THE r E WINGT ONIAN

'.'JE\\'INGTON COLLEGE, STAN:\IORE, SYD::\EY.

" :u e naor puertlre." Hor.

No. LV. DECEMBER, 1897.

Sl'hECH DAY.

T H E prizes will be distributed on Wednesday, 15th December, by His gxcellency the Admiral. As most of the visitors last year agreed with t he Premier when he referred humorously to the difficulty of comprehending the Greek .address, the speeches in Greek and Latin, which have been written by E. R. Larcomhc for this occasion, are here translated. The first is the translation of the Latin by Larcombe himseif, and the second the translation of the Greek by L. H. Allen :-

1 \TI'.\ spu;cu. "Hail ! Admiral of that fleet which Her Majesty the Queen has sent

for the defence of our shores, and which now we see anchored in our Harbour ~ - that Harbour to whh:h none other in the world can offer com­parison either for the grandeur of its scenery or the safety of its watPrs. Nay, rather in this H1\rbour could assemble all those ships which a few months a.~o collected at SpithCJul to commemorate the glorious events at home and abroad during the reign of Yictoria, and ctfectuo.lly shewetl the other nations how powerful is the might of Engl!ind 's arm not only to restore, but to maintain the sway of peace. 'Tis your duty to command a part of this fleet, and, doubtless, you will perform a great service, both to your~el( and us, in defending this land wherein we clwell, the descendants of British coloni~ts, and whercfrom onr goods are carried to England-­wool and wheat and wine, gold from Westr!ilia. and silver of Broken Hill; so may the immortal Gods ~rant you o. long life, unalloyed by sickness, eadness, or any other adversity."

(; H.EJ·:K SPEECH.

" Be well assured, 0 Admiral, that we, the descendants of colonists whose native land iq this island-continent, and whose habitation is the shores of the Harbour which all men judtly call the fairest in the world, receive thee with most hearty welcome, since thou dost command the triremes sent by the British Queen to guard our shores. Nay, 0 Admiral,

290 Tim NEwI~GTOXtAN.

thy presence brings to our minds the memory of those heroes who in time paet, risking many a danger, came to our shores, oven Dampiel', Tasman, Cook, and those most praiseworthy heroes, Bass and Flinders. One might fairly say that even Odysseus of old came to the shores of Australia, which sailors who came after him added to the lasting possession ef Great Britain.

"The world has this yea.r seen a fleet collected such as the Athenians once sent against Syracuse, and which far outshines all other flPets in the world. And we rejoice to think that the British fleet is the foremost in preserving peace in that country which it first added to the possession of the British Queen."

OLD BOYS' COLUMN.

Mr . . J. H. :ilarks has left Mudgee and is now practising as a solicitor at Berrigan.

Our congratulations are tendered to Rev. F. V. Pratt, .M.A., who was married in September.

Mr. S. W. Moore won the Parliamentary Match at the Rifle Associa· tion Meeting in October, this being the fifth occasion on which he has carried off the first prize.

We regret to record the death of ~Ir. Lewis II. Glasgow, solicitor, during September, at Casino. He was at Newington in the ei.rly part of the eighties. Mr. Glasgow leaves a wife and three children.

Mr. Sid. Abbott returned to Sydney a couple of months ago from his trip to England.

~1r. J. J. Mulligan, who was recently admitted as a solicitor, has commenced practice at Vickery's Chambers, Pitt Street. •

The fifth round of the O.N. Lawn Tennis Tournament was played off at the College on Sports Day. Mr. W. A. Clarke defeated Mr. W. A. Kiss, and Mr. S. B. Drucc beat Mr. D. S. Edwards. Both matches were very interesting, and a large number of spcctatorH gtLthered about the court to watch the play. Owing to the want of time the final could not be played off that afternoor1, but at a later date :Messrs. Clark and Druce met and the game resulted in a win for the former, who takes Mr. E. E. \Vay's trophy, while Mr. Druce receives the one presented by the Union. If con· venient to these two gentlemen the prizes will be presented to them on Speech Day, which takes place on 15th December.

Several O.N . arc taking part in the forthcoming meeting for the advancement of Science, which takes place in Sydney on January 6th and succeeding days. Papers are to be read by the Rev. J. E. :\1oulton, Mr. A. H. S. Lucas, M.A., B.Sc., Mr. J. J. }<'Letcher, M.A., B.Sc., Dr. Frank Tidswell, Mr. R. T. Baker, F.L.S., Rev. F. V. Pratt, M.A., !11r. T. R. Bavin, LL.B.

~1r. John Harper, who assumed the position of Chief Traffic Manager of New South Wales Railways on Mr. Kirkcaldie's being appointed a Rail· way Commissioner, is an Old Newingtonfan.

THE NEWINGTONI.\:\'. :rn1

Mr. W. A. Clnrk, the winner of the Olcl Boys' Tennis Tournnment, was chosen as a. representative of New South \\'ales to visit :\Jelbourne with the Tennis Team in No,•emhcr. In the Singles he won his t\\O

matches, beiug the only events won for New 1'outh \Yalcs during the game.

Circulars have 1\lready been sent out informing our members and Ohl Newingtonians genemlly, that the next meeting of the Union will take the shape of a :\1oonlight Harbour Excursion, on Friday evening, lOth December. The date was chosen because being the day of the first Test Match ago.inst the English cricketers, it is probable that a number of country O.N.'s will he in town, and if the meeting is known to them, take the opportunity of attendinl?. It is clesirecl, therefore, that our members should give the widest publicity respecting the Harbour Excursion. 'fhe boat will leave foot of King Street (Parramaita River Company's Wharf) at 7.45 p.m. sharp, and will return not later thnn 10.30 p.m. The arrange ments for the evening arc in the hands of a suh·Committec, and no effort will be spl\rcd to make the outing 1m enjoy1\hlc one. Tickets will he sold for one shilling each, and may he obtained from any member of the Committee, or at the wharf, on lOth December.

