Show LETTER LEMR FROM NEW ZEALAND T the first brit european settlement found silo now zealand was wellington which Is now the seat of government AM od the capital of the colony the attia located on the harbor of port settled in 1840 by i n and was wae company pany of colonists from australia I 1 ate now one of the most moat important tapping dg points in the south seas boas and population of about twenty five ve thousand people vessels reach it afta cooka comics strait named after the vt navigator which sepa separates rateB the horth h island from the middle or anth laland island A narrow passage af ma a safe eafe waterway into the be of port nicholson Nio holson which is one of the mot commodious in new zealand and affords secure anchorage vessels from all parts of the world way may be seen at anchor with the rag flag of various nations floating from the mastheads mast heads beado the city was formerly located on a narrow strip of land at the foot of the hilb but during the past few feare a vast area of land has been reclaimed by filling ailing in the harbor and large busi now W blocks have been erected where lot formerly merly vessels were anchored amongst these the most imposing structures are the harbor board building and the general post office the last named to is a credit to the colony containing postal telegraph mone money order and savings ravings banks depart mento mente all of which are controlled by the colonial government the most moat notable structure in the city is the government building which is said aid to be the largest building in the world the ministerial rial and nd colonial offices are located in ita it and it is a complete working hive of civil services parliament is ie held here and when in ceplon ses eion the city is ia crowded with visitors the suburban residences are to be lound on the hillsides hill sides behind the central part of the city where a series of terraces are dotted with gardens and villas from the harbor these theme dwell ing houses appear as though they were piled upon each other waiting for an earthquake shock to roll them into the streets below the business streets are lined with mercantile houses and shops where goods are displayed display td for sale in true E B glish fashion saturday is market days day and the visitors soon eoon observe that all the customs and business methods are engl engish sh you knowe know many of the residents are from the old country and they are extremely lay salaa l alas was recently observed on OB the arrival of the new governor Gj Gi vernor of the colony lord glasgow this august representative of queen victoria was received in royal style at wellington on the ath june having been appointed to guard the interests OT 61 the crow i in this colony at a salary of A special steamer had bad bocen fitted up and splendidly furnished to escort his bis lordship from Australia Australla and great preparations pa rations were made prior to his arrival wellington put on its holiday attire all bu busi sineas nees was suspended and the streets festooned festoon ed and decorated with flags the steamers io in the harbor also aleo hoisted their flage fl age and bunting was displayed from stem to stern all the bands were out filling the air with strains of music and one of the finest was a maori braw brass band and the natives proved conclusively that they possessed musical ability of no BO mean order the militia soldiers and ami marines were in uniform and the municipal and naval officers occupied a space reserved for the reception ceremonies on the Q beens wharf the uniforms of the naval officers were almost covered with gold lace and it was quite inter interesting tating to 0 o watch them strutting around and commanding the common herd to be crowded back the onlookers crowded the decks of vessels and the wharves and hip lordship approached pro ached from the vessel amid the cheering of the multitude and the booming of cannon lord glasgow accompanied by the countess and family was conducted to a platform and listened patiently to elaborate addresses of welcome presented by the municipal authorities friendly societies ministers of various religious bodies and temperance societies prearranged pre arranged acknowledgments were handed to the governor by his private secretary which he read to the various delegat delegations ione ministerial dinners assembly balls government house receptions are now the order of the day and all entertainments and operas are announced under the patronage of his excellency lord glasgowe glasgow the colonials are passionately fond of sports the mot most favorite being regattas boating cricket foot ball and hunting they have a novel way of fox hunting without A horseman goes out trailing a sheepskin for the ment alongside of the railroad track shortly afterwards the hounds bounds are started and the hunters follow the ladies with the gentlemen in leaping fences and following the trail to discover where the improvised fox IJ is hidden A special train is run to accommodate all who wish to watch the sports sport and it to is usually well filled national holidays are of frequent occurrence and the people evidently agree with panch that holidays are the grandest invention of modern science J complying with the request of president stewart the elders of the mana aatu district recently visited the valley in order to attend the district conference A government railroad has hag been constructed ted from wellington andl it passes around the harbor at the foot of the cliffo and through the beautiful suburban towns of lower hutt ec at last we commence to ascend amend the Rimu range of mountains and the road winding along dug ways and through tunnels forcibly reminds the write marshalls marchalls Mar pass on the B R Q G W the steep grade necessitates a centre rail rising about eighteen inches above the level of the other two rails and the wheels of the engine are constructed so that they grip the centre rail thus affording an effective brake the scenery on the is in marked with picturesque beauty and rugged grandeur the train moves slowly up deep side cuttings and dug turning and winding around numberless curves the massive for sat est clad range towering above and a stream rippling far below in the bottom of the gully we descend into the Waira rapa valley through scenery almost equal to that of our own dear mountain home the valley is quite extensive and Is very similar to utah county with its clear fresh water lake between the mountains Waira Wair rapa araps lake to is very shallow and affords good facilities for hunting bunting as wild ducks and black swans abound in that vicinity at greyton president stewart and elders 0 C dunford J JQ G kelson W douglas P P thomas B goddard and W gibson met and traveled together to Kohun ul ut a distance of thirty miles in buggies furnished by our maori brethren we re the usual he hearty greeting gaud and were well provided for conference was held two days and reports of branches branched were given by the presidents the meetings were well attended and instructions were given by the elders on the sabbath three candidates offered themselves for folt baptism the mahrle maoris sustained their reputation for hospitality and the elders were excellently cared for after spending pending nearly a week with the Waira rapa saints the elders continued their journey on horseback ever the mountains A ride of fifty seven miles enabled them to reach late in the evening tired and jaded the saints of porirua branch are exceedingly cee hospitable and have always had the reputation of being earnest faithful workers the settlement bett lement is is about fourteen miles from wellington and is in located on the harbor which abounds with bell fish some trouble existed in the branch through the gambling and horse racing proclivities of the members but this has all been adjusted and a good spirit now prevails the saints are diligent in performing their duties and many are ear earnest neat ly praying g for the time when they can gather to zion Z ion A neat little meeting house has been built and furnished in modern style where sabbath meetings and daily kadakia Ka rakia or prayers are held it is customary with our maori members to assemble at the meeting house morning and evening for prayers in this branch we ke are roused by the bell ring ing at half past six in the morning w aid d as this is in winter season it to Is scarcely daylight at that hour half an hour is allowed for dressing and washing and at seven the second bell rings the saints may then be seen wending their way to the meeting house mothers carrying their babies on their backs in true maori the services usually last about half an hour A hymn is sung and a chapter read from the bible or book of mormon ater after which the members chant or recite what they term the bongo pail pai or gospel thle consists of passages of scripture on the various principles of the gospel and most of the members have memorized all the scriptural references to the first principles of the gospel the scattering and gathering of israel restoration of the gospel tithing etc all ail present take partin part in the exercises from the ageland aged and feeble to the children ohi idren who can only lisp the words some of the little ones yet unable to read will repeat correctly many of the scriptural passages after prayer the members disperse to attend to their thair dally daily duties but at five we are summoned together again by the ringing of the bell this routine is continued summer and winter and the inclement weather does not affect the attendance the sabbath services are always in tore ung ting but were especially so during the visit of the elders above named in the sabbath school most of the classes maori and a large class clan is studying the bok of mormon there is in also what is termed a class clan the term lakeba Pa keba 11 distinguishes all foreigners from the natives and in this case came refers to the books in use which are in the english language the members are at present studying president woodruffs leaves from my journal 11 enjoyable meetings were held while president stewert and the visiting elders were present after a few days rest the company continued their