THE HOLIDAYS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5236, 4 January 1878, Page 7

THE HOLIDAYS.

FORESTERS’ FETE. The annual athletic meeting of the A.O.F. •was held on the Basin Reserve on December 26, and passed off most successfully, the weather bein" fine, the attendance large, and the sport exceedingly good. The, running in the short distances of the Christmas Handicapwas very fast, the 100yds. being done by Major under llsec. from scratch, and the 220yds. by him in 25sec., with 2yds. start. Considering the high wind and bad course, these , were extremely good performances. The time for the 440yds. was also very good, being done m 58see. Major, who won the Handicap, ran in very good form, his fast and powerful stride bringing him to the fore. The Hurdle Race brought only three men to the post Donovan, Major,- and Woods. Donovan was made hrst favorite. Major and Woods, having done a hard day’s running, were thought, in sporting phraseology, to be “ out of it. Woods and Major started well, and Major rushing Donovan out of inside place, let Woods get ahead. Donovan then spurted, and brought himself on level terms with Woods, when he fell back beaten. Major, who was now a dozen yards behind, came up beautifully at the finish and beat Donovan on the tape. Shortly after o o’clock his Excellency and suite arrived, and remained for a considerable time, apparently well pleased with the sports. The Foi esters committee worked and managed the business in an excellent manner, the ground being kept remarkably clear, the spectators all having a chance of getting a good view. On the whole the meeting was one of the most successful ever held under the Foresters auspices. Subjoined will be found au account of the various events: — _ _ , , Boys’ Race (under 14), 440yds.—Pringle, 1; South, 2 ; McGuire, 3. Won by five yards. Maiden Race, 220yds.—For this event a dozen budding Hewitts put in an appearance. After some little fiddling at the start, the lot were despatched to a very even start, and for about fifty yards were nearly all abreast, when Poole and Greenfell drew out from the ruck, and a splendid race between them ensued, the jud'/e being unable to separate them at the tape, and pronouncing it a dead heat. L'ime, 28sec. In running off, Poole won by about a Event, Christmas Handicap ; distance, lOOds.—Major, Ist; Aitkeu, 2nd ;F. Woods, 3rd. Won after a capital race by a yard, six inches between 2nd and 3rd, and a wide distance between 3rd and 4th. Time, lOfsec. Sailor’s Hornpipe.— J. Smith, Ist; J. Tasker, 2nd. Youths’ Walking Race, 2 miles.—Wilson, Ist; Ball, a good second. ■ Foresters’ Maiden Race, 440yds.—Beedell, Ist; Lawrence, 2nd. This was a very good race, Beedell winning very well. 2nd event, Christmas Handicap, 220yds.— Major, 2yds, Ist ; F. Woods, scratch, 2nd; Aitken, scratch, 3rd. , All got away well. Major soon drew away, when Woods came up, but Major won much as he liked in the very fast time of 25sec„ with Woods about 2yds. behind. Vaulting with the Pole.—Cudby, 1 ; Corbet, 2nd. Wrestling.—The 9th event was the collar and elbow wrestling, for which there were four entries, viz., .Robson, Murtagb, Cudby, and Corbet. When these competitors met in the ring it was found that no wrestlmg jackets had been provided, which are essential for this style of wrestling, and the committee gladly accepted'the offer of a gentleman present to send for a pair of proper jackets. On the jackets being produced another competitor appeared and- produced his entrance ticket. This comnetitor was under lOst. weight, but was objected-to by Robson—who is apparently 11st. weight—on the plea that he had entered after the jackets were sent tor, and the stewards decid d in favor of Robson, although the contest had mot begun, and the entry for this event" was “ post entry. Cudby and Corbet (who was the lightest man) first wrestled, wrestling two out of three falls, and Corbet was thrown and had to retire. Then Robson and Murtagb wrestled, the-latter not being half the size of Robson. Murtagb, when giving Robson a cut with the-foot, missed his balance and was’pushed over by .the big man, who showed no leg science. Next “ hold Murtagb wrestled cleverly, and with his leg laid the big man flat : on his back. Robson then threw Murtagb, who, having twice fallen, had to retire. Robson and’Cndby being the win--ning men of two pair oh wrestlers, wrestled off. for the Ist prize. Cudby was thrown first bout. Cudby' then threw Hobson clean on his. back, who immediately raised,a dispute that as Cudby’s knee had touched the ground Cudby was the vanquished; mar., • but the stewards did not coincide with- this idea, and Robson was declared,thrown.: The next bout Robson, after making several attempts to throw his man with the leg and failing, tried by strength to get him off his legs, and after a great deal of hard work succeeded by the “ skin of his teeth” in throwing Cudby ; the event ending Robson, Ist; Cudby, 2nd. Frog Hurdle Race. Whittaker, Ist ; Hartley, 2nd. This race caused some amusement, the competitors having to get along over hurdles on,all-fcurs. Whittaker Seemed to have run in'one before, and won easily. Christmas Handicap, 440yds.—Major went away with a good strong pace, and was never called on, winning easily in 58seo. Single Stick.—After some shaping and jumping about, McLeland was declared winner. Walking Handicap.—J.Moran, Ist; Knight, 2nd. Hodge and Zesch did not put in an appearance. Moran ( went away at the start, and walking in a splendid manner won easily. McFlat and McKain were disqualified for doing an unmistakable run. . Hurdle Race, 440yds.—Woods, 4yds, Ist.; Major, 2yds., 2nd; Donovan, scratch, 3rd. This race proved a complete boil over, everyone expecting - Donovan to win, : especially as Woods and Major had run so many distances, they having just run the 66Qyds. race of the Christmas Handicap. : Bicycle Handicap, 3 miles.—This only brought two competitors to the post—Williams and °Webber. Williams had it all his own way from the start, Webb r giving in.. Christmas Handicap, 660yds.—Moran, Ist; Woods, 2nd; Major, 3rd. ; Major did not exert himself, just running for third place. Stone and Basket Race, 50 stones. —Judd, let; Moran, 2nd, Jingling Match;—This consisted of men blindfolded trying to catch, one not blindfold with a bell in his hand. After considerable amusement the bell broke. The; _ prizes-were divided between competitors and jinglers." Two Mile Handicap.—Judd, 15yds, Ist; Prirnde, 20ydi 2nd:; Moran, scratch, and Mason, 30yds, also ran. Moran went well for the first half-mile, and brought his men back to him, when he went entirely wrong, and stopped. Judd won as he liked. Fireman’s Bade, 440yds,—Furness, Ist ; Carson, 2nd; Lawrence, 3rd.' Water Race, 440yds.— Jones coming in last with the most water in his bucket, was declared the winner. Christmas .Handicap, 880yds.—As the winning of this race would not have affected the places of the men in the Handicap it lapsed. Sack Race, 100yds.—This was won easily by Zesch. - Climbing-Greasy-Pole.—After lots of fun some urchin. named Wallace “ collared •”• the ham and the 80s. ..’

