THE "Wellington Independent." Saturday, January 24, 1852.

Wellington Independent, Volume VII, Issue 656, 24 January 1852, Page 3

THE "Wellington Independent." Saturday, January 24, 1852.

ANNIVERSARY FETE. Thursday, January the 22nd, the Anniversary of the arrival of the first Settlers in this Colony, was celebrated, as many of our readers are aware, by a llegatta and Rural Sports; a detailed account of which we purpose to givo, premising, however* that notwithstanding the shortness of the time allowed for the preparation of tho sports, the open opposition of some, and. the dismal forebodings of others, which last being a disease of a contageous character, we were not surprised to see tlmt our contemporary, on tho preceding day exhibited somo symp- , tom-sof infection; wesay, notwithstanding

all this, the sports, both aquatic and rural, were of tho most spirited unci exciting description: the weather, on the occasion was most auspicious, and a gleam of satisfaction und joy beamed universally on the feces of the innumerable spectators who had come to witness or take part in the various sports, pastimes, and amusements which the managers of the Fete, aided by tho subscriptions of their townsmen, had so liberally provided for them. The Anniversary was celebrated, and that too in a manner, if we are to bulie\e tho testimony of experienced and credoble witnesses, which had never been seen before. The Aquutie Sports were opened by the WHALE BOAT RACK. First Prize _iLIO ; Second Prizo £2. The following boats were entered :— Me. K. ltoe's I'lavbe 1 Mr. Jlumly's Litci/ Xml 2 Cujiti'in Clcmincm's Exadstur 3 This was decidedly one of the best pulling matches ever witnessed. The Phirbe was steered in the most admirable style by Hector M'Donald of Otaki, and was manned by five shore whalers, the Lucy Neat was. steered by Mr. Handy, chief officer of the American Whaler, Lewis, and was manned by seamen be longing to that ship. The Boats started from Hiekson's Wharf, and went twice round a Hug boat moored off Pipitea Point, and all the vessels in harbour. The race wns well contested, Port -Nic beating Brother Jonathan by only a few seconds. The Excelsior came in a good third. SKIFF AND DINGY RACE. The following boats were entered to contcrjd for a prize of £4, and a second prize of £2. Mr. C. Mills' Hup,: E. I. Curtis' Mystery 11. Burltiope's Yankee Doodle T. Waters' Fairy. Previous to starling, Mr. R.J. Curtis's Mystery broke her tiller, and did not therefore come to the scratch. For the first tack or two, the Fairy took the lead, closely followed by the Hope, and Yankee Doodle; the Hope, however, soon drew ahead of her opponent, which position she kept throughout the race. On passing the flag boat the first time, their positions were, Hope Ist; Fairy 2nd; and Yankee Doodle, 3rd. After this time, the race was ail in favour of the Hope, she running away from her competitors; and the Fair// refusing to go about, Yankee Doodle bid fair to take the second place. Soon after this, the Fairy carried away her mast, and the Yankee Doodle won the second prize. The Hope was beautifully handled, was in excellent trim, and won easily. The Fairy seemed out of trim altogether, her sails set badly, and the unfortunate circumstance of breaking her mast altogether precluded her from any chance in the race. The Yankee Doodle was exceedingly well handled, went about like a top, and in beating to windward appeared to have the advantage of her competitors, but she had no speed. This race, although an interesting one, was not, in our opinion, so good as those which have taken place at previous regattas. LICENSED WATERMAN'S BOATS, Pull«d by two meu, and no steerers, Ist Prize £-1 Second Prize, £1. Entrance os. H. Martin's Jans 1 J. Honghton's Fly 2 W. M'Keuzio's Oyster Jack 3 Mr. Lambert's Dolphin 4 This was a good race ; all the boats were well pulled ; and it was at one time uncertain which of the two winners would carry off the prizo ; but after an admirably contested race the Jane and Fly came in first and second, Oyster Jack making a good third, leaving the Dolphin in the rear. Lewis and Douglas two of the men who pulled the Phabe hi the whaleboat race, were the boatmen of the Jane, in the watennens race, and were thus the lucky and deserving winners of both races. ■ . . SAILING MATCH.

