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The Journal of Edward Ward 1850-51

Tuesday, February 4th

Tuesday, February 4th

A warm day. I felt much weakened by an attack of diarrhoea and headache, the first ailing I have had since I came to New Zealand. A dose of prepared chalk and brandy cured the attack, but not the weakness. Godley informed me in the course of the day that he had recommended me to the Governor for the Commission of the Peace—a high honour. In the evening came the long-expected ball. We arrived punctually at nine, and found ourselves the first, with leisure to contemplate the rooms. They were the plain, whitewashed barrack rooms, but looked very pretty hung with flags (procured from the ships in the harbour), evergreens and calico draperies; they formed, certainly a very good suite of ball rooms—two dancing rooms, and one cloakroom and a tea room. About sixty gentlemen and thirty ladies were of the party—about twenty couples in all were about the most that stood up together. The ladies were very well dressed, considering they were 16,000 miles off their milliners—the belles were Mrs Russell and Mrs Godley—no pretty young ladies unmarried; the Miss Townsends* (four) were the chief attractions, but they were not more than nice looking; they all danced well, especially two little ones. Dancing commenced at ten and ended at three. Refreshments were served in good style—tea page 123and coffee, lemonade and solids—ham, beef, tarts, &c., and were done ample justice to. The night was fortunately throughout calm and cool, but at the very last the wind rose in gusts, and one filled the rooms with such a cloud of street-dust as perhaps was never before seen in a ballroom. The wind rose after we got home and filled our house with the same disagreeable nuisance, besides threatening the walls and roof.

* Among the colonists who emigrated to Canterbury, James Townsend had the largest family. He arrived on the Cressy with six daughters, whose ages ranged from 13 to 25.