11l conclusion, wo may state that the races were all called regularly and well by Lucas, the bellman—Mr. Fisher starting excellently. The fete wound up with a dance in the evening at the .Polytechnic, which passed off most successfully. ' ! ’, - MARINE EXCURSION’S. ’ TRIP TO PICTON AN11: BtENHEIM., i The Union Company’s s.s. Taupo made a pleasant trip to Picton and back on Christmas day, taking a crowd of hajipy faces across the strait. Queen Charlotte’s Sound was seen in most favorable circumstances, under a genial sun and swept by a gentle breeze. Arrived at Picton, that progressive township was woke tip bv one section of the excursionists. By far the larger number, however, elected to proceed to Bleinheim. The traffic manager’s arrangements were equal to the occasion, for by the aid of a few open trucks, added to the ordinary rolling stock, all were comfortably seated. The day being so beautfully fine the

trucks .wore,voted-by -many the best form. Up the incline, through the valley, passing by several sawmills—l wish I . was the owner ; of one I saw —and ; we reach the Wairoa -hill. The cross on its summit becomes . the centre of attention for the moment as ; we glide on to the plains. A little while and the train reaches Waipawa. The dusty walk from Waipaiva to : the township is "got over with' laughing good humor, and the rains of the Waipawa bridge are duly admired as we cross in the ferry. Blenheim (which, by the way, looks a quietly prosperous place) received the visitors with open arms ;—what town does not when they have money in their pockets ? Here a couple of hours were spent, and the excursionists getting back to Pioton, the Tanpo immediately commenced to return. She reached the wharf here about 1.30 a.m,, without a single incident occurring to mar the’pleasure of the day. Considerable delay occurred in getting fast to the wharf. The catering on board was the subject of remark ; indeed we heard one gentleman—with that satisfaction on his face which only a good dinner gives—say, as ho ascended tho stairs, “ X wonder how it’s done for the money.” LOWRY BAY. The excursion trips provided for to Lowry Bay by the N.Z S.S. Co. on Wednesday were liberally patronised. Upwards of 1300 persons left during the day in the steamers Stormbird and Manawatu, and as there was a nice cool breeze blowing in the harbor, the trip across was most enjoyable, while when Lowry Bay was reached the many quiet and pleasant nooks to be found there were eagerly sought after by picnic parties, Ac. Altogether the excursions were most successful, and i all returned to their homes thoroughly pleased with the day’s enjoyment provided for them. THE THEATRE ROYAL. There was a good house at the Theatre on Wednesday night, when “ Shaun Sleiveen” was performed in excellent style, Mr. Walton sustaining the leading character with great effect, and King welt supported by the company. Of Irish character Mr. Walton is undoubtedly a most skilful pourtrayer, and his impersonation of “Shaun Sleiveen” onWednesday was one of his most successful efforts here, and was heartly received by the audience. The piece was followed by a grand French pantomime, which sent the audience home in hirh good humor with the evening’s entertainment. ST. GEORGE’S HALL. ; This hall was crowded on Wednesday night by the largest number of people that has evei been seen inside the building. Long before eight o’clock the manager, Mr. Cary, had to refuse admission to hundreds, who had to go away disappointed. . Eor some time past scenic artists and assistants have been hard at work day' and night to make ready a panto; mime worthy of the Empire City, and the public have not been disappointed. In producing the comic pantomime of “ The Little Old Woman that Lived in her Shoe, Little Bopeep that Lost her Sheep, and Harlequin Jack and the Beanstalk,” the management have made a wise selection, for it embraces plenty of the comic element, interspersed with some good singing. In the burlesque, Miss Stoneham and Miss Nye were decidedly the •best. Miss Pender, and : Miss Yernou were excellent impersonators of . their respective parts, - and Mr. Hydes kept the house in roars of laughter with his comic topical songs. The old woman of Mr. Stoneham, and Mr. Howe’s rendering of Old Father Christmas, are deaervingof special mention. The transformation scene, which was painted by Messrs. Huntly and Briggs,. was one of the finest works of art we have seen on a Wellington stage, and heartily deserved the great applause bestowed on it. The marches by the hoys and girls, some fifty in number, showed great proficiency, and were honored bya recall. Towards the end of the evening the clown and pantaloon commenced their fun, which kept the house in roars, , A word of praise is due to Miss and Mr. Stoneham for the manner in which they worked to produce this, one of the best pantomimes we have ever had the pleasure of seeing. EXCURSION TO NELSON. (i-ROJI OUR SPECIAL REPORTER.) The Union Company’s s.s. Taranaki, Capt. Kennedy, started for Nelson a few minutes after the advertised time on Christmas Eve. A large number of friends had collected on the wharf to witness the departure of the excursionists, and as the older to “ haul in” was given,'a volume of cheers, mingled witli wishes of a “ Merry Christmas, and pleasant journey to you, old fellow,” burst forth, which were returned with right good will by those on board. Considering the large number of passengers—from 160 to 170—who started on the excursion, the accommodation was very good, and there were but few complaints, if the early part of Christmas: morning be . excepted. Coffee was demanded at 5 a.m. by several of the passengers,. and was rather foolishly refused by the stewards. After sundry threats of complaints to the captain, and of exposure in -the newspapers, the demand was conceded, and after a short time everybody appeared to . be in good humor once more. The most interesting part of the journey was the passage through the French Pass, which took place about half-past-seven o’clock. .. Almost every excursionist was on deck about that time, and the wonder was where they all came from, and how they were stowed away during the night. Various speculations were indulged in as to when the Taranaki would get in, but the courteous captain soon set all doubts at rest by telling those who enquired of him that the tide would not answer before 10 a.m. Preparations were briskly .going on ■ for the Christinas breakfast.. A strange sensation, is that same Christmas breakfast to those who have never partaken of it on that particular morning on board a ship or steamer. Fond as I have always been myself of a travelling life, yet it was the first Christmas morning that I breakfasted off terra firma. The arrangements were not so good as they might have been during that portion of the journey ; but the passengers are. as much—perhaps more—to blame for the inconvenience as the stewards. Had they only exercised a little more patience, and not collected about the dining-room in such large numbers at one time, the repast would have been. far more pleasant than it proved to be to a good many. Whilst I am on this,subject,,l would advise, the steward to follow the example of those who had charge of the Taupo on the same day. ' Some of the passengers in the latter boat informed me that as soon as a sufficient number were comfortably seated at table, no passengers were permitted to go below—not even for the purpose of curing their bad headache.-, by means of sodas and lemonades. That was a wise precaution; and had, it been taken en board' the Taranaki, much inconvenience and loss of time might have been avoided. But it is well for some of the passengers who are so apt to find fault, to remember that all the faults are by no means on one side only. Soon after ten the Nelson wharf was approached. A large number of Nelson folk had assembled to bid their friends welcome, whilst of course a good many were attracted by curiosity. All the available cabs and conveyances were soon filled up, and a start was made for the city, which is distant about a mile from the port. I am not going to give a description of Nelson, because that has been' too frequently done, and by much better pens than mine. I could not help, however, comparing the drive to the city with my first impressions of Napier. There. was the same narrow limestone (or sandstone), road with the swamp on the side. But as soon as the city was reached the comparison was at an end. Wellington folk are apt to speak of Nelson in a similar manner to what I used to hear of a pretty seaport city in Victoria, and the only one I have seen which bears such a close comparison to Nelson : I refer to Geelong, which at . one time aspired to be the capital of Victoria, just as, I have been informed, Nelson at one time aspired to be the seat of Government in New Zealand. However much the “Sleepy Hollow” of Now Zealand may be despised by some folk, I confess to a feeling of agreeable disappointment. There is an apparent degree of comfort, and an absence of those surroundings which unhappily accompany poverty, in Nelson, which I have seldom seen before. If people take things easier there than they do at this side of the Strait, it is not so much to be wondered at after all. The

