OPENING OF THE NEW ZEALAND EXHIBITION. THE INAUGURAL CEREMONY. ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT. HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR REPLIES. DESCRIPTION OF THE EXHIBITION. THE AUCKLAND COURT. (BY TELEGRAPH.) (FROM OUR SPECIAL REPORTER.) Dunedin, November 26.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 424, 30 November 1889, Page 4

OPENING OF THE NEW ZEALAND EXHIBITION. THE INAUGURAL CEREMONY. ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT. HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR REPLIES. DESCRIPTION OF THE EXHIBITION. THE AUCKLAND COURT. (BY TELEGRAPH.) (FROM OUR SPECIAL REPORTER.) Dunedin, November 26.

THE FINISHING TOUCHES. Wokk was continued all nio;ht afc the Exhibition, and after the general clearingup a great difference will be made in the *ook oi the place. It will be fairly ready, though in places there are gaps merely temporarily concealed. The weather is overcast, chilly, and threatening, but not raining. The muddy streets will make it rather unpleasant for the procession. Already (9 a.m.) people are gathering thickly in the streets.

THE PROCESSION. Punctually ab 10 o'clock the volunteers, who had mustered in force at oho (Jarrison Hall, moved ofi to the north along Cumber-land-street. Nineteen or twenty Companies were lepresented, and three bands accompanied the troops. A-5 they disappeared out of sight the fiiendly societies, tiades, etc., formed up in the rear and at the fame time a party ot bluejackets and marines landed from If. M.s. Lizard and Opal, and, preceded by a drum and life band, matched straight to the Exhibition. The piocession was extiemely lengthy, and it was not till 25 minute." past ten that the rear guard were able to move. After the Volunteers came the Fiiendly Societies, then the lire Brigades, eight in number, including Sal \ age Corps, and finally, trades societies, u ith vehicles of all descriptions, agricultural implements, emblems of their calling, and, last of all, a lifeboat mounted on wheels. The places in this portion had been allotted by ballot. They were cheered on tl c way by four bands. Tne ceiemony to-day throughout was an immense eucccs-. The sinorinjj by the choir of the "Festive Song" and " Haltelejah Chorus "' was excellent. The Piemier and all the other membeis of tho Ministry, except Mr Richardson, were present. The Earl and Countess were accompanied by Lord C'ranley and the two Ladies Onslow. Tho hall presented a very pretty sight. When His Excellency reached the dais, the following addre-s was presented :- - THE PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. Your E.\cellency,--\Ve, the Commissioners for the Mew Zealand and South Seas Exhibition of 1889-90, desire with great reapect to accord you our heartiest welcome and to convey to you, aa the representative cf Her Moot (Jracious Majesty, the expression of our devoted loyalty to Her Majesty's Ciovvn and peison. In response to a general feeling that some steps thould be taken to make Letter known the advance of New Zealand and its capacity for bearing the burdens to which so much attention has been called of late, this Exhibition was projected a* ti public meeting held in Dunedm on October 25th, 1888. The approach of tho Jubilee of the colony suggosted the idea of making the Exhibition a commemoration of that event, and an illustration of the progress of New Zealand dining the first half century of settlement in comparison m ith thafc of the .sister colonies 5n Australia. The do^iiabiliry of cultivating closer relations with thoao colonies and the islands in the South Pacific Ocean, of which New Zealand is the natural head, was a leading idea in the organisation of the scheme, and the Commissioners have directed special eHbits to secure the reptesentalion of the manners and re.'ouiccs of the South Sea Island-.

Origin of the Scheme Theprojecbwas warmly taken up thiou{rhout the colony, and especially in this city and province; with the lesulb that 1,05 C gentlemen subscribed a bum of £15,689 foi the purpose of holding the Exhibition ; foi it was from the outset determined to follow upon the lines of the greit Exhibition oi I^sl in appealing to the public spirit of the colonies to cairy out the undertaking, the Government contribution being limited boa suhsidy of £10,000 for the purpose of providing collections of a public chaiactei such as could nob be exhibited by private indhLluals. The appeal to the self-re-liance and patriotism of the people has produced a lesult of popular interest and voluntary effort on behalf of the undertaking fcuch as we venture t3 claim has nevet been seen in connection with any previous enterprise of the kiud. Committees have been tormed in every district in the colony, the funds to cairy on their operations being rji^ed entirely by voluntary subscriptions; and that the personal exertions acquired were given ireely, for the public spirit thus e\oked is a legitimate matter of pride foi the people of New Zealand. We me sure that the co-operation of so many widelyscattered district-* in this work cannot but conduce to the consolidation of the colony.

