The Eve of tbe New Year 1890 was hertlued with heavy thunder squalls from the south-west which did their utmost to I dt-'mptheardorofthosewhoyentu'edabroud to litep up the time-honocod custom of I «oin» to see the firewbrkß. Revell Street begin to filr 'apidly after eight o'clock anJ by ni^e things began to look as they did in the days oi yore. The shops were brilliantly lighted and the general effect was greatly brightened by the Chinese laacerns which hung under many a verandah,. As usual the ci acker tiend was iampant and true of aim with hid missile. lv fact bushels or crackers were incessantly on the crack so that coon a heavy gunpowder smoke arose and the stree|t smelt like a battle field- Oc casionally the irregular outlines of the i housbs ,and the afreet with its shifting ! crowds would blnnd out boldly againßt the tarknesa in the lurid gla.e of red fires 'lit .here anil there by enterprising shopkeepera. As the hours drew on tho component parts of the Fire Brigade pro cession assembled at the Nd 2 Fire (Station in North Eevell Street. There tome little delay occurred in starting owing to certain rowdy prreeedings on j the part of some equine members of j the show, who gammoned they had never seen the pole of a carriage before and sat down upon it and broke it. At length nil was ready. The Volunteer Band struct up. IV] r J; Cameron niiook up his horses and amid a blaze of red aud green fire, the f iul hissing ofrocketa and loud' explosions nbove, below and all around, tho procession paeaed along Kevell s'reet, dowa Uie Quay, round by -Weld street and so to the tower, H<-i'e a halt ensued and in tfie twinkling of au eye the , tower and slatyon, hitherto a dsrlf aud silent mßs'v.Jt)ec»me> alive with, human . forms. 'ATie, fire-be^l clanged out its.wjld peal'; the wiudowa of, the building belched goldon rain, Roman cantfles, whilo f >-oir the ' parapet ihe ,rev (ires, threw the < strong glare far into the night ; above on

TPeb United Press Association.]

RACING.
