PUBLIC DINNER.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VI, Issue 301, 21 December 1871, Page 2

PUBLIC DINNER.

A dinner, at which between 50 and 60 were present, was given to Mr. Henry Kenwood, at the Oddfellows' Hall, last night, C. F. Watts, Esq. in the chair, the vice-chair being occupied by Mr. C. Elliott. Among those present were the Hon. Dr. Kenwick, M.L.C., the Hon. E. W. Stafford, his Honor the Superintendent and the Provincial Secretary, Meisrs. A. S. Collins and M. Lightbiwfd, J M.H.R., C. Hunter Brown, Esq, J.P„ and a large number of our leading citizens. On tbe cloth beinjj removed, the usual loyal toasts were proposed, and heartily responded to. The Vjck-Chaieman then rose to propose the health of tbe jjuest of tbe evening, ai.d in doing so said that from a combination of circumstances it had devolved upon bim to ask the company to drink to the health of Mr. Redwood, tbe president, with an amount of modesty that wa9 quite uncalled for, having imposed it asacouditiou of his tnkiDg the chair that he, (Mr. Elliott) ono of Mr. Redwood's oldest friends, phould undertake the duty of proposing the toast to which he was sure all honor would be done, lie cirold not hut feel that the present meeting was not altogether a cheerful one, but that it contained a panful element in the fact of its being a farewell dinner to one of the oldest ,ai»d most respected of Nelson's settlers. When it wan considered what bnd been done by him f r the province, and, by the example he had . et, for the cblony at large, he wa's 'quite sure that all would allow that .there was p debt of praise aud. gratitude owing to their giiest which could riot but be

acknowledged by every settler in New Zealand, e-pechiy those in the Middle Island. Whatever Mr. Bed wood had undertaken he bad done well. As a carpenter, a mechanic, a farmer, or a judge of stock he had showed his superiority over his fellow-men, while as a sportsman, it would be difficult to find his equal, and he could look upon it in no other light than that of a calamity to the province of Nelson that such a man was about to leave it He hud been the first amongst us to introduce the steam threshing machine, and it was only necessary to look around now and see the number of these machines of which the province cnuld boast, to show that in this matter he had set an example which had met with the hearty approval of the rest of our agriculturists. The next step he made was to import a steam plough, and for doing this he had been taunted by those who were his friends, and laughed at by those who were not. but the result showed that he had but exercised a judicious foresight. Up to the time of the arrival of this machine he had never seen a steam plough — all his knowledge of it being acquired from reading — but when it came he set to work, and without the aid of any professional mechanic in four days' time hud set it up, and was turning over his land with it. In a recent Queensland paper he had seen it suggested that now that communication with America was becoming more frequent, the Government should send ti Commissioner to the States, whose business it should le to make himself thoroughly i acquainted with the various descriptions of labor saving machinery there used and to report upon i them, and he believed that if ihe New Zealand Government were to send Mr. Redwood on a similar errand, the report he would furnish would be a most valuable one, and of real service to the colony. As a breeder of horses. Mr. JCedwood was too well known to render it necessary to speak of him in that capacity. He had conferred a great benefit upon New Zealnnd generally by having in the early days taken the trouble to procure from Australia the very best racing and cart stock to be obtained, as, by so doing, he had been the means of improving the quality of stock throughout the colony. lie (Mr. KHiott) wished that he had had more time to prepare his speech, but he had been called upon quite unexpectedly to make it, and he would conclude by saying howproud he had always felt to claim their guest that evening as one of "his oldest friends in the colony. Go where he would, Mr. Redwood would always be respected and looked up to as one of those real sterling colonists who tend to make a young country thrive and prosper. The health of Mr. Redwood was then drunk with the greatest enthusiasm. In rising to reply, Mr. Redwood said that Mr. Elliott had spoken of him as being pretty handy at'putting machinery together; he on'y wished he was equally good at framing a speech, as he might then hope to give expression to the immense gratification hy experienced in the compliment paid to him that evening. It would be a source of great pleasure to any man who had lived in a conmnnity for 28 years to be received by all classes of society as he was then, and if he did not express all he felt it was simply because he could not find the words to do so. Very flattering things had been said of liim, more, he feared, than he deserved, as he simply looked upon himself as a colonist who AMj^rying to do the best for himself, and if in sfimng he had been of service to his neighbors liPwas only too glad of it. Somehow, it had fallen to his lot to go up to Australia for the purpose of procuring good horse stock. He went therewith the intention of getting the very '.best to be had, and he believed he had succeeded. If he had not, he would have failed, iv doing what he considered his duty. It was true he was about to leave the province, but he was not going very far; it was only the other side of the hills, and of this he was quite] sure, that he should never forget the many true-hearted friends he had in Nelson, and very often he should fancy he heard their kindly voices. Once more he would wisli to assure them how deeply he felt the compliment paid to him, and how great was the pleasure that that evening's gathering afforded him. The " Commercial and Agricnltural Prosperity of Nelson," was then proposed by his Honor the SurKKtSTivNT and replied to by Mr. Collins on behalf of the agricultural, and MrLiGiiTBAKD, of the commercial interests. Mr. Lightband proposed the health of the lion. Mr. Stafford, of whom he might say that although during the last session they had voted on opposite sides, yet that he had always respected and admired him as one ot New Zealand's leading statesmen, and had never failed to experience considerable pleasure in listening to him when addressing the House. Mr. Stafford said that he felt roost deeply the handsome and spontaneous manner in which his health had been proposed, and the warm reception accorded to the toast. Coming as it did from Mr. Lightband it had a double specialty for him, and he felt the compliment all the more in that it emanated from one who had been opposed to him in the field of politics. It was true that Mr. j Lightband had supported the present Ministry, while he (Mr. Stafford) was in the Opposition, but he believed that they both recognised one I common ttithee — the good of the colony as a whole — I and were there further communion between those I who supported and these who opposed the I Ministry he believed that this feeling would be found to exist to a far greater extent than was at I preseut generally supposed. They might differ as to the means to be adopted, but they all had the same great end in view. He took a very deep interest in the welfare of the colony, and it gave him v<ry great pleasure to Took around hiru and see so many young New Zealand colonists growing up and taking an interest in the public matters' of the colony. He coul i see more than one then present whose fathers had been intimate friends of his long before those sons were born. Those young men must of necessity feel an interest in the colony which hod been their birthplace, and. in which their fathers had for many years Jived, and some of them died, and it was such young Jruen who were to form the strength of the colony, which he believed would never attain that greatness, for which its geographical position and magnificent climate so eminently adapted it, until it was governed by New Zealand born nnd bred colonists. On this head he differred entirely from Juige Richmond, who, in the course of his address to tho College bo\s. said that we must, tor a long time to ome, look to the mother country or to men partly trained there for a considerable portion of the men fitted to exercise amongst us the highest social 1 functions. He (Mr. Stafford) on the contrary, thought that the day could not come too soon when these functions were exercised by men whose whole interests iay in the colony, who had been born in it, and lived in it. and from' their own experience had obtained an intimate acquaintance with its wants and its

