ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 76, 8 April 1885, Page 4

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

(Prom Our London Correspondent.)

London,, February- 26. Theatrical Novelties for the Colonies. Walking down tho Strand yesterday, whom should I run up against but Mr J. C. Williamaon, just back from a week's trip to Paris, where he had, of courso, been prowling about the theatres in search of novelties. He was full of the new spectacular ballot "Messalina," at the Eden Theatre, which he declares surpasses anything he ever saw. It is possible he may purchase the colonial rights of "Theodora," and of Lecocq's last opera bouffe, "La Vie Mondaine," but nothing is absolutely certain yet. Whilst in England this time, Williamson has cleared the board of evory theatrical possibility for tho next five years. Ho has bought the option of securing the colonial rights of tho next throe pieces writton by Geo. R. Sims, of the next three pieces written by Victorien Snrdou, and of all operas in which Gilbort and Sullivan collaborate. " Tho Theatre of Life," Sims's new drama at the Adelphi, was secured by Ilignold and Allison somo time ago, and •' The Private Secretary" slipped through his fingers; but his firm bought "In His Power," tho Olympic success, and nro in treaty with Wyndham for " The Candidate." In the way of "stars" Williamson has first and foremost persuaded tho incomparable Holona Modjeska to sign for a tour through Australia and New Zealand. Dion Boucicault will aleo "star" tho colonies immediately under Williamson's management. In fact, he hopes to carry this old actor back with him, lioucicault is but the wrock of his formor self, and may not prove much of a draw, but Modjeska in " Heartsease " and " Adrienne Lecouvreur " should set you all raving. In some respects sho is our greatest tragic actress, Mary Anderson's Visit to tho Colonies. Williamson says that lie has great hopes that Mary Anderson may be induced to accept his terms, and Come on to Now Zealand and Australia when her American trip comes to an end at San Francisco. The great obstaclo (nnd it may prove an insuperable one) lies in the onormoua difficulty and expenso of carrying Miss Anderson's company and all tho scenery accessories of her elaborate rivals across the Pacific. She won't play anywhere without them. Sarah Hornhurdt has announced her intention of horsewhipping Mr Archibald Forbes for a gross libol which he wrote about her in tho " South Australian Advertisor." Tho paragraph (which stated that tho divine Sarah camo on the stage of the London Gaiety Theatre drunk one afternoon when playing "Fedora") was translated into Fronch by somo kindly soul and sent to Sarah in Paris, who vows to be revenged the first timo sho comes to London, A Now inscription of Now Zealand. A returned emigrant, writing to a paper called "Justice,", gives the following startling description of life in the colony. ''Justice" lays claim to being the working man's " organ," and is popularly supposed to exist morely'for tho purpose of exposing fraudß against the lower classes. The veracious returned emigrant says : —" It is erroneous to suppose that work is plontiful, bettor paid, and easior than in England, There are plenty of men seeking work, and a lot working for Bs,or even 6s adayand (in the building line) losing all wot days. You work one hour a day less, and are expected to do a day and a half's work in that time, and until you cease to bo a 'new chum,' your mates will do their beat to ' work you off the job.1 .... It is wrong to suppose that every man lives in his own house, with a lot of garden ground attached. The gardens in Auckland are about the samo size as those around London—perhaps less. Eighty per cent, of those who live in thoir own houses have a heavy mortgago on thom with 10 per cent, interest accruing to pay off. Those who ront a house pay 10s for four rooms right out in the suburbs. .. . . Tho reason that emigration is promoted is that emigration agents, shipping companies, land jobber?, and small employers are all interested. Tho latter in bringing tho pricoof labour lown, while the jobbora would find their lana a drug'in the markot if nobody came out to settle. .... It is not a glorious climate. Now Zealand having leaguesofwateronovory fiilo of it, has raoio rain than Australia. Tho fow weeks I was in Auckland wo hn:l tropical showers four days a week. When I complained, tho reply was, ' What! do you oall this wot 'l Wait till the rainy soason commonccs. It will rain every day and all day long, and you will be up to your waist in mud? .... An advantago I forgot to montion is, thoro is no workhouse, but if you are destitute, you have only to muko a statement to that olToct to the police, and thoy will give you 3ix months without consulting a mngistrato." Tho sixteenth annual issue of Gordon and Catch's " Australian Handbook and Shippers' and Importers' Gazotto" is being freely circulated in London. Tho current number of tho " Colonies and India " contains a graphic description of tho momorablo occasion when Wahanui addressed tho Houso of Representatives from tho bar upon tho Native Land Settlement Bill. Mr Gerald Graham, of Brighton, who paid such groat attention to Tawhiao last summor, has communicated to tho "Wharfodale Guardian" some interesting facts about tho colony of Now Zealand, of which ho describes himself as one of the earliest eottlore. Tho " Bolfaat News Letter " of Feb. 16th published an oxhaußtive leading article on the Now Zealand Blue Book, containing the statistics of the colony for 1883. It is needless to say that all tho comments were most favourable. Your rocont visitor, Miss Jenny Lee, will mako her first appearance in London, after her return from tho colonies, at the Royal Strand Theatre, in the ever-popular "Jo." She will bo supported by a powerful company, 80 the pioce may draw for a few weeks, though I am afraid " Jo " is almost pumpod out as far as London is concerned. Tho Rabbit Post.—A Novel Cure. Mr John Connor, Crown Forester of the North-west Territory, Canada, suggests that it might be a good plan to import into Now Zealand and other places plagued with a superabundance of rabbits eomo of the Canadian rabbits, which at certain periods are attacked by an highly infectious disease that kills them off in millions. This disease makes its appearanco r.bout once in seven years, usually just when the country is over-run with rabbits. " This winter, for instance," says Mr Connor, "no matter what trail you fo'lowyou find dead rabbits every ten yards or so, and the same thing all over the face of the in the bush or in the open." Neither th9 Indians nor Mr C. can explain the cause of this septennial visitation, but the latter is distinctly of opinion that it might be worth while to turn loose some of the diseased animals from Canada in New Zealand. A picture entitled " Mustering Sheep," by a New Zealand artist named George F. Fodor, has just been received by a firm of colonial agents in the city, who are instructed to offer it for exhibition at tho great annual show of the Royal Academy. It would, lam inclined to think, have been more politic to fly at rather lower game. Theßoyal Academy invariablyreject three pictures out of every four sent in. Mr Fodor's subject is a scene on Robert Campbell's run at Otakei, and really gives a very fair idea of station life. The sheep are capitally dono, and should gain Mr Fodor some " kudos" as an animal painter. New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency. The annual meeting of this Company was held at the offices, Queen Victoria-street, on Friday, February 6, Sir B. W. Stafford, K.C.M.G., in the chair. In t>roposing tho adoption of the report, the Chairman said that two years ago, wien he occupied the chair, he was able to congratulate the shareholders on the large amount of net profits. In the past year, however, there had been an increase of nearly £11,000 over the former poriod. An increase of profits from year to year might, he thougnt, be taken as an evidence of careful and prudent administration. A few figures would give the shareholders some idea of the maguitude of the business of the Company, tn the past six years they had had in the consignments business amounting in value to £9,880,800. Their present balance-sheet, was, he believed, the largest they had ever submitted, with one exception, that of 1881, which, from particular causes, was an exceptional year. • The wool and other produce consigned to the Company in 1883 was of the value of £1,415,860, while last year the value was £1,690,950, notwithstanding the fact that the wool market was dull for the greater part of tho year 1884, They continued to bold the position of the leading consignees of wool from New Zealand, and thoy very nearly headed the consignees of the great Australian colonies. Of the 10,000 new shares reserved for issuo in the colonies, 5,000 had been taken up in Melbourne. They had within the last two or I three days received from their general manager a telegram of a favourable character as regarded the prospects of the Company, Tbe wool businjßs, of course,

