THE ANNIVERSARY DAY.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4319, 23 January 1875, Page 2

THE ANNIVERSARY DAY.

THE REGATTA. Despite the amusements provided by the Caledonian Society, the regatta yesterday attracted a great number of spectators. There were, perhaps, not so many visitors to the wharf as it might have held, but the number was very considerable—at times not fewer than a thousand, the fair sex being particularly numerous. The day could not possibly have been more favorable for boat racing, the elements blending most harmoniously, whilst the sun at no period of the day blazed forth so as to be oppressive, either to rowers or to spectators. There was that happy medium struck—enough wind for the yachts and not too much for the rowing boats, the corrugations in the water being so slight as to just take off the monotony incidental to a glass-like surface. The wharf and its neighborhood presented a very gay and animated appearance, all the vessels alongside displaying every flag that could possibly be got together, while several of the hotels and stores did their best to add to the general effect. Three lines of flags were stretched from the mizzenmast of the Langstone to the mizzenmast of the Soukar, and the appearance they presented was very pretty. All the vessels in the stream, including the pretty revenue cutter Ringleader, added to the beauty of the scene by a lavish display of bunting. An awning, which was extensively patronised by the ladies the whole day, was spread by the committee at the southern end of the T, seats being also provided. Music enlivened the intervals, the Veteran Band being in attendance. Ono omission was, however, very noticeable. There had been no provision made by the committee for refreshment booths on the wharf, and had it not been for the generosity and kindness of the captains of the several English vessels lying alongside the jetty, hunger and thirst would have to have been borne by those who cared to see the procedings to their finish. Fortunately, there was not a single accident—which was almost unprecedented on regatta day in Wellington. Great credit is due to the committee for the manner in which everything connected with the regatta was carried out—not a single hitch occurring to mar the general success. Good humor was noticeable everywhere ; everybody appearing to enjoy themselves thoroughly. The first race started a little behind the time announced ; but once started, the events were run off smartly, the committee finding it impossible to abide strictly to the order ia which the events were placed on the 'erect card. Excepting a couple of events—the two whaleboat races—all the races were contested by local men and local clubs, the Wellington Rowing Club being exceptionally fortunate, their boats taking first place in every race for which they entered—viz., four ; the Star and Queen's Clubs in no instance getting better ihan second place. In former years, Nelson ■:ent crews and boats across, and last year we had a visit from Wanganui; but neither place sent a representative on this occasion—more's the pity. Captain Halliday, as usual, started the several events ; and his Worship the Mayor undertook the duties of Judge, which, fortunately, were not very difficult, patience being the feature of yesterday's appointment. The several races were started by dropping a flag, the winners being proclaimed by a discharge from a mortar, which was kindly lent the committee by tho Captain of the Laugstono. The following is the order of the several events:— Paih-oaii Skiffs (outriggers not allowed), rowed by juniors. Distance, 2 miles. First prize, £5; second, 103. Wellington Kowing Club's Alexandra Limp, Anderson (stroke). Kicltman (bow) .. .. 1 Star Club's , lUchardson (stroke), Eyton (bow) 2 Wellington Rowing Club's Napi-Napi, Bond (stroke), Fisher (bow) 3 The course for this race was from the wharf, round a boat moored off Pipitea Point, thence making a circuit of the vessels lying in the stream. The boats got away together, but after a few strokes had been rowed the NapiNapi dropped out of tho race, having come to the scratch simply to give the other two boats