journey northward to attend aatu conference A heavy rain was falling as am the elders rode forth on horseback which continued till nearly noon DOOD we traveled around harbor and through abd tbd tb valley till we reached hill nearly two thousand feet above the level of the sea from the summit of which we ob tamed a fine view of the ocean and the west boist co and also the hills on the south Island Islands across cross cooka cook strait on descending to the beach we put spurs spun to our horses hone and galloped along till evening when we reached Rati litko where a family of saints reside comfortable beds were provided for us and we were made welcome to a supper nipper of hot water and bread next morning we continued our journey along the coast passing a number of wrecked vessels which had bad been tossed on the beach during heavy gales one of these was a large ironclad bailing 9 vessel having a tonnage of over 2000 pounds and originally cost coet it to Is in good condition and a company are now BOW at work trying to float it again in the afternoon of the second day we reached where an aged maori sister resides we were affectionately greeted and the poor widow did what she could to make us ue comfortable A good fite file was built in the middle of the or house bouse and while we warmed by the fire we lay on the ground under the smoke our good sister bister spread our supper aupper on the floor consisting of potatoes and salt alt seasoned with love an esteem the following day we reached awa puni where conference was to be hold held and great preparations preparation had been made by the saints who were waiting to greet and welcome us all comers were made mad happy and comfortable and the maori sisters had evidently been busy cooking several days judging from the abundance of pud puddings dinge sponge cakes etc our dining table was loaded with mestas meats vegetable jollies jellies jam and cakes all prepared by the native sisters of the branch who are excellent cooks and it would be difficult to ao excel them As an we had been traveling in therald the rain all day we appreciated our comfortable quarters and the warm fire are and when called to supper we proved our appreciation by doing justice to the luxuries spread before us on saturday july 2nd and 1892 the conference was waa called to order by elder P P thomas and opened with the usual ceremonies reports of the presidents of branches 8 showed a satisfactory condition and that the work was progressing elders douglas and dunford addressed the congregation and exhorted the members to diligence A priesthood meeting was held in the evening when president W F stewart gave instructions on the duties and responsibilities of the priesthood he on the evils of gambling and horse racing after which quoit questions ions on OB various subjects were asked AD and d adf answered J on sunday morning the attendance was as largely increased and in the forenoon elder JG kelson and president stewart addressed the people on the principles and restoration of the gospel in the afternoon a large number of european visitors was present and the services were conducted in both languages maori hymns with english choruses were sung after which elder B goddard addressed the europeans explaining the first principles of the gospel and testifying beati tying to the mission minion of joseph smith the prophet elder dumford addressed the maoris laoris on the same subject our evening meeting was characterized with great enthusiasm as it was a testimony meeting and four maoria solicited baptism which was attended to the foll following day all the saints bainte desired to bear their testimony and our meeting continued until 2 in the morning on the fourth of july we did not mot forget to show our patriotism to the land cland of liberty ap and it proved to be a memorable day in the brethren decided to celebrate inde pen dence day and appointed a committee to draft a gramme pro material was obtained and a sewing lowing machine was soon boon at work and soon eoon we had the stars stare and stripes I floating to the tee breeze to the great furrate of passer panels by and to the great delight of the mao ries our pro gramme was wag quite elaborate the marshal of the day P p thomas conducted the cere ceremonies moul which were opened with music by the tb harmonica ban I 1 patriotic selections were rendered by the Collin carambia Cor ambia bia glee club including the star spangled banner battle cry of freedom eti etc hon W T tsow stow art was waa the orator of the day and delivered a vigorous address in the maori language and no silver tongued orator in the land of the free ree had haax more appreciative audience or wak more uproariously applauded stump speeches songs etc completed an oz ex cellena entertainment and all the par DW were gratified with the novo but loyal celebration true patriotism was evidenced to lusty cheering aa the star spilling spanga banner was waa floated to the breeze and an we are a all as an proud of the dear flag as were the noble pioneers wf unfurled it in vales in 47 I 1 palmerston PALM EBSTON north N Z july 11 1892 |