CALEDONIAN SOCIETY'S ANNUAL DINNER.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 104, 4 May 1877, Page 2

CALEDONIAN SOCIETY'S ANNUAL DINNER.

'"TheYSocie ty's annual d jliner; took .place' at -tbe Trafalgar .Hotels last night, ;'the" chair" being-taken by|_he'Pre_idgnt_ :; the''lloh. DrY R-snwick, Jand the; vice-chair .by'-Mr, Joseph:. Macka^, in the'Sbsence of the Hqn.^YMajci 4 -- Richmond, the Att|excCllenfc-. dinner, comprising ajl the delicpipjes of the" season, had been .provided. byiMiYDjsher, aud Was partaken of by nearly SO/guests. The cloth having been removed the usual loyal toasts were drunk with all the honors, and the chairman then proposed " the Army, Navy, and Volunteers," coupling with the toast the uameof Captain-Marahallin whoai the Nelson Volunteers were most fortunate ih possessing so excellent and zealous**. 1 - commanding officer. ,-•-'•' Captain Marshall returns duthanks.; for the cordial manner in which. the *_tpast_ had „b.e_en_ responded to, and saidjie f f e^t proud Jo b.e fn command., of Wch.'a' force; as c / tne "Nelsqh Volunteers. ' Seeing thai' therVweVb so roaby' Scotchmen in Nelson he wondered^ tMi- a 1 ■■ <?on_pany"weartng-the Highland -costume4iadnoi been formed here;.- -- . -. ; r : . •_, . . .. . r The"next item on tbe programme' was w the. •presentation o_ 'the 1 Societ^-'s^ medals to Messrs 'Wilkie;' Jones,\and. Parker... : ;. . ./.-*, *„ TheCbairman said— Bdforepresenting the . mejilals I will take the. opportunity of preferring to the gr .(it loss the Society has sustained in the death of :' its 'late^-Presiaent; Sir "David"* •Mdnro. That gentten_i_n' filled (.with honor ? and dignity the office- of .President, .front, the ■ formation bf .the: Society.- .-He- \va&;.;a : triue-^ hearted' Scotchman, andtook a* .warm interest ._ not only in the Caledonian Society, jjutjn-. everything connected with, our native counr try. I feel assured that there are many here who will long revere his memory,rand vcill remember the many services -he -fetal rendered at Various times to our. adopted "cbiintryr I .will now "proceed to the more cheerful duty of presenting the medals to those brave men whe, at the risk of their -o>vn liv.es., . say ed othjers from positions 1 of great peril during • the late dUastrpps flpods at Motueka. I.may r "state that when we. heard of' r tne_fe 'disasters' and the risks that bad beeri rflflfWrippoiuted a Committee to enquire into the matter, and report to the Society. .. .Tbeir ...report was as follows;-*--- ■■'■■ AAJ . ■ AAI A'aillA ''Nelson, -March 3,; 1877. v -* *f We, the then-Mrs ' of " the " TUdfrnnittee chosen- to enquire into ceytain acts of *bra very: in savi'tig^fe af the late floods jati Motueka, ;■ with a viewof. rewarding with the medal.' of . oui! Society such persons, as at imminent risk \to their own saved thei lives of x»thers/,af ter careful enquiries made ,at ;the_ scene jof, the. disaster and elsewhere,, beg. to,, re^pinmeud Alexander Wilkie, William Heqry Jones, and Edmund Parker, as deserving the decoration. "M.tItIOHJIONDjY j: *.--••(.. •>-.- --" Jamks P. Black,'!' "A! A- A '' „ "John Dal*/ ''> Committee." ! "David Burns, J Ad'dreS-ifig the' recipients of the:* m_da_s;i ,the Chairman said :— " Oue- of the objects of the Caledonian Society,is to, reward; -jteiQds of bravery by bestowing j^s-medalpn those who mepit them. You, Mr Wilkie andMr Jones, j savied the lives of Mrahd Mrs Glover at the ' jjslj: oi ybuir'owri/and #ou iMf i PaVk&. 'saved. .the; life of J^frs A.uty* ,. I; bave. much pleasure. ,ip .presenting you , wifj. .' the' njecla^s ofthe'' §ocjiety. These' medals "are"' not of much intrinsic yalue, -but I hav eTiq .dcmbt yqu. will pri?e'th'em as a mark 'Of th© est'eeniaad ap- ! prcciiilibn *of your:£ellow ;settler&-sd£.your braVe conduct." ... Y Y?_.; • -y *„.._ i Y.j.:. .■ Tb(i, health of the Recipients was then, drunk 'yr'itV three times threei' after which 1 they briefly returhed'tfiaiiks.' - ''"•''' '."<"''* •• Mi* Joseph Mackay-' said that before proposing the toast entrusted* Jto him he. must, express his. regret thatthe Vicfr-Preaident of the Society, Major Ricbmond, hac} riot Veen able to attend, but that in his" absence he had been requested to occupy'- th'e. 1 V icg-ohJ-ir. His toast was oue v/kicb"was usually proI posed on such dcc__dons,_n&mely,_ -^TliaYLaHd. I o' Cakes, Brither Scots, and.- success to the Caledonian Society," and in giving it the f)roposej?'»Hras generally. allowsdj tpi^.gftsf' a'l ittlej but though '(gas!',., ws-aj si|PW*.W§ he distinctly denied the necessity .pr.it,- as .the; facta w^re so numefoys ap4;so-well!knqwn. As for " brlther, Scots" ; it ;Wjas onjy necessary, to .mention the names' of William Wallace and Robert Bruce to kindle a Scotchman's enthusiasm..;, They all/knew; that; tlje* gpqtch had ,won .the?, battle, of, Bannoclcburn, and; some of ihem perhap_ ktVew; iptf tbUt'tbey would also, have' won that of*!. IMdeb if.. he English-VW".; only, , let. '^hem:';; 'The; : ( G_%.: .Napoleon had' thoroughly appreciated '.'.'the fighting qualities of the Scotch, for not sa|d f " Give me Highlanders enough and I'll conquer the world." Jt would be observed that; he didn't say Frenchmpif, oij -Gerfflana, or Irish, or even English, ,,biut ...f'Highla^ers.'' As for the " Land,p* cakes," every right thinking Scotchman. loolced .upon it^ps un- ; riyalled. Its lakes, its? tarns, its hills, were the finest in the world, and — so was its whisky. t He lyquld ask tbem .to .drink to a. land wberc the battle of 'fre edolu 1 hdd been' manfully fought aud nobly won, a laud rich '- in glorious memories, .a land "rifcher far in what was still more important, the general diffusion of a. sound elementary, educatiqn. Its parish schools were among its 'greatest glories, and formed the model for almost all other systems of education. . .-•-,.. The toast having been drunk with all the honors, Mr Robertson recited an address to the Caledonian Society by " WillieHogg. The Rev. J. C. Andrew, in proposing " The memory of Robert Burns," said that every country had its national character, the French gay,the Spaniard grand, the Englishman, well, perhapsthe less, said about his language; the* better, and the Scot was canny. But these were but outward accidents and if they wished to

understand their real character they ipisfebe a^uju^d^with^heir natio^poetr^MFhay 7^ ; w^f<^li^'ny|^3eß;^Bam Scop&i^ Jcduli-hot atfgH?eciafe a jokefflilesspkve^ iihto hhh wi^B;4 pic^_xe^h*i_^mi pr<f||d by" !Bur_4J,;whos§.i|u__aqg w^^asvplh aa® waa ; genuine, to|^h9#ithel|sotc\ m. elfflheir -^a^onat ,poee_^(fttfd t§%fe^m*^i*jr hk-4 "now aSkfed theDTto- drink. \Y_F y *> Song by Mr D. Burns. ~ '■' '" The Rev. P. Calder in a lengthy and able speech proposed " the memory of the great and good Sir Walter Scott,", the Homer of r Scotland. - A .-«.. » -™~ if ~. Y Mjr-aj. P&lack then raji&d thUlinJ frhn| the -Lay of the Last MmStTerc^rßSkcni^ with " Breathes there a man with soul so dead?" Mr: O. :. Curtis ~sald"hr s hiJd-'l^a"'a-_a"d-"ftP propose « The land of our adoption," which 'he" pre_fumed was a poetical phrase for New Zealand, although at a Scotch gathering such a term might fairly_.be taken -to mean. the_ whole of the BntiirdbTmrnaifSr^fierce^" tainly had adopted it from one end to the other and frequently rose to high positions in various parts of it. So far our adopted country bad done well, and, with the assistance of "the Scotch, it would no doubt rise some day teethe dignity of a great nation. The extrea_e3 : of wealth and of poverty were "■avoided here,. and a good elementary education was placed, within the reach of all. .' Song— ",Bo.qpie DunoW-*?by Mr Daly. ; Mr Richmond' propos^tfe! health of the Mayor, and Corporation,|ffllhiyling in compli- . mentary terj__sr=to the z&^nd ability they displayed in the disch&ge iof their duties, wpich at [times' were vgryonerous. He re- ; gtjetlgd that none of thphfr ere present on .. tljat oflcasixMn,...,. »Yf ; .;Mf 4cton AdamErettpmecl thanks, expressing hi| regret thaCihe^Geriioration had to appear! by their solicjitoiL. «Y l8o£g— « Norah, lire yoW&king ?" by Mr . Edmund Thomas, n; H . jMr Acton Adams propose! « The Press," tq Mr Shephard replied Itfftnlamusing speech. ,*This broughttthe progjanflne of toasts to a • close, but a number of o|her| followed, interspersed wijfch some capital-aaongs, and about midnight ** Auld Lang Synel" terminated a * very pleasanfcahd sociahj^athering.