a start. When a couple of hundred yards had been got over, the Star Club's boat dropped behind, which she continued to do for the remainder of the race. The Limp came in at her ease, the second boat coining along leisurely for second money. The Star Club's representative was tlie favorite at the start. The Limp was well rowed by her junior crew, who made her name a misnomer. Ships' Gios Race.— The bona fide property of ships in harbor, and to be pulled by ships' crews. Distance, 2 miles. First prize, £G ; second, £2. Langstone .. .. .1 Jessie Headman .. .. .. .. .. ..2 Howrah - 3 Soukar .. 0 Course the same as in last race. After her performance on Saturday last, when she accompanied the race between the Jung Frau's and Soukar's boats, the Jessie Headman was a very warm favorite. At the start the Jessie Headman, Langstone, and Soukar fouled, which allowed the Howrah, which kept clear of the ruck, to get quite a hundred yards' start. This benefit proved of little service to her, for before the flagboat off Pipitea had been reached, she had taken third place. The Jessie Headman succeeded in getting round the boat first, closely followed by the Langstone, and then came the Howrah, the Sonkar nowhere. These positions were respectively maintained till the Kosario was reached, when the Langstone boys put on a'powerful spurt and took No. 1, which satisfactory place was maintained to the finish. About six'lengths separated the first from the second boat, and the same distance between the second and third. For hard slogging, this event had not an equal during the day. Snirs' Sailing Cutters (bona fide property of ships in harbor). Prize £6. Black Diamond (Anne Mellmish) 1 Howrah .. .. .. .. .. ... .. 2 Soukar 0 The course for this race was from the wharf round a buoy off Magazine Point, thence round the flagboat moored at Pipitea Point ; twice round. Interest in this event was principally among the crews of the vessels in port, preparations having been rather extensively' made by the competing vessels. The Black Diamond took the start, which she held all the way, the Howrah being but an indifferent competitor for first place. After a mile had been run, the Soukar went about, and gave up the race. Some fancy canvas was spread by the first and second boats. Fiiist-Class Yacut Race—First prize, Shaw, Saville and C'o.'s Cn», value £25 (to be won twice by the same boat), with £7 added ; 2nd prize, £5. Mr. Fuhrman's Xarifta, 15 tons 1 Mr. Lennox's Garibaldi ..2 Mr. Tabuteau's Red Jacket 0

Course: From the wharf round Ward Island, thence round Somes Island, afterwards round a buoy off Ngahaurariga, coming past the wharf inside shipping; twice round. Approximate distance, 30 miles. Of the two sailing races on the card, this was by far the most important—for two reasons : an opportunity would be offered the once little crack Red Jacket, which was so iguorniniously beaten by her newer rival the Garibaldi, on Boxing Day last, to recover her lost reputation, and also to test the merits of the Xariffa, which has been launched since our last regatta, and of which great things were expected. Betting appeared to be in favor of the Garibaldi, with few investors against her, however. At the start, the Jacket, which drew outer place, got away with a slight lead, the Garibaldi following close in her wake, setting a water sail as soon as she was fairly under way. The Xariffa took quite three minutes before she made a move, lying very sluggishly in the water—very unlike the other boat from the same builder. At last she made a start, but did not pick up much ground upon her competitors, notwithstanding that by her extra tonnage she had to make an allowance in time. The Jacket run up a gaff topsail, but with little effect. The Garibaldi passed the wharf, the first time round, three minutes in advance of the Xariffa, the Jacket being out of sight somewhere up by the Hutt beach. But when Somes Island was rounded the second time the Xariffa was ahead, the Garibaldi a few lengths astern, the Jacket having ceased to be a competitor. Both vessels here set extra canvas, the small yacht hoisting gaff topsail and squaresail, the Xariffa also setting gaff topsail and balloon jib, under which they made fair progress for home, which was reached by the Xariffa 2min. 2sec. in advance of the Garibaldi. It is understood the smaller vessel had a time allowance of 2min. 30 sec, which would entitle her to the cup by 28sec. A protest was entered by the owners of the Xariffa, who claimed the race, alleging that the Garibaldi had fouled by departing from the proper sailing rules.

Four-oar Gia Race (open to all comers). Distance, two and a-half miles. First prize, £ls ; second prize, £5. Wellington Rowing Club's Transits-Moore (bow), Walker, Woods, and Brown (stroke) .. .. 1 Star Club's Queen Mab—Gair (bow), Ollivier, A. Johnson, and W. Gray (stroke) 2 Queen's Club's Eclipse—Jos. Ames (bow), Lennox, Charley, Walden (stroke) 3

A straightaway course of two and a-half miles was arranged for this, the race of the day. The three city clubs were each represented, and each crew had its special admirers. Perhaps the Queen's Club, as being a new one and with a powerful and well-known crew, found the greatest amount of favor ; but the Stars were not to be held cheap, nor was the Wellington Rowing Club's crew, who had the advantage of a new and—now acknowledged—fast boat under them. The Stars certainly labor under the disadvantage of a shaky boat, which will doubtless after this regatta be used only for practice. The start was at Kaiwarra, finishing at the wharf. The Eclipse gjt the water first, then the Transit boys, the Mab being last. For a quarter of a mile the Eclipse showed the -way home, the Transit being too close to be pleasant, and gradually overhauling the leader. For a short distance a hard set-to was indulged in, the Transit ultimately making her egress and taking first place, which she maintained, increasing the distance between herself and the other boats till the finish. The Eclipse crew, after being passed by the Transit, allowed the Mab to take second place off Pipitea, but in the run to the finish they made the racing very warm, coming in an excellent third. The Transit won by about eight lengths. This made No. 2 win for the Wellington Rowing Club.

