THE EXHIBITION.

Temuka Leader, Issue 937, 13 April 1882, Page 3

THE EXHIBITION.

The weather was tolerably favorable for the opening cereniony. It rained hard during the previous 24 hours, leaving the ■ streets very muddy, but towards the hour appointed for the procession it cleared up, and the remainder ; of the day was •tolerably fine. The procession took place : in the order described in our last issue. Shortly after 11 o'clock his Excellency the •Governor, Lady Gordon, and suite, arrived under escort of the CYC, under = Captain Slater, amidst great cheering and ■firing of cannon, and the playing of the ;National Anthem byithe bands. On both sides of the entrance the volunteers were ,drawn up, and conspicuous among them was the Temuka contingent. When the .dais in the reception hall was reached, Mr Joubert read the address to the Governor published in our last issue, to -which his Excellency replied as follows: Gentlemen, -The .benefits, both material and educational, conferred by •Exhibitions of such a character as this which you . have organised have been ilong and generally recognised—far too generally for it to be necessary that I should now dwell on them. I know no reason why fthe Exhibit'on hell here should prove less useful;than those which have preceded it in other colonies ; and I confidently anticipate that advantage will be derived from it, not only by those more immediately concerned in the undertaking, but by the colony at large. New Zealand, it is true, requires no adventious aid to secure attention from without. The attractions of her climate, the fertility of her soil, her mineral wealth, the vast field she offers to .agricultural and pastoral enterprise, are all well known. Neverthelss I have no doubt that many of the strangers who may repair here to visit the Exhibition will be unprepared to find New Zealand what she is, and will see. with surprise •the display in this building of her pioductfions, which you have just told us,

" exceed in everjr respect any collection of the industriss of a British colony that has ever been gathered together." On.

the other hand many a who has passed his wli le life in Ne*v Zealand will be gratified and instructed by the sight of objects from distant lands, whether natural products or articles of manufacture, on which his eyes might otherwise have never rested, and may learn from what he sees here to appreciate more justly other countries and races, and to take a broader view of life, industry, and progress, under other conditions than those with which he is himself familiar. When the first International Exhibition was opened in 1851, the founders of the Province of Canterbury had just arrived in their new home. Had they been told that thirty years afterwards an exhibition similar to that which drew crowds from all parts of the world would be held on these then bare and desolate plains, and that space for their wares would be eagerly demanded in it by exhibitors from all parts of Europe, from the United States, from India, and Japan (an empire at that time jealously sealed against the egress of any of it own people), they would have laughed to scorn what wou'd have seemed to them but an enthusiastic vision. Yet i this has come to pass ; and that it has come to pass, and'that this place should hava been selected by you as that most suitable in which to hold the first International Exhibition which has taken place in New Zealand, is a proot oi the wise forethought of those who planned and founded this fair city, and of the energy and sagacity, of those who have succeeded them in the administration of its affairs ; while it also testifies to the rapid development of the resources of the adjacent country, and the*enterprise of those who have covered it with crops of grain, and made it the home of a large and industrious population. On behalf of the colony, I bid the foreign exhibitors and all visitors to the Exhibition a hearty welcome. That they will be cordially received here by the Mayor, corporation and citizens of Ohristchurch, ] know; and that te whatever part of the colony they repair they will have no cause to complain of the hospitality of New Zealand, I am very confident. I do not doubt but they will be well pleased by what they see here, and whemthey,return home it will, I believe, be with an m-\ creased sense of the:resources and attractions of NewiZealand. The energy displayed by you as ithe promoters of this enterprise has bsen such as to exclude even the thought of failure. I sincerely trust that the bold experiment you have undertaken may be rewarded, in every respect, by as full a measure of success as you could yourselves possibly desire. As sincerely do I hope that the exhibitors may find that the trouble th p y haye taken and risk they have incurred in bringing valuable and fragile goods here from great distances may not have been, bestowed or encountered in vain, ,It ; will afford me much pleasure to forward to the Queen the medal just placed in my hands. I know that Her Majesty takes ; the deepest interest in such enterprise* as this, inseparably associated as they ever must be w'th the name of the late Prince Consort, nor will it be the les3 welcome to. her as coming from a colony the loyal congratulations of whose people on her recent escape from danger she warmly acknowledged, and will not hastily

forget. Three cheers having been given for His Excellency the Exhibition March, coinposed especially for the occasion by Bandmaster Hamilton, was played by the Christchurch Artillery band, and Mendelshon's " Hymn of Praise" was sung by the Musical Society, after which the Austrian Band played a specially composed march. Dnring these ceremonies the hall was crowded to excess, and the next proceeding was the inspestion of exhibits. The most interesting to colonists, of course, were the New Zealand ones. Starting on the left hand side from the main transept, the first bay is occupied by Messrs Lightband, Allan and Co, who exhibit a very tastefully arranged collection of boots and-shoes, leather, etc. The end of the bay nearest the entrance is occupied by a handsome black and gold show case, which is rilled with some splendidly-made boots and shoes. In another case, more in the centra, is displayed uppers of .various kinds, whilst the far side of the bay is taken up for the display of feather s kins. In the next bay Mr Harris has a fine show of boots and shoes which are worthy of commendation, more especially the ladies' slippers exhibited, -tthich.are ; excellent-specimens of fine work. In the same bay is a,case of b )ots and shoes from Nichols and Son which are exceedingly well made, a .group of soap and candles formed into a trophy, exhibited by Mr John King, and a very fine case of saddlery from Mr Dunbar. Toomer Bros, also occupy part of this bay with exhibits of their boots and shoes. The next bay is at present unoccupied, so fir as the first part of it is concerned. The other part is appropriated to the dis play of some nicely made Venetian blinds €3nt by Mr Jones, of Oamaru, and specimens of the manufactures of the Dunedin

hosiery factory. This latter exhibit occupies the front of the bay, Miss Verral's corset? rilling up the end. The corsets, so far as can we judge, not being assisted by the advice of an expert in such matters,

are extremeiy well made and reflect credit on colonial industry in this department. The next bay is very pr< tfcily arranged, being formed into a monster gla»s case, within which is exhibited a number of a eeimena of rugs, both white and colored, from J. Bayley of Burnside. Dunedin. These are very artistically arranged, the colors being nicely blended, and altogether forming a very pretty exhibit. G. L<. Beath and Co., of Argyle House, Cushel street, Ohristchurch, have a display of costumes and millinery The two costumes displayed, which are respectively named the Argyle and the Marchioness, are splendid specimens of what it is the fashion to call confections. Why this name should have been selected, except to oonvey an idea that they are too utterly sweet, we know not. The first-named is of claret-colored velvet, with a dtraw-colored sash and trimmings, the -second being blue and silver Bradbury's shuttle sewing machine is'exhibited in the corner of the bay The next bay is occupied by the New Zealand Clothing Company's exhibits, who have a splendid show case contaijing wax figures dressed in the productions of the company, and there is also in the bay a tine assortment of clothing of all kinds, Mosgiel hosiery, tweeds, etc. Mr Gould's exhibits of twines and cords from fhx, also flax in its raw state. In the next bay is an exhibit sent by Messrs Clarke and Sons, of Lichfield street, Ohristchurch. This comprises brushware from Mr Gilmour, of Auckland, specimens of the paper and paper bags of the Matanra Paper Company, and a small trophy of jams from Mr Kirkpatrick, of Nelson. The next bay 'is empty. Following this comes a very beautiful model of a desk manufactured by Master A. D, Campbell, -of Dunedin, which exhibits great artistic .-taste and manipulative skill. There is also a magnificent sideboard of knotty tofcrira, by Mr Barrett, of Leeston, and a handsome chest of drawers by Mr Jacobson, of Akaroa. On the walls of this bay are exhibited a number of slabs painted in imitation of marble, sent by Mr E. Glass. Mr H. L. Ephraim'has a case containing all kinds of watchmaker's tools and materials, crucibles, etc. Mr Higgs, of Colombo street, Ohristchurch, sends some pretty fern leaf pattern brackets and picture frames, Mr Miller samples of brushware, and Mr Sykes a very fine case of dental manufactures. The next two bays are at present unoccupied, and then we come to the exhibit of Taylor and Son, blinds, and Guthrie and Lamach's furniture. This latter exhibit occupies two bays, and is really a very fine one. In 'the .first ;is displayed a dining-room suite 'in Ted pine, dull polished, upholstered in leather, and of mediaeval style. The bronzes, vases, &c , used in decorations are en suite. The over mantel is nicely finished in the same style, and the dining-ro; in extension table is a very fine specimen of solid, good work The chimney piece is finished with Poultoh tiles round the sides, aad altogether his exhibit is well worth a few moments' inspection. There is also in this bay a fine-toned piano, made by A. R. Kelsey, of Dunedin.

(To be continued.)