OUR ANGLO-COLONIAL LETTER.

Auckland Star, Volume XX, Issue 287, 3 December 1889, Page 5

OUR ANGLO-COLONIAL LETTER.

London, October 18. THE MATTERSON SCULLING MATCH.

" How fche mighty have fallen !" says fche " Daily Telegraph." " Until within recent years Englishmen held their own in all athletic sports against the world. If we prided ourselves on one thing more than another, ifc was our superiority on river as. well as sea, in sculling and yachtI ing. But bhe days of those unrivalled j oarsmen—Chambers, Kelly and Renforth— ; stalwart, and staying athletes all of them, are gone, seemingly bo:xeturn no more, and our best of to-day aro bub third-rate when compared to bhe champions of other and younger nations. Tho one solace is that the vicbors are our own offspring—Americans, Canadians, and Australians." This is singing on a low note, but the pitch is justified by the hollow defeat of Bubear by Neil Mabterson on Monday. Bubear is certainly the best professional sculler in England, and his record is excellent. He defeated Pearce. of Hammersmith, and the two Australians, Kemp and Neilsoti, twice. i This is good enough. He is a man about ' 30, standing sft 3,\in, and he weighs list ! 101b, being of an admirable build. He has j been braining for bhe past month, and his friends thought him in the pink of condition, with plenty left iii him to win. Matterson Jis four years youngor than his opponent, j and four inches taller, being sparely built but muscular, a3 mosb "Cornstalks" are. Matterson has been underrated for some reason or other ; perhaps simply because he came as bear-leader to a bigger man. At any rate, ,ib was thought improbable that he could stay the course, which is over four miles, though there wero plenty to back him to lead for the first mile or sp in a spurt. In spite of all this the victory of Searle and the appearance of Matterson when he stripped, so impressed bettors' that the Australian started a slight favourite, 21 to 20 being laid on him. Of course, one did not expect to see the number of [people at this minor match that one did at bhe big championship duel, but still there were plenty and to spare lining the banks all along the course. Bubear won tho toss, and selected the sunny side, though it gave him no advantage bo speak of. Shortly before four the Englishman appeared in his " swaddle," sculling?' slowly towards the bridge, and a few minutes later Matterson came "up to the umpire's boat in a genial, confident manner that boded ill for his rival. Then came the preliminary spurt, and then the start. After two false starts they got away at 4.14 p.m., Matterson pulling 36 to Bubear's 35. At once tho Australian drew oub, and showed .daylight between the boats, Bubear following steadily, but in a

I cramped fashion without much dash. Matterson was soon three lengths ahead and going \as airily and methodically as clockwork. At the Crayon steps Bubear pulled up a bit, but, alas ! Mabterson was not going to have that, and he rushed in wibh a spurt, leaving his rival farther in the rear than ever. Here ifc was obvious that Bubear was " not in ifc," as Matterson held the race well in hand with four lengths, and at Hammersmith Bridge he had added another length. Some atrocious creature aimed a stone from the bridge at. Matterson, bnfc luckily ifc did not hit bim or the boat, which it would' have broken. Now Bubear's backers lost; all heart, and refused to respond to 2 to T on Matterson, though still some held- to the non staying theory. At Thornycroffc's the Australian was eight lengths to the good, and, despite all Bubear's efforts, made.this into eleven. Afc Barrier's Bridge, the Cornstalk was 13sec. to the'good, his time being 18min. 38sec, and at the finish he-had won', by twelve lengths in the easiest of fashions. - The total time was 22min. 2sec„ which is record-breaking, thanks to tide and wind. Babear ceased rowing opposite the ship, and let his boat drift past the stake, being 19sec. after Matterson. The-previous "best" was Brighbwell's, in 1884, when the time was 22mm. 18sec. Matterson was cheored vigorously, and, like Searle, when ho stepped on board the umpire's boat looked fresh enough to go through the business again. _Thus has Australian prowess been vindicated against allcomers. On Saturday lasb week, Mr Henniker Heaton, who is jusb about, departing on his travels, gave a little dinner to Searle and Matterson at the St. Stephen's Club, at which sundry colonials were present, including Mr Healy-Hutchinson, who thought that s'ydnoy was the pleasantest placo he ever lived in.

