NEW PLYMOUTH.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume VIII, Issue 36, 5 September 1891, Page 346

NEW PLYMOUTH.

Dear Bee, August 21. Somebody was telling me last week that you consider I have been treating you shamefully of late in respect to letters. Well, I’m sure I’m very sorry. Will you forgive me if I don’t make even one excuse ? If I were to begin, so large is my stock that I should never be able to write them down in one letter. Besides, Celui qui s’excuse s'accuse ! And now to New Plymouth news. We had another assembly dance a fortnight ago, and again it was a thorough success. Our dances are different now from what they were in the old days. I remember looking on once at an assembly where there were twenty-seven ladies and only eleven partners for them. This year there have been too many men every time. At the last there were no less than eleven men walliiowers. We are never short now, for so many come from the country districts, even from as far away as Stratford. When it was decided that the assemblies should be held in the large Alexandra Hall this year, every one prophesied failure. ‘The hall won’t be half filled,’ ‘how cold it will be,’ and other remarks of the kind were made. However, I’m glad to say these prophets of ill-omen were quite wrong for once. The hall is always comfortably filled, and besides, it is so much prettier than the old Freemason’s, which has, by-the-bye, been sold to the Salvation Army. I forget if you have been inside the Alexandra. It is plastered with pale pink, and there are picture panels here and there on which the Muses are represented. There is a large stage at one end, and a very pretty pale pink and gilt gallery at the other. But a revenue A nos moutons, i.e., the assembly ; I expect you will like to hear something about the dresses. Mrs Gregg’s (of Picton), costume was most elegant. Her dress was of some soft silky black material, the neck filled in with rare old lace quite yellow with age, caught together with a diamond pin; she also wore

a stylish little pale pink plush sortie de bed ; Mrs Roy wore crimson silk, and Mrs W. Penn, cream nun’s veiling with three bands of gold ribbon (a very pretty dress). And now for the unmarried ladies. One of the prettiest dresses in the room was that worn by Miss Ethel Young. It had a short train, and was of soft shrimp pink silk, trimmed profusely with ruches of the same and pink silk lace. Miss Isabel Hamerton wore a very pretty frock something of the same shade, but of areophane, with silken bodice; Miss Read wore a most becoming dress of bright red silk, which suits her admirably ; Miss Emily Hamerton’s dress was almost the same colour, but of net; she carried a lovely bouquet of white azaleas and fern leaves ; Miss Annie Rennell had on a pretty dress of soft white figured silk. Her bouquet was the envy of the whole room ; it was a huge one of Russian violets. I never remember such a season for violets as this is. There are blue clouds of them everywhere. Miss Alice Stuart wore a very uncommon dress, it was of ‘ elephant’s breath ’ areophane. It had a Watteau back, the bottom of the skirt being edged with a flounce lined with pale pink areophane, and there were dashes of pink on the bodice. Miss Constance Bayly (a debutante) had a lovely dress of white corded silk and tulle, white camellias on the bodice, and bouquet of the same, plus daphne and ferns : Miss Standish, Miss N. Webster, and Miss Hilda Newland (another debutante) all wore cream ; Miss Fookes, striped apricot pongee silk; Miss Alice Dalziel, pink net-; and Miss Florence Webster, blue fisherman’s net over blue striped brocade. The music was exceedingly good. Mr Garry had got together a small orchestra, which did its work well Mr Walter Penn made a most efficient M.C., and the dancing kept up merrily till about two o’clock. Our second Bird and Poultry Show was the greatest success. We had some exhibits sent from other districts— Auckland, Wellington, Napier, etc., but by far the greater part was local, and most creditable it was. Dr. O’Carroll opened the Show, but it was a case of wasted eloquence, for there was such an amount of crowing and cackling that nothing else could be heard. It was most amusing when the Art Union prizes were awarded, too. After each name was called out the poultry took it upon themselves to applaud most heartily, and it was quite a time before order was restored. I couldn’t have believed that such uninterest ing creatures as poultry could be so interesting. Some of them were such huge fellows, too, one almost felt inclined to mount one of them and ride away, thinking he was an ostrich. The pigeons were most lovely with their opaltinted plumage, and there were doves, too. As I looked at them I thought of Locksley Hall, ‘ In the spring a livelier Iris changes on the burnished dove.’ Fancy a poultry show inspiring poetic thoughts 1 The Java sparrows took my fancy very much—dear little fluffy creatures, black and white, crowded together on a perch. There were also a good many love birds, but to me these are very uninteresting. I like a parrot with good conversational powers ever so much better. I wonder if you take any interest in our petroleum prospects, dear Bee? There is a good deal of quiet excitement about it in these regions. I heard someone say not so long ago that the fact of the promotors keeping so silent on the subject is the best sign in its favour. We New Plymoutbites are said to be great people for pinning our faith on local enterprises. I wonder what would have become of the district if we had not always had such a store of faith, for things hitherto really have gone against us ? The corner does really seem to have been turned at last. There are so many inquiries for land, and I cannot think of an empty shop or house in the town. Of course, if the petroleum is a success our future is made. By the last English mail the overseers had orders to go on with the work at once, so I expect and hope we shall hear something interesting very soon. That the petroleum is there is certain. It does seem so vexatious to think of thousands of gallons flowing into the sea every year. Sometimes when at the breakwater I have myself smelt the petroleum floating on the top of the water. ‘ Good luck to the company,’ say I. Have any of your many readers heard of the INew Plymouth Ladies’ Literary Club ? I hear we are getting quite a name outside our own district. We have been in existence now for nearly six years, and still flourish. At one time we numbered over sixty members, but we are not quite so numerous just now. We meet once a fortnight (on Monday evening), and generally spend really delightful evenings. For instance, among many otheis we have had • an evening with notable Germans,’ a Greek evening, an American evening, an evening when certain modern books were reviewed, Shakespearian evenings, Olla Podrida evenings, etc., etc. Some really capital papers have been written upon all sorts of subjects, and it really is very good for girls who have left school to keep up their knowledge as far as possible. The club does not consist of only young people though. We have some quite elderly members. The Olla Podrida evenings are generally very interesting ; members write anonymously on any subject they please. Then the papers are lead out, and votes are taken as to their respective merits. The following are some of the best papers that have been wiitten on ‘ Olla Podrida ’ evenings :—Smiles, Ennui, Old Maids, Lan ikinism, Flowers, Education, etc. A month ago we had an ‘ Olla Podrida’ exclusively for the younger members of the Club. You would have been astonished at the excellence of the papers prepared. I have heard several people say that several of them were worthy of any ordinary magazine. Voting resulted as follows :—lst, Miss Standish’s ‘ New Zealand Forest Scenery ’; 2nd, Miss Constance Bayly’s ‘ Novel Reading,’ and 3rd, Miss Emily Hamerton’s paper on ‘ Olla Podrida.’ There is also a very large Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Society here, which has had very successful evenings this year.

Mignonne.