ANGLO-COLONIAL SUMMARY.

Auckland Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 173, 25 July 1887, Page 7

ANGLO-COLONIAL SUMMARY.

(FBOJI OW LOKDOX CORRESPONDENT.)

London, June 15.

Action Against Sir Billon Bell. Sir Francis Dillon Bell was defendant *wWdavin an action brought against *- c t reSJ L 514, the price of certain Kefs aSes Applied to the New ZealaSlGov rnment by the Lancaster W ap-gon Srony It seems the colony repudiated f he contact on the ground that the wheels 2dS» were not of the quality agreed and the Lancaster Waggon Company Eupon ndeavoured to hold Sir Francis BShSponaible for the order. The judge dec ded that the very name " AgentSeml" told its own tale, and that Sir Francis could not by any possibility be ;,Xner<onally liable. A verdict was, m SeqSe, entered for the defendant. Sir Walter Buller's Book. q» Walter Buller is hard at work on the forfceamfog edition of his "New Zealand Biito " frhe- first part of which the publishers promise in about a fortnight. It willbe a most sumptuous work, and is wLne upwards of L3.00G to produce. The Ulusfcrations are in chromo-lithography, and go perfect that even experts have failed to distinguish them from the original watercolour drawings. Several were on view at the conversazione of the Royal bociety on Wednesday last, and attracted admiring attention. The "Times," indeed pronounces them " absolutely perfect coloured plates," which is a great compliment coming from such a source. ~_.,„ The edition of "New Zealand Birds" will consist of 1,000 copies-half of which are already subscribed for by metropolitan -«d vincial institutions.

and provincial institutions. • Sir Walter and Lady Buller have taken up their abode for the season at 52, Stanhope Gardens, South Kensington, a sort of residential club, where Lord Augustus Loftus and his wife, Captain and Mrs Loftus, and sundry other people wellmown in Australia are also staying. Lord jnmistuß and his son are waiting like Mr Micawber for " something to turn up " His lordship thinks there are unlikelier things than that he may be appointed to another antipodean Vice-royalty—New Zealand possibly! Meanwhile he enjoys nothing so well as gossiping about your colony with Sir Walter Buller, who in return extracts ma,ny a good story re his old_ ambassadorial experiences from the ex-Plenipotentiary at Berlin and St. Petersburg. Sir William Fitzherbert—New Observatory in New Zealand. Though the business of the Imperial Conference lias for some time been at an end, Sir' William Fitzherbert and a few other delegates BtUl remain, and continue to talje their seats at civic banquets and other public entertainments. Sir William Fitk•Herbert appears to have made an excellent .Impression everywhere, and, with Sir Robert; Stout unavailable, I am now inclined to rh.ink New Zealand could hardly have been setter represented. A Colonial Office clerk, •vho attended most of the meetings of the Conference, tells me that both Sir William and Sir F. D. Bell took a prominent part in all the principal discussions, and that no speakers could possibly have been more attentively listened fco. I also hear from another source that Sir William has shown himself most anxious to avoid the reproach so often (and it is fco be feared 30 justifiably) levelled at your Agent-General of neglecting social duties, | and that Co this end he has attended every i civis entertainment to which ho has been in | vited, and made speechas at most of them. ■ Lass week Sir William was jusl n< »- ■. point of starting off for Wales on «-"*ide3erred rest and holiday,-when h? . * - detained by a telegram from tho Ast*v\iiomerKoyal (I think it was), who wish *irt to discuss with him certain details ?v the establishment of a new observatory In a certain prtof Npw Zealand—near Muunt Cook, I imagins. Of coarse; 'ueait. cuiuaiagpaed. to postpone Lis. desfla.ri*vv latest ire* vino tutorial Institute' The latest 'amoiiranenb the Imperial Institute'it.. j tfie effect that a union will probably &c ettected between it and the old Colonial .institute, under the name and title oft'iie Imperial and Colonial Institute. •"several of the clerks and senior officials at the " Colindies " and other S. Kensington shows were temporarily taken Jft again by Sit F. Abel when the offices of the Imperial Institute were opened. These gentry naturally looked upon their easy, £omfortable billets as permanent. They «ays now, however, been notified that pnder no circumstances whatever will any p"-ons employed under previous regime at Sou • Kensington be permanently employed.^, the Institute. The Prince of WaUsis;. lermined that everything shall be fair and ,'quare and above board in connection with the Institute appointments. Some will be open to public competition, whilst others will be offered to distinguished colonists and.other suitable persona resident in London. Bradford is the only provincial town in England which has responded with any enthusiasm to the Prince of Wales's invitation to subscribe to the funds of the Imperial Institute. This loyal Yorkshire city sends L 5,000. Rre on Board the "Orari." , About 3 a.in. one morning last week an V np> fire was discovered on board the f-i'.h. Company's well-known liner Orari, ust arrived from New Zealand, and then jyng a the S. W. India Docks. The flames S°S °Utl n the stel>e-room, and soon spread ■w the cabin. Fortunately, there Avas a Plentiful supply of water available, and the ■remen and dock policemen working very were enabled to prevent mis™et extending to other parts of the vessel, tfiysraatt d°DeiS consei 3 ucnfclyccaiparaSensational Passages. sensational passages are the order of the SKw?' Wifchin a'BinK»e week we •Z £! ye Cu"ard steamer Umbria cross£^f \ ?OTk from Liverpool (not SS VV ln 6 dayg 3 hours, and the 1?E ? -lng the triP {rom Adelaide to £rl m32 d*y8 ' or bar stoppages 30 *hn «°wu\ As fclie great MacM-mott JJ^, What next, dear boys? What

