ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVIII, Issue 151, 1 July 1897, Page 2

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

(FBOM OUB SPECIAL COBRESFONDENT. )

London, May 21 INTERVIEW WITH LORD RANFURLY.

1 called at the Coburg Hotel on Tuesday morning and wa* favoured with a shorb Interview by Hib Excellaney the Governor, who was extremely busy dictating letters and superintending packing, ebc. He informed me that beyond the function at Belfast already referred to and an address from the Dungannon Commissioners avid hia own tenantry there had been no public functions in connection with his departure. On Friday Lord Ranfurly was commanded to Windsor and kissed handa on hi* appointment as Governor of New Zealand, he had also the honour of joining the Queen's dinner party and sleeping ab the {Jaßtle. Her Majesty was most gracious, and besides sending a kind message to Lady Ranfurly enquired after the health of £ir George Grey. The Earl ii, of course, quite at home at Court, having been a Lord-in-Waiting before he received his appointment as Viceroy. The ''Court Circular, by the way, announced that the Earl kissed handa on his " appointment as a Lord-in-"Waiting," and had to correct the blunder ■ext day. I suspect some one got a " wigging" for the error, as the Queen does not approve of mistakes in that sacred record. His Excellency had arranged to lunch with Mr Mont. Nelson at the Stephens Club on Monday, when the Agent-General was asked to meet him, and the party was subsequently to inspect the frozen meat and produce stores of the C. O. and D. Company. Unfortunately, the appointment slipped Lord Ranfurly's memory, and he failed to turn up. From the currenb isauo of " Truth I gull the following ambiguous paragraph, leaving my readers to puzzle out its meaning if they think it worth while bo do bo :—" LoTd and Lady Ranfurly have bidden good-bye to their home in the North of Ireland, much to the regret of the neighbourhood. Lord Ranfurly, except in oratory and on paper, is an amiable and law-abiding nobleman. Though rhetoricallj ready to "kick the crown into the Beyne" under certain circumstances in practice, also under certain circumstances he is ready, as co many have been before him, to be a most ardent upholder of that Crown. Lord Templetown succeeds him in chief command of the fabled legions of the North, and no doabb will bravely march and countermarch them when the occasiou again arises." The wiveß of your paat and future governors, Lords Glasgow aad Ranfurly, were both in evidence ab Tuesday's drawing room. The Counties? of Glasgow wore white satin, richly embroidered with pearls in front and lightly veiled with chantilly elsewhere under a black moira train. She presented her three daughters, who wore pure white trimmed with harebellß. The Countess1 bouquet was asumptuous creation of mauve and white orchids, and the Ladies Boyle carried posies of pure white flowers. Lady Ranfurly'a dress was of blue and white, and she carried a bouqueb of liliea-jf-tUe-valley. THE JUBILEE STAND. There has been an immense amount of bickering and not a little ill-fealing bekween the Agents - General anenb the divieion of the seats on the Jubilee Stand. Sir Donald Smith showed from the first an inclination to make extravagant claima on behalf of Canada, and did nob ab all like the inibial meeting being held ab the New South Wales Office. When the day cams, he pleaded an engagement and urged the Agents to meet bina the following afternoon ab his own office. Naturally bhe Australian representatives " bucked" ab this, and declined to postpone matters. They proceeded with the allotment of seats, awarding Canada 200; New South Wales and Victoria HOeach, South Auptralia6s, and so on. Thereupon Sir Donald Smith waxed furiously indignanfc, averring Canada ouffiit to have had at least 300 tickets, and wrote to Sir Saul Samuel threatening to appeal to Mr Uhamberlain unless another meeting were called to reconsider the distribution. Sir Saul, a litble weakly I think, assented to another meeting, which Mr Playford, Sir Malcolm Fraser and Sir David Tennanb were unable to attend. They all three wrote, however, sbating they considered the previous distribution fair and final, and objected to bhe question being reppened. The meeting began stormily. The High Commissioner ( unlike hin diplomatic predecQ»nor) talked exceedingly arrogantly anenb the claims of " the eight colonies of the Dominion " which he represented, and vulgarly speaking rose Sir Saul's d»Bder bo fever heab. An angry discussion followed which Sir VTeatby Perceval (having eecured no fewer than 50 tickets for tiny Tasmania) endeavoured to calm. Finally " for the sake of peace " Sir Westby persuaded the meeting to return 10 per cent, of their tickets to Canada providing the absent trio {Playford, Tennanb and Eraser) would agree to the compromise. Sir Saul, I believe, opposed departing from the prorioua arrangement) tooth and nail, bub he waa over-ruled. Sir Malcolm Fraier and Sir David Tehnant approached anenb the compromise by diplomatic Sir Westby " weighod in '■ with their ten per cent, without) much trouble ; bub Mr Playford was a diflerent matter. His sturdy independence bioterly resented Sir Donald (as he said) " gebbiag up on hia hind legs and bouncing the other Agenta out of a careful decision unanimously come to." "We acted in the interests of peace, eacred peace," said Sir Westby. " Peace be hanged !" replied Mr Playford. ** Ib waa a question of principle. You behaved like a lob of children, in my opinion." •' Then you mean to refