PORT CHALMERS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 4020, 6 January 1875, Page 5 (Supplement)

PORT CHALMERS.

«. i° fes^lval <>* ftthe year;was duly observed at the Port. < Strict holiday, was kept, arid a general and praiseworthy desire to make the most ofthe occasion by easting the cares of everyday lifa on one side »o-:indu]ge in necesstry relaxation of mind and body, and so derive strength to prosecute the work of another year, was manifested by high and ldw. The holiday was disposed of in a variety of ways, al fresco amusement having the preference, and if we say that the Port was out of town for the day,we shall not be very wide of the truth. The Caledonian Games were of course a potent attraction that induced a great many people indeed to take train early in the day and wend their way Dunedin wards. Of local amusements there was no stint, and chief amongst them was the annual POET CHALMERS PICNIC, Whicli, initiated some five years ago by tho bachelors of the Port, has since been sustained year by year with increasing success and public favour. The. latest of these-gatherings—on Friday last—was a very marked success indeed, lhanks to the energetic efforts and good management of the Committee, which consisted of the following gentlemen :—Messrs Menelaus, Taylor, Mount, Downes, Elmor, Fairley, Metcalf, Mill, VI atson, Cameron, Clark, and Leek—iuvitations were issued to all principal residents of the Port, and met with ready response, so that at one period of the day quite 300 persons — men, women, and children—were assembled on the groipids. of My md Mrs £can, at the Rocks, overlooking the Tort. Most liberal preparations had been made for the entertainment of the numerous guests by the Committee. A large platform covered by an awning had been erected for the use of those who inclined to sacrifice at the shrine of Terpsichore. Good high swings were provided for the delectation of the young fqlkij, nnd then there were quoits for those who favoured that time-honoured same, whilst muscular Christianity found an outlet for its superfluous energy in the races and other games that constituted part of the programme of the proceedings, refreshments there were in abundance, and to spare, laid out ont on tables in a large tent, aiid hence, with the material of so muoh enjoyment at hand, not one that attended tlio picnio failed to obtain liis, or her, as the | case happened to be, full meed of gratification. The weather favoured th<* occasion until the afternoon was far advanced, and then the proceedings were brought to a close an hour or two sooner than otherwise would have beon the caso by.a whim of Jupiter PJnvius. Thick, moist, and light rain, the pveoui'sor of the heavy weather of the succeeding night, oame ou, and so terminated the Bachelors' Picnic of 1875 —three cheers for Mr and Mrs Lean being given as the assemblage was breaking up. GOOD TEMPLAE PICNIC. The Gppd Temples of tlie Borfc elected to spend the day on tlie greeu sward rather than to attend the Caledonian Games or go afloat on a sea excursion. At the last meeting of the Lodge All Nations, it was resolved to organise a picnic for tho New year, and a Committee, conrt' st'"!sT °' Sisters Monson, Shiny, and Jone?, and Brplliprs Monsoji, Dgwiies, Grey, Stevens. lynd Kermode, was appointed to'sifrango preliminaries. Well and faithfully was that duty performed Q'ppd stgre of good things was provided, and a commodious.tcnfc to povcy tliem in. The indispensable swing for the use of the little people" was also there, and material for the prosecution or games common at picnics. The site selected for the day's " camping out" was the Corporation Recrei/tion Ground, and there on New Year's forenoon some twa hundred people, including many'from Dunedin, assembled, bent on extracting f rom Nature - still the purest of all delights—a thorough good outing, wiih sunshine and fresh air for companions. The day .passed most delightfully until late in j the afternoon, when the iv'eatlu'r circumstances mentioned elsewhere, broke up the nuity. However, the disunion was only for a short time, for the good folks reassembled again at the Masonic Hall in the evening, and spent several pleasant jiouis in a varied entertainment- of singinc, vending-!, recitation, and dancing. •-' * ' T' WESIjEYAN SCHOOL TREAT. With their wonted kind consideration for the happiness and well-being of the lambs of the flock, the Wesleyaas of the Port made anaiisrtsineuts for giving the Sunday school children a treat on New Year's Day. A pipnio was organised, and Ilebcrab Bay selected hs the foregathering place. Thither the children, numbering nearly one hundred, with their teachers and many of their friends, wended their way along the.good road that now skirta the edge ofthe harbour, rout on arriving' at Uie «r.,ssy knoll ohusen as the site of the mcetii.g, disposed themselves for amusement. The elder hoys played cricket, the younger children ran races, and played games suitable to their ages, and last, but not least, partook, to their hearts' content; of the many good ihmgs provided for their delectation. A l<ye.-.k r up' earlier than 'was anticipated was necessitated by the weather,' and the party returned by the way it went, thoroughly gratified with the events of the day. WISCEtT.