Junior Four-Oar Gig Race. Two miles. First prize, £10; second, £3. Wellington Rowing Club's Transit—Rickman (bow), Dictoon, Rickman, and Anderson (stroke) 1 Queen's Club's Eclipse 2 Star Club's Queen Mab—James (bow), Roskruge (stroke) 3 Telegraph Club's Electric Spark—Cairns (bow), Dodd, Stohr, and Kirker (stroke) .. .. 0

Next to the champion four, this was the most interesting race, the several clubs bringing forward their young blood. The Wellington Rowing Club's crew were looked upon with exceptional favor, the Eclipse finding many admirers. The Electric Spark was well known in the then smooth state of the water to have no show for the honor of first place, corrugated water being her speciality. She was by the Telegraph Club on the principle of " the more the merrier." A good start was effected, all the boats, excepting the Spark, keeping well together till Pipitea was readied—the course being the same as the previous four-oar race—where the Transit again got away from all competitors, and scored another win for the fortunate W.R.C. The Eclipse slightly led the Mab for second place, the Spark for such a heavy boat being well up, her crew pulling, gamely and in good time till the last. The winners were loudly cheered. Bona Fide Whaleboat Race. First Prize, £O. Distance three miles. Griffiths's Rosario .. .. 1 Thomas's Alabama 0 Thomas's Atalanta 0 Course: From the wharf round Pipitea Point, thence round buoy off Magazine Point, coming back to the wharf south of shipping at anchor ; once round. The Rosario was manned by sailors from H.M.S. Rosario, the other boats principally from the brigantine Isabella, which supplied one crew of a most motley character —one negro, one Maori, and a Kanaka, the remaining three being white men. The race was a most uninteresting one, the jolly tars taking the lead at the start, and finishing quite three quarters of a mile in advance of the other two boats, which kept well together till the finish. When the winning boat was passing the Rosai-io, the crew was loudly cheered by their comrades on board the war vessel, and

as they were approaching the finish, a cornet, played by some musician on board, very appropriately gave forth the notes of the " Conquering Hero." Volukteeb Kouk-Oak Gio Race. First prize, £5; second, ,t2, Distance, two miles. Captain Moss's Eclipse .. i Artillery Company's Queen Mab .'.' " '.'. 0 The same straightaway course as previous four-oar races. The Mab appears to have taken . the lead, but when some distance had been got from the starting-place a foul took place, and a protest, which was lodged with the committee, was the result. The Eclipse came in first, pulling hard, the Mab crew coming home leisurely. Wbaleboat Race.—First prize, £10; second, £3. Distance, three miles. Wellington Rowing Club's Cure—Florence (bow), Woods Walker, Moore, and Brown (stroke), Collins (steersman) _ .. 1 Star Club's Titokowaru—Joseph Ames (bow) Cornish, A. Johnson, Griffiths, Lennox (stroke), James Ames (steersman) .. » Watson's No-name—Crew: Seamen of EMS' Rosario, Liardet (steersman) o This race was rowed over the same sround as the previous race of its kind. The Noname was manned by seamen of the Rosario, who, owing to the construction and weight of their boat, had no chance of either first or second money—a fact which became very evident to them after a few strokes had been pulled. The Star and Wellington Ho wing Clubs' men, however, settled down to hard rowing, but the latter's crew were baulked by their No. 1, who caught a crab at the start, and missed several strokes shortly afterwards. It is fair to the rower to state that he was under great difficulty, the button of his scull being so constructed as to throw the paddle out of the thole. Before the first turning was reached The Cure was considerably ahead—perhaps five lengths—which she slowly increased till the finish. The men-of-war's-men had, in the meantime, dropped out of the race. Walking the greasy spring pole was then inaugurated, and it is needless to state it afforded an immense amount of amusement. A great many attempts were made to reach the flag at the end of the boom, .Hickman at last accomplishing the feat. A boat which was in readiness to pick up all those who indulged in a cheap bath, found ample occupation. It was after five o'clock before the Whaleboat Race was finished, and as there were three events still remaining on the programme—and one of these a sailing race—the committee decided to adjourn the regatta till the following afternoon, at half-past two o'clock. The decision appeared to meet with general approbation, and, as Saturday afternoon is a half holiday, there will doubtless be a good attendance to witness the postponed events. THE CALEDONIAN GAMES. The sports postponed from the New Year's gathering were carried out yesterday on the Basin Reserve in -presence of about 2000 people. The attendance of the public was not very numerous in the morning, but as the day wore on large numbers, who had indulged their taste for aquatic sports, wended their way to the cricket ground. Several novel events appeared upon the ]:>rogramme, amongst them being a tilting match and a bicycle race, both of which were expected to afford amusement of an interesting kind. In this respect, the anticipations were borne out, though the competitors in the tilting match were far less numerous than was expected. This mattered little, for a greater exhibition of skill could not have taken place had there been a hundred competitors. As the events are referred to in detail below it is unnecessary to make lengthened reference to them here : it is sufficient to say that the day's amusement was rendered thoroughly enjoyable, no pains being spared on the part of the directors to make it so. The weather was splendid, and taking advantage of this favorable circumstance, the fair sex were strongly represented. The grand-stand, and the seats on the slope, were thronged by ladies, and as a matter of course, where there was so much female loveliness, it was not strange that a considerable proportion of their number found their way to the dancing stages, and tripped the light fantastic to the strains of the Artillery Band. The directors were assiduous in, their endeavors to infuse spirit into the proceedings, and in the matter of punctuality and order there was nothing to be desired. The sports were got off in the following order :

