ARRIVAL OF THE R.M.S.S. MARIPOSA WITH THE ENGLISH MAIL

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 100, 28 April 1888, Page 8 (Supplement)

ARRIVAL OF THE R.M.S.S. MARIPOSA WITH THE ENGLISH MAIL

JJJ6LO-COLOHIAL NOTES-

(FROM OUB LOOTON COBBKOTOSPKST.)

PtfIMDES OF COMMERCE -I™ CIK-c"SJ-COU,APB S OF IMP. PWTPIIARD Lady Broom^ (Lady B*kkkk s Rm Asao - colonial Theatrical GossipFrozkn* Meat, Etc.

London, March 19

THE story of the Oxford student who when asked during a viva voce examination on the Bible to define the difference between the major and minor prophets, replied that "it was his invariable rale never to make mv dkms distinctions ;" reminds me somewhat ot our friend, our mutual fnend, iUrs Gordon Baillie. Asked when unscrupulous people were pulling her character to pieces in the "Star"' and "Pall Mall" to refute their calumnies, the lady said she had been, taught ran child it was rude to interrupt. When Mr Stead and Mr O'Connor had unfolded to the full their budgets oi gossip she would reply to them, significantly. This was a puzzling and effective retort, but it had not the effect intended Neither " Star " nor (i Pall Mali were in the least scared. Stones of unexampled trickery and swindling carried through with really wonderful daring kept pouring in upon them, the heroine on every occasion being the lady now known as Mrs Gordon Baillie There is scarcely, a first-class watering-place in Great Britain where house-agents, servants, livery-stable keepers ".and tradesmen, are not thirstin<v for the adventuress' money, or it not her money her gore. She never seems to have made the mistake o; beginning on a small scale. Governess, servants, housekeeper, and sometimes a coachman accompanied her whenever she descended on a new locale, moreover there was generally an exhibition of a certain amount of readymoney and this inspired confidence. Within six months, however (sometimes less and once or twice a little move), Mrs Baillie reached the end of her credit and vanished with her famil v, leaving house, servants, governess V-nd tradesmen to take care of themsei v«sAbroai * «iie was less fortunate than at home. ' iVo little affairs of the above kind in Florence .and Rome'resulted in Miss Suthef "ldnd (As she was then) being sent to S tl°l £or nme monfclisItalians are sensitive to beauty in distress, and be/ieved ilie fair Miss S. erred because (as ste pathetically assured them) she couldn't help it; or the months would' have been made

years. ' . , Everybody is wondering what it J was cut short Mrs Gordon Eaillie's • enterprise in New Zealand. ■ She left ' England, it is known, intending to 1 make a prolonged stay i'u New Zealand, and keep her "pot boiling" j with the aid of charitable perrons ' interested in the Crofter scheme. I '< know this because a friend-, ox rather an acquaintance, of mine recently met Mrs Baillie'spresenthusband (Mr Frost) ; in the Temple and he admitted as much. Something must have gone < wrong with Mrs B. in Dunedin. You i will probably hear what it was now. The colonies owe Mr Goschen a ] debt of gratitude. He had not them . in his mind when he propounded his • notable conversion scheme, but there can be little doubt than. one result ot it will be the advance of all colonial stock. The Home authorities confess themselves rather aghast at New South Wales' dangerous experiment with M. Pasteur's microbes, but do not see their way to intefere with the colony's • action. Mr liaikes, in reply to a question from his perennial persecutor the inevitable Henniker Heaton, explained the possibility of having a uniform postage stamp for the British Empire had been carefully considered and1 gone into by Mr. Fawcett,. who finally came to the conclusion that it would not be practicable. ! . The injury to poor Bates's .eyes, which prevented his playing in Australia, will, it is feared, .prove per-; manent. The report of the 'Christchurch Chamber of Commerce on the financial position and material progress of the Colony, was a capital idea, and ' cannot fail, especially if backed -over here, as it should be, by the ' Agent-General, to have a most satisfactory effect. It is a simple, lucid, and convincing document; just what.was wanted, in fact, to set the Colony right with certain sections of city folk, and to confound'tlie:Manitoban agents who talk as if there were no grass or fern land in New -Zealand "available for settlement. The '.'Daily News' has already reviewed the report, giving its' substance, -and 'doubtless other papers mil follow.suit. It would be an excellent plan to send it to' the editors of county papers in all agricultural districts (especially where depression exists), with a request to the effect that they would notice. it. I hope, too, "the Emigration Bureau, will -circulate the report. It is worth cart- , loads of lectures at-Exeter -.Hall, or papers at the Colonial Institute. The collapse of the famous Disraeli : mine has been a terrible blow to believers in Mr, W. Pritchard Morgan,