At the last Committee :\lceting :\lr. A. C. (;ill was appointee! repre­sentative of the Union to the Newfoglonia.11, l\ncl those who have items of suitable information are requested to send •nme to :\Ir. Gill, at 8clborne Chambers, Philip Street, Sydney.

SPORTS.

SPORTS DAY was regular Queen's weathP.r, ancl a large crowd, amongst whom were very many " Old Boys" from all parts, assembler! to witness the performances of the present Ncwingtouiaus. The grounds looked \'Cry pretty, the Cricket Oval and the green slopes heing enlivened by the bright dresses of the many lady friends of the College. There were a large number of entries, and in almost every case big fielcls faced the starter. Both tho running an1l jumping were good, and the College Cup was won, after a very keen contest throughout, by A. Jeffrey with 24 points, 8. Bowman being second with 23. This is the second year in succession that A .. Jeffrey has won the College Cnp. S. Bowman surprised himself (and us) by clearing 5 feet in the High Jump, as a short time before the meeting he did not know his jumping powers. It should be an object lesson to those competing next year. The Old Boys' Race was won by N. Jeffrey. The All Schools' Race was won by A. Stewart (S.G.S. ), with A. Jeffrey second. During the afternoon the semi-final and final of a tennis tourna­ment, arranged by the Old Boys' Association, were played on our court, and proved a great centre of attraction. Th1i Committee desire to express their thanks to the following 1lo11ors to the Prize Fund :-Mrs. i\1oses, Drs. Abbott ancl Purser, Messrs. A. S. Bartlett, W. Rcllamey, Buchanan, Best, Ch!lnnon, T. Cowlishaw, R Cowlislrnw, U. 0. Cowlishaw, Curlcwi~, Derrick, F.ilwards, T. Harrison, C. G. Hatte, .Jeffrey, C. F . Jones, C. Laurence, W. F. Lllwry, A. H. S. Lucas, n. ,J. :\lattin, 8. \Y. Moore, J. K i\loulton, Ncwing, W. A. Pepperch~y, H. Satchell, J. Talbot, Yarnold; i\lessrs. D .. Jones 1t Co., and the Olcl Boys' Association. The following were the results of the events :-

29'2

150 YARDS OPES HASDICAP FLAT RACE.-Final: R. 8. Bowman (4 yds. l, I ; A. Peterson (5 ycls. ), 2 ; N. Baird (7 yds. ), 3. Won easily. Time, 16 3.10 sees.

75 YARDS HANDICAP FLAT RACE-Boys under 12.-W. Tubon (6 yds.), 1; L. Rogers (5 yds.), 2; C. A. White (2yds.J,:3. Won by 2 yds., after a good race.

SACK RACl!.-R. Dunlop, l ; S. Bowman, 2; L. McClcllo.nd, 3. 100 YARDS CHAMl'IOS RACL.-A. Jeffrey, 1; S. Bowm1m, 2; P. Best,

3. Time, 11 sees.

120 YARDS HANDICAP-Boys under 16. -Fino.I: G. Cole (5 yds.), l; N. Barker (3 yds.), 2; H. Laing (9 yds.), 3. \Von by 3 yds. Time, 13 1·5 sees.

120 YARDS HURDLES CUAMPION RACE.-S. Bowman, 1; A. Jeffrey, 2; H. Fox, 3. Time, 17 4.5 sees.

EoG·I!'l·Sroo:s RACE.-\V. Cowlishu.w, 1 ; W. L. Moore, 2; A. Sherlock, 3.

220 YARDS HASDICAP-Boys under 14.-A. Coils (scratch), 1 ; C. Greenwell (12 yds.), 2; R. Uarker (10 yds.), 3. Time, 28 sees.

Hw11 Jt:MP.-In the final S. Bowman was declared the winner, with a jump of 5 feet.

Loso JuMP-(Compcted for on preceding Thursday.)-Won by A . . Jeffrey, who jumped 16 feet 6 inches.

220 YARDS CuAMPIO:iSUIP.-S. Bowman, 1; A. Jeffrey, 2; P. Best, 3. Time, 2.> l · 10 sees. A close finish.

T11Row1so THE CRICKET HAJ,L.-A. Brown, 1; H. Dunston, 2; S. Funa.ki, 3. Distance thro\rn by the winner, 95 yards 6 inches.

K1cK1st: THE FooTBALJ,,-A. cle V. Campbell, 1 ; \\'. Cowlishaw, 2; A. Jeffrey, :l. Distance kicked by the winner, 57 yds.

100 YARDS HANDIC.\I'· -Boys under 14. -Fi1ml: G. Hrccnwell ('i y1ls), l ; H. Abbott (2 yds.), 2; S. Lu.wry (8 yds.), :l. Won by 5 y<ls. Time, 12 4·5 sees.

AJ.T, ScuooLS' RACE.-A. H. Stewart (Sydney Grammar School), 1 ; A. Jeffrey (Ne,\.ington College), 2; K. K. McKellar (Sydney Grammar School), 3. Time, 56 4.5 sees.

OsE ~1ILE :BIC\'CJ,E HACE.-N. Ca.ltler (30 yds.), l; W. Winn (50 yds.), 2; N. Chapman (70 yds.), 3. Time, i min. 43 sees.

220 YARDS CADET HACE.-1. .:\IcKa.y (18 yds.), 1; S. llest (14 yds.), 2; P. R. Little (20 yds.), 3. Time, 29 4.5 sees.

150 YARDS HASDICAP-Boys under 12.-C. A. White (1 yd.), 1; K. Rogers (3 yds. ), 2 ; G. Virtue (12 yds. ), 3. Time, 21 sees.

100 YARDS OLD Bovs' FLAT RACE.-N. Jeffrey (4 yds.), 1; W. H. Da.nscy (scratch), 2. Time, 10 4-5 sees.

l\lu,E CnA~IPION.-W. L. Moore, l; A. Peterson, 2; A. Jeffrey, :3. Time, 5 min. 9 sees.

440 YARDS HA:>DICAP-Boys under 16.-G. Cole (8 ytls.), 1; S. Best (8 yds.), 2; H. Dunston (5 yds.), 3. Time, 1 min. 3 4.5 sees.

\\'11u:1.1\\l(JUIW RACE.-Four te.Lms compete<!. After au exciting nnd wcll-conte.;tc<l race, C. \\'ebh anol L. liln••on won in 15 sees.

HO YAH!ls llA~I>IC.\P.-P. Best {scratch), I; H. !<'ox (8 y<ls.), 2; L. Moore (15 y<ls. ), :l. \\'011 easily in 57 1-10 seo8.

OBsTACLt: RACE.·-H. Golledgc, l ; H. Alexander, 2 ; S. Best, 3.

TUE COLLEGE CuP.-A. L. Jeffrey (with an aggregate of 24 points), l ; S. Bowman (with an ag£lregatc of 23 points), 2.

TWO EVENINGS.

l CAN'T forget Dartford Wood on:~ summer's evening in June, 1876. We entered it as the shadows fell, an<l a.a we elimbe<l the hill which it crowns, down came a mighty shower of rain first, and then hailstones. The path we chose up the wood was sunk somewhat, and so with steep banks on either sicle the water-streams poured down. After the storm ceased the white hailstones lay in mound or pyramid upon the banks, and cooled by their presence the ripe strawberries. English woods are fragrant in June. There is honey in the early flowerd ; the young !ewes are growing active in the sun, and breathe out their odours, acid or aromatic. As yet there is no decay ; there are no fungi in the woods. The young oaks, with leaves of lightest green, spread from the banks on both sides away among the larger trees, an<l harboured innumerable small green moths. Beneath flourished woodspurge, stitchwort, and bugloss, and the twinned leaves of the lily of the valley, not clamagccl, but rather invigorated by the cooling rain. Then in the dimness, sweetened by the woodbine, we took joyous exercise in recognising the •olitary night-birds-the owls and the goat­•uckers, with their strange voices. As we came back in the silence of the quiet •leeping night the glow-worms shone with pale exhalations of light.

December 28th, 1890. North Gippsland. After lunch we packed up a.1Hl sa<lrlletl the horses, a.ml a.bout 3 p. m. were ready to depart. Coming down to the hike had heen bad enough, but going up/roved to be a good deal worse. Wt• had to lea.cl the horses, of course, an had not gone much more than a h11n1lred yards up the steep when Dr. D.'s horse gots its off hind leg into a hole at the foot of a. ledge, the hole being concealed by a few loo~e stones. In spite of all efforts to hold him up by the head, he rolled over on to a lower lcclge aud lay on his back, still caught by the one leg; with the others kicking wihlly in the air. He must have lain in this fix for nearly twenty minutes, the bone of his leg bent, and expected to snap at a.ny moment. \Ve ea.lied back onr leader and Alfred, tied up all the other horses, a.nd bent a.II our energfes on extricating the poor brute if possible. The first thing wa~ lo slip a halter round his free hind leg and to drag it forward while we remo\'ed the loose stones and widened the hole as much as we could. Dr. D. t.-Ook the tomahawk and cut down a saplin~, out of which we made a lever, which we pushed under the animals shoulder. Then Alfred, tugging a.this head with the halter, and two of the others working with all their might on the long arm of the lever, we succeedccl in lifting him up on his three legs, when, to our delight and relief {for the cartridge was ready to put him out of his misery), he lifted the other foot out of the hole and stood upright on the ledge. As we knew must he the c11s1•, howe,·er, he wn• haclly lamed.

T11 ~; N ~;w1NGT0-.1 \ \.

\Y c hail lo~t much time over this mishap, but now started a.gain, picking our wa.y among the crags as carefully as we coulcl, driving or coaxing the lame horse. Presently, as we were moving in single file along a narrow tra.ck abo\•e a steeper place than usu;\l, poor old Brownie fumbled with his hind legs on some loose stones, slipped, fell over the edge down the rocky slope below, rolling over a.nd over, until brought up some 30 feet below between a big fallen log and the hillside, where he lay sprawling with his legs in the air. Fortunately, he was carrying the bedding, and so was not hurt. It was certainly a comical sight, and made even the horse­man who had to follow on the ea.me track laugh ; but we were late already, and wanted to get to a safe camp before dark, so this mi1hap was serious enough. There was nothing for it but to climb down after the p:\cker, unloa.d him, lead him up again to the path, and bring up the pack bit by bit. Brownie as nearly as possible wont down a.gain on this second pa.ssage, but was held on the track by main force. There was a tin-billy str11.pped on the back of ~he pack, but it didn't look so well after the accident.

We packed up and started again, and without further misadventure reached the edge of the basin, and saw that a thick fog was rolling down from Mount Wellington opposite and filling up the valley. Then we discovered that the gun and fishing rod had been left where the pack-hol'lle had rolled down. This was rather trying. Mr. H. volunteered to go back for the things, and rode off on the big bay. The rest of us waited, looking over the edge of the basin, and speculating on the probabilities of our leader never turning up again, till at length we were rejoiced to bear the clatttr of his horse's hoofs on the rocks below, and l\ir. H. emerged aa.fe and sound from the fog, which now crept all around us.