Horizontal Bab. W. Lusty, Guise, and Mahoney competed, but the latter two were completely put in the shade by Lusty, who showed very graceful action throughout.

Boys' Race. A boys' race was won by Garrick, Dowsett second. Stone and Basket Race. Smith, Grimstone, Lambert, McKane, and Longhurst contested this event, which consisted in the competitors having to pick up * 50 stones placed a yard apart. The race.was, therefore, a great tax upon the physical powers of the competitors. Grimstoiie, who has won similar events in previous years, was considered the favorite, but after a game contest he was beaten by Smith by about, two seconds. 440 Yards Race. Moran (scratch) ; 1 Johnston (17yds.) ... ... 2 Delaney (syds.), Coppin (Byds.), Barron (10yds.), W. Skelly (17yds.), G. R. Skellie (17ds), and Churton (19yds.), started. Coppin and Moran were first to take advantage of the start, Coppin being a yard in front of Barron before fitteen yards had been gone over. Moran rapidly lessened the distance between himself and the leading men, but the handicap prevented his showing prominently early in the race. When about one hundred yards had been got over, G. R. Skelly went to the front, and was running into a strong lead, when an uuforseen circumstancn threw him out of the race. Johnston then led round to the grand-stand, with Coppin close up, but before the first corner was reached the second time, Moran passed Coppin, and challenged Johnston. A close race resulted, Johnston holding his own for fifty yards further, Moran finally passing hhn at the back of the course, and winning easily by four yards. Johnston beat Coppin for second place by a yard. Barron and Delaney were never in the race. Running High Jump. Thomson .beat Campbell and Mudgway with a jump of 4ft. 6in., but failed to clear anything higher. Mudgway was second. 440 Yards Race—Youths under 16. Wilton (10yds.) ... ... t ... 1 Pearce (syds.) ... ... ... 2 There were two other starters, Burne being at scratch. For two-thirds of the distance there was no material alteration of the positions, Wilton holding his ground well. Eighty yards from the winning post Pearce increased the pace, and rapidly overhauling Wilton, finished within half-a-yard of him, every inch of the ground up the straight being plucldly contested by Pearce. The competitors were apparently so equally matched, and the race gave such satisfaction, that the stewards determined upon giving another prize for the same competitors.

100 Yards Race. Ist Meat. Delaney (scratch) 1 Barron (3 yards) ... 2 Thomson (2 yards), T. Skellie (2 yards), McGlashan (3 yards), and McLean (4 yards), also started. A splendid spurt from start to finish. Thomson led all the way, but unfortunately stumbled and fell within a yard of the tape. Delaney, who had been coming through the others all the way, then rushed to the front and won, Barron second. 2nd Heat. Coppin (1 yard) 1 G. R. Skelly (3 yards) 2 Johnston (2 yards), Churtou (4 yards), and Major (4 yards), also started. Coppin improved his position by makintr a jump of two yards. Major and Skelly ran Coppin very close all through, but at eighty yards Coppin forged to the front, and won by a yard, Skelly second. Final Heat. Barron, Skelly, Delaney, and Coppin, handicapped as before, contested the final heat Several false starts were made. Ultimately, the four got away to a splendid start, each man being on his mark when the pistol fired. Delaney improved his position by a yard