Thanks Due. ',Vc have bo thank your Excellency and your predeces&or, tfir William Jervois, fur the inbeie&b you have from the h'rsb e\inced in the undertaking, and especially for the influence you have so kindly exerted on behalf of the Fine Ait Department. To your constitutional advisers and the Parliament of New Zealand our thanks are al?o due for the most cordial co operation and the lecojrtion of the enterpiise as the ofiicial cc ebration of the .Jubilee. We desire alto to express our indebtedness fco the Uoveinment of New South Wales, \ ictoria and South Aupbralia, and Fiji for the impoitant part they are taking in the Exhibition ; nor can I conclude our acknowledgments without the many thousando of private exhibitors from all parts of the world who are contributing bo liberally to our success.

Countries- Represented,, Tsi«. jtmildingss in which you now stand <j6vot" an area of over twelve actes, the anairi structure being 1,162 feet Jong by 465 (feet broad. '£h.o countties oiticiallv ; represented aie: .N.e>v S^uth Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Mau4i.i»s, Fiji and liepublic of Costa Rica ; belies wlr'ch a io.v-re uu-mbor of private exhibits have been .eoiitrlbuled by tho mother cou»tiy, tfyQ iJiuted Stales of America, Trance, .UwJ

many, Austria, Italy, Belgium, Japan, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, etc. Wo have bhe honour to present with this aJdrtji-s a copy of the oflicial catalogue of bhe Exhibition for your Excellency's acceptance, and bniot that the results of the undertaking will provo that the great contidenco reposed in us bj- your Excellency and your constitutional adviseis, as well as by the public at large, in entrusting the ctcdit ot the colony to a body of private individuals, has not been misplaced. It now only remain? for mo, in the narao of my fellow-Commissioners, to request that your Excellency will bo ploated to declare the New Zealand and South Seas Exhibition of 1089-90 open in the name of Hor Most Giacious Majesty Queen Victoria, whom (<od meserve

THE GOVERNOR'S REPLY. His Excellency the Governor made the following reply : - Mr President, Vice- President, Commissioners and Gentlemen, — 1 received with great satisfaction the assurance of your continued loyalty to the throne and person of the Queen, which it will lie my pleasing duty to convey to Her Majesty. The extraordinary contrast presented by the condition of these lands between the years 1839 40 and the pro ei.t time makes the jubilee ct the colony a fibbing date on which to display to the vvoild the great natural capacities of New Zealand, and the manner in which her people ha\o utilised and developed those letources during the past halfeontury. The European population, which in 1859 consisted ot .i few of our countiyrncn dispersed among the natives in the extreme noith of the North Island, is now settled throughout the length and bicadth of both i&lands inhabiting lour cities, and many prosperous towns and ullages scattered in every direction. l^ifty jears ago, of the lour cities, Auckland was but just begun, the founding of Wellington had not advanced beyond the stage of conception in London, while (Jhrrstchurch and the important city in which we now .stand were still undreamt of. A great pait of the island was co\ered with a forest so den&e that it seemed impossible foi man to penetrate it ; over hundreds o\ square miles no human foot came to disturb the solitude, no sound broke the universal silence ; nariaw blacks existed in certain regions only, by which the Maoris in single Hie travelled i from village to village, or on warlike expedition*. To-day large areas of piimeval foresthave been entirely Bvveptaway; where formerly the eye might lange over a wide stretch of swamp and jungle, aie seen thousands of acres bright with waving corn or browsed over by countless flocks and herds ; where in 1840 there was but a wild expat se of spurs and ravines, covered with immense tiees or thickly-matted bush, may now be found populous towns whose buildings occupy every possible site, while in piaceofonly nairow path ways then available at high tide, large areas ot land tilled in from the =ur rounding clills carry wide s reets and long quays of warehouses or busy wharves, and lines of lailway, and all the leeources of modern ingenuity now bring machinery to bear on J>li9 produce of the land and of the mines. The locomotive carrying away the results of civilised labour wakes with its whistle the echoes from Auckland to the Bluff. Fitty years ago a few whaling bhips and some native canoes, or a vessel from Sydney, seeking a cargo of flax, alone ploughed the seas of New Zealand ; in 1889 fleets of fine steamboats pass regularly several times a week up and down our shores, maintaining a coastal service which in not surpassed by any country in the world, while ocean-going steamers, amongst the finest of their clats, maintain with speed and regulaiiby our communication with the mother countiy and with the United States of America, and news o. the whole world is daily supplied us by the service of the cable. Fifty years ago those Europeans who inhabited these ielands li\ed only by the forbearance of the natives, and were obliged oft;n for their own security to take part in the tribal qvumels of the Maoris — to join in their wars and to adopt their customs. To-day, though not without having passed through a peiiod of stiife and bloodshed, which did not always redound to our gloiy, and which has sadly burdened our finances, we English rule the country in peaco and con tentment, while equal lavs e.\i~t tor Maoi i and European. Native and English as c alike i eprcsentcd in the Parliament ot the colony ; the law Couits of New Zealand, in the oidinary couisc of business, aie engaged in the settlement ot disputes between litigants who, fifty years ago, would have been considered savage 5 , while the lepieFentativc of the ancient inhabitants git and vote side by side with ourselves, discussing every measure, voting freely and equally on all questions, and able on occasions to u-e their power to such pmpose as to arrcfc the progiesb of Parliamentaiy business. Such a giowth as this amply wanant-s your best endeavours to call the attention of .v our elder sisters on the continent of Au?tialia, ot the gi eat Anglo-Saxon Republic in Arne rica, and of the nations of Europe, to the varied productions of your soil and of your mines, and to demonstrate to the woild the advancement of which you are capable. 1 congiatulate you, Mr President, ViceJL'reaident, and gentlemen, on the success which has attended the voluntary eiiort and personal exertions of tliose who conceived and carried out this undertaking, and I congratulate you fuither on the manner in which the whole colony has recognised its impoitance, and has cordially cooperated to give a national character to this Exhibition. 1 think expression should be given to the gratitude which we feel to those countries and colonies who have joined in friendly rivalry with us here, as well at those persons who have fco generously lent for exhibition their treasures of industry and art. I join with you, sir, in ihe expression of a hope that this gathering may be instructive and beneficial, both to oui selves and to those who aie entering into competition, that we may lincl it tho means of interchange of thought, as well as of meichandise, and that it will give us the opportunity ot dispelling all jealouties which lival enterprise may engender, and enable us to cultivate those friendly sentiments and mutual esteem which alone bring peace and goodwill among the nations ot the earth. I have now much pleas me, in the name and on behalf of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, in declaring open the New Zealand and South Seas Exhibition, 1889.'' The following is the form of prayer especially composed for theoccasion :—": — " Almighty and Ever Blessed Lord God, help «» to worship Thee in spirit and in truth. We blessand prai&e Thee for Thy great goodness in disposing us to heed Thy voice when Thou speakest, in nature, providence or grace, and for giving u.s some understanding of the outgoing and opportunity of fellow ship with Thee whose name and nature is Love. We adore Thee for Thy watchful care of us, for revealing Thyself in the Scriptures, infinite, eternal, unchangeablcin Thy Being, wisdom, power, holiness, ju&tice and truth; and for establishing in ouri world Thy kingdom which is righteousness peace, and joy. We piaj^e Thee for Thy glorious Gospel, which is the power and wisdom unto salvation to everyone leceiving it. May all here and now who desire to serve their generation according to Thy 1 will Msucjvc tho wisdom which cometh from

