AUCKLAND.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVI, Issue 4, 25 January 1911, Page 65

AUCKLAND.

January 22. IHAVE little or nothing to write about this week. The weather has been very trying, and the few people who are at home have been lying very low and trying to keep cool. The Mantua arrived late, not getting in till Friday, and leaving on the same day. I spent a delightful time on board, and we saw over the whole of the ship, and we had only to express a wish and we might have gone down to the stokehole, but looking down from the engineroom was quite enough. The heat was awful, but we poked about, and saw lots of fascinating things, and wound up on the bridge, where the captain told us we were 70 feet from the water. There is heaps of deck room for all sorts of fun and games, and, given fair weather, the trip on the Mantua should be delightful, and we envied the passengers. Lady Islington’s Visit. Her Excellency Lady Islington paid a flying visit to Auckland, and spent most of her time in shops. Her Excellency was accompanied by her companion and a couple of aides, and the party stayed at the Grand Hotel. On Wednesday Her Excellency received Madame Boufve, and tney partook of afternoon tea at Government House, which is now in the hands of the workmen. The place is being rapidly transformed, so we may look forward to their Excellencies being in residence at an early date. An Enjoyable Party. Mrs Edmund Mahony gave a most enjoyable party on Thursday last. The guests were divided into bridge players and musical folk. There were four tables in the room where progressive bride was played. After a number of games had been played scores were added, and it was found that Miss Tolhurst (Wellington) had the highest number, and Mrs P. Dignan the lowest, each receiving a pretty prize. In the drawing-room there was some especially good music, and we who were playing bridge could not help turning a listening ear to the sounds which floated across the hall. The windows of the drawing-room open on to a wide verandah, which was comfortably furnished, and there many of the guests sat and enjoyed the music. One of the principal performers was Mrs Cooke I nee Garland), who was delightful to listen to. Mr Tonar’s singing was quite a treat. Mr Wallnutt sang, and Miss Dickie and Miss Hazel Craig played, so you can see we had 1 quite a lot of talent. A delicious supper was handed round, and we sat and enjoyed our strawberries and cream and watched' the moon rising, Our hostess wore a smart charmeuse frock of pale green, with touches of black and a snood of green ribbon in her hair; Mrs T. Mahony, a very pretty frock of palest mauve silk, with dainty white lace trimming and a scarf of white lace; Mrs Wallnutt, amethyst silk voile, with handsome silk embroidery and a touch of cream not; Mrs P. Dignan looked! well, in a smart blaek and white frock: Miss Tolhurst (Wellington) wore a lovely black charmeuse, with handsome jetted laee trimming, and a tu"ker of white net; Mrs Owen White; Mils Elliott wore a pfetty white laee robe over white satin; Mrs Jourdain (South Africa), a black froek, with the bodice finished with the new white beaded laee; Mrs Edmunds, white crepe de chino, and silk embroidered' lace; Miss Atkinson wore a dainty white frock; Miss Dickie looked charming in a cream elvarmeuse frock, with bands of bugle-headed embroidery; Mrs Herbert Cooke wore a pretty white frock, amt a snood of white ribbon, which was most becoming; Mrs

Burton (Sydney) wore a most artisti# frock of palest pink, which was draped with rainbow silk, and a tunic of grey ninon, a dark amethyst ninon scarf completed a lovely toilette; Mrs Tonar wore black; Miss Wallnutt, palest pink; Mien Prendergast wore rather a deep shade oZ pink and white lace; Miss 11. Craig, a pretty white frock banded with floral silk; Miss —. Craig wore a pretty white frock; Miss Workman, blue silk;’ Miss Keogh, white silk ami lace; Miss Mavis Copke looked pretty in pink} Chic—the Untranslatable. In a useful little book 1 have called “Modem Journalism.” very severe re•rmrks are made by the author, upon the women writers who indulge in the free use of all sorts of untranslatable and who eschew the King's English froflQ choice. This, I think, very unjust. llowi can we really describe frock.* which have a great deal of “allure,'’ and “cachet” hats become “chapeaux” embellished with “pleurcii.se” feather*. St nils take oij enchanting possibilities under the names of “charmeuse” and “sirune,” and colours suggest originality a«* “bine d’aviateur” or “rose Princess© Lamitaine.” To discuss all these in plain English, to call them merely nice, or merely blue, would be impossible. In the space of teg lines one would have completely exhausted one’s poor little stock of English adjectives, and nobody would be compre&wd. Then the word “chic,” for instance, rema.ins an alien word, suffered only because no English equivalent has been invented to meet its case. Tn my dictionary which concerns itself chiefly with the practical uses, not the interesting a bust o of language “diic” is dealt 'with as easy elegance, smartness, fashionable, foible’ etc. None of these painstaking definitions really hits the mark* and I have groped vainly for a meaning, which shall suggest that elusive combinational of good gifts so easy to recognise, and so impossible to define. When w® meet charming people who are “chic it leaves us in English practically wordless. In Vienna where “chic” isi really a home product, it has found ite own expression; the elusive quality is labelled “fesch and “fisch” as far as I can see is the only adequate translation of “chic,” whicli I have met in any language. The moral of all this is, of course, that wherever “chic” is a home production, and not merely an importation there the language supplies us with a- descriptive word. This theory falls a trifle flat in the case of America. The smartness of its women is undeniably a fact. They may owe their magnificent figures mostly to strenuousness and Sandow, and not to nature. Their unerring instinct in the right choice of clothes may be merely a matter of a long purse, and not one of talent. Still the American is “chic'* in herself of herself, without any desperate clinging to the opinions of Parisian •model makers. They speak, nay, shriek, for themselves, and yet are unexpressed. But given the genius of the country, the finding of the right, the only word, can only be a matter of time.

Personal. Among the passengers who arrived in the Mantua was the Hon. M*.i. Henman, wife of the Hon. Richard*Douglas ■■ Denman, and daughter of Sir T. Sutherland '(ehairman of directors of the I*. and O. Company), who is staying at “Glenalvon.” ' The Hon. Seymour Thorne-George, accompanied by his wife and youngest daughter, returned by the Mantua after an absence of a year or so. Mrs. Malcolm Ross (Wellington) also returned ‘by the same 'boat after a year’s visit to Europe. ■Sir Grahame E. W. Hammond Graeme with Lady Graeme, and their son, Mr. 11. Graeme, arrived by the Mantua. This is their second visit to New Zealand. Sir Hammond-Graeme, besides being a trout fisher, is a keen croquet player. Other overseas visitors, who are staying at the Grand Hotel, are:- —Mr. H. Freeman (Singapore), Mr., Mrs., and Miss Ghuri (Sydney), Captain and Mrs. Vcrney, and Mr., Mrs., and Miss Vincent [(Berth). Dr. and Mrs. Nicholson (Sydney), Mr. end Mrs. Walkley (Melbourne), and Mrs and Miss Hammersly (England) arrived Ib'y the Mantua, and are staying at “Glenalvoh.” Mrs. Robert Browning (Remuera) has just returned from a visit to the country, where she has been the guest of her daughter, Mrs. Billy Watson (Rangiliri). . I hear that Mr. T. Copeland -Savage, Mrs. Savage, and their family, and Miss Cooper leave for a few months’ trip to England in March. ’ Mrs. Hains and her little son are over from Sydney on a visit to her mother, Mrs. T. Cotter. 'Miss Tolhurst (Wellington), who lias been the guest of Mrs. P. Dignan, having come up to be present at her brother’s wedding, lias, with her father, Mr. G. Tolhurst, returned home.

PHYLLIS BROUN.