Off again, first taking care to find a tree which we had marked with a cross on our way up at the turn off to the track clown the big spur. Dr. D. was presently obsen•ing to Mr. L. th11.t Mr. H. was the only one who had had uo misfortune, when our leader announced that he had lost the track in the fog. While we were smiling grimly at this la.st streak of ill luck, a violent thuudcratorm burst over us, and the rain came down in bucketsfuL \\'e hastily donned our ponchos and aprons, and were glad to make use of the storm to o.:ollect some of the rainwater on the waterproof to relieve our thirst. Our leader did his best to recover the tra.ck, but the mist, rain, and approaching darkness were too much for him, and we had to abandon the hope of reaching an old camp. We could not camp on the top of the muge, so we made clown the hillside into the nearest gully, and following this down soon came to a succession of small waterholes. It was now quite dark, so we tied up the horses to trees, and made our camp on a steep slope above the wa.terhole. Our first care was to make a fire, and this was done by tearing off the inner bark of the stringy-bark, which wM perfectly dry, and made excellent kindling. The side of the hill was so steep that it was difficult to find a place where a fire would lie, but we managed it by dragging a big log across and piling up the sticks and smaller logs against it. When we wanted a flare up, just to let us sec wba.t we were doing, we threw in branches of native hop, of which there were many bushes around us, into the fire. The oil of the leaves burnt up at once, giving a brilliant white light. Then we clro\'e pegs into the ground to rest our feet against 11.nd prevent us from slipping clown into the fire, with others above us to which we tied blankets and waterproof. We had a miserable tea., content­ing oursel"es with unleavened bread. It had stopped raining, and we were too tired to rig up the tent, so we rolled ourselves up in our blankets and waterproof, after drying ourselves at the fire, a.nd were prepared to

TnE N EWINGTONIAN.

spend the night there. About midnight, however, the thunderstorm returned, with much rain, and we got up in a. hurry and ha.stily rigged one of the tents, into which we all squeezed, and lay in a row more or Jess unconsciously waiting for rlaylight.

THE GEM OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC.

{BY W. G. WooLNOUGH.)

ON the second of June last, a. party of eleven persons, headed by Professor David of the University of Sydney, left this city in the s.s. Tavi1mi, for the purpose of investigating the laws of coral growth in the Pacific as ex. emplified in the Atoll of Funafuti in the Ellice Group. We were provided with two diamond drill plants, an ordinary one and another specially arranged light one. With these it was intended to bore through the coral rock forming the Atoll to ascertain the nature of the rock and the depth to which it extended. After the usual ups and downs of a somewhat rough sea voyage, in which a good many passengers paid their tribute to old Neptune, we reached SU\·a, the capital of Fiji, on the following Thursday. A stay of five days was made here for the purpose of trausshipping the gear and provisions into the small steamer which was to convey us to our destination. This we reached early on the Saturday morning preceding the Queen's Jubilee clay. The first sight of the island which was to be our home for some months was obtained at the first streak of dawn on the day mentioned. \Vo saw five or six low dark masses right ahead; these were islets in the l"ing. The Atoll is a sort of pear-shaped ring of coral reef, for the most pa.rt a.bout on a level with half.tide. This ring is broken here and there by openings or channels deep enough for ships to entel" the large central la.goon, whose depth averages about 15 fathoms and runs down as deep as 30 fathoms. This magnificent sheet of water, some 14 miles in longest diameter and nine or 10 across. But for the numerous patches and shoals which are scattered through it, it would make a. beautiful harbour. Here aud there, on the low-lying reef, the wind and waves have piled up heaps of coral and sand, which have gradually grown up to the height of the highest hurricane wave. On these islets plants have taken root, man has come along, bringing with him the king of trees, the cocoanut palm, and what was formerly a. barren sanrl-bank has become a beautiful island. There are a.bout 30 islets and sand-banks so built up on the ring of reef. The large~t of these, and the only one which is permanently inhabited, is seveu miles in length. Throughout the greater part of its length, the breadth runs from 100 to 200 yards, while at the widest part where the village is situated it is about half-a-mile across. The highest point of land is only 16 feet above high water mark, and this is a high point. The average height of the sea.ward face is about 12 feet, while on the lagoon side the height is seldom more than four feet. The tops of the highest eocoanut trees on the island do not reach 100 feet. On this little plot of land rising out of the deapths of the Gre:\t Pacific, about 250 children of all ages up to three score and ten lead a. peaceful aud happy existence from year's encl to year's end. The inhabitants are a gentle and lovable people, quite children of nature and not yet conta.minated by the vices which civil­isation too often brings with it.

The island is under British Protectorate, but the nominal ruler is the "tupu " or king. He is a venerable and dignified gentleman of a light

206 T11E Ngw1NGTONJAN.

brown colour. His robes of state consist of a straw hat, a white l'oa.t, a.nil two fathoms of calico, while his evcry·rla.y clress is the fringe of a kind of bark, called a "takai." For his magnificent services in governing this mighty nation, he receives the royal emolument of £1 2s. ti11. pet· annum. He is a plucky old lad, if I may say so without hcing guilty of high ireason. for the clay on which the drill machinery was got ready for work, he con­sented to perform the ceremony of starting the work. \\'hen the time came he set his teeth, C•~st a look round upon the faces of his loyal subjects, the trees, the clou1ls and the sunlit sea, aml then with a look of stern reROlu· tion walked up to the machinery and- turne1l on the tap. Th.i steam began to hiss, the pump to clank. and the boring engine to rattle round and round, still he kept his ground till the deafening cheers of all assembled told him that he had nobly done what was expected of him.

