LYTTELTON NAVAL BRIGADE DINNER.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2449, 10 February 1882, Page 3

LYTTELTON NAVAL BRIGADE DINNER.

On Thursday night Lieut. MoLellan, commanding the Lyttelton Naval Brigade, gave a dinner to the brigade at the Mitre Hotel, at Port. Colonel Paoke, Major Lean, Captain Slater, C.Y.O. ; Captain Wolfe, City Guards ; Lieut. Strange, Artillery; and Lieut. Francis, City Guards, were guests also at the dinner. Host Hill, of tl e Mitre, was in Lis best form, and gave a spread for his patron that could scarcely ha excelled. After dinner was disposed of the large double dining hall of the hotel was made ready for the toast drinking. Lieut MoLellan took the chair and Lieut. Dransfield the vice-chair. The chairman gave “ Her Majesty the Queen and the Eoyal Family,” also “ His Excellency Sir Arthur Gordon.” The next toast proposed was “ Colonel Packe, the Cornminding Officer of the District, and Visiting Officers.” Drank with musical honors. Colonel Paoke on rising, was received with loud cheers. Ho first referred to the coincidence of that meeting being held on the anniversary of his first arrival in New Zealand in 1862. Since that time, he had spent many delightful days in Port in connection with the organising of such volunteer corps as had existed, and the progress they had made. In the Lyttelton Naval Brigade, he believed, he saw the nnclons of what must become a most efficient military body, one which would bo found invaluable and invulnerable in time of neoi. Wnile his experience lay more in military duty on land, he fully recognised the necessity, indeed the indispensableuess of naval protection. In a colony such as this, the defence of the ports was no doubt paramount, and in that direction ho took special pride in the organisation of the Lyttelton Naval Brigade. He exprcs»od a doubt that the brig Derwent, the gift of Mr C. W. Turner, could be worked satisfactorily as the joint property of the Brigade and the Orphanage, The Orphanage authorities had taken the preliminary stops to secure a man-of-war for an established training ship, in which event Mr Turner might hand the brig over to the Brigade, and thus provide them with a means 0* practical drilling such as would thoroughly render them perfect as a Naval body of men. Lieut. McLellan expressed the belief that in any event a brig could be mad* use of by the children of the Orphan ago to a very great extent. Major Loan b'iefly responded on behalf of the visiting officers. Colonel Packe next proposed ” Lieut. McLellan and the Lyttelton Naval Brigade" in a felicitous speech. The toast was responded to by the chairman and vice-chairman, and by the surgeon to the Brigade, Dr. J. T. Rouse. Afterwards Colonel Packo presented Seaman McLellan with the silver cup presented by the commanding offi® 6 *® of tho Brigade for the best score at the l“to match r.'t the butts. A few more toasts brought a very delightfully spent evening to a concln- . CM*