to the Nelson public, created a very favourable impression. He said, inter alia, that if the Victoria College Council would bring a resolution before Cabinet that they could not find a site at Wellington for the University buildings he was sure an offer from Nelson to provide a site gratis would receive favourable consideration. This statement was greeted with loud applause. Air Graham’s speech was of a patriotic nature. He is one of the nativeborn. and lie prophesied a great future for Nelson now that the harbour works were begun, and tlie Midland railway lands were being unlocked. Luncheon was served for the old settlers, and about 150 sat down to, fu» tables. The Premier dropped in at tne luncheon for a while with Sir J. • Ward and Air Afills, and all addressed the settlers. Air Seddon proposed toast of “The Pioneers.” Air Willi*? Songer, replying as the only represen tive present of the three survivors of expedition which had come in ad van of the settlers, and as the man vho first hoisted the British flag over the tlement, gave interesting reminiscence of the early times. _ At one o’clock athletic and cycling sports commenced at Trafalgar There was a record attendance a sports. During the afternoon seven minor .accidents happened to oy Watson, of Christchurch, and Bradley, of Wellington, fell in the fi" al a of + ;“ Jubilee Wheel Race, through » exploding. Both were shaken, not able to compete further. /Weiare the outside winners v lington), Cash Mile, Jubilee W 1 . and Cash Three Miles; Boyd (Chr’si church), Amateur Mile Champio g Three-mile Handicap, and dead-Jea with Whitefield in two miles running, Alorris, Cash 100yds and 220yds. During tho evening the streets ™ crowded. There was a torchlight P cession by the firo brigade. all . c * of fireworks, under the auspi . +j ir ew Jubilee Committee. The warsb Ptheir searchlight on the 6' hills with fine effect. „„tanineThe weather at present.is threat^ A Palmerston North rink has bea^ local players, but the h°wh g . ment does not cominenco t row. ' are bcinS Tho Ministers of the Crown ar entertained at a banque..