whose luck seems suddenly to have turned the comer, and its back. We no longer hear a word about gold in Wales. The papers are silent, and Morgan no longer swells with satisfaction over his great discovery. Not that the indomitable little man will let a few reverses daunt his matchless enterSullivan's fiasco with Mitchell has put an end for the time being to his Australian scheme. Jem Mace, however, is most anxious his protege, Jem Smith, should go for fi tour while the Melbourne Exhibition is on. During her stay in London, Lady Broome (who will be better known to | you by her former name of Lady 'Barker, author of "Station Life in New Zealand,"' &o.), has been busy I completing, or rather revising, the late I Lady Bmssey's diaries of her colonial tour' for publication. When her end was approaching, Lady Brasscy expressed a hope that her old friend would undertake the task, and Lady Brooiue very gladly did so. It is now at end, though the book will not, I understand, be published (ill the autumn. Lady Broonie leaves to rejoin her husband forthwith. Mr James McGhie, one of the survivors of the " Deny Castle " which was wrecked on the Auckland Isles in March last, arrived home by the Onmbu. As the colonial papers have been full of his -I yon Mires 1 will only say that he has <«"•) interviewed by Mr'Clark Ruwivll, who will doubtloss turn him into " copy " presently. The Ouzalw Ims m ready well nigh justified Mr Anderson's boast tliat one of theiv liuf.rs -vould, within the year, make the run from Adelaide to Plymouth in a month. The Ouzaba's passage was o2 days '•'> hours, the fastest on record. H.M. gunboat Stork lias sailed for the Australian station to replace the Lark. ■ Mr H. Thomson and Mr Kockkock are through passengers for Auckland, and Miss Colvill and Mr Fulton for Danedin, per Oroya, which sailed last Thursday. Mr and Mrs Gaynor and Mr God her are through passengers for Auckland by the P. and O. Britannia ; also Mr JV 0. Ellis for Bluff, and Mr Patcrson forDunodin. Mr Fronde's " Bow of Ulysses " has given even greater offence in the West Indies than his "Oceana" did in your part of the world. .Native and European papers alike complain of not merely of glaring inaccuracy, but of deliberate perversion. All Australia' will be relieved to learn that the arrangements which poor old Lord " Gussy " Loffcus has made with his creditor.? was on Saturday lust approved by Mr Registrar ■Hazlptt, and that the bankruptcy proceedings have been annulled. His ancestors, etc., are in consequence no longer turning in their graves, and the grand old name of Loftus remains unsmurched.

The snowstorms of this last week have diminished the Scotch supplies of mutton, and frozen meat is consequently firmer. Scotch, is 4d to -Is Scl ; English, -is to 7s 'id ; German, os Gd to 3s lOd ; New Zealand, 2s 8d to 3s ; River Plate, 2s to 2s 3d; Sydney, 2s Gd to 2s Bd.

At the Institute of Civil Engineers' banquet last Saturday evening Admiral Sir Arthur1 Hood, describing the steps the Admiralty were taking tosbreugthen tho navy, incidentally said that five very powerful cruisers and two specially speedy torpedo boats wero being built for service in the Australian waters, and would be maintained jointly by the colonies and the old country.

From a paragraph in last Sunday's "Referee," I gather that the Rugby Union has decided that the ex-members of the football team, now in Australia, are professionals, or rather have by virtue of their arrangements with the promoter of the tour become so. Amateurs, it seems, must give their tome and services freely, accepting neither maintenance, nor free travelling, nor recompense for loss of time ■vhich is voluntarily suffered.

We went to see Mr Fergus Hume's "Hansom Cab" at the Princess play the ot'ier night. It has undoubtedly "aught on," for the house was crowded and seemed on the whole well pleased. Much more care might, however, have been taken in the Mounting. The back cloth of the first scene which represents St. Kilda in the distance, is recognisable, but the Collins-street scene is a libel on one of the finest ■thoroughfares in Christendom.

Signer Tessero has arrived home, his mission being to arrange for the visit of M. Coquelin and a French company to the Coknies.

Mr G. F. Watts' splendid portrait of ■Lord Tennynoa has been purchased for the Melboune National Gallery.

Mr Willian. Senior (Redspinner) of ,the 'Daily Keys' and the ' Field ' has a neAv volume of: colonial experiences in rthe press called ' Near and Far.' Messrs . Sampstn Low are also publishing the ' Antipodean Notes' collec*tecl by the well-knCvvn sporting writer 'Wanderer' • ("Mr ijd. H. D'Airgdor) .during a nine months' tour of Australia and New Zealand, an^ a new work entitled, ' Lights and .Shadows of Melbourne,' by.Mr.Jno. Fryman.

The current ..number of " Illustrations " contains ,an article on " Australian Poets," with por.trtits of Adam Lindsey Gordon, etc.

B. S. Smythes' new stari the massive, pious, eloquent, and adorable Lydia Yon Fmkelstein, tails for Australia by the Onzaba .on the 29th instant. As a lecturer,-at once serious and sensational, she'has few equals and no superior. "The' Star of the Sabbath Schools 'is her cognomen, and her ti tie -.to honour.

Miss Genevieve Ward and the .inevitable " "F.orgotrme-npt " ■ are badk ia London. Miss Ward will occupy'tlw Lyceum during the week -intervening between tho close M Miss Anderson's

season and the commencement of

Turngs. j Enjin! Miss Anderson is engaged to a young man who is "something in the city." He goes about with her everywhere, and the engagement has i not been denied, as usual. Lord Headley, who was declared bankrupt last week, has resolved to emigrate either to New York or Queensland. Mr F. H. C'owen has, it is thought in Anglo-Colonial circles, acted unwisely and ungenerously in asking an additional £250 (over and above the £5000 he gets as musical conductor) for an inaugural cantata for the Melbourne exhibition, and the authorities have done right in refusing it. Apart, however, from every other consideration, the music on this occasionshouldbe written by an Australian. The "White-Eyed Kaffir," Mr O. H. Chigurn, is about to visit Australia and New Zealand. The largest sum ever given lor the Australasian rights of a play, have been paid by Mr Bland Holt to Mr Wilson Barrett, for "The Golden Ladder." It is a good play in its way, but nothing phenomenal. Miss Lingfti'd is in London again rehearsing "Cymbeline," which slip means to play on through the provinces this summer. Lingard is still pursuing his prosperous way with Leeoeq's " Pepita' and the evergreen "Falka."