CHRISTCHURCH.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XI, Issue 30, 23 November 1883, Page 19

CHRISTCHURCH.

•■ (From our own Correspondent.) A or. 12, 1883. Ouk annual carnival has passed off in the most brilliant and satisfactory manner and I, for one, begin to feel profoundly sceptical as to the truth of the dismal complaints of " hard times " "terrible depression," and the like, which have for so long greeted our wearied ears. Certainly, no stranger in our midst during the past week could have guessed the possibility of the existence of this state of thines in view of the crowds who flocked, to the Metropolitan Meeting, the Agricultural Show, the theatree, and other p laces of amusement. The well-dressed people, with their bright and contented faces, who all had apparently plenty of money to spend, and dad spend it, and the large sums put through the totalisators on the race ground would seem to give an emphatic contradiction to the "growlers" and ' croakers," for it is hardly to be supposed that the community generally has been pinching and screwing for the past few weeks 6r months, and will repeat that pleasant process for some time to come, id order to find ways and means for the short-lived pleasures of a single week. The weather was, on the whole, more propitious than was expected ; the first day of the races, Tuesday, being fine, though cold from the strong sou'- west breeze ; Wednesday, fine, though somewhat threatening- ; and Thursday, really lovely. The racing was throughout \he meeting first-class, and some magnificent specimens of horseflesh were among the competitors, such as Welcome Jack, Oudeis mschief, Nonsense, Liverpool, Lady Evelyn, and many others The great horse of the day was of course Tasman, whose victory, though highly popular, may be said to have been a little unexpected, as his warmest admirers, though thoroughly recognising his honesty and gameness, scarcely thooght him brilliant enough to pull off the bi°-event-the New Zealand Cup. The race bad been looked on as a moral for Messrs. Robinson and Lance, who had declared to win with Nonsense, bnt their chances of success were at the last moment seriously lessened by a disagreement with their first jockey Derrett (who may fairly be termed the Archer of New Zealand! resulting in his services being dispensed with. He was, however, at once engaged to ride Tasman, and to his graid horsemanship the vLctorv of the game little son of St. Albans must be ascribed. Both horse and rider received a tremendous ovation, the latter being hoißted shoulder high and earned round the paddock, while the former narrowly escaped tfoesame distinction— receiving, in fact, an affectionate embrace and the offer of unlimited champagne in a bucket from a well-known metallician. It may be added that the public were not brokenhearted at the disappointment of the Grip Lodge confederacy. Liverpool and Lady Evelyn were the pick of the youngsters, though the Watersprite colt wilt make his mark on some future occasion, being at present rather backward. Of Oudeis it may be said that no one yet knows how good he is, as nothing has so far been able to make him gallop. Mr. Stephenson was most unfortunate in losing his grand colt Hyacinth, who met with so severe an accident that it was found necessary to destroy him, and everyone felt sorry for this popular, i 1 . 0^. 11111 ?^ 7 owner ' wbo had only a little "me before refused £1000 for him. His Excellency the Governor was present on the opening day, and remained the greater part of the afternoon. Mr Delamain s starting was admirable, though his patience must have been often severely exercised. The ladies were of course radiant in the moßt gorgeous and effective toilettes, and were hospitably entertained by the stewards in a booth at the east end of the lawn Mr Marshall, of the Terminus Hotel, had the catering of the luncheon under the grand stand, and it may be safely said that no one had a geod word to say for his me?w/— indeed, the charges made were a leetle too exorbitant for even a carnival week. More than £28 000 passed through the totalisators during the three days, and there could not have been fewer than 15,000 persons on the course, while the enlivening strains of the Garrison Band added to the general en joy - The Agricultural and Pastoral Association's Show came off on the Prince of Wales' Birthday, and was, beyond a doubt, far and away the best in all respects that has ever been held here • indeed although great expectations had been formed as to its profitableness,' the reality surpassed the most sanguine hopes. All was satisfactory but the weather, which scarcely ever does favour the Association, and even that might bave been worse, as, instead of the drenching rainfall of last year, Jupiter Pluvius amiably contented himself with occasional showers, which welcome, as they doubtless were to the growing crops, were most unpleasant to the ladies, many of whom •were compelled to leave the ground about 4 o'clock. The tram-cars are said to have conveyed 18,000 persons to the Show, and the number who patronised cabs, omnibuses, and other vehicles, as well as those who went on foot, seemed far in excess of any former occasion. Consequently, it might have been expected that the total amount realised at the gates would have exceeded the sum of £903, excellent as is that result. The amount received as entrance fees for exhibits was over £500, there being 300 more entries than last year Space forbids anything like a detailed account of much that was extremely deserving of notice, and my remarks must necessarily be brief and unsatisfactory. His Excellency, who had spent some hours at the Show on the previous day, arrived at 11 o'clock, was duly welcomed by the officials of the Association, and received a tftstefuily-illumi-nated address, the work of Mr. Goodman. After reading bis formal reply, and adding a few informal words, the Governor was, unfortunately, obliged to ask to be excused from appearing at the luncheon, m consequence of the very bad cold and feverish attack irom which he was suffering, and immediately drove away. The sheep—of which 4H were exhibited, 41 more than last year—attracted much attention, even from persons who, presumably, could not pick a merino from a Lincoln, or a Leicester from a Southdown : perhaps the development of the frozen meat trade had something to do with this particular interest. The Border Leicesters and Lineolns were of a splendid class, the Southdowns were also very good, and tnere was a noticeable improvement in the merinos, especially the

youngjstock' The cattle were really magnificent, and were said by competent judges, to surpass any yet exhibited couth of the line-the shorthorns, of course, being most prominent in the display, while ilerefords were almost conspicuous by their absence, only four beine a&own ; they do not seem to be considered suitable for this part of the world at any rate. In the class for shorthorn cows and heifers, Otaeo carried off all the honours. Crowds were always to be found in tne neighbourhood of the polled Angus cattle, with their beautiful black glossy skins, and general symmetry ; also the ever-popular Jersey*, of which there were six exhibited ; the Ayrshres (said to be the best of all breeds for milking), which quitp eclipsed any former competitors, and the very pretty little Breton cattle, [one or two of which seemed as unusually diminutive as they were handsome. The fat cattle, however interesting to graziers, did not attract any particular attention; some of them were enormous, and really mountains of fat. There was a very large number of draught horses, which were, as a whole, vtry good, though many of the«n carried so much flesh that their owners might have been successful in ihe "fat cattle" class ; and both in this class, and the light horses, there were some animals that might liave possessed- untold merits in the eyes of their owners, ihough other people were so blind and incautious as to term them ugly brutes. Cadogan was doubtless entitled to his place of honour as first j>me,-taken iv the thoroughbred class, but tbe judges passed over Bundoora, who was the pink of condition, and is a grand horse ; they had, likewise, no word for the handsome Idalian, whose beautiful coat shone like a piece of black satin, and was much admired by many who, perhaps, knew nothing of what a horse should be. 1 here were some pretty ponies, Prince Charming again taking first prize, and Young Prince Ohaiming second. The pigs were good in quality and condition, and much laughter and amusement were caused by the antics of thesis little white pigs which, with their mother, a fine Yorkshire white pig, secured Mr. Green's prize for ttieir owner Mr. Bowe. Some of these small animals were extremely pngnacious and fierce, and occupied themselves in trying to bite the ears of their neighbour^ some quiet and inoffensive juveniles, which bore the wild assault with great patience and fortitude, only retaliating when matters became quite unbearable. The great feature of the ;iT OW o^ 8 - undoubtedly the topfenwnta, of which there were no less than 377, m strong contra-distinction to the dozen or so that graced the Snows of ten or 12 years past. In this respect it was somewhat difficult to believe that one was present at a colonial Show, and not one of those m the Old Country, say the Royal Agricultural, or Bath, and West of England. No award was given for the reapers and binders, as the judges wish to see them tried before giving a decision, but all are said to be greatly improved, and to have many novelties introduced in their constructure. The five threshing machines were kept at work, making great noise and smoke, though in this respect they were conceded by a Fowler traction engine which travelled in a small circle, roaring like an enraged wild beast, aud shaking the ground like an earthquake, while those in its neighbourhcod beat a constant and promp retreat, apparently to the intense amusement of the driver, whose face was always on a broad grin. One could not help reflecting that the inventors of these and the many other wonderful machines must inevitably have been burnt for witchcraft could their lot have been cast in the "good old times " The Oamaru and Timaru barbed wire was exhibited, also our Christchurch production, which I have before mentioned, and Mr. Malet's patent case staudard in which the wire was placed, is simple and effective. There was a number of wind-pumpa, much reduced in pace, and a pair of fine entrance gates— these last exhibited by Mr T. Anderson. The President's prize in this class (40 guinea cup) was carried off by Messrs P. and D. Duncan, and bis splendid cup value 75 guineas, for the exhibitor securing the largest number of points in the classes of horses, cattle, and sheep, was gained by Mr. W. Boag. His third prize, a gold medal, value 40 guioeas, in the carnage class, fell to Mr. Howland ; this class was especially noticeable for its excellence. In the class of New Zealand manufactures and produce, there was a considerable decrease in the number, but not in the merits of the exhibits, the trades, perhaps, reserving themselves for making a mighty show at the Industrial Exhibition next month. I must confess that I have been somewhat prejudiced against our colonial pickles, probably because the specimens I have hitherto obtained have been, unfortunately, of a soft leathery texture, ugly in colour, and of an appearance quite antediluvian. Having, however, a great weakness for properly made pickles, my mouth quite watered at the exhibit of the Maclean Pickle Company, so bright, and new, and fresh, and apparently so crisp. The Kaiapoi Woollen Company's goods were, as usual, most noticeable, particularly their beautiful carriage-cloths, and cloths for horse-clothing, which had been made up into most tastefuUand attractive articles by Mr. James Fawcett. The New Zealand Oup hero, Tasman, had not been forgotten in this display, as there was a suit of clothing for him, worked with his owner's monogram. The Kaiapoi tartans were beautifully soft in texture, aad of excellent colours. Mr. Adams' terra cottar goods must have a word of commendation, also the cooking ranges of Messrs. Watters and Crompton, the excellence of which is well known. Many other exhibits I must perforce pass over, only giving a word to the dairy produce, nearly all the exhibits in this class being of very superior quality. What qualifications the School of Agriculture possesses to entitle it to enter for competion as a " bonafide farmer " passes my limited comprehension, as it did that of many others, who were both sorry and disappointed that the judges should have seen fit to award the School so many prizes. This result must be a very heavy discouragement to the real farmers and dairymen. The Director of this school, backed by Government, and furnished with every modern, and expensive appliance, would have Bbown far better taste had his pupils' exhibits been entered for exhibition only. The School, likewise, carried off the Iq/ttelt&n Tines' piece of plate, value £10, for the best sample of hams and bacon, and two special prizes for the beat cheese. Mr. Rowe had a novelty in the shape of "Jnmbo," a small pig cored lyhole. The Prince's birthday was celebrated by a very capital ball givea by the Jockey Club, in the Provincial Council Chamber to His

Excellency the Governor, who, however, continued so much indisposed as to be unable to be present. More than 300 guests attended, and a capital supper was provided by Mr. Buggey, Mr. Selewartz's band providing the music. The decorations were numerous, and all the arrangements admirable. On the 3rd inst. Mr. Leonard Harper, Vice- president of the Christchurch Law Society, presented the medals* and certificates given by the Society at the last legal examination, to the gentlemen who had gained them : His Honour Justice Johnston, and Mr. T. S. Weston, one of the examiners, also addressed the meeting. In the evening the annual dinner of the Society was held at Coker's Hotel, the Governor, Mr. Justice Johnston, and the successful candidates being among the guests. Tour Orchestral Society will doubtless have felt some amount of disappointment at the scant attendance of the music-loving members of our city at the first of the very excellent concerts given by the Society last Thursday in the Oddfellows' Hall. Tho3e who were present were, however, enthusiastic in their applause, and the musicians may be comforted by the reflection that only the many counter attractions prevented a fuller attendance, as was apparent on the night of the second concert, when the hall was crowded in all parts. As to the excellence of the music, cela va sans dire, and we only hope that that talented society will speedily repeat their visit. The draughts match excited a good deal of interest, and the Otago team won by the goodly number of 18 games. The victors were entertained at dinner at Stoddart's Temperance Hotel by their opponents, and a rary pleasant evening was spent. The N. Z. Electric Light and Power Co. have offered to light the Industrial Exhibition with 150 incandescent and six arc lights, the committee to find the power and means of working the dynamo machine. This offer has been accepted, a certain sum being, of course, charged by the company. Cricketers have been to the fore during the week, many games having been played. On Friday the Midlanders defeated Courtenay with great ease, themselves losing only five wickets for a total of 282. On Saturday their first eleven won the first of the Cup matches against Lancaster Park, the scores being—Midland 186 and 117, the Paik 117 and 103. The Catholics of Leeston had their annual gathering or picnic on All Saints' Day. The weather might have been pleasanter, but it did not spoil the success of the meeting. About 400 must have been present during the day, and the procession was formed at the Leeston church, whence it drove, headed by the Leeston Brass Band, to Mr. William Holley's residence, the Gorse Farm. There the guests were most hospitably entertained, and sports were carried out in the paddock, and the small children were amused by races, etc., for toys, pictures, and books. The parish priest, the Rev. Father (Jhervier, was present throughout the day, also the Rev. Father Devoy, and both were, it is needless to say, most indefatigable in their efforts to contribute to the general enjoyment. The necessary funds for the treat had been raised by subscription. The Key. Father Devoy, who 'is collecting for the proposed Marist College in Wellington, has paid several visits to Christchurch and its vicinity, and has been staying at Shand's Tiack. Whatever may be said of the "hard times," they seem to vanish wherever the rev. Father's face is seen, and his persuasive and eloquent words reach the ear. The Rev. Fathers Walsh and Bowers were here the week before last, on their way to Wellington, and the latter has since returned to Christchurch to remain amongst us. We are glad to think that his presence will be a p'easure and relief to our two hard-working and devoted priests. Yesterday was " Charity Sunday," and there was Solemn High Mass at 11 o'clock, with celebrant, deacon, and subdeacon, at the Church of the Most Blessed Sacrament.