A Lady's Letter.

Manawatu Herald, 23 June 1896, Page 3

A Lady's Letter.

» , Wellington, June 20, 1896. The first ball of this session was given last Friday night at Government House, and as usual Lady Glasgow made a charming hostess. The large corridors were made to look very pretty with palms and bamboo plants placed here and there, and over all the pink shaded gas globes shed a soft fairy-like glow. The ballroom mantelpiece was arranged with ferns and big bright scarlet flowers, and in the drawingroom other pretty pot plants and ferns were to be seen by the light of delicately tinted shaded lamps. Lord and Lady Glasgow received together at the entrance of the first drawingroom, and the latter was looking very well in a thick black satin gown, in the front of which was let in a graduated panel of pale pinky heliotrope silk, beautifully embroidered with pearls and crystal beads, the corsage was further trimmed with lace and flowers to match the panel, fastened in with diamond brooches ; the Ladies Augusta and Alice Boyle were similarly dressed, their gowns being of pale primrose glace* silk on which wbb worked tiny satin spots, the bodices were trimmed with chiffon to match and wreaths of pink and yellow shaded flowers. Lady Dorothy was wearing a white muslin frock with many frills of pretty lace; Lady Helen Boyle, wore black satin, relieved with white lace and magenta roses. It seemed to me that most of the ladies wore new frocks and some of them were lovely, noticeable among them being that worn by Mrs (Dr) Collins, which was of white duchesse satin, near the hem of the front of the skirt was a beautiful design worked in tiny gold sequins or spangles, this same embroidery brightened the front of the corsage, while the full sleeves v/ere trimmed in a pretty way with small white accordian chiffon frills ; Miss Duncan's gown was also very much admired, it was of a lovely pale green satin, all round the low corsage was a tiny white satin ribbon ruching which finished on one shoulder in a butterfly bow, from the ruching fell a btrtbe of delioate lace, in the hair was worn a dainty little spray of lillies of the valley among their leaves, which matched the gown admirably. Miss Gore, very pale blue silk and satin striped gown, trimmed with Maltese lace and white satin pompadour ribbon ; Miss Russell (Hawkes Bay), prttty white and pale green striped glace silk, with a full fichu of lace •dged chiffon — there were many other very pretty toilettes, but these are a few which particularly took my fancy, and several other people's too I think. Other guests included Sir Arthur and Lady Douglas, Mr and Mrs T. C. Williams, Mr and Mrs Alfred Brandon, Mr and Mrs Baldwin, Dr and Mrs Pardy, Mrs H. D. Bell, Mr and Mrs C. Izard, Captain Russell, Professor Forbes, the Misses Izard, Coleridge, Richardson, Pbarazyn, Medley, Elliott, Tuckey, Gibson, Sea.', &o. Mrs John Duncan has issued invitations for a ball on the 80th of this month. The Star Boating ball has been fixed to take place on the 24th of July. I bear that Mr and Mrs Pharazyn have invited over five hundred guests to their ball next Friday night. Even in Thomas 1 Hall, this ball I should say will be " a little cruehy," tO put it in a mild form of words. The Messrs Alfred and J. W. Hill gave their second Pupils Concert in tbs Exchange Hall this afternoon, when there was a very large audience present. Miss Hall was in excellent voice, and her song "In sweet September" was loudly applauded. Mr Nicholls- also sang very well indeed, his song being " Thou 'art paesiog hence, my brother." There were several other enjoyable items performed, including violin solos, trios and orchestral pieces. 1^ Signa. The Colonial Bank. So much has been said by Ministers as to their late colleague the ex Colonial Treasurer having been hounded down by members of the House that the following taken from the Peopl* will be read with interest,

and perhaps, surprise : — To a Wellington gentleman is mainly due the credit of the exposure in connection with the Oolonial Bank and the J. G. Ward Association. We refer to Mr Victor Braund, the former ac i countant of the Union Bank. It , appears that, before the bank amal- • gamation, Mr Braund, in his position as sharebroker, asked for in- ■ formation from the Colonial Bank i as to Its position, With a view to i advising bis clients as to the value i of the shares for investment. The f information he obtained proved to f be entirely misleading. Mr Braund » determined, in justice to his clients, i to probe the matter to the bottom, : and his expert banking knowledge i enabled him to do so with the result ) just made known. Mr Braund has ; gone to much personal trouble and expense over the matter, and it was : he who retained Mr Young for the i examination of Mr Ward and Mr Vigors, in the Supreme Court, at Dunedin. The public, who have a sense of commercial propriety, should certainly see that Mr Braund is refunded the expenses he incurred in the investigation, and which must ' have been considerable.