capabilities. These were the men he should wish to see at the head of affairs, and not men who looked upon New Zealand merely^as a place in which to make their pile, and having done this to desert it. Mr. Lightband was one of that desirable class of men to which he had alluded. He had just taken part in politics for the first time, and although their views had differed, he (Mr. Stafford) was bound to admit that he had always acted conscientiously. Among the new members few had taken a higher position than Mr. Lightband, who, in the few remarks lie had made to the House, was always listened to with attention. In their other member, too, the City ( f Nelson was exceedingly fortunate, and the ready assent given by the Ministers to Mr. Curtis's prop sed amendments in the Education Bill clearly showed the estimation in which he was held hy them. In concluding, Mr. Stafford said that, although he no longer had the honor of representing the City of Nelson, it was a great satisfaction to him to find that its two members were men with whom anyone might be proud of associating. For his part he had a special liking for Nelson and for those who resided in it, and this he thought he pretty well showed by always living here when allowed by his public duties to do so. He would once more return thanks for the manner in which his health had been proprosed and responded to. Mr. Stavert thought that the party should not break up without drinking the health of Mr. Redwood's two sons Mr. Stafford supplemented this by saying that the two young men elluded to, were such as any father might be proud of. He should never forget seeing "Jo Redwood " with cool head and rare judgment win- the first Champion race in New Zealand against the Victotian cbatrpkm horse and thoroughly experienced rider, and he thought then that he was no ordinary hoy. The second son. Fred, as an amateur mechanician was almost without an equal. He had seen him on the shortest day in the year turn out with the steam plough and turn over 4§ acres of hitherto unbroken land, and this too was a feat to be proud of. Such lads as they were a credit to their father and the colony in which they were reared. The toast having been drunk, Mr. Redwood leplied on behalf of his sons, of whom he admitted that he was exceedingly proud, and he was never more so than when he saw his eldest son win the Champion race alluded 10. Of course he was pleased to win the stakes, hut he believed that it caused him far greater gratification to know that they had been w?>n by a Kelson mare, ridden by a Nelsoh-born rider. Several other toasts were proposed and responded to during the evening, including that of his Honor the Superintendent proposed by the hon.'Mr. Stafford, "the Legislative Council coupled with the name of the hon. Dr. Renwick" by Mr. Simmons, Mr. Redwood, Senior, by Mr. Felt.., " the Nelson educational system coupled/ with the name of Mr Simmons " by Mr. Collins, " the chairman " by Mr. Stavert. " the vicechairman " by Mr. Redwood, &c. After spending a very pleasant evening the party broke up a little before midnight. Before concluding our notice we must not omit to say a word in praise of the very excellent dinner that was provided by Mr. and Mrs. Russell, of the Masonic Hotel, and set on the table in a manner that has seldom been equalled, certainly never surpassed in Nelson.