LONG BUSH.

Southland Times, Issue 1600, 2 July 1872, Page 2

LONG BUSH.

The following has been sent us by a settler : — The first of a series of popular entertainments came off in the schoolroom here on the evening of Friday last — Mr John Gr. Smith in the chair — who opened the performances with a short and very appropriate address. In the course of the evening he read " Look at the Clock," " The Jackdaw of Rheims,"" The Song of the Shirt," and " I'm not a Single Man," in all of which he met with a cordial and flattering reception from the audience. The first named was the " hit" of the evening, and was read in a most masterly style. The quaint humor of the piece was fully brought oourt r and the attention and interest of the audience was kept up throughout. The conclusion, consisting of a moral written by Mr Smith, and containing some happy local allusions, was enthusiastically received, and the reader was rewarded with several rounds of i applause. The Rev. Mr Alexander read Burns's " Epistle to a Young Friend," and " The Address to a Mouse," which, coupled with the intrinsic merits of the poems, and the desire of the reader to contribute to the evening's amusement, were duly appreciated and acknowledged. Blr James M'Kercber read a laughable Scotch piece on " Wooing," to which he did ample justice, and also recited " Lochiel's Warning" with good effect. On this occasion the school choir made their first public debut, and sang under the leadership of their instructress, Miss M. A. Smith—" Just before the Battle, Mother," and " Tramp, tramp, tramp," in both of which they acquitted themselves to the entire satisfaction of the audience, and reflected the highest credit on all concerned. In the course of the i evening several songs were sung, both sentimental and comic. " Nannie's Awa," by Mr Blue, " Kathleen Mavoureen," by Mr A. Christie, " Our am Fireside," byMr W. Christie, "The gude, gude Wife," by Mr M'Gowan, were well rendered, and were highly creditable to the respective singers. Messrs Chalmers and Edhouse sang in their usual happy style several comic songs, after which the " Queen's Anthem," led by the school choir, brought the entertainment to a close. Altogether the performances

reflected the very highest credit on the native talent of the district. The next -meeting was announced to take place on Friday evening, the 12th of July. THE PLOUGHING MATCH. The I-rng Bn?h Ploughing Match postponed from the 14th on account ol the inclemency of the weather, came ofl on the 28th in a field on the farm of Mi James Mackay. The snow in the open plain has entirely disappeared, the only memorials of the late severe storm consisting in patches in the edge of the bush, now rapidly thawing under the influence of the gentle zephyr. The field — the arena for the competition in the battle, not of the sword, but of the ploughshare — may be described as rather uneven in the surface, and the soil somewhat brittle, owing to the influence of the recent frost. The Committee was on the field at an early hour, and at half-past 8 the tickets were drawn, and the allotments of each determined. The! interest attached to ploughing matches seems to be on the decline in Southland, as only eight competitors appeared in the field, viz., in the first class, A. Drysdale, A. Fleming, "W. Mitchell, W. Halliday, J. Fleming, and And. Christie ; .in the second class, John M'Kercher, and Peter Jardine; and in the third or junior class there was no appearance at all. The start was made at nine o'clock, and during the forenoon the field presented anything but an animated appearance. The ground was occupied chiefly with a sprinkling of those more or less interested or connected with the competition. Mr M'Phee — the caterer for the dinner and ball — had a booth on the ground, where, owing to the rawness of the day, there was a great demand for something hot. As the day wore on, considerable accessions were made to the number of spectators — of gentlemen from town or from the neighboring settlements — and at four o'clock, when the decision of the judges was announced, there was little excitement — much, less than we have seen on similar occasions. The following is a list of the awards — the judges being Messrs Hugh Young, Invercargill ; James Hay, Eiverton; and John Howe, Mataura: — Ist class. 1. — Adam Drysdale — who, having gained the prize for three consecutive years, is now entitled to the Silver Medal. 2. — Andrew Christie — Prize. 3. — James Fleming — Prize. 4. — Adam Fleming —-Merit. The ploughing of W. Halliday and W. Mitchell was very good, and popular feeling ran high in favor of Mitchell, who lias not practised ploughing for the last two years. 2m) class. 1. — Peter Jardine. Two extra prizes were awarded for the best break and the best finish respectively, when both were carried off by Adam Drysdale. The ploughing of all was of very high merit, and fully sustained the reputation gained in former years. At 6 o'clock, about 40 gentlemen sat down to dinner in the large barn newly erected on'the farm of Mr Mackay, which was tastefully decorated for the occasion. The duties of the chair were discharged by Mr George Dawson, and those of the vice-chair by Mr Wm. Cochran. After ample justice had been done to the good things of this life, the health of the Queen and other loyal toasts were proposed by the chairman. " The prosperity of the Society," " The Successful and Unsuccessful Competitors," and " The Judges," as well as one or two other local toasts, were proposed and well and appropriately responded to. The dinner was followed as usual by a ball, which was well attended, and harmless mirth and ]ollity prevailed till one (we shall not say which) of " the wee short hours ayont the twalV During the dinner an incident occurred which is perhaps deserving of notice. The chairman in giving the toast of the Queen and the Eoyal Family, thought proper to make some remarks in disparagement of monarchy, which were received by the company with surprise and indignation, and this loyalty found vent in a burst of enthusiastic cheering as a protest against the ill-timed intrusion of such subjects into a meeting of a non-political nature, whose watchwords were or ought to be harmony and good-fellowship. Great praise is due to Mr M'Phee for the excellence of his arrangements ; and the manner in which he discharged his duties as caterer gave very great and general satisfaction.