CHRISTCHURCH:

New Zealand Graphic, Volume IX, Issue 13, 26 March 1892, Page 303

CHRISTCHURCH:

Dear Bee, March. 16 There has been such a great deal going on the last few days that really I do not know what to tell yon about first. The chief attraction for most people, I fancy, were the Polo matches, the finish to the week being the sports and races held at the racecourse. There was a tremendous crowd of ladies looking on, especially the second day, most of them personal friends or relations of the men taking part in the matches. It was really very pleasant sitting in the cool shade of the pines which grow all round theold show grounds, sipping delicious tea and eatingdainty cream-sandwiches and other cakes, and at the same time to be looking on at one of the most exciting of all sports that it is possible to watch. I saw Mrs Alan Scott, who looked remarkably well in a lovely gown of electric blue silk, with bands of black lace and velvet ribbon coming over the shoulder and down the back, and also in lengths down the skirt; Mrs Wilder was wealing a spotted blue silk with pretty white embroidery : Mrs E. C. T. Stevens wore a soft fawn cloth, long black lace mantle, black bonnet with pink roses ; Mrs Pyne was in black, with a pretty black hat trimmed with white roses ; Hon. Mrs Parker was in a beautifully embroidered tussore silk, hat of same shade of silk and pink velvet and ribbon ; Miss Amy Rhodes was in a flowered delaine of a mauve shade, with ribbon velvet of a deeper shade on bodice and skirt; her sister woie white, as did also the Misses WynnWilliams, Hutton, Reeves, Cowlishaw, Palmer, and Mrs Otterson ; Miss M. Tabart looked very nice in a grey tailormade gown, large steel chatelaine ; Mrs Rhind had on a tasteful gown of black and heliotrope, bonnet to correspond ; Mrs A. Templer, of Rangiora, was in fawn cloth, black bonnet, pink flowers; MissCrossby wasinapinkdress trimmed with broad gold braid, hat of fancy straw with ribbon and flowers ; Mrs Ranald Macdonald was in white, large white hat and feathers.

Mrs G. G. Stead gave a large garden-party at her residence on the Papanui Road, which was thoroughly enjoyed by about one hundred and twenty guests. She is such a capital hostess, and her entertainments in consequence always pass off most successfully. Very few girls or men took their racquets for tennis, so those that did had some capital sets on the good lawn provided for them. I saw most of our local polo players, as well as the visitors on the grounds. 1 really have not room to tell you about any of the gowns worn, out will coniine myself to giving you the names of a few of the guests. I noticed Mrs Cunningham and her daughter, Mrs Tabart and her daughters, Mrs Cowlishaw, Mrs Palmer, Mrs F. Lance, Miss Lance, Miss Robison, Mrs Archer, Mrs F. Robison, Mrs Templer, Mrs Stevens, Mrs Campbell, the Misses Campbell, Clark, Loughnan, Reeves, Rhoues, Helmore, Matson, Thomas, and many more. The last match for the Saville Cup resulted, of course, in the Cup again passing into the hands of the first Christchurch team, wno certainly are head and shoulders above all the other competitors, either owing to their superior skill in the game, or to their having better ponies. Mrs Palmerpreseuted the Cup to the winners amid loud cheering. A great many people found their way out to our pretty racecourse to see what the polo ponies could do in the way ot racing and hurdle-jumping. Some of the races were decidedly novel and amusing, particularly the cigar and umbrella race, which sent everybody. into fits of laughter. The man who lit his cigar first and kept the umbrella up throughout the whole race was the winner. The tandem race was a very pretty sight, but must have been terrible to start, as the leaders would insist in turning round and staring their drivers in the face. Mr George Palmer came in first in fine style, both his ponies going beautifuly. The same gentleman also won the Ladies’ Bracelet, which was a novelty in its way. The lady in whose name the pony was entered had to be in readiness to thread a bodkin with a ribbon, and as you may imagine, great was the excitement when all these men dashed up to the hurdles at which the ladies were standing, and handed them the ribbon to thread as quickly as they possibly could. Another very pretty race was the polo ball race, which consisted in going a certain distance down the course and driving the ball along with you all the time. Mr B. Lane was by far the best, and won very easily. I must now tell you of some of the numerous people I saw on the course, and also of some of the dresses, which were very chic. Hon. Mrs Parker was in a lovely gown of electric blue cashmere with edging of gold cord ail round the skirt and bodice, bolero boaice edged with coid aud yellow satin front, hat of bine and yellow (certainly a very striking combination, though rather too bright perhaps); Mrs A. Scott had on a stylish gown of broad grey and white stripe, grey hat with white birds ; her sister, Mrs Tanner (from Napier), was in a dark cloth with bright yellow vest, dark flat hat, and yellow wing at the side; Mrs Cunningham, a lovely grey-blue silk, white satin vest, black and gold bonnet ; Mrs R. Macdonald, a grey dress with lovely white silk lace pattern in stripes down the bodice and skirt; Miss Robison was in a grey tweed with pretty dark blue sailor hat; Mrs Archer looked very well in dark brown with fawn velvet vest; Miss McCulloch was in stiiped grey and white, black hat with grey birds ; Mrs Dalgetty had on a pretty cream silk relieved with dark brown ; Mrs Burns was in white ; Mrs Hamer, in dark blue piped with gold cord ; Mrs Wilder was in a lovely gown of blue silk made in the Directoire style, with vest, cuffs, and collar of white braided with gold ; Mrs Lomax Smith was in China silk, with dark brown hat ; Mrs Boyle wore an exquisite dress of shot silk covered with black lace : Miss Lance was in a grey blue tweed with red stripe. There were really too many pretty gowns for me to mention. I have done my best to give you some of those that 1 fancied the most.

At one of our grand cricket matches, Wellington v. Canterbury, some excellent cricket was witnessed, Messrs T. D. Harman and R. B. Matbias, for Canterbury, and Messrs Blacklock and Gore, for Wellington, being vociferously cheered as they passed the grand stand after tremendously long innings. Afternoon tea was provided by the club for spectators and players, and was dispensed on the first day by the Misses Harman, Gordon, and Cotterill, and on the second by the Misses Beswick aud Helmore. Amongst

those 1 noticed in the stand were Mrs Wilding, who always takes a very keen interest in cricket.her huslrand being a good player himself ; Mrs Harman, Mrs Withnall, Mrs Willock, Mrs Bruges, Mrs Condell, and Mrs T. Anderson, who looked very nice in a pretty green flowered delaine, green and pink bonnet ; Miss Willis had on a charming gown of light fawn, with brown ribbon velvet round the skirt and bodice ; Mrs Bruges was wearing a pink cotton, and a transparent hat with flowers that were most marvellously fixed on ; they looked indeed as if they had been thrown on, which gave the bat a very picturesque appear-

ance.

Dolly Vale.