The real man of authority on the island is Opetaca (Ohadiah), the native police magistrate, as thorough a gentleman in e\·cry sense of the word, as one would find anywhere. He is one of the tallest men on the island and has an air of command which wins him respect from all who come into contact with him. The other public officials are a " scribe " or Clerk of Petty Sessions and four policemen. There is a log shanty, the "fa.Ji pui pui " or lock-up, but if an old milking cow leaned up against it I 11.m afrnid the fali pui pui would stand a poor show. The houses are arranged in two straggling rows along the lagoon be:\ch of the main i~land. Each consists of a frame work of poles with a well thatched roof and sides formed of rough mats made from the palm leaves. There are no partitions inside ancl not more than three or four families live in each. The Mission Church is quite a stately edifice, about 120 feet by 35 feet. The walls are built of coral concrete or cement and a.re about 15 feet high. The roof is a. splendirl one of thatch ma<le from the leaves of the panda.nus. The floor consists of clean white pebbles, and the seats are roughly squared logs without b~ks. A Samoan teacher has charge of the religious ancl cduca· tiona.I work of the island. g,•ery <lay in the week, and three or four times on Sunday, every ma.11, woman and child on the island capable of coming or being brought turns up to sen•ice. A queer rule has been ma.de by the teacher. No man is allowed to enter the the Church with a hat on, and no woman without one. The consequence of the ll\sl part of this law can be well imaginr.d. The hats are of local manufacture, and are imitations of imitations ma.11y times removed from the origin~! model, each fresh copy showiug some fresh sign of evolution, which would have glaclclened Da.r­wiu's he1irt. One fa\·ouritc form was that of a h-uncated cone about six inches high and four inches in diameter at the bottom. The brim is like that of an ordinary hard-hitter, only a good cleal more so. When this structure is trimmed with gaudy patch work and gingerly balanced on top of a huge mass of beautiful black hair, well--- . . . The singing in the Church is something very different from anything one hears in Sydney, and yet there is a. sort of charm in the wild melody and the abrupt finish so characteristic of "kanaka." music. Once a week, sometimes oftener, a "fateri" is held. All who care for such frivolity turn up at the School House or Court House, as the case may he, at a.bout 8 o'clock in the even­ing. The best singers get front seats. The girls sit on the ground on one side of the building and the men on the other, fa.ciug them. Behind the front row is a motl"y crowd, constituting the orchestra and hangers on. One batch starts to sing a. native song, the performers in the front row keeping time with various well practised and graceful gestures, while those behind sing at the top of their voices and wha.ck rolled-up m&ts. The two sides sing alternately. As a rule the girls wear nea.tly·madc wreaths of

297

beautiful white fio\Yers, a.nil nothing can be more strikin!( than the sight of the white teeth, the flashing eyeg, dark hair wreathed with blos~oms, and the graceful, bare, brown tlrms, all moving together, in perfect time with the weird melody. Very little hard work is <lone on the island. There is a fairly large po.tch of swampy ground, which is carefully manured with leaves. In this plantation arc grown bananas of four rlifferent kinds, taro, pulaka, breadfruit l\nd sugarcane. Taro and pulaka a.re two species of a.rum lily who~e roots are eaten. The leaves of the former cooked with the expressed juice of the cocoa.nut; oh ! it makes one's mouth water only to think of it. The cocoa.nut grows very thickly all over nearly all the islets in the ring. The "milk" of the half-ripe nut is far and away better than the best ginger-beer ever brewed. I suppose no tree in the world is put to more varied uses than the said cocoa.nut palm. I shall have more to say about it some other time. The lagllon swarms with fish. A good mauy of these are poisonous, but the natives know how to distinguish them. They have nmny ways of catching them ; angling, trawling, spear­ing and netting. Large turtles are captured now and then. All these, to­Rether with an occasional pig or fowl, constitute the food of the islanders. Every man, woman and child co.n ~wim magnificently, and though sharks are pretty abundant, they do not seem afraid of them. This paper has already drawn out fa.r beyond the limits originally intended for it, so I must not think of monopolising any more of your valuable space at present. Perhaps at some future time, I mtly, with the editor's kind permission, have a few more words to say about this gem of the Pacific and its chilciren.

MOONLIGHT FETE.

Tms year ha~ been especially notable for the magnificent military display made by the troops of the whole Empire on the occasion of the Queen's Jubilee. The photographs of the visiting colonial Premiers, with their attendant c.w!llcades, arc still to be seen everywhere, and it is quite recently thnt thl' N.S. W. troops were warmly welcomed on their return from Englancl. Military matters have been strongly in evidence. Accord­ingly, probably few were surprised to find that I\ Military FHe would take place at Ncwington on December :kd. \Ye all looked forward to it as an appropriate entertainment for the closing weeks of the school year. The Committee, con•isting of the Head ~faster, Captain Buchanan, Mr. Williamson, and Sergeant-Major 8tretton, received many promises of assistance. Captain Cox, of the N.S. W. Lancers, volunteered that his men, who had beaten allcomers at some of the Jubilee celebrations, should give a display of lo.nee an<l sword exercise; the Scottish Rifles, by permis­sion of Major Campbell, were to give the bayonet exercise; and Captain Ramaciotti, of the 2nd Regiment, not only drew up a detailed plan of a night attack by Afghans upon a British encampment, but supervised rehearsals, am\ gave .-aluable assishnce in other respects. The tableaux were to be military. Also, one of the best brass bands had been engaged. Hut, unfortunately, the morning of December 3rd broke wet, and during the forenoon many eyes were turned from the Latin exam. questions to notice that the rain still continuccl in undesired persistence. At half-past 3, as rain was still falling, it was reluctantly decided to put off the enter­tainment till the succeeding Wednesday, and steps were taken to make

:298 TnE NEWINGTONIAN.

this decision known. But it was impossible to advi~e everybody, so that, though the evening turned out chilly, and clouds were threatening, many friends assembled and listened awhile to the efforts of the buglers (who also had arrfred), or admired the stalwart proportions and brilliant uniforms of the Scottish .Rill.ea. A few of the boys were also present, but the majority were either at home or in evenin¥ prep., working presumably at Hall and Knight's "Algebra" or Tennyson s "Gareth and Lynette," or something of the kind.