above, and which is pure and peaceable, full ot mercy and good fruits. Wo heartily bless Thee for the institutions of i education and lel'gion, for our schools ' and churches, for our hospitals and asylums, lov the arts and sciences, ior our agricultural and pn&toral industries, and for our commerce and manufactuies. We thank Thee, O God, for the land we livo in, a land ot wheat and barloy, a land in which we eat bread without scarceness and lack no pood thing;. Help us, good Lord, with Thine enduring; fa\our; our Sovereign Lady Queen Victoria, their Royal Itlighnesoet) the Prince and Princess of Wales, and all the members of the Royal Family. Bless our Fatherland Great Biihuin and Ireland, our colonies and their ruleis. Blebs our colony, His Excollency our Governor, and his family, our lepre&entatives in Parliament, our executive Government, and our people in town and country ; and graciously overrule this great gathering ot guests, vi?itois, and colonists, ior our good and for Thy Glory. Our Father, which art in Heaven, etc. Amen. May the Gvaco of (he Lord Jesus Christ,' the Love of God, and the Communion of the Holy Ghost be witli us all. Amen."

A TELEGRAM TO THE yUEKN. On His Excellency declaring the Exhibi* tion open, a taluto of seventeen jnutib was lirod. The choir bang the " Hallelujah Chorus " and " (Jod Save the Queen." If is E\-colioncy announced he had sent u cable to tho Queen a few dajs ago stating that the Exhibition was to be opened, and had received .\ reply congratulating the colony on the manifestation of proxies dining the last iilty years, and tho evidence of recovery fiom commercial depiction, and also hoping New Zealand would continuoinits unshaken loyalty. The leading of the mes-age was iccei\ed with cheers. Lord Onflow said ho proposed to send a ieply, saying the Exhibition had that drtj been opened in Her Majesty's Dame, and that the leforencc to the loyalty of tho colony had been iecched with cheers, Tho telegram was then handed to a messenger and sent oil forthwith to England. His Excellency and the Countess accompanied by their suite and tho MinUtcis then walked thiough Australian and foreign couits, and various ollicial representatives were pic a cnted to them. The public were then admitted.