AEGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXI, Issue 282, 29 November 1890, Page 5

AEGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

(FHOJI OUR SPECIAL COHKESPONDENT.)

London, September 26, THE CHRISTCHURCH MASTERSHIP. Out of the eeventy-two applicants for the poet of Modern Languages Profeseor to the Canterbury College, Sir F. D. Bell and his eo-commifcteemen have decided in favour of MrWm. Michell Clarke, M.A., Caiue College, Cambridge. The successful candidate (a tall, dark young man of twentyseven) hae exceedingly good credentials, having been first of hie year ab Cambridge in the Modern Languages Special. (N.B. There was no Modern Language Tripos at that time.) Hβ also secured the diploma of the University of France, and spent four years in that) country and Germany, studying the languages. Ab present Mr Clarke occupies the post of Master of Modern Languages at Beford Grammar School. He will sail for New Zealand early in January. MR FIRTH'S PAMPHLET. I send you herewith Mr J. C. Firth's pamphlet entitled " A Danger and a Remedy," to which he specially directe the attention of •• shipowners, bankers, merchants, insurance offices, and the general public." The indefatigable veteran, knowing beforehand of the artful methods adopted by commissionaires and boy .messengers in disposing of circulars, etc., entrusted to them for distribution, took good care that his lot should at least have a fair chance of coming under the notice of the proper people. With the aid of a directory, Mr Firth himself despatched per post no fewer than 800 copies. Needless to say, the booklet trumpets the phenomonal virtues of pumice v. charcoal as an insulator. Mr Firth adduces a number of indisputable facts and instanceH in support of his assertions, as well as letters from such experts as Colonel Majendio, H.M. Inspector of Explosives, and Professor D. J. Jackson. The subject now looks like being thoroughly opened up, aa he haa already received letters concerning the pamphlet from the Orienb Company and othere ! interested. The author of "Nationmaking " has reluctantly abandoned the projected Continental tour, and has pottponod his departure from London til) the 31st inab. He finds ib impoisibla to get through the important business he has on hand before then, and, moreover, would liko to spond another week amongst friends in the provinces. Mr Firth will stay a couplo of days in Melbourne en route home, travelling to Auckland via Christchurch and Dunedin. Ho ia fully determined, however, to dine at home on Christmas Day. DUNEDIN EXHIBITION PICTURESThe Executive of the late Dunedin and South Seas Exhibition will be glad to learn that most of the pictures loaned to the show by English collectors have now been restored to their owners in good condition. There are, of course, one or two exceptions to this rule, but the damage done is in no case serious; a nail hole in an obscure corner of the canvas being generally the extent of the injuries. All the paintings thab have, thus suffered are those which were forwarded from Melbourne to Dunedin, so that it is nob improbable that the mischief had been done before the canvases reached New Zealand. JOHN L. SULLIVAN. It la ebated by an American correspondent of the " Sporting Life " that Mr John L. Sullivan (in his new rolo of actor, of course) has been engaged for a long tour in England and Australasia by thab indefatigable Antipodean impreseario, Mr J. C. Williamson. The Bostonian will make his first) appearance on tour in London, and after the uennl provincial peregrinatione depart for your car 6 of the world. THE ANTIMONY COMPANY. I hear from d London friend of Sir Walter Buller that he had, presumably before the official notification of his dieraiieal from the Board reached New Zealand, taken Sir James Hector with him to inspect the Antimony Company's mine ab Jackson's Head. Sir James expressed ib ac hie opinion that the quantity of antimony on the property was practically inexhaustible, and thab if the shareholders would bub exercise a little patience, they would get a satisfactory return for their money. Ib is to bo hoped that Sir James's opinion may be speedily verified, nob only for the sake flf the shareholders in thie particular concern, bub because the fact of one New Zealand mine paying a dividend would undoubtedly restore a certain degree of confidence in similar ventures.