depended upon the number of sheep, and the yearly increase in the number, both in New Zealand and Australia, ensured an additional amount. According to the official returns, the increase in Australia in 1884 over 1883 had been 2,980,210 sheep, and in New Zealand 691,848. Those returns were before tho full effect of the late drought in Australia was ascertained. The most striking novelty in connection with thin business had been tho consignment of frozen meat. The number of carcases of sheep actually recorded as received in London during the laßt year was 414,074 ; since 1880, when a consignment of 400 carcases was made from Australia, the grand total received from Australia and New Zealand had been 800,491 carcases, and it was evident that this department of business afforded very large room for profit and success. Thoy had great hopeß that the freight charge for it would be diminished, an'd he believed that that was all that was required to establish its entire success. The proposition was seconded, and the report carried unanimously. Mr E. J. N. Twopenny, author of "Town Life in Australia,1' and editor of tho "Otago Daily Timos," has written two very interesting articles on colonial life, which will shortly appear in an English magazine. Sir Wm. Fox's methods of glorifying temperance in N.Z. are, to say the least of them, peculiar. Speaking in the North the othor day, ho|boastod that after eight years' hard work the reformers had abolished one public-houso in tho colony, and that " as there wero 2,200 licenses he calculated it would take G.GOO years to got rid of tho lot." The success of Shaw's cricket team in your part of the world Is being hailed with the liveliest satisfaction by the English press. The " Daily News" recently devoted a leader to tho subject, and the " Sportsman" and "Bell's Life" are continually singing p;eans of thankfulness. Little Jennie Lee ("Jo") is delighted with her experiences in Australia and New Zealand. She does not, however, by my means, advise any and every "star" to visit the colonies. To succeed there an actress must, sho thinks, have real grit in her, and possess at least two new plays that have been thoroughly well tried and proved in Europe and America. At nine out of ten colonial theatres the "star" h as to dispense with all ad ventitious aids such as fine ecenery, suitable costumes, and efficient support. This, of course, is especially so in Shakespeare's, Bulwer Lytton's, and other greut standard plays. Success consequently dopends entirely on the " star's" own efforts. Colonial audienceß, in fact, go to Bee the "star " and the "star " only. By-tho-by, a correspondent asks me to publish the names of any interesting stories 1 know in which the scene is laid in Australia of Now Zoaland. Well, it is not an easy Ihing to remember many off-hand, but hero aro ono or two :—" Policy and Passion j" "An Australian Heroine;" " Undine," "Moloch," all by Mr Campbell Praed, and all 6s each. " A Mere Chance," " Anon," " David Caldigate," and " Harry Heuthooto of Gangoil," and "The Fixed Period" by Trollope (all 2s each now), and a 2s novel by Thorpe Talbot.