BON VOYAGE, HOPETOUN.

Lord Hopetoun, as he himself confessed, musb be considered a lucky, young man. Ab the age of 29 he has achieved the position of Governor of bhe wealthiest and, with all due respect to New Zealand, it musfc be confessed the mosfc important colony in Australasia; and this, too, without; any effort on his own part. No doubt, he has found ifc very trying, for the most people can do is to stare ab his youth when they firsb meet him, and his remarks on Tuesday night showed that he had felb and suffered from this. fact. Fresh from his Edinburgh triumphs, where banquets and speeches" were of a most impressive and satisfactory character to a young man, he condescended to come down to a very different sphere, and rneefc bhe colonials of London ab a farewell dinner afc the St. George's Club the other nigh ti. It is well known among the inner • circle that Sir Graham Berry was not over anxious _to arrange this lifcfcle affair, as he has a distinct objection to be "trotted out for the benefit of a proprietary club," as he himself phrases it .-but owing bo the representations of Mr Philip Mennel , of the "Aae," and. other solicitation?, he gracefully conceded the position, and went into the matter heart'and 'soul, for when Sir Graham once buckles to a thing he does ifc, as,his Parliamentary adversaries know, with a vengeance.. The dining-room of the St Georges, as many colonials know, is a bic one, but ifc was scarcely for the large <company which assembled there on Tuesday.' The presentations which precede the procession to the dining-room on these occasions, are emphatically a nuisance. No man ever has his name announced properly, and most certainly had the late Mr Duflas been present he would have walked into the hall under the pseudonym of " Duffer," as he always used to complain. However, that was got through, and at last everyone was seated— seated by the way in a terrible crush. My elbows were in my neighbour s neck (he was a short man) and my friend on the richt struck my. ribs every time he endeavoured to reach hia mouth with his Lt There were little details, however, which no one noticed in the general high spirits, and between waiting for the courses one had time to look.aboufc and note the *•. flats Fully 250 >yere. present, and most Sfthem weJold colonials.' The'faces one Recognised were too numerous to mention. LordP Knutsford sat on the left' of B» (Sam, and Lord Hopetoun on the right t ffipfaatv was to have been there, bflb h.J had me? with an accident,..and so bis place wS occupied by longwinded Mr Ph-ders .With, flowing white beard. All Ofaiiaeis »7iffiL fil ii were present with the fche S?fE?ancis Bell, who B[n fl iSfof apobgy : and among other _?*£&r _t saw Sir-William Robinson, of John Pender, Sir John Coode of London and hut venerable A r - cna Georce Bowen I fllr ■ John f e^f: he %fch?S earl on what noticed lecturing the you i he might expect, ij >**XsX> A _ ch . f rfchur SKW Who could