BUTTER WITHOUT CHURNING. One of the chief attractions in the Implement and Machinery Department of the Dairy Show now being held at the Agricultural Hall, Islington, is the new apparatus for making butter without churning, recently brought out in Australia by Mr Walter Cole, of Coleman-streeb. As the machine in question may not have come under your notice, it may be as well to briefly describe the modus operundi. The process is one of aeration. The cream is placed in a glass vessel, at the bottom of which are tubes connected with a force pump outside. The air is passed through a small reservoir water to purify it, and, as it is continually forced through the cream, it liberates the globules of butter, which rise to tho top. Tno process is completed in half an hour or a little longer, and the butter ie produced in a granular condition. The butter which I saw made by the process on Tuesday last was too soft, but this wae said to be because the water in the hall available for washing it) ivaa of exceptionally high temperature. AUSTRALIAN HORSES. At Newmarket on Tuesday two Australian horsea—to wit, Mr W. Cooper's Lady Betty and Mr Eden Savill's Ringmaster —were installed favourites for the Cambridgeshire Trial Plate ab 4 to 1 and 6 to 1 respectively. Neither, however, could manage to secure a place, though Ringmaster was fourth in a fairly close finish. COMMERCIAL SALE ROOMS. An Antipodean friend of mine having expressed a desire to see one of our great London produce marts ab its busiest, I to-day took him to the Commercial Sale Rooms. The choice was a particularly fortunate one, ac when we gob there about 12.30 the eales of Auebralian and New Zealand hides, pelts, and tallow were in full effing. There was a full attendance of buyers, and the prices ruled high. An Impression appeared to be abroad that there would be a scarcity of skins in near future owing to the labour troubles in the Antipodes. For salted pelts as much as 3Jd per lb was given, as against the 2Jd quoted for similar goods this time last year. Tallow, too, ruled some £2 a ton over the current rates of October, 1889. Many greedy brokers, not content with the big profit now available, aro holding over hundreds ot bales in hopes of a further rise. COLONIAL APPLES. In consequence of the scarcity of good English applee this year, the consignments of f asmanian and New Zealaad and South Australian apples, arriving here about February next, will, it is anticipated, command exceptionally high prices. # Capt. Aehby informe me thab Messrs Lewis Joel, of Spitalfielde and Borough Markets, offered to pay him "down on the nail" half the value of any shipments of New Zealand apples coming through him, from New Zealand. This firm would also be willing to buy any amount of New Zealand new potatoes. The paucity of the home apple cropis New Zealand's opportunity. Intending shippers should take care to paok their pro-

duce carefully (sending only first class fruit), arrange beforehand with a London agent ab to disposal and get the fruit home eariy in February. MINING EXHIBITION CONVERSAZIONE. The Mining Exhibition aft the Crystal Palace will close to-morrow evening with a conversazione, which the Agents-General will attend, and ab which tMe Commissionors, officials, etc., may be expected to interchange the usual conventional compliments. At the same time I suppose I need scarcely repeat thab the show from firet to lasb has been a melancholy failure. Mr Rosewarne and Mr Oscar Meyer (the latter especially) struggled bravely against the combined drawbacks of the locality, the time of the year and the public apathy, bub they could nob do much. Casual visitors to the Palace strolled through the N.B.W. Court and gaped at the Broken Hills trophy but they seldom gob upstairs to South Australia or discovered the nook where the New Zealand gold specimens lurked unnoticed. Mr Meyer utilised the sum allowed him by hie Government for hospitable purposes with greab effect and his occasional ab homes were amongeb the mosb agreeable features of the exhibition season. I regret to learn come of the hungry sharks of the London press found out these festive gatherings and attempted to levy blackmail under the misapprehension that the vivacious Australian had no right to give them. Need I say Mr Meyer enlightened his detractors somewhat forcibly.

THE SOUTH BRITISH AND NATIONAL WITHDRAWALS. In connection with the transfer of the British fire business of the South British and National Companies to the Equitable Fire, "Fairplay" poinba out thab the arrangement only applies to business within the confines of the British Islands. The Continental business is still in the hands of the Antipodean companies, and they will have to liquidate their contracts as best they may. " Meanwhile," continues your contemporary, •' the South British and National have resolved to retire into the shell, from which they ought never to have i emerged if they had nob the courage or consistency to stick to their guns. The Australasian Continent is doubtless a wide field; but the two companies will shrink into very insignificant proportions now thab they have abandoned their Old World business. MR GLADSTONE ON COLONIAL ADMINISTRATION. Mr Gladstone is in warm sympathy with the views expressed by Mr Stanley Leighton in the article on Colonial Office Administration .from the " National Review," which 1 sent you last week. "I can, , ' be writes, "assure you of my sympathy in whatever tends to repress what is or was called Downing-streeb Govenmenb over the colonies, which I havo opposed for half a century."

THE SLAVIN - McAULIITE GLOVE FIGHT. Since I wrote lasb week some very serious doubts have been thrown on the bona fidea of the Slavin ■ McAuliffe glove fight. "PendragoV'of the "Referee," who is a big authority in the fietic world, openly eaye that if the pair had arranged to cub tha purse up and had spun a coin to decide which should be winner and which loser, business couldn't) have been eefetled more satisfactorily to tbo combatants than ib was settled. So far as I can make the reaulfc out, after reading most of the reporta and after closely questioning several men who were present, tfce riddle haa one of two issues. One is that the winner was decided on beforehand ; the other is that McAuliffe is a bad-woolled 'un, and won't fight an uphill buttle. If the pair had agreed to "do buginees," they would in natural cdurse have arranged to geb their " busk ness" over as speedily as possible. The agreed-on loser would have all the best of the first round — that being his turn. Then the agreed-on winner would alter the form; would take a lead, give the agreed-cm loser a drofful slosh on the kopf, the agreed • on loser would tumble down, and the j's who paid bebweea £10 and £30 a-piece would have had all the chow they were to be allowed for their money. That's how a boxing cross would be planned out, and that's exactly what happened. Against this pan be set the idea, as put forth by Slavin's friends, that Slavin never would consent to a cross unless it was decided that he was to be returned the winner. Well, he was declared the winner. Mayhap Mac, wasn'b so ambitious. The remaining issue is that MeAuliflb cub ib when he found he had a harder task in front of him than he had expected. I don't myself think the affair has any other aspect to select from. One acb has a very suspicious appearance. Thie is, that the moment McAuliffe fell the second time, Madden, described as his backer, bub in reality his trainer and showman, jumped into the ring and gave in for him. Partisans don't do thab sorb of thing in real straight bonajide, matches.

This, coming' from a sporting journalist of Mr Sampson'a knowledge and experience, is serious. Ib would be more so but for the fact that " Pendragon" has a personal pique against the manager of the Ormond Club, and may, therefore, unconsciously be' viewing the circumstances with jaundiced judgment.

One thing I will say. If it> was arranged thab Slavin should knock out McAuliffe in the second round, ho certainly carried out the programme with laudable thoroughness. Knowing nothing about fighting and supported by a skinful of indifferent Scotch whisky, I yet turned eick ab the sight of the big Amorioan lying like one dead and with blood trickling slowly from ear and nose, PERSONAL NOTES. Rumour also hath ib that your old ao quaintance "Jubilee" Benzon intends to follow the Sankee bruiser's example, and will shortly discover himself to the world ac a devotee of Thespis. Dean Jacobs, of Christchurch, on Saturday officiated at tho nuptials of his niece, Miss Edith Jacobs, who was married ab St. James's, Norlands, to Mrßobert BruceFitzMaurice, elder son of Colonel G. FitzMaurice, of Holland Park.

Mr Holdehip, who has just returned from the Continent, reports that the outlook for kauri pine ia very favourable at Havre and elsewhere, the bulk of the consignments already sent having realised profitable prices. Mr Garlick, who has gone to Margate for a brief holiday, seems to think that, the McKinley Tariff notwithstanding, the chances of opening up a good market for kauri gum in New York are promising. Mr Reid, of Palmerston, returns home by the Ruapehu,