MARLBOROUGH.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume IX, Issue 6, 6 February 1892, Page 135

MARLBOROUGH.

Dear Bee, January - 22. We have much reason to feel proud of some of our young ladies. Miss Lena Broughton, who was born at Ongahau, Queen Charlotte Sound, and spent all the early years of her life amongst us in Picton, is becoming quite a celebrated musician, and has lately been appointed one of the musical faculty of the Elmira College School of Music, New York. Almost from babyhood she displayed a wonderful talent for music, which she has persistently cultivated. When quite a child it was a pleasure to listen to her. She studied for three years under the celebrated Klintworth, of Berlin, earning her own living at the same time by giving music lessons to less advanced pupils. I have before me a paragraph of the Elmira Daily Advertiser, which says : ‘ Miss Lena M. Bronghton made her debut as pianist last evening. She is, in many respects, the finest resident pianist that Elmira has had for many years. Her interpretations are solid and musicianly, her touch wonderfully clear and facile, and her technique elegant, refined, and correct to a marvellous degree. Her performances were something long to be remembered.’ Miss Bronghton is a niece of Mrs Beauchamp, of the Grove, and cousin to the Misses Greensil of Picton.

Miss Douslin, of Blenheim, has also won kudos galore for her magnificent play in the recent lawn tennis championship match at Napier. I believe it was a very closely-con-tested game, but the general opinion is that Miss Douslin deserved to win. lam sure lam glad she won, and ofler my heartiest congratulations to the young lady. A little while ago quite a large party • surprised ’ Mrs H. -C. Seymour, and spent a very pleasant ‘ Cinderella ’ evening, dancing and singing. The party were chaperoned by Mrs Allen, and consisted of the Misses Dunean, Dobson, Allen (2), (A. P.) Seymour, Linton, Scott (2), Philpotts (2), Western (2), White, and Robertson, besides the young ladies of the house and an unusually large number of gentlemen. Mr Seymour was, as usual, full of fun, and sent us all into convulsions of laughter with his comic ■ acting and rendering of * Doctor Quack. ’ Miss Mary Seymour also sang ‘ Dear Heart ’ charmingly. Miss Robertson playing the accompaniments. A day or two after the same party, including Mrs and the Misses H. C. Seymour, journeyed to the Grove in two boats kindly lent by the captains of the Lurline and Langstone. We took possession of the bachelor but hospitable residence of Mr John Duncan, and made ourselves at home. After tea, which we had in real picnic fashion on the verandah, Mr Duncan harnessed up his big horse to his big dray, and another Shamrockland-looking vehicle and horse, which I undertook to navigate, and with a young lady on a horse, and a goodly number of young men following, it was really no wonder that all the inhabitants of Mahakipawa turned out to gaze on the novel scene, thinking we were an ■lrish funeral procession. We called on Mr Cullen, another bachelor, or rather we knocked at his door, but whether the gentleman was scared at the large party, or whether he really was ‘ Not at home ’ remains a mystery. We did not get further than the door, so we processed back again to Mr Duncan’s, and spent the rest of the evening there, dancing and composing original songs, which we sang on our way home. We were all hoping that the Loan and Mercantile Company would give us a social in their new stores at Picton, but unfortunately—for us—they were not finished till the wool was being brought in. Perhaps when the wool season is over and the stores are empty again the Company may see their way clear to giving a delayed but welcome housewarming. Picton is full of visitors, who have much difficulty in finding accommodation. Mr and Mrs W. Sinclair and family are here, also Mr O’Callaghan and family, Mrs Nancarrow, Mrs and Miss Robertson, Miss Dobson, Mrs Grattan Cook (Auckland), Mr and Mrs Frank Allen (Wellington), Mrs Stott, Mrs (Dr.) Macgregor, Mrs Herbert, Mrs Martin and Miss Renwick, and several others. Mr and Mrs Macalister and family are spending the holidays down the Sound on the Yellerton run, where I was invited to join them, but unfortunately could not get away. The Misses Scott and Miss Linton are also camping out at Brooklyn, where there is a plentiful supply of fruit. They are accompanied by Mr Walter Seymour, Mr J. Welford, and Mr A. Scott.

The children are having a lovely time. Three picnics in one day ought to be satisfaction enough for anybody. The most important was the Blenheim Church of England Sun-day-school picnic to Tuamarina, and about five hundred children and ‘grown-ups’ went by train, and spent a glorious day in a large paddock kindly lent by Mr Boyes. The teachers worked very hard to make the affair a success, and they were well rewarded for their pains by the verdict given by all who were present, that the day could not possibly have been better spent. The little ones were amused with lolly - ruen and races, and the bigger ones joined in botanical expeditions to the bush, in search of ferns and wild flowers, which I hope will result in a great deal of competition in wild flowers at the next show. There was also a picnic at Para, and another in Picton for the Catholic Sunday-school. We hold broad views in Marlborough, so that it was not surprising to see the few members of the Catholic Church supported and assisted by Protestants, who endeavoured to the best of their ability to make the picnic a success. Amongst others I noticed Mrs Gudgeon, Mrs Grattan Cook, Mrs Herbert Godfrey (of Okuknri), Mrs Allen, Mrs W. Sinclair, Mrs O’Donnel, Mrs F. Godfrey, Mrs C. Godfrey, Mrs Sliles, Mrs Jetfries, Mrs McMahon (of Keneperu), Mrs Card, and the Misses Speed, Duncan, Allen, O’Callaghan, Sinclair, Waddy, Jeffries, Fell, and many others trying to amuse the children. To Messrs Gudgeon, Fredricks, Petherick, and J. E. Heaver is in a great measure due tire success of the affair.

Mrs Waddy is still away nursing her sister. Mis C. Red wood, who remains in a critical condition. Mrs J. O. Western, of the Lindens, alo gave a picnic. The married ladies invited were Mrs Stott and Mrs Macgregor, and the young people the Misses Seymour (4), Allen (2), Philpotts (3), Greensill (2), Duncan, Linton (3), Western (3), and the Messrs Haslet, Fox, Howard, Greensill, Scott, Griffiths, and some others. The afternoon turned out rather boisterous, but I really think the young (reople here enjoy boating all the more the rougher the sea is. The party were to have gone to Karaka Bay, but in face of a strong head wind and a lumpy sea they thought ‘discretion was the better part of valour,’ and camperl in Laughing Bob’s Bay instead, where they played teazle and other games peculiar to picnics. I bad a peep at the world-renowned traveller, Mr H. M. Stanley, as he sat in the deck cabin of the Mangana. He was on his way to lecture in Nelson ; afterwards he is coming to lecture in Blenheim. I daresay he was not so oblivious as he pretended to be of the prying eyes or the whispered comments. As regards myself, 1 felt like the little girl did who went on the Picton wharf, on the occasion of a gubernatorial visitation, expecting to see an illuminated personage with wings. ‘ That the < iovernor !’ she said with an upward curl of a retrousse little nose, when quite a com mon-looking man in pepper-and-salt tweed was pointed out to her as that august personage. ‘ That the Governor I That can’t be the Governor. That’s only a man."

Jean.