ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXII, Issue 65, 18 March 1891, Page 8

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

(FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.)

London, January 24,

Apropos of Mr Kennaway's recent decoration, ib is, I understand, a fact thab he has been a far longer time Agent-General's Secretary and Assistant than any of his compeers in the other Australian offices at home. Possibly, too, Sir F. D. Bell, who is known to be persona grata with Lord Knutsford, said a word on his old friend's behalf. A striking, smart and evidently honestly written, but mosb mistaken article on your " Sir George Grey," appears in the current issue of the " National Observer," It is one of the now famous "Modern Men" series, and was perpetrated at the editor's (Mr Henley's) special request by Mr H. B. Marriott-Watson. This gentleman is one of the Belect band ofoleveryoung men whom MrF. Greenwood has invited to assist him in launching the " Anti-Jacobin." Miss Fredericka Witherby, daughter of the late Mr Frederick Witherby, of Lyttelton, New Zealand, was, I learn, married at Bombay on the 12th inst. to Mr Robert H. H. Hopkins, of the P. and 0. Service. Ab the meeting of the Incorporated Authors' Society last Friday, it was stated in a report on the action of the various Colonial Governments with regard to American piracies, that New Zealand was almost bhe only British possession in which the law of copyright is really strictly enforced. This, it was understood, _ was owing in a great measure to the rightminded views held by the New Zealand press on the subject. PERSONAL AND GENERAL; An Agent-General, who shall be nameless, told me yesterday thab it was. nob impossible Sir Julius Vogel might succeed Sir Francis Dillon Bell when that functionary leaves for New Zealand; I laughed: But why nob bhe Hon: Richard Oliver 1 I called on Sir Julius on Thursday to see if I could get any opinions from him worth transmitting on the recent elections in New Zealand, but he was not to be drawn. Sir Julius complained that owing to his lameness he nowadays saw very few people, and gob out very little. I fancy he misses Sir Walter Buller, who used, good-naturedly, to run acroßS and stir the old fellow up a bib, pretty often. If, however, Sir Julius' legs are getting still his brain remains active as ever. In tho current " Greater Britain " he has an excellent article on federation, which has been widely quoted. The *' Pall Mall Gazette " ol lasb night contained a friendly notice of your new Premier, Mr Ballance. Tho Rev. H. C. M. Watson and family return to Christchurch by the steamer of the 13th prox. During his stay in England Mr Watson, besides preaching all over the country, has got through a large amount of literary work. Mr Inglis has arrived in London by the lonic.

The Rev. Mr Comins and Mrs Combs, Mrs Benson, Miss Collyer, and Miss Askwoll sailed for Auckland per P. and 0. Ballaarat yesterday. Major Ash, tbo Yen. Archdeacon Beaumont and Mrs Beaumont, Mr Henry Chamberlain, Dr. J. Wood Hill, Mr C. M. Montgomeri, and Lord Dynevor are amongst the passengers per Coptic, sailing to-day. The death is announced of Mr Charles Enys (late Lieutenant of the 20th Regiment), of Castle Hill, Canterbury, New Zealand, which took place on the 13th inst. at Enys, Penryn, Cornwall. On the same day, at 20, Westcroft Square, Hammersmith, Mrs Barretb, relict of tbe late John Barrett of Christchurch, New Zealand, departed this life, after a few dajs' illness, at the age of 63. R.I.P. Mr George Alexander McLean Buckley, second son of Mr George Buckley, late Member Legislative Council, Christchurch, has just espoused Miss Mabel Warren, second daughter of Mr Francis Warren, of Slough, near Windsor. •Mr Bentley, known to the shareholders in the New Zealand Shipping Company as the Secretary of that truly great man, Mr E. S. Dawes, has now become the Secretary of the British East African Company.

The Rev. Mark Guy Pierce leaves England by the Ormuz on the 30th inst. for a tour in the Antipodes. He has been invited to lecture, on behalf of the "West London Mission all through the Australian colonies, and will visit each colony in turn, the whole trip occupying about nine months. Aucklanders will regret to hear of the death of Air Edward Tidy Porter, second son of E. T. Porter, Esq., of London and New Zealand. The deceased gentleman expired at his residence 9, Oral Road, Regent's Park, on the 18th inst. He was only 37 years of age. Amongst the New Zealand passengers aboard the Torrents which was dismasted on her voyage to Australia, and is now awaiting a new mast at Pernambuco, were Mrs Stewart, wife of the late manager of the Bank of New Zealand, and a Miss Hastie, who has been several trips to your part of the world. Both of these ladies have now returned to England, preferring, apparently, to renew their journey in some boat of a recognised line:

Mr Henry Reynolds, of Auckland, is at present pursuing his dairy farming investigations in the wilds of Cumberland, but returns to London shortly. Ha writes thab he has been on a trip to Devonshire, but did not gain much information of value thereby, as the methods of cheese and butter making in that part of England are somewhat antique.

Messrs Fleming and Ferguson, of Paisley, have received an order from the Union Steamship Company of Now Zealand to build for them a steel screw steamer for their passehgei'Vnd fruit trade between Fiji and New Zealand. The vessel will be fitted with Messrs Fleming's patent quadruple-expansion engines. ~ 'The poof old *"'j Jubilee Plunger " has sunk very low in ■ the'"sensation scale. Trischler recently sold off the remainder of " How I Lost £250,000 in Two Years," and now that edifying work (published originally at half-a-guinea) is being retailed in the streets by a select band of barrow-men at 6d a copy. " The ' Bogie Man,' with Benzon's book thrown in, all for sixpence !" seems indeed the usual cry.

The Agent-General, Sir F. D. Bell, has received about 70 applications for the post of Professor of Classics and English to the Auckland College, and the Committee appointed to select the man best fitted (in their opinion) for the post will forthwith commence their task. The result-will be known in the course of a few weeks.

The Aorangi takes out to your part of tho World a regular. cargo of rabbit exterminators consisting of 150 polecat weasels, 90 stoats and 30 weasels. By the time they are landed these vermin will have cost about 30s apiece.