tary, the burly Mr Lett, or Colonel Howard Vincent? Besides these there were Mr Nelson McLean, Mr Henry Russell, of Napier, Mr Cashel Hoey, Mr Collins Lovey, of Exhibition fame, Mr Milner Stephens, very " totting," bub looking as if he would like to rub someone with flannel; Mr Edward Jenkins, in high spirits at the thought of his coming lecturing tour in Australia : Mr Mennell, of the "Age," surrounded by his friends, including Mr Haddon Chambers ; Mr Patchett Martin, late of Melbourne: Mr Marriott Watson, and Mr Mannington Caflyn, the vivacious author of "Miss Milne and I." Mr T. M. Stewart, of the Bank of New Zealand, Was in a perfect financial coterie, including Mr Mendeli, of the Bank of Australasia, and several others. Sir Edward Reed proposed "The Army, Navy, and Reserve Forces," which was responded to by Sir Andrew Clarke, Sir George Tryon, aud Mr Sutherland, M.P. Sir George looked every inch a sailor as he spoke'of the harbour of Melbourne being able to accommodate all the navies of the world, " provided they got there." Lord Knutsford proposed the toast of the evening in a few words, his keen, refined face sparkling with the excitement of the occasion. It is noteworthy that he emphasised the fact that "after due and careful consideration Her Majesty's Government had come to the decision—a decision with which I, for one, mosb heartily concurred—that the sole responsibility of appointing tho Governors of the colonies must rest, as heretofore, with the Secretary of State." Judging from the reception of tho Earl of Hope town, we may anticipate, as Lord Knutsford prophesied, a warm welcome for him in tho colonies. When the new Governor, who had been hidden by flower-pots and such like, got up, it was a distinct surprise to many to many to find him so boyish. He might readily pass for 20, though he owns to 29 ; yet he proved him.elf more than a boy in his speech, which was very happy and certainly earnest. He said, and he well might say, that ifc was the happiest moment of his life when Lord Knutsford ollercd him tho post of Governor of Victoria. He know his appointment had been much commented on by peoplo, because of his youth, but he was sure Victoria would not resent his being willing to spend the best years of his life in her service. This was a most happy point to make, and elicited prolonged cheering. He went on to refer to the difficulty of succeeding Sir H. Loch, and to say that he realised ifc was no child's piny he was undertaking. Anobher point ho made was in regard to the condolences of his friends, who, ho said, came t<* him with "You are going from your home and friends for live years ; is that tolerable ?" " They meant bhab kindly," ho said, " but I'fool rather iuclincd to resent their pity, because they speak to me as if I wore to have no home aud friends for fiv=> years, and to be a kind of wandering Jew ; as though 1 wero to be a criminal in solitaryconfinement during the term of my oitice. i'hey do not remember that I am going to a country which is populated by men of my own race and of my own religion. They do not seem to remember that there aro as warm hearts in Victoria as there are in this country. Thoy do not seem to recognise the fact that solid and enduring friendships maybe made bhere as well as here: and they do not remember that I shal' have around me all that is nearest and dearest to me, and that my home during the next five years will be in Victoria." He trusted tc havo the same feelings towards Victoria that Lord Carrington had towards New South Wales when he said, in a letter to him? that with such a country, such aclimate, and such kind friends, life is indeed worth living. He dwelt, in closing, upon the advantages to' himself which a residence in Victoria would give, and finished up with a sodnd reference to the growing intimacy of the colonies and the mother country, which had in tho past neglected her oifspring too long. Sir Graham Berry proposed the toast of the " Colonial Empire," and pointed out that the balance of power in Europe, which was now stable, would be very different after a great European war, and- might expose Australia, if she were weak, to the assault of any avaricious power. Hence, the bonds of the Empire should be knit closer. Mr Childors responded, and other toasts followed. Lord Hopetoun has entirely gained the esteem of those who heard him, and one may venture to predict for him a great success in Melbourne, where enthusiasm and kindliness are valued at their true worth, lie sailed in the Britannia yesterday, so you will bo soon able to gauge the accuracy of my idea. ROUND THE WORLD IN A LIFEBOAT. A Swede, named Jorgensen, who has invented a lifeboat without which no.ship in the future will be complete, has undertaken a voyage round the world, in order to test his invention and advertise it. The qualities claimed by the inventor are as follows : —The boat is docked, and hence cannot be water-logged or filled by however heavy a sea. It can be constructed in parts, the parts to be fitted togeoher readily in an emergency; and it can carry in lockers provisions for the full complement of passengers for 14 days at least. With the object of proving tho boat in tho highest degree seaworthy, he has gone on this Anson excursion, and has now reached Madeira. From there, he proposes to go, via the Cape, to Australia; from Australia to New Zealand, and. thence buck by Cape Horn. Twenty-two days was the time taken in going to Madeira.in the Storm King, which is manned by Captain Jorgenson and a friend. At 3 a.m. on tho 12th of September they left London, and met with no adventures till the 16th, when two sharks persisted in following them, gleaming with phosphorus. Undisturbed by this evil omen, they pushed on, and iri. order to try the merits of the boat to the full, resolved to "run her before a stout wind; Ib was blowing a gale from N.N. W. with heavy squalls', and sea running mountains high. The Storm King took the big waves splendidly, and went like an arrow through the breakers. Only three heavy seas were shipped, which did no harm, and they ran thus for three days before the storm. Captain Jorgensen hopes to reach Capetown by the end of December, so that his arrival in New Zealand will be at a somewhat remote period.