For decked vessels of 20 tons, ani under, prize £JlO. Secouil Prize;, £ : > 10. Eutraiice IDs. Mr. F. K.-Allou's General Puhner .... 1 • Lieut. Hutchiiison's Flying Dutchman 2 Mr. B. ltilley's Emma Jane 3 Mr. Taylor's Sea Belle dis. More interest was manifested in this race than in any of its predecessors. Some little discussion at the time of entry occurred about the propriety of allowing Lieut. Hutchiuson's boat to enter for this race, she not being a cargo-boat, and her build being of a peculiar and novel description, but in the end the whole of tho competitors manfully waved their objections. Tub Sea Belle from the lightness of the breezo in part, and in part from her want of sufficient canvass, had uo chance from tho first, and the race consequently lay between the other throe . . , In starting the Emma Jane took the lead, closely followed by tho General Palmer, and Flying Dutchman. After a time the General Palmer was seen sweeping ahead of tho Emma Jane which example the Flying Dutchman made many unsuccessful attempts to imitate. The position of the vessels on passing the goal the first time round was as follows, General Palmer, Ist; Emma Jane, 2nd; Flying Dutchman, 3rd; but in beating up to the flag-boat moored off Pipitea point the General Palmer ommitted to go round tho Midlothian, according to the conditions, which disqualified her for the race; notwithstanding which she proceeded ou her courso and came in first. In coming down before the wind the second time round the Dutchman, from her light draught glided gracefully by the Emma Jane, and tho latter, though exceedingly woll managed, was unable to recover her position, coming in however a very good .third.

The Maori Canoe Ruce, for a purse of ■ £10, concluded the aquatic sports. This i race without exception wits one of the : most picturesque, interesting, and excit- : ing spectacles ever witnessed. Three cmioew eiilered, all belonging to Peloni, though one of them was paddled by men belonging to the pah at To Aro. Tho canoes kept company throughout the race, which was admirably contested, the two first of them coming in contact with euch other only a few fathoms length from the flag-bout fit the wharf. All the men weie naked to the waste, and they kept time with their paddles, us they dipped them in the calm waters, to the gestures of two men standing upright in each of the canoes for that purpose. On the whole it was as animated, and as plousing a scene it could bo possible to witness, and will long be remembered by all who saw it. THE RURAL SPORTS As had been previously arranged, came off on Te Aro Flat, the (irst of which was a Shinty Match, between 11 men under Mr Sutherland and 11 more under Mr. Barry, the play was spirited on both sides, but in the end, the prize, £3, was won by Mr. Sutherland's party. (jingling Match, No. I, Gingler, J. Watson, against 8 blindfolded Maories; a lively game but soon over; won by Peter. Gingling Match, No. 2, between H. Wouldam, and seven or eight lads, and two children of a larger growth, was a much longer game, but not so lively a one as the first, and was won by the Gingler. The Foot Race, for which eight men entered, was won by Copsiake of the Goth Regt., the Foot Hurdle Rack was won by Gelhauy, also a private soldier. The Leaping Match, over t> "cat gallows," was one of the most interesting and best contested of the rural matches. After a sharp contest had been going on for some time between Gelhany and Greenwood, both making excellent leaps, Tidswell, one of the Band, rushed in and leaping higher than either, ran off with the prize. The Frog Leaping Race, for a prize of £1 was also a very amusing and interesting race, the competitors leaped on their hands and toes along a course over a rail, and back again to the winning post with amazing speed, two of the ; men, Greenwood und Barrow, came in so' rieor together it would have been almost impossible for any one besides the judges to have decided which was the winner. The decision however was unhesitatingly given in favour of Barrow he being about six inchcii a-head of his opponent. The Hop-step-and-jump, was won by Hull. The standing and running jumps, and throwing the hammer, did not come off, there being no competitors. A game ut quoits was played between McMullen and Darby on .the one side, an4-J?rice and Bimey on the other, which was won by the hitter. A Maori war dance, which we were not so fortunate as to witness, concluded the pastimes of the day. Thus ended the amusements of the 12th Anniversary. Every body seemed well satisfied, and the utmost order and good feeling was manifested throughout the whole of the day's sports by all who witnessed, or took part in them.