"before 50 yards had been got over, and got just in front of Ooppin, but was unable to catch Skelly, who ran a fast race and won by half a yard, Delaney second. 440 Yaiu>s Hack—Youths usdkr 16. Pearce, Burne, Wilton, Simson, and Majorrau. Orrand McGlashau were disqualified for being ■over age. A very good race took place between the five starters, but when about two■thirds of the distance had been got over, Major had a good lead of seven yards. The distance, however, began to tell upon him, and -when within thirty yards of tho whining post Simson came up with a rush and made a dead ■heat of it. The first and second money was put together aud divided. Mile Race. Skelly, Moran, and Delaney were the only entries. The race was really a match between Skelly and Moran, and for half the distance it was both fast and interesting. Skelly then virtually resigned the contest, but Moran kept up the pace~to the end with the object of making the time good, and in this respect he succeeded, passing the winning post in 4rnin. 53see. BicrcLE Race. There wero four entries, South, Churton, McLean, and Russell. At the start South ran his velocipede about twenty yards, and jumpinto the saddle with a bound, was away on his journey before the others had moved two yards from the post. His style of riding was vastly superior to that of the others, and from the beginning there was not the slightest doubt as to the result. The contest was, as on the former occasion, enlivened by an amusing contretemps through McLean endeavoring to pass Russell. Each made eager efforts to keep in front of th? other, and the upshot was a complete dead-lock, machines and riders coming to the ground and forming a confused heap. Some minutes elapsed before McLean could be extricated, and when he was released he resumed the chase after South. Russell's velocipede was so badly damaged by the collision that he withdrew from the race. McLean persevered to the end, and passing Churton finished second. Russell ente;ed a protest, but as there was considerable difficulty in ascertaining whether he or McLean was in fault, the protest could not be entertained. South won by two laps. Man-of-Wau Race. Three swarthy tars, Milman, Rogers, and Palmer, belonging to the Rosario, made an -v amusing race for this prize, but as they all shied away from the tape and ran in amongst thofeowd the race had to be run over again, when Milman won, the other two making a dead heat. Boys' Races. F. Buck and J. Eddie wei-e the winners of two extra boys' races. Boys' Mile Race. Out of half a dozen competitors Hart proved the best, doing the distance in capital form and good time, namely, 6 min. Best Dressed Competitor. A dozen persons, in different attires, ranged themselves in front of the grand-stand, for judgment. Most of them were dressed as athletes, and of these Delane/s was decidedly the prettiest dress. Menzies, in Highland costume, was awarded first prize, and Delaney second. Tilting. Four knights of the lance opposed each other for the liberal prizes offered by the society, namely, £2O for the winner, and £5 ss. for the second prize taker. It was arranged that the competitors should ride round the circle five times, and as there were six posts and rings, the possible number of points was thirty. As the lances were over seven feet and the rings only about two inches in diameter, it wa3 not expected that anything like the maximum number of points would he reached. Nevertheless, Parkes showed considerable skill, and won general applause by making a score of 10, Black, who was regarded as a formidable opponent, making 16. H. McMaster did not come up to the opinion held in regard to him, though he astonished the public by taking off the whole of the rings in his last round. The following were the scores made:— Parkes, 3, 4, 5,3, 4 19 Black, 3,3, 3,3, 4 16 McMaster, 3,3, 2,1, G 15 Lichfield, 0,2, 2,3, 1 8 This event concluded the sports.

THE DINNER. ' In the evening the Regatta Committee, in conjunction withaninfluentialsectionof old settlers, celebrated the anniversary of the colony by a dinner at the Odd Fellows' Hall. About 200 persons sat down to the dinner, which was prepared by Mr. Donecker with his usual excellence. His Honor the Superintendent occupied the chair, and was supported by Mr. Seed, Mr. E. W. Mills, Mr. C. D. Barraud, Mr. R. J. Duncan, Mr. G. Hart, Mr. G. Allan, Mr. Cundy, and Mr. Parnell ; amongst the company being Mr. J. Hebberley (" Old Worser"), who piloted the first ship into the port. The vice-chairs were occupied by Mr. J. C. Crawford, Mr.-J. H. Wallace, and Mr. Xi McKenzie. Letters explaining absence •''were received from Mr. G. Hunter, Mr. E. Pearce, and Mr. E. J. Wakefield. The C'HAiRirAM proposed the health of his Excellency the Governor, who had during his short residence in the colony exhibited a true, unaffected, plain and kindly sympathy toward the colonists. His Excellency did not think .himself above the people he reigned over, and ■*a man who demeaned himself in this manner could not fail to be respected. The toast was drank with great enthusiasm. The Chairman proposed "The Army and Navy." Mr. J. C. Crawford, in responding, made appropriate reference to his own services in the Navy, and to the services the colony had received from the 58th, 96th, and 99th Regiments, and from the ships Caliope and Castor. He also referred to- the courageous conduct of the Volunteers and Militia, which had maintained the security and supremacy of the colonists in times of the greatest danger and difficulty, and as a matter of fact laid the basis upon which the present prosperity was founded.

His Honor, in proposing the toast "The Founders of the Colony," said that although the honor of founding the colony had been claimed by a great many people, yet there was one name above all the honored names connected with the history of JNevr Zealand who was entitled to the honored distinction— Edward Gibbon Wakefield. As men became freed in their minds so a 3 to give a correct version of New Zealand history to him, par excellence, was due the undivided honor. But as a matter of fact New Zealand had been founded from a great many points. Every centre had its worthies who had done a great deal, not only for their own districts but for the colony as a whole. Wellington had its worthies, and not only had they been the founders of this particular part—they were the germ, the beginning, the foundation, of the whole colony, and history would bear out the statement that they had to do double duty in watching the interests of. their own district, and ia assisting to build up a great colony. It wa3 in no vainglorious spirit, therefore, that he claimed for the original settlers that they had maintained a heroic self-denying lead in settling the colony, and they would wield the sceptre to the end, unless they were base enough to yield their rights and liberties at a critical juncture. Although he had mind the admonition of Trollope that they should not " blow " too much, yet he hesitated not to say that the early colonists of New Zealand had founded one of the brightest jewels attached to the British Crown. New Zealand was undoubtedly a great country, and one for which the mother country had a great practical respect. The founders were not compelled to leave the mother country, they were not shipped from their native shores—he wished to to put that delicately—but it was from a spirit of adventure, a spirit of independence, that they left their native land to found homes in this country, and what they had done justified all that could bo said of them. The quarter of a million of people who now inhabited New Zealand were, in many respects, remarkably superior to any Bimilar number to bo found in any particular part of tho "United Kingdom, and he oaid that not because he believed tho people themselves to be superior, but because the natural advantages of the country placed them

in a superior position. And if that were true, how much of the credit of that success, ho would ask, was due to the founders of the colony? They were heroes in the true sense of the word, and deserving of all the honor that could _be bestowed upon them by their fellow-colonists of the present day. It remained further to be said that the actions of the early settlers were prompted by a course of peace and justice towards the aboriginal inhabitants of the country, and that policy, he said it without affectation, had something to do , with the friendly feeling which had been inculcated in the native mind. He would now propose " The Founders of the Colony." The toast was received with prolonged applause. Mr. J. H. Wallace, in responding said that the chairman had properly alluded to Mr. Gibbon Wakefield as the founder of tho colony, but he (Mr. Wallace) went further and said that Mr. Gibbon Wakefield was the founder of Adelaide and the colonies in the Southern Ocean. There had not been sufficient consideration for the early settlersseparating the original founders of the colony from those settlers who came out to perform the practical work—the mere fact of annually sounding their praises was not enough, and he (Mr. Wallace) would like to see then- services as the practical founders of the colony recognised. The Volunteers had their scrip awarded to them, the naval and military settlers had then- grants of laud ; but what he would like to see was that the early settlers should have their grants of land, and that the Legislature of the colony should be asked to consider this important subject. With regard to the Early Colonists' Association, some explanation was due, aud in the absence of Mr. Hunter, the treasurer, he would merely state that owing to want of support the committee had not deemed it advisable to 'further proceed in the matter. He (Mr. Wallace) had, however, proposed that the society should be re-modelled upon a more liberal basis—similar to that of Victoria—where tho qualification was a colonist of twenty years' standing, and upon this basis the society could not die out. It was to he regretted that, owing to other engagements, so few of those settlers who were reaping the fruits of the prosperity of the colony were at the table ; the Anniversary Day, however, was of that national importance that it would remain a red-letter day of the colony. Mr. R. J. Duscas proposed "the Prosperity of the Colony of New Zealand," stating that lie felt sure the meeting would agree with him, that a more appropriate or important toast could not have been chosen for so interestin" an occasion. At the same time, he was painfully conscious that he was but little capable .'of'"..doing that justice to the subject which it demanded. The advancement aud prosperity of New Zealand deeply concerned the settlers of this city and province, for without the prosperity of the colony generally there could be no real or permanent advancement or prosperity for the people of Wellington. From this, the first settlement of the colony, several of the most important divisions of the country were first settled. Wanganui, Taranaki, Wairarapa, and Hawke's Bay were more or less offshoots of Wellington, whilst even wealthy Canterbury and Otago, and even Nelson, were in their early days materially benefited and assisted from Wellington. A rivalry no doubt existed amongst the politicians, the merchants, the graziers, and the agriculturists in the endeavor to show the greatest results in production, in population, and in .wealth. He hoped this rivalry would long continue. A sound and healthy public opinion was slowly yet surely being created, and nothing hut good could flow therefrom. He had not yet mentioned Auckland, which he had always looked upon as one of the fairest and most important parts of the colony. In the old days each place had no doubt good •rounds of complaint against the other, but happily these feelings no longer existed on either side, a better proof of which could not be given than what lately appeared in the Southern Cross, being a review of the position Wellington had attained to, and the vast natural advantages of the province—and the position was ably, yet truthfully, pointed out. In speaking to such a toast he thought it might prove both useful and interesting to review the condition of affairs twenty years ago, and contrast it with our position to-day. From official sources he gathered that the export of gold up to 30th September, 1874, was the enormous quantity of £29,222,845. No reliable statistics existed before the year 1853, when he found that the Customs revenue was £32,562. For 1854, just twenty years ago, it was exactly £46,820. The total Customs revenue for 1874 was no less than £1,183,993, being merely the small difference of £1,142,173. The increase in last year's Customs revenue over 1873 was no less than £223,191. Again, as respected the amount of business, the contrasts were no le3s remarkable. The exports in 1854 were valued at £320,890 ; in 1873, they amounted to £5,610,371. The imports in 1854 were valued at £891,200'; in 1873 they amountedto£6,464,6B7. Again, as respected population—in 1854 the Europeans in the colony numbered 32,562, while according to the census taken in March, 1874, they were found to number 299,385. Facts like these required no comment, and though they might not prove very interesting upon such an occasion, they would be useful as a ready means of reference on future occasions, as showing the rapid strides made in the prosperity of. the colony. Captain Williams spoke very forcibly in favor of maintaining the increase in the trade of the port by extending the wharf accommodation ; and following up this line of thought, Captain Williams expressed himself as strongly of opinion that Wellington must become a busy centre of commerce. , Mr. J. C. Crawford proposed the toast, " The Commercial, Agricultural, and Pastoral interests of the Colony." Mr. G. Allan briefly replied, though he disclaimed any intimate connection with any of the interests enumerated in the toast. Nevertheless, the reply was rendered very interesting by some anecdotes of days gone by, Mr. Allan being one of New Zealand's very earliest colonists.

Mr. Seed proposed a toast in memory of the "Early Bettlers who have passed away," making passing reference to Colonel Wakefield and Mr. G. Hunter (father of Mr. G-. Hunter, M.H.R.), Captain Wakefield, R.N., and Mr. Thomson, who were' killed at the Wairau, Lieut-Colonel Nixon, Major Von T'empsky, and Captain Buck, who were killed in defense of the settlers, and to the following settlers who lost their lives by drowning : —Mr. G. Wade, drowned in the Jewess, near Paikakariki ; Mr. G. Wallace, drowned in the Maria, at Sinclair Head; the Hon. C. A. Dillon, drowned in the Wairau ; and Mr. Drummond and Mr. Coverhill, drowned in rivers in the Wairarapa. Mr. G. Hart responded to the toast, and alluded in graceful terms to the memory of those early colonists who had not passed away, but who were yet doing good service on behalf of the colony, foremost among whom was the present Agent-General, Dr. Featherston. o "The Press," " The Ladies," "The health of his Honor the Superintendent,'' and " The health of Mr. Ihaiah Porutu" concluded the programme, and the company broke up after singing " Auld Lang Svne."