SPEECHES ON THE COLONIES. ,

Speeches on the colonies seem to be of everyday, occurrence jusb now, for no less than four politicians have spoken at some length on this subject wibhin bhe last fortnight, namely, Sir Charles Dilke, Lord Hartineton, Lord Carnarvon and Mr Courtney. Lord Hartington spoke of them in connection with Home Rule, which he said he had heard advocated as a general federation principle. He said that he saw no desire on the parb of the English people to hand over to tho colonies the control of questions of peace and war, and that even if it were so federation was an entirely different question from disintegration. Mr Courtney also used an argument deduced from_ tbe colonies against Home Rule. He said he was surprised thab so libble attention had been paid to New Zealand in fchis connection, for, in New Zealand Provincial Government had been tried and found wanting and fche six provinces were forced to coalesce because" of the costliness and troublesomeness of the system. Ib would be dangerous, he thought, to try an experiment in an old country like England which had failed in a new one like New Zealand. Bufc it is Sir Charles Dilke who is systematically working the colonies in his public speeches; Afc Bradford on Saturday, he lectured to an audience of 5,000. He took a very dissimilar view to his padrona's, and thought that the self-governing colonies of Australasia practically dwarfed the Irish question. He found much to admire in Aus-

tralasia, as he had done in his Forest of Dean speech. It wan the " Paradise of State Socialism ;'' the railways were in the hands of the State, and there were bounties for crops and so lorth. Australia can certainly nob complain of being neglected.

THE DALLEY MEMORIAL,

The Imperial Federation League, which took up so warmly the memorial to fche Eight Hon. W, B. Dalley, confidently hope to sco the bust erected in St. Paul's Cathedral early in tho year. The subscription was limited to a guinea, but bhe funds have already been subscribed, and the list is closed. Sir Edgar Boehn:, Bart., R.A., has undertaken the memorial, and will soon have it ready. I notice all sorbs of names on the list of subscribers, from Master Henniker Hcaton to Lord Knutsford.

THE NEW OCEAN STEAMER,

Kaiser Wilhelm 11., as the new North German Lloyd Australian steamer is called, sailed for the Antipodes on Sunday. She is a vessel of 6,000 tons and 6,500 horse power, and is exported to do the outward passage in very smart time. The fittings aro on a very line acale, and the first-saloon cabins are very comfortable, having a sort of outside dressing-room attached to each. The promenade deck ia "250fb, and if. free from boats, ventilators and so forth. On the whole ifc may be expected thab the German Company will prove a formidable rival bo bhe P. and O. and Orienb lines, if bhey sail from London instead of Hamburg. Tho Elbe is to follow in Novomber, but that is-a vessel of bufc 5,000 tons.

AUSTRALASIA AND THE DILLON TOUR.

The "Freeman's Journal" of Monday publishes a letber from Dr. Kenny in reference to the Australian contributions to the Evicted Tenants' Fund resulting from tho mission of Messrs Dillon, Deasy, and Sir Thomas Esmonde. Mr Kenny is very indignant that Mr Chamberlain should have stated that bhe bour was a failure. He says thab since its inception- the fund has supported over 500 families a month, and thatit i* disbursed on a plan arranged by Dillotn before'his departure, and is intended purely for those tenants " whose brave and unflinching attibude has withstood tiie joint, attacks of laudlordsyndicates, supported aiud. instigated by subscriptions from English aristocrats, and all the infamies of Balfours coercive regime." The sum collected to tlae date of wrifcng is £10,919 13s 4d, of w_ik:h £6,683 6* 6d was collected in Victoria, £2,500 in New South Wales, £414 6s lOd in Tasmania, £022 in South Australia, and £1,000 in (Queensland. The "Freeman's Journal," in commenting upon this, poi.nts oub that the whole was collected wii-iin three months, and that it is a sutfjeicmb answer to " Mr Chamberlain's slander upon the hospitable and generous-hearted people of Australia." " Ireland," says the article, " owes much to Australia. She has, had no stouter friend or more princely bo'ipcr in bhe struggle for the pasb decade," The notice concludes with a glowing picture of tho success of the delegates.

