ANGLO COLONIAL NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXII, Issue 143, 18 June 1891, Page 12

ANGLO COLONIAL NOTES.

{From Ouk Special Cokkespondent. )

London, May 16.

NEW ZE A LANDERS WITH INFLUENZA.

Sir F. d_ B ErjL has, co far, escaped the rent influenza epidemic, bufc both Lor iVnutsford and Mr Heaton have bee" Really very ill, and Lord Brassey'a brother , Mr U. A. Brassoy, 1 regret to say, succumbed to an attack on Wednesday last. Captain Ashby tolls me that Dr. Honeynjan (of Auckland), Mr Hay, and the Rev. David Bruce and family are amongst the victims of the fortnight, and I hear from another source " Tasma " (Madame Couvrour) an d 11. M. Watson are down with the malady. Mr Gladstone's indisposition you will havo heard of by cable. The G.O.M. has surmounted the "trouble with his accustomed vitality, and leaves for Hawarden to-day. The Prince of Wales' illness sufficed to prevent his enduring the weariness of tho drawing-room and levee on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, but necessitated H.R.H. seeking restorative recreation at the Lyceum and Court Theatres the same evening. Even the influenza has its uae3.

THE POSTAL CONVENTION AT VIENNA.

* The Agent-General doea not; want to go racketting across Europe to Vienna, to attend the Postal Convention, if he can possibly avoid it; but, being the only Australian delegate who can speak French (bar, perhaps, Judge Casey), it is just on the cards he may ba obliged to pub in an appearance. What use a person like Sir Graham Berry, who neither speaks nor understands a single word of French or German, can be at a cosmopolitan Conference of the kind, I can't imagine. The main efforts of the Australian delegates are, I learn from Mr Casey, to b3 mainly directed towards securing dual representation in tho Postal Union. Ten years ago, when it waa first suggested tho colonies should join the Union, the latter declined to allow Australasia to be separately represented, on the ground that it was a dependency of Great Britain. Later thebottom was knocked out of this contention by the granting of representatives to India and Canada. Now, tho Union are most onxious to secure Australia and New Zealand, and absolutely otter one representative. The delegates think, however, that till the Australian Commonwealth becomes an accomplished fact, tilings will work smoother if there are two delegates, one for "New South Wales, Queensland, and New Zealand, and the other for Victoria, Tasmania, and South and West Australia.

SIR F. BELL'S SUCCESSOR.

The latest; canard in connection with the appointment of Bell's successor is that Ballance has offered the post to Sir William Jervious. lam not at all prepared to say such an appointment would be unpopular, though one would, of course, prefer some one who really knew the colony and colonists "up to date," and would be unaffected and civil to all jusb callers.

PERSONAL PARAGRAPHS.

Mr John. Roes (of Sargood and Ewen), accompanied by Mrs and Miss Ross, arrived in London prior to the 15th May. They enjoyed the trip through America very much. Mr John Roberts, C.M.G,, whom I take to be tho ■' Exhibition " Mayor of Dunedin, has been elected a Follow of tho Royal Colonial Institute.

I regret to say that Mr John James McDonald, who was till comparatively recently manager of the Bank of New Zealand ab New Plymouth, New Zealand, died on the Stb inst., at 176, Colaharbour Lane, S.E. He was 42 years of age. The Rev. A. North, of Dunedin, and Mr Battley, of Auckland, as well as several Melbourne and Sydney Nonconformist divines, were present at the annual conversazione of the London Baptists' Social Union ab the Ho!bom Pvestaurant last Friday evening. Mr Cuthberb Rathbone, the new lessee of the Shaftesbury Theatre, has a brother and cousin residenb in Auckland. Mr H. Hcrborta Baaing, whom Mr C. R. is, as the papers prettily put it, " Snancing," produces a piece called "Handfast , * at the Shaftesbury this evening. _ The play has been mounted and cast with tho utmost liberality, and will, I hope, prove a success. The P. and O. Cd.'s steamer a.s. Arcadia, leaving Ist October, IS9I, takes the following returning colonists :—Dr. and Mrs Honeyman and two children, Miss Christian, Mr and Mrs Holdship, Mr A. Pu. Holdship, Mr G. Holdship, Rev. D. Bruce, D.D., Mrs Street, Miss Rooke, Miss Jamos, Mr and Mrs John Hay. Mr Henry Sampson, sole proprietor of "The Referee" newspaper, died ab his residence at St. John's Wood, London, after two days' illness of influenza. He sent to a friend saying in a jocular way, "I've got it," littlo thinking ab tho bime be would be claimed as a victim.

BISHOP LUCK.

The Rev. .1. E. Luck, R.C. Bishop of Auckland, arrived at Nap!e3 about ten days ago and proceeded at once to Rome. He is expected in London very shortly.

KATE MAItSDEN.

This energetic and much paragraphed missionary has, we are gratified to learn, reached Irkutsk. The lepers soem to bo still very rnucli where they have always been—in the distance. Subscriptions are however still—as they have always been — "earnestly solicited." THE MAMARI'S FRUIT CARGO. The Mamari arrived ab the Iloyal Albert Dock early in the week, having on board a large quantity of meat, dairy' produce and the latter being principally from Auckland and neighbourhood. The whole of the vessel's cargo was unloaded in splendid condition, hut,., owing to the bright weather prevailing the sheds, into which the dairy produce was placed pending consignees' removal, wore afc a high temperature ; consequently, somo of the butter showed traces of softness, and the cheese exhibited a sweaty appearance. In consequence of this 1 believe that the New Zealand gentlemen over hero in connection with New Zealand produce will make representations to the snipping companies with a -view to getting proper accommodation for butter, etc., during the hours that must necessarily elapse between the unloading cf a boat and the arrival of consignees to take possession of same. With regard to the appies, many ca.=es of which I caw opened, they were in all respects " up to the mark." In one or two instances symptoms of careless sorting and looso packing were apparent, but generally speaking everything was as it should be. I was glad, too, to see that the exporters had not descended to the Vulgar dodge of putting all the finest and most perfect fruit at the top, a trick winch does not pay in tho lone run. A large quantity of the Mamari's cargo of apples was consigned to Messrs W. h. White and Co., of Covent Garden, and wero disposed of by auction last Thuveday. Mr White told me that the fruit was in every way equal to that from Papanui sold at his auction a few weeks ago, but whilst the latter arrived just a<3 tho time when g-ood oating apples were very scarce, the Auckland consignments came into a fairly well supplied market. As a result the case? only realised from 10s to 14s each, as egainsb the 14s to 25s of the earlier fruit). To show what a difference a week's delay may n,ake, I may mention that ovei- 50,000 capes of Australian and Tasmatuan apples have arrived in London this week. Tho Ballarat alone had 24,000 cases aboard, and all these «cr* eol.'J on Thn red ay afternoon. y 0 *%r\*° the London laarUec with -Jio best advantage to tberaeelves. Cue New Zealand

exporters rnusb endeavour to get their fruit home in advance of Tasmania and Australian rivals. A farthing a pound more or less makes a wonderful difference Lα the aggregate profit on a few thousand cases. Several New Zsalanders have pointed out to me that you could supply U3 with now potatoes in time for our Christmas dinner, and also dilated upon the profitableness of such a venture. Ab first blush there seemed to be much to say in favour of the scheme. A few inquiries, however, have convinced me that the proposal is not worth much. Mr White, who is one oi the biggesb potato factors in London, told me that he was once induced to try a similar experiment with new potatoes from Tasmania. Tho venture was a failure. The length of the homeward voyajjo renderod the unripe tubers o'd and stale. The flax brought by tho iMamari is of excellent quality.