-AXEOUa. Several private picnic parties wore organised, and led to a desertion of hearths and homes for ! the time being. One of these parties selected the far corner of Deborah Bay as a trysting place, and the members in due course found themselves there with a heterogeneous flolleot-ioii of baskets and kits, bundles, hnd a largi cauldron, and a small tea-kettle, for the brewing of anything that might ho decided upon. We have now to relate some of the miseries of pienhkihg. commencing with an abominable waste (of physical power •; first of all on a search for a suitable camping place, and then in convoying to it the p^mphenialin. above inptitiQiiei.l. Perspiring bi'ows'anct gasping exclamations bore evidence to the severity of the task ; and then came tiie unpacking, which process was interspersed with ejaculations of alarm at the now and then discovery that something ! had been left behind, Xt- grieves us to gtr v to that notwithstanding the wiuespreaii influence cf cur brethren of tlio Temperance movement, tlio most aoute distress was manifested by several degenerate menibers of the party when it became known that, owing to an oversight on the part of tlie caterer of tlie liquids, lint a (lrop pf arjic* vittv hn.il becti provided fpr medicinal 'purposes. This was serious indeed, especially as oil a of tlio gentlemen discovered signs of great exhaustion, and vowed that bis medical adviser had strictly prescribed best "three-star" for him when so aff- cted. The dilemma evoked several remedial propositions, one qf which was to' organise a boarding party and levy tribute by force from one of the ships lying off Deborah. Other counsels, however, prevailed, especially \\:hen the unpacking of a plethoric basket—provided by "a jovial son of Neptune—revealed its contents''to he No. 2'of prime-quality. It mi^ht be r-fclafced how a salad was concocted under grav-i difficulties, how thistle leaves would become mixed with the lettuce, and how the latter was found to be not wanting in insect parasites. Then camo the spreading forth of the viands and thjlr atkactiun to the fties of the period, great apd small. Kindling a firo and the production of hot water in the cauldron above mentioned waa entrusted to the skill of a gentleman not lacking legal attainments, and very ably he discharged the duty, and afterwards presided at tlie salad bowl in what, under other circumstances, would have been an impossible position. Tfto parve a quarter of lamb kneeling fell to ihe lot of a nautical Friend, and we oari only hope that he enjoyed himself ; whilst another of mixed acquirements, a sort of hybrid, did duty as waiter, snatching meanwhile a fearful and hasty meal. Libations to Bacchus were poured into teacups and tea into saucers, and general inconvenience, pronounced delightful by tho ladies, prevailed. Then came a smail iioatiiig excursion. Tiie way a certain boat that savoured of painter's work was overloaded was grievous to contemplate. But worst of all, when the boat reached a point far removed, let us hope, from the l;en of n- t an, the occupants changed places. Two ladies were made to labour at the oars whilst ofthe two male lubbers in attendance one sat on the after thwart regarding the af teroarswoman with cruel gaze, whilst the other reclined with patriarchal grace in the headsheets, ready to receive the bow-oarswomau in case she caught a crab. This littlo episode of the day came to a termination' without —strange to say— a capsize, and then the clerk of the weather frowning upon the party compelled it to beat a hasty retreat. BLUESKIN. A great many peoplo were out hero on New Year's Day (writes our correspondent), more than T have ever seen or heard of before, and the clatter of coaches, cabs, buggies, &c, was incessant on the load from early in the morning-. The main attraction was the Good Templars' picnic in Mr P. C. Neill's paddock, wliich that gentleman had kindly granted the use of- for the occasion. The Good Templars, with their friends, must have mustered about (100 at the lowest estimate, and havipg formed in procession and marched thyovigh the township, headed by a brass band from the Port, what with tlie banners and badges of ofiice which many of the brethren wore, the scene was a very lively one In procession wo noticed Bro. Andrews, i G.W.C.T.; Bro. Mills, G.W.S.; Bro. J. A. D. ■ Adams, G.W.0.; and Bro. Carr. G.W.M.; the • District Lodgo and Degree Temple officers ; and officers and members in large numbers from the i Pioneer of Dunedin, Pride of Dimedin, British : Hearts of Oak, Guiding Star, Waikouaiti, and ; All Nations Lodges ; while visitors from a nnm- ■ ber of other Lodges' from a distance were also i present. The children in attendance at the Meri ton, Mount Oargill, arid Waitati Schools were i also well represented, A very pretty banner at - the head of the procession, and a number of ; floral devices emblematic of the leading prins ciples of the Order, were borne aloft by the willing hands of some younger brothers. r The day being fine and the place chosen secluded - and attractive, it was a pretty sight to notice tlie , way in'which the people broke up into small I parties and carried out their separate amuse- ) inents. The luncheon provided by the members ,' of the Pride of Waitati Lodge.' free, was an 1 abundant and good one, a pig, amongst the * other good things, weighing over lOOlbs, having s been roasted whole in Mr Proctor's oven, and i cut up on the ground. Visitors from Dunedin, Port Chalmers,, and along the road as far i as Palmerston, were present, and universal en.oytiiepit \vii's the order pf tlie day. In

the^evening'a.concert and. dance -took' place m the school-house; Mr C.. de L. Graham .in-- the chau-,•■: :; that gentleman^ -stating in his -opening remarks 'that he was surprisedto see. such an assemblage .considering :theyouth of the Lodge, for when instituted the num-! ber of_members was only 17, and now there were rf" ji •? re Sretted sincerely that tlie Worthy Urand could not be present through other business engagements. The Chairman continued his remarks by advocating the cause of the Order, and concluded by regretting his inabihty to have been present at the pic-nic. Of the singers, Mr M'Connel and Mr Lawson were the most deservedly, applauded and encored, home recitations were given in a creditable manner, and dancing kept up to an early hour concluded the programme; but unfortunately tor the break up heavy rain set in about 10 at night. There were several other pic-nics in choice snug places, and sports near io Carey's Hotel, at whioh there was only a limited attendance owing to counter attractions.