THE NEW ZEALAND AWARDS.

There can be no doubt that. New Zealand has done exceedingly well at the Paris Exhibition, all the more so because she gave it so little attention. In all, the New Zealand awards amounted to 3 grand prize.s, 10 gold medals, 23 silver medals, 14 bronze medals, and 16 honourable mentions. T/ne total number of awards was 33,139, of which 203 were grand prizes, 5,153 me-ials, 9,690 silver medals, 9,323 bronze medals, and 8,070 honourable mentions.

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES

Sir Walter Buller, who was in great form ab the banquet to Lord Hopetoiui, does not know when he v/ill be able to gt_t oub to New Zealand, but expects to leave here in December. This is what he is trying for, at any rate.

Sir Francis Bell is not very well, is indeed not up to going out to dinners, aijid this is his excuse for his nonappearance at the banquet. But it is whispered that Sir Francis is nob over-pleased wibh the treatment he received ov?r in Paris afc the hands of the Victorian people, and so will not consent to sit beneath Sir Graham Berry.

The Queen has allowed the Ang/ioAustralian Society of Artists to prefix t he title of "Royal," and honco the fellowship of colonials here are chuckling in the hop os of greater favours to come, by way of increased sales.

Stuart Rendell writes to the ?'Time3," suggesting that cither Greab Bribain or France should annex bhe Now Hebrides.

Dr. Dale, labe from Australia, delivered the opening address at the Mansfield Colletre this week.

Mr John Kempson, of GlastonburyHour.e, Ealing, who died on July '20th, has lo'it a.n annuity of £20 to his brother Henry ir. New Zealand.- The personal estabe, amounting to £15,000, goes mostly to brother William.

Sir Somers Vino, who has been "On tour" for the Imperial Federation League, has returned to .he bosom of tho Savage Club, and adorned the new premises wibh a great mask which he obtained in Borneo. Miss Florence Monk-Meyer, tho brilliant Australian pianist, is to visit her nabive counbry in the Salazie. Lord Onslow's live stock, the last of which has been sold at Clandon Park, brought high prices, especially the Suffolk horses. A greab deal o'c the sfcock is said to have gone to jNew .Zealand, and consequently the sale of rams was very small. N.B. Lord Onslow's, shooting ab Clandon has been purchased by the wily proprietor of St. George's CAub, M r Castle, a wine merchant, who knows how to advertise.

Fergus Hume'?i new book is to be published, not by Trischler, and will be called "Miss Mephistopheles," a sequel to "Madam Midas."

PASSENGERS FOR NEW ZEALAND.

The following passengers havo been booked by William Ashby and Co. for New Zealand:—

Per Britannia, sailed on October 18th: Mr J. Milne, Auckland ; Miss L. Mason, Christchurch ;' F. E. N. Crombie, Esq., Auckland.

Per s.s. Doric : Mr Alex Williamson, Napier. Per s.s. Arawa, October 31st: Mr de Lisle, Napier. Per s.s. Copbic: Mr T. S. Tiffen, Mrs Randle, Napier. Per s.s. Victoria: Mr H. Bretfc, Mrs Brefct, Mr Bretfc, junr., Misses Bretfc (2); Auckland; Mi uGarsia, Canterbury; Mr and Mrs Peacock .Auckland. Per s.s. Aorangi: Mr and Mrs Geo. Colman, Canterbury." Per s.s. Oceania from Marseilles : Mr W. Ware, Auckland. Per s.s. Lustiania : Mr and Mrs Thos. Spencer, Auckland. Mr Owen Jones is. in Canada, and Mr Ware, his former partner, is in Spain, on a visit to Mr Sfcanhus Jones. Mr and Mrs Blomfield are still in Paris. The ship Canterbury shut oub between 500 and 600 tons of cargo, which has "been sent round to the Lady Cairns, to sail on the olsfc October.