Sir Jn nils Yon Haast S*id nM nd Yon Haast BaUcd f°r SS?bLI 6 T° rI(J the Kaikoura,and inprfnfc ho T T- by fche time ttese lines are : .Mat WtoAin • n George, a promising ■■SJSS2d2 m S e'many to study paint"ls w WBdetj, and elsewhere. The seveve

illness which laid Sir Julius up for so long at Bonn prevented his making the tour of the continental museums he projected.

Personal Items

Mr Gisborne, who is suspected to be the author of the able articles on the colonial subjects which appear from time to time in the " St. James's Gazette," haa recently completed a pamphlet on "Imperial Federation," which has been very well reviewed. Colonel Hornby, who has succeeded to the command of the 2nd East Surrey Regiment, is well known in New Zealand—or should be well known there—for he.wonb through the greater part of the war there. The death is announced of Mr Richard Young, an actor well known throughout the antipodes. In conjunction with Fred Young.he for sometime managed the unlucky old Prfricesses' Theatre, Melbourne. The rapidly-growing Anglo-colonial contingent in the House of Commons will receive a valuable and powerful addition should Admiral Tryon (the late Commodore of the Australian Station), who only arrived in England the'other day, prove successful in contesting the borough of Spalding. He is standing in the Conservative interest, and as the Liberal opposition is weak, will very probably be returned. Mr Heaton had a regular fiAld-night in the House of Commons on the occasion of the Post-office (supply) vote coming on Wr consideration. All the grand old grievances we have learnt to know so well through ctye member for Canterbury's letters to the papers were raked over, without,1 however, leading to any practical result. Henniker himself got a severe snubbing from Mr Shaw Lefevre for ungenerously attacking one of the Post-office officials.

Hampshire is en fete this week, celebrating the majority of Sir Henry Tichborne, the youngster whose goodly inheritance was 16 years ago so seriously threatened by " Sir Roger," alias Orton, alias Castro. A feature of the Jubilee Naval Review will be a special steamer chartered by tlie St. George's Club for the use of colonists in England and their friends, and sporting a fla« bearing the legend "Advance Australia."