Local Intelligence.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VIII, Issue 503, 29 August 1857, Page 5

Local Intelligence.

On Tuesday evening last the Lyttelton Colonists' Society gave a conversazione in the Town j Hall, to entertain his Honor the Superintendent ! for the last time previous-, to his departure for England. The room was as usual prettily decorated and decked with contributions from friends of many curious and beautiful articles for exhibition. The theatre fittings were permitted_ by Mr. Foley to remain for the evening in their • place, and by his kindness, with the assistance of some active members of' the committee, an elegant and ceremoniously effective dais was thus constructed. The room was very full. We should think that not less than two hundred and fifty persons were present, at least one-half of whom were visitors. His Honor arrived at about half-past seven, and was received in a most ceremonious manner by the President and Committee. After retiring for a few minutes, he returned and took his seat upon the platform, when the following address was read and presented by the President, Mr. Alport :—.■■. TO HIS HONOR J. E. FITZ GERALD, ESQ. Sir, —The members of the Lyttelton Colonists' Society have assembled' here this evening to meet your Honor, with mingled feelings of sorrow and pleasure. In common with the rest of our fellow colonists in Canterbury, we are sincerely grieved that ill-health has fallen upon you in the midst of your labours for the public welfare, and we beg to assure you of our sympathy. We particularlyI ■- regret that such a cause should render necessary your departure from the country which you and we had adopted as our own, and in our occupation of which you have borne so prominent a part. We earnestly trust that your absence from us may be shortened by the removal of that cause which has led to it. But we must rejoice, as a society whose formation and objects are familiar to you, that you have once again before your departure come among us to find the Institution which you took such pains to found and have done so much to encourage still flourishing, and to receive in person the cordial thanks of the Society for the services you rendered to it during the first period of its existence, and for the munificent support you have since that time given to it. To your Honor a great portion of the success which we congratulate ourselves upon is due, and we now beg permission to offer you a slight j acknowledgment of our sense of those services, a simple memorial of the respect and attachj inent which the members of the Colonists' Society of Lyttelton have ever felt towards yon in your public and private capacity. IWe know that though you leave the province you will not cease to labour for its interests with the same devotion that you have ever displayed ; and we earnestly trust that success may attend your exertions. Neither will your Honor's connection with this Society be fori gotten. We shall never cease to regard you ! with affectionate remembrance as a fellow colonist ; nor will you, we are sure, forget the land of your adoption nor the institutions which you have caused to nourish therein. We wish your Honor all safety, prosperity, and happiness in your absence; and we look forward to the pleasure of greeting you on your return to our shores, at no distant time, with the transcendent blessing of restored health. We are sorry not to be able to give his Honor's reply, touching as it did upon some most interesting topics; but nothing less than a verbatim report would be satisfactory, and that is unfortunately out of our power to supply. In this speech and in another which his Honor delivered before the close of the evening he declared his intention.; to return again to Canterbury; and he expressed himself ready and willing to execute not only for the Society but for any individual whatever commission might be entrusted to him, and that at all lay in his power, when in England. The testimonial which was referred to in the address, and which drew from his Honor many expressions of thanks and compliment, was, we are glad to say, a gift well-worthy of the occa-. sion. It is a marquetry table, the work of Mr. Willcox, of this town, from a design by Messrs. Mountfort and Luck, of Christchurch. The top of the table is octagonal and about thirty inches in diameter, having a chess board in the

middle, slightly elevated above the rest of the table. On one side the Fitz Gerald arms, and on the other the Canterbury arms are inlaid in shell. The board lifts off and discovers a backgammon board, and beneath is a compartment to hold the pieces. Round the moulding of the table will be a suitable inscription. The whole is constructed of New Zealand wood, of which it contains not less than seventeen varieties, and at least J ,500 pieces. The woods are beautiful specimens of those kinds in common use here but so highly prized by cabinet-makers, and the workmanship is really exquisite. In fact the present to his Honor is one of which the givers may be proud, as displaying the beautiful natural productions of New Zealand, as well as the skill of Canterbury in cabinet work. We learn that some handsome photographic views, taken by a gentleman of this town, will be attached to the under surface of the moveable part of the table which forms the chess board. The table was not quite finished when it was exhibited at the conversazione, but it will be complete in another week, after which it will be exhibited in the Town Hall, along with the model of the Port Hills, which his Honor has promised to send for inspection before having it packed for transmission to England. The remainder of the evening at the Conversazione _ was successfully and agreeably j passed, chiefly by the assistance of the Choral Society, who furnished some musical treats. A solo by Mr. Allwright, two buffo songs by Mr. Howard, and a reading by Mr. McCardell were added to the entertainment. The president, at about half-past ten, addressed a few remarks to the assembly, and bade adieu to his Honor, who spoke a few words in farewell; after which some of the company departed, leaving the younger members to conclude the entertainment with a ball.

We believe that several photographic views were taken on Monday last as the Sumner Road processions were in progress. It is to be hoped that these views will be successful in perpetuating pictorially this important event in our history. We are informed that the proposition to bring down our English mails from Wellington in the Melbourne vessels is as unsuccessful as the previous schemes. We do not know the particulars at present, so we can scarcely suggest a remedy. But it seems to us that if any sailing vessel is to bring on the mails the offered services of our very regular trader the Canterbury ought to be secured; and if steam is to do the work, we should let the bonus remain till the time when our own steamers will be ready to undertake it.