balmy-air, the pretty'gardens,- the hawthorn hedges, and green fields are suggestive of peace, and comfort, and happiness. The town is capitally laid out, and Trafalgar-street and Bridge-street are worthy of doing a much larger business than I am afraid falls to their lot. There was not much to be seen on Christmas Day, as might have been anticipated; but I was rather surprised to find that there was ouly a morning and evening train; as a friend and myself had made up our minds to travel on that line which gave so many arrows to the Opposition quiver before Sir George Grey and his following had succeeded to the Treasury benches. I visited some of the churches, and found the Roman Catholic and English churches very handsomely decorated, especially the latter. I was rather disappointed at finding neither organ nor choir taking part in the evening service at Christ Church ; but the clergyman explained that nowadays people were too apt to get a minister to pray for them, and a choir to sing for them, in fact, having everything done by proxy, and he was determined to try and persuade his •congregation to do these things themselves. Very good idea, to ray mind; but I am much afraid the good clergyman will find that his congregations will dwindle away, just as some of the managers of the Loudon theatres (if I may be permitted to~draw such a comparison) found that their audiences dwindled away when they determined to trust more to the genius of Shakspere and his interpreters than to scenic effects. lam no cynic, but I have seen enough in my travels to convince me that the musical (I include instrumental as well as vocal) portion of the service of any of the churches cannot be dispensed with without lessening the number of those who attend church.

Picnics were arranged for a great many places on Boxing Day, but the event which attracted most people was the regatta, to witness which about 1500 had collected. Unfortunately, however, it was got up hurriedly, and as the prizes were not large, there was no outside competition, with tho exception of the Wellington Cadets, who distinguished themselves at rowing just as well as they did in the shooting, the race being all their own from start to .finish. In connection with the regatta there was a number of shore sports, chief amongst which was the greasy pole and the pig with the greasy tail race —two events which are always interesting to spectators. Whilst these contests were going on, all interest in the rowing and sailing was at an end, very few following the movements of the boats, except .Mr. Levy, the starter, and one or two other members of the Regatta Committee. His pigship created much amusement by jumping bodily through a window, and he had to be declared the winner. After a short time a' fresh start was made, and for a quarter of au hour he gave his would-be captors a considerable lot of trouble. The , Regatta Committee deserve to be congratulated for the manner in which they carried out the arrangements, considering that it was ouly decided to have a regatta about a week or ten days previously ; and no better starter could have been found .than .Mr. Levy. .. There was only a moderate atteudauoe at the shooting match, which took place at the Matai Butts. As will be seen,from the figures below, our Cadets bad the shooting , all their own way, and no wonder they came on board with,a conscious feeling of pride in the evening. The following,is the result-:

A number of visitors indulged in a drive te Richmond in the morning, which is to Nelson what the Hutt is lo Wellington. Some very pi etty views are to he had on this drive, besides which the visitor has an opportunity of seeing the Hospital, the Lunatic Asylum, the, College, and the Anglican Bishop’s residence. Those who laid out the former buildings had evidently a great regard to that part which Nature plays in ministering to diseased minds and bodies, as it would not be easy to find more suitable localities than where they are situated. Even the gaol seemed a luxurious place, if one could judge from outside appearance. I could not for the life of me fancy a prisoner doing anything more than the “ Government stroke” after he had beeu located in that cleanly and comfortable looking residence for a few months. There was a cricket match at Richmond between the club of that place and that of Wakapuaka, but the game did not possess sufficient interest to detain strangers for any length of time. It was generally understood that the Taranaki would not leave before 12 o’clock on Wednesday night, and I should not wonder if a good many passengers have lost their passages through not being aware of the fact that 10 was the appointed time. However, it must have been fully eleven o’clock before a -start was ' made, and any of those who may happen to have remained in Nelson have, not much to complain of on the score of punctuality. Quite a crowd was on the wharf to bid their friends good- ; bye, and to express a hope that it would not be long before another visit took place. As the ; vessel was cleared from the wharf, three: hearty cheers were given for Nelson, and “ one more cheer for the ladies of Nelson,"a large number »f whom were on the wharf, which met with as hearty response from the shore. The night was calm and beautifully fine, and singwas indulged in for. two or three hours by a number of .those who were determined to end the excursion as, pleasantly as possible. . At about 8 o’clock on Thursday morning the Taranaki was once more by the side of the Wel--1 ngton wharf, and the only expression of regre°t that could be heard was that the time was so short. Altogether, the excursion must have been a great success. .

CHRISTMAS DAY at OUR CHURCHES. , Christmas day, the first great festival of the Christian Church, was, duly celebrated at the different churches (Catholic and Anglic in), all of which were profusely decorated with flowers and evergreens, and tho services . in all in full keeping with this joyous festival. The Roman Catholic Cathedral (St. Mary’s) was very beautifully decorated, especially in tho arrangement of the flowers, on the altar. The first service in this church was at 7.30 a.m., and at the mid-day service High Mass was celebrated. Equal care had been bestowed ou the decorations at the smaller church of St. Joseph, and the services there were well attended, and the singing everything that could be desired. The Anglican Church of St. Paul was well decor-, ated, a number of well-executed texts of white flowers on a red ground were distributed in different places through the church, and the pillars wreathed with evergreens, flowers, and the leaves, of the nikau palm. At the east end of the sanctuary was the text, in white letters on a red ground, “ Unto you is born a Saviour,” &c.; and over the altar a cross and crown with .the letters IHS in monogram. The font at the west end of the church was very tastefully decorated with white flowers. On the whole the decorations in this church presented a very pleasing and picturesque appearance. Tho morning service at 11 was well attended, and the singing exceedingly good, the hymns “ Christians awake,” “ Hark the herald angels sing,” ; from “ Hymns Ancient and Modern,” were very well sung, as were also the anthems: “ Sing and rejoice oh daughter of Zion,” and the offertory anthem “ Glory to God.” St. Peter’s Church was also; decorated with evergreens and flowers and festoons, and across the entrance to the chaneel was the legend “ Glory to God in the highest, alleluia,” in gold letters on a red ground. The decorations in the chancel were confined to wreathing the windows with greenery and flowers. We could not help remarking in this church, although the general effect of tho decorations was pretty, the total absence of any design or ecclesiastical symbol. The services here wore of the truly festival character, and the singing exceedingly good. St. Mark’s Church was also very tastefully decorated, and the service well attended.

WELLINGTON CADETS. 100 200 300 Yds. Yds. Yds. T1 A. Ballinger 10 17 17—53 A. Poulson 19 16 16—51 II. Randall 20 15 15-50 J. Croutcher .1IS 10 11—30 J. Taylor 16 0 10-35 T. Jones 17 0 5—28 NELSON CADETS. J.-Kitchen .. .. 11 12 16-42 — Kitchen .. 14 15 2—31 Hanes .. .. 16 -8 3-27 Ogilvie .. 15 5 5—25 Franks .. ... 18 2 5—25 Akersou 7 4 5 —16