DECEMBER THE TffiRD.

This morn when first from balmy sleep 1 woke, I found my spirits joyously elate,

For I'd rehearsed in dreams the mighty deeds I'd do this evening at our Moonlight Fete.

(Dozens of coarse beef-eatiug En~lishmen Did I, in plea.sing dreams, obhterate,

As I led on my dusky Afghan crew In deadly warfare at our glorioue Filte.

The Ameer, too, to recognise my worth, Madt me a. Sirdar governing a State,

And gave me palaces and heaps of pearls For all my valour a.t this famous ~'ute.)

One glance, on waking, at the weeping sky Sufficed these foolish joys to dissipate :

Too truly, said my heart, no knightly deeds Would grace the night of our appointed Fcte.

From 9 to 12 a.m. my wand'ring wits Disdained the La.tin I was bid translate ;

The only phrase u1f mind would try to turn Was" Heroes o the Military Fete."

And now, at 8 p.m., I'm forced to" fag" At gallant Gareth "staring at the spate,"

While every nerve is thrilling with the wish To charge with fury at that postponed Fete.

RIFLE SHOOTING.

WE had a very gloomy outlook at first, and we had doubts of the advis­&bility of entering a team as we only had the emergency from last year's team to begin with. It was very disheartening work at first, but constant practice made a great improvement, and the Wednesday before the ma.tch we a.veraged 51. In the ma.tch we scored 506, but it was not good enough to beat St. Ignatius, who had six of last year's team left, and won with 517-eleven points ahead. Some of our shots were nervous at the short

299

ra.nge a.nd did not do themselves justice. It wa.s excusable as it was the first match tlmt they hail fhcll in. We finished at this ra.ugc 22 behind St. Ignatius, and 15 bchinll Ki11g's School. Our team settled down a.t the long range and we finishc<l there 11 ahead of St. Ignatius, and 43 ahead of Krng's School.

Bate, Cor~oral Allsopp, Corporal Fuller, Sergeant Best, Cadet Coates, Corpora.I Thorne, Cadet Wilson, Cadet D. Turnbull, Cadet Moffatt, Cadet Wilson, Cadet W.

...

200 2:1 20 27 29 2-l 23 29 30 2i 29

261

Total. 2.J .Ji 25 45 26 53 26 55 27 51 19 42 24 53 2.J 5! 2;; 52 25 54

245 506

CRICKET.

Wx have been singularly unfortunate in our matches this year. In some of the outside matches we put up big scores, chie6.y through the agency of Campbell and Phillips; but even those sterling cricketers failed us in the School matches. Brown and Wilson, from whom we expected good things with the ball, were a complete failure. In Wilson's case the Rifle Shooting interfered greatly, but Brown's failure is quite unaccountable. There is no doubt that the Rifie Shooting had a great deal to do with our failure, as we were shooting until within a week of the School matches, but there is no excuse for the failure of those who were not shooting. The Secretary has brought forward a scheme by which the Second and Third teams will get regular coaching as well as the First Eleven, so that for the future, the players coming up to the First Eleven will at least know the first principles of Cricket.

1'EWINGTON COLLt:OE V. OJ!URCH OF ENGLAND GRAMMAR SCHOOL.

This match waR played a.t North Sydney a.ncl won by C.E.G.S., on the first inningi by 38 runs. The chief thing noticed on our side was the downfall of the batting, only two boys getting over twenty runs, D.lnsey 32 not out, and Ha.wken 21. Holdsworth ba.ttecl splendidly for C.E.G.S., and practically won the match; he got 50 not out, and was in throughout the innings.

Newington College. let Innings.

Campbell, run out 18 Phillips, b Holdsworth 4 Danaey, not out . . . .. 32 nrown, c Holtermann, h Blaxland 4 Best, b Holdsworth 0 Hawken, b White .. 21

2nd Innings. c Fisher, b Holtermann 41 c Hobson, b Holtermann 26 not out . 25 b Bla.x land 26 not out ... 7

Moore, b \Vhite .. 3 Innings declared closed. Cowlishaw, c Holtermann, b

White. R

:lOO THE NEWJXr.TO"IA:\.

fatafu, b White Calder, b White . Wilson, b Holdsworth

Sundries

Total

0 0 f)

4

9-l

:)unclm:s

3 for

Church of Eni:land Grnmmar :School.

130

lst Innings. 2nd Innings. Holdsworth, not out 50 not out 8 Levick, b Rrown . . . 0 Whit.e, b Wilson .. . 2 not out ... 35 Holtermann, b Brown 8 Rundle 11, b Calder 15 Blaxland, b Campbell 7 Fisher, b Wilson . . l Lyne, b Best . 15 Hobson, b Tatafu . 6 Boyd ell, b Tatafu . . 0 Murnin, b Tatafu . . 5

Sundries . 2.1 Rundrics 6

Total .. 13:1 0 for .. 49 Newington College Bowling Analysis.

Wilson, 5 wides, 22 runs, 2 wickets, 9 overs, 2 maidens, average, 13·5 Brown, 0 31 2 11 3 Ii)".; Calder, 0 16 1 10 ,. 4 16·0 Tatafu, 0 16 3 5~ O :>·:{ Campbell, ( 15 1 4 O 1.1 0 Best, 0 9 I ;) I 9 O

For C.E.G.S. White got 5 wickets for 12 runs.

NEWl~GTOS COLLEGE V. ST. IGSATIUS.

Campbell ilnd Phillips batted \·cry well in this match obtaining 31 and 42 respectively. ~Ioore obtained 14 and showed some of his old form. Punch got 57 before ho was bowled by the emergency man, Bowman, who easily obtained the bowling average for the day.

Newington College.

lst Innir.gs. Campbell, b McDona.lcl Phillips, b McDonald Dansey, b Mc Donald Brown, b Anivitti Hawken, run out . Best, c McDonald, h Anivitti Moore, b McDonald Cowlishaw, b McDonald Tatafu, not out ('alder, 1 b w, b McDonald Bowman, b .McDonald

Sundries

Total .. ."

31 42 3 6 3 0

.. 14 ()

I 0 0 9

109

2nd Innings. b Deery c &. b Cox

Sundries

2 for ..

. . 36 20

i

63

St. Igna.tius-lst Innings.

Decry, run out ... Gow, A., I b w, b Brown J. Punch, b Bowman Gow, F., b Brown .. Dougla.~, c Calder, b Tatafu .. l\larmion, b llowman . . . . . Fraser, c :\Ioore, b Campbell .. Cox, I b w, b Campbell ... McDonald, c Calder, b llowman Makinson, b Best Anivitti, not out

Sundries

Total ..

Ne,Yington College llowling Annlysis.

11 31 57 21 8 0

35 0

18 4 I

21

207

Ta.ta.Cu, Brown, Campbell, Best Calder, Moore, Bowman,

52 runs, I wicket, 16 overs, I maiden, average, 52·0 39 2 19 4 19•5 43 ,, 2 8 0 :H ·5 15 0 7 2 14 () 3 0 14 0 2 0 12 3 5 0 -1.0

~EWl:"GTO:'-: COLLE(JE V. ~YD:-<t;Y URA \l\IAll SCllUOL.

:301

This match was played at the Rushcutter's lhy Ova.I, on No\•embcr lOth, 1897, a.ml won by :OULS. by 2:23 runs. N .C., as usual , failed in the batting, the two cracks not getting double figures. Dausey played very well for his 24, and Brown got a fluky 35. S.G.S. excelled us in batting by far, the only bowler with whom they could not have their own way being Tatafu, who got six wickets for 58 runs ; he was the first change, and he got a wicket first hall.

Newington College - lst Innings.

Campbell, c ,~ Ii Garnsey Phillips, c Harris, b GarnRey Da.nscy, c Vickery, b Drummond Brown, b IJrummou<l .. Hawken, b l'o•rnll !>loore, b Drummond .. . . . Best, c Garnsey, b Drummond Cowlisha.w, c Oelohery, b l!'a.rrar Tata.fu, c Gnrn~ey, b 1''a.rrar ... Cahlcr, not out ... \Vilson, b IJrummornl ...

Sundries

Total ...

;j

3 24 35 0 0

10 l 0 0 3 2

:302

Bowlers. Wilson Brown Tatafu Best Cnl<ler Campbell Phillips

TnE NEWINHTONIAN.

Sydney Grammar School-lst Innings. Garnsey, b Tatafu .. 19 Browne, c Calder, b Wilson . U Woodburn, b Best :l;) Delohery, c & b Tatafu 5 Blomley, b Beat 28 Sharpe, b Tatafu 3i Drummond, b Tatafu ... 0 Harris, c Calder, b Tatafu 35 Powell, b Tatafu 3 Vickery, b Calder i6 Farrar, not out... 36

Sundries 32

Total ... 306 Newington College Bowling Analysis.

No B11lls. Wides. Runs. Wkts. Overs. Mdns. 0 4 70 I Ii 3 0 0 50 0 15 2 0 0 58 6 23 2 I 0 30 2 15 4 0 0 28 I 11 3 u 0 30 0 9 3 0 0 13 0 l 0

NEWINGTOli COLLEGE V. THE KINO'S SCHOOL.

Average. iO·O

9•6 15·0 28·0

This match was played at Parramatta, on ~aturday, November 27th, and tesulted in a win for T.K.S. by 338 1uns. N.C. 70, and T.K.S. 408 (Riley 114, !!'utter 108, W11cldy 68, Middleton :ls, Body, E., 28). Body, 1''., and Barton got 0 each in Wilson's first and second overs respectively; 2 wickeU> were down for 2 runs, but 3 down for 185.

Newingtou t'ollege- lst Innings. Campbell, c J>ight, b Body, F. 3 Phillips, c Body, E., b Body, F. 0 Moore, b 1'licldleton 17 Brown, b Middleton . •. . 30 Best, c Dight, b Mi<ldleton .. . 4 Calder, b Middleton ... ... l Tat11fu1 c Verge, b Body, F. . 3 Cowlishaw, c & b :\liddleton ... 2 Young, c Body, K, b Middleton 7 Davies, c Barton, b Body, F. 2 \\'ilson, not out 0

Sundries 1

Totul ... 'iO

Against Lefroy C.C. Newiugton won by 9 wickets and 33 runs. Lefroy went in first and got 124. At five o'clock Campbell and Phillips went in with but three.quarters of an hour to get 124 runs. But runs came at a great pace, and at a quarter to six N.C. had but one down for 157 (Campbell 92, not out, Phillips 50).

TnE NEWING1'0NIAN.

Yaralla C.C., however, defeated us by 92 runs.

Against Marloo C.C. we playecl a draw. N.C. 189 (Best 40, Dansey 38). Marloo 0 for 29.

Against Syd. Gregory's team we got 181, whilst our opponents got 5 for 90.

We played a close draw with the University III, who got 102, whilst we got 9 for 95.

A scratch team played the final match of the season against the Nondescripts, and won after an exciting game by 3 runs.

FORM ORICKET MATCIIES.

Perhaps the most amusing, certainly the most interesting, match of the Form matches this Term was that between Commercial :\fodern and Sixth Form. Both teams being composed largely of boys who had seldom handled a bat, some interesting play was expected, and indeed was shown. C. M. winning the toss sent in Golledge n.ncl Reid to bat, and a sensational start was made by the former getting bowled for a blob, and Reid hitting a fiver. Through the agency of Reid, Sherlock, Fuller and McYica1·, the score was raised to 24. The "Novices,., between cries of " Keep a straight bat," and "Give it a Denny-Hayeser," lost their heads completely, poked and got bowled. With the reboubtable .Moderns all out for 31, the Classics were proportionately jubilant. The supporters of the former team tried to preserve a solemn silence as Collis and Bate carried the score to 17 with­out the loss of a wicket, but were prevented from doing so by Sherlock's escapades behind the wicket. But a. change came; after Collis and Bate had been brilliantly run out by Coates, and McVicar, who had just gone on, had bowled Peterson, \Voolnough and Larcombe, the fielding team woke up and stuck to their work like Britons. Things were getting ex~it­ing, and party feeling ran high among the onlookers, much good-humoured badinage being indulged in. With 4 runs to win, the last man, Crowley, went in, and determinedly planting his bat in the block-hole, kept it there while Smith, the other batsman, added two more runs. The interest was intense, as now only 2 ruus were needed to win and neither bowler seem­ingly was able to hit the wicket, but Mc Vicar a.gain came to the rescue, as 'midst a mighty shout, in which Masters and boys joined, he knocked back Crowley's stumps, thus winning the game by a run for C.M., and proving once more that "A game is never won till it's lost. "

In tbe First Round of the Form Matches, M.M. were victorious over I., V. over Matric., VI. over II., L.M. over III. by 9 runs, U.M. over II2, by 2 wickets and 100 runs. In the Second Round, V. defeated L.M. by 6 wickets and 44 runs, and C. M. defeated VI. by l run. The Finals have still to be decided.

Newington College II. played Scots College at Newington, the former scored 119, and the latter 83. Wade made 44 not out, S. Best 19, and Pountney 16; for Scots, Strahorn got 24. Cha.nnon secured six wickets for Newington at a cost of 25 runs.

304 THE N~:WING'l'ONlAN.

The next win for Newington II. was against The Australian College. Newington scored 113, and The Australian College 79. For Newington S. Best contributed 34 and Young 22. McKenzie made a good stands for his side and made 42. Channon was again successful with his bowling, securing five wickets for 34 runs.

Newington next met C.E.G.S. at Newington, and had a decisive win, the former scoring 216 and the latter 44. Bowman scored 58 ancl. retired, thus winning a bat for his work; \Vade followett suit and made 51. Young played a good innings for 34. Brown secured four wickets for 14. Bowman made a i;rancl catch in this match ; he even surprised himself.

The next match played was against Sydney Grammar School II, New­ington getting defeated by 155 runs. Grammar School scored 189 runs and Newington 34. The highest score was made by Reid who got 8 not out. The chief score for Grammar was made by Johnston, who got 102.

Agains~ The King's School II., the team would have done better, had they had Pouutney, Best and Young. T.K.8. 123 (Irvine :lS, Meek 21). N.C. 93 (Bowman 16, Ula 16, N. Brown 12). The team played the Petersham Public School <Lnd won by 60 runs. P.l'.S. 30. N.C. 90 (Harris 26, Young 17, Bowman 13). On December lst the Ashfield Half Holiday C.C. got 54 in the lst innings, and 18 in the 2nd innings. N.C. 148 (Harris 50 not out, N. Brown 22, Reid 17, Youn~ 12). Chaunon has obtained 40 wicket~ for 284 runs, Pountney 14 wi<;kets for 134 rnns, Brown 18 for 134, Bowman 9 for l04, Kelynack J for 17, Reid 2 for 12. It will be seen tlu:.t of the ordinary bowlers, i.e., Channon, Pountney, Brown and Bowman, Ch•urnon just beats Brown for first place. -

OCCASIONAL NOTE;-,.

At the commcncctnent of the tc.rn1, Ar.r,~Ol'l' was ma1lc a prefect. The fo!lc,wing h<we l1cen Forni Capmirn :-VJ., L.\HC'O\tm:; .\latric .. Moo1u:; V., KELY1'.\<'K; .J . .\J., \\'. \Vu.-;o"; III., C. \\'rnB; C.M., Dr"sT.\"; L . .\I.. RA WSTllOR1'B ; II., L.\ WRY; 112., l'HATl'; I.. F11'.\U.

At the encl of the last term an olcl link conuecting the Ncwington of the present with the Newington of the past disappeare1l when Mr~s NoR)ll1'0TON relinquished the position of housekeeper in which she has been so well known to multitudes of boarders. The mention of this in­cident will recall many interesting scenes to the minds of 0. N's. in whose memories Miss NoR)llNGT01' will ever occupy an honour1•d place. ----

NOTICE TO f'ORREl'PONJHJN'J'8.

The Ellitor begs to acknowledge the receipt of the following magazines: The 8yrlneirw, 'l'lu King'R Srlwol Maga::.ine , 'l'/11: Rath111wlian, P1·i11re Alf1'P.<l Oolirrr Chronicle, 81"/iool Jo,. the Son., of Ni.,.,ionoric., Maya:int, The (i,·orian, Cranleiyh Srhool ,lfayn:i111:, Jl'e.,/fy Colfry1: Olu-onfrlr. Coon·­wull Ara1leni,11 Jlagn:ine, Jhlbmnian, Way <'ollt-!/' Hoo1111·1·a11y, St. 1'1·/n·\ Oolle!f" ,lfaua:ine, Sundial ( J }, 1'.U.S., A 1uom A 11-<trnlix, 'l'orrhbu.U"er.

W. A. l'KPPf.ROAY & t0. 1 PRl~TF.lt!i, 119:\ l'fM' ST., S\. O:'\lY