THRUE AN' FAITHFUL ACCOUNT O' THE OPENIN'.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 3, Issue 227, 20 September 1878, Page 3

THRUE AN' FAITHFUL ACCOUNT O' THE OPENIN'.

(By "Paddy Murphy" in the Saturday Advertiser.) (Concluded.) A couple ay hours more brings us to OAMARU, where a grand war-like display awaits us. The intire army ay the White City are dhrawn up in battle array. The squadhrons an' battalions parade wid soords dhrawn an' bagnets glaimin' in the noon-day blaze, whilst the hayros' eyes flash marshal ardhor, an' their mustashes bristle wid fierce imotion as the vice-raygil salute is fired. Afther inspectin- the breakwater we return to lunch, an' murther-in-Irish, ye niver saw sich a sight in 3'er bom days. Talk about the poor craythurs running afther victuals in the Chmase famine, pon me sowl it was only small pittaties compared to the rush made to the banket hall at Oamaru. We wor led into a big barn, through laborinths of corn-sacks, till we kum to a narrow stair-case, where we filed up one be one to the banket. Ay coorse mesilf an' the vice-raygil party had nothin' to complain of, as we raiched the hall first an' devoured two turkeys before the company was saited. Be me conshince it was as good as a play to see the Markiss get up wid a turkey's dhrumstickin one hand an' a glass ofrhodhero in the other to reispond to the toast ay his health, proposed be Major Stewart in felicichus language. I may here minshin, ong-pass-on (Frinch), that we only left about twinty ay our passingers at Oamaru. Nothin' ay importance happened until we raiched ■ ■ < ■ palmerston, an' 'pon me conshinse, I must confess that the people 0' Palmerston turned out like gintlemin on the occasion, an' tuk the shine out ay ivery other place on the rout. There was lashins an' lavins ay shampain an' cakes, an' it was the only town on the voyage where we wor greeted wid good, sound, hearty cheers. But ay coorse, the ■ enthusism ay the Palnierstonians is aisily explained, for sure the Mayor-—Mickey Fagan—is a Patlander, an' whativer an' Irishman's failins may be, want of hospitality an' ginerosity is not one of them, so it's not. . On we go agin be the desarted village o'Waikouaiti, that was once inhabited be an intherprisin' race, but is now lonely an' dissolute, like Goold-smith's sweeet Auburn— "Sweet, lovely bowers ay inuocinse an' aise, At thee, alas! Cobb's coach no longer stays," I mintally exclaimed as we swept be the lonely ruins. Nothin' further ay importance happened until we raiched Deborah Bay tunnel, whin an incident occurred that's worthy ay notice. Before inthcrin' the tunnel, me ould Ingin friend, the Naybob, who had his quarthers in the nixt apartment to our State carriage, called me out on to the platform, an' whispered in me ear' " Blur-an-agcs' Paddy asthore, don't lave me, don't lave me, avick machree, for faix ther's some laidies in the train, an' iver since that Va-intine Baker affair, I'm mighty narvous through tunnels in the company o'faimales, so I am." . Ay coorse I pacified me ould friend, an' whin we got through the tunnel another ipisode tuk place. The ingin stopped to take in wather, an' me respicted an' vinirable friend Wint ashore for a minit or two. I think some new variety ay fern must huve sthruck his eye, but I won't be sartin' that it was that tuk him down. It was gettin' dark, an' before the Naybob could secure his botanical threasure the night-ingin snorted, an' the Ingin knight snorted too, as he rushed to the carriage. " Stop the thrain, bad luck,to ye ; stop tpe thrain. Would ye; lave a knight in the bush sich a night as this, an' me so nigh to town ?" ses he, jas he made a frantic effort to jnmp up. As luck would have it, I managed to catch him be the turban, an' wid the assistance o' the Markiss I dhragged him aboord. The ould fellow was so plaised at gettin' in that he got as jolly as a sand-boy, an' chanted tho followin' verse in the eggs-überanee ay his joy— " Och Paddy, me darlint, me jewel, me dear, I've fought .wid yer counlhrytnin out in Cowbull, Yer welkim, me honey, to visit Cashmere, Be-jabers, me heart is wid gratichude full." ARRIVE AT DUNAIDIN Be the hokey-poker, me pin lacks iloquince to discribe the grand ovation we recaived at the Dunaidin Station. The volunteers, undhei Kurnil Stavely, looked mighty imposin', dhrawn up in line ay battle, only it was so dark we couldn't see thim, so we couldn't. Thin there was the ' illicthors lights (a manhood suffrage dimonsthration), an' illuminations on Watson's, an' Sargood's, an' the Banks, an' the braes, an' the public buildins. Begog, it was a fine sight intirely, so it was. A carriage an' four greys wor waitin' to take mesilf an' the vice-raygil party to the Club, but who the dickens should I meet at the Station but me cousin Mick, who keeps' the City Hotel, an' he would force me home wid him in spite o' the remonsthrances 0' the Markiss, who feels miserable if I'm not always be his" side whin he's thravellin'. Ay coorse dacincy wouldn't allow me to turn the could shouldher on me own kith an' kin, for

though I occupy a more ixalted' position thin me rilitave, still there's no dirty pride about me, an' blood is stronger than wather, so it is, I need hardly tell ye that Mick made me ns welkim as the flowers o' May to the City, an' he got a warmin'-pan to me feet, bekaise I'm not cured o' me could yit. Whin I tell ye that it's twinty-one years since Mick an' I parted, yell undherstand how glad we wor to meet again. Whin we left the County Wax ford together, he imigrated to Boston, an' I kum out to New Zayland. Ay coorse our first few words o' greetin' was in our native language, as follows :—•• Och asthore, bauachlath gude deamatha thu grah machree ?" ses Mick. "Arrah bather shin ma bouchileen bawn, shule aroon, shin-fane shin-fane, thiggin thu," ses I. That inded the discoorse in Gaelic, an' " Kinnahin," from Belfast, was brought in to keep us company. As I've to start in the mornin' be the thrain, in orther to be up at the nixt Kabinit sayance in Wellington, I have been forced to write this on the Sunday against me will. The ixcillint banket given last night be yer Mayor (Misther Lairy) suggested the followin' thrifle :— THE DUNAIDIN BANKIT. Don't talk to me ay Trojans Or anshint thaologans, That live in Asop's fables, or Homer's high flown dhrames I wish you wouldn't prate, 0, Of Sock-rat-is an' Plato, I mountin' my Pig-asses now for grandher, nobler thaimes. The Railway Dimonsthration Claims me congratulation ; Och, blur-an-ounthers, man alive! 'twas beautiful to see The City Guards an' Gunners (Begorra, they are stunners), Presintin' arms, an' legs, too, for the Governor an' me. The grand illuminations, An banners of all nations, In lovely situations, wor gorgeous to behold ; Likewise the banket, too, boys, No thripe or Irish stew, boys, But rale ould mountain jew, boys, wid geese an' turkeys could.

The butchers an' the bakers Put life into the spaikers, Wid diafrain ixtinded, the Markiss poured a flood. Ay flowery ilocution ; An' ivery risolution We toasted,*boys wint far to prove the rodhero was good. Theclargy, too wor presint, Quite jovial an' pleasant, Forgettin' all "their difference remimbirin' they are mm Whore buildin' up a nation ; The lines of seperation Wor wash'd in aitch libation, an Union conquered thin. Begorra, as I gazed, boys, Quite gratified and plaised, boye, I thin purshed, amazed, boys a thrain of thought on love ; Some think that line a stale way To heaven ; but it's the Rail-way To link the cities of the earth wid cities up above." Paddy Murphy. Inn Bee.—A grate many people is wondherin' why 1 didn't wair me Coort shuit at the Dimonsthration, but as I toukl ye afore,.l was thravellin' in-cog-night-o, in ordher to avoid the thrimindichus excitement which me prisence would have created. In conclusion, I must say that I was mighty well plaised wid all the Railway arrangements. Misther Conyers the Commishiner, is a regular brick, an', 'pon me sowl he ought to have been an Irishman, but I'll forgive him the mistake this time.-—P.M. Pee Ess.—Bedad, I nearly forgot to tell ye ay the slight put ipon mesilf an' me collaiges be the ordher o' precaidince obsarred. The dirty bosthoons had the impidince to allow Bishop Moran an' Captain Townsind to precaid the mimbers o't he Kabinit at the Dunaidin Banket; but, sure, they know nothing' ay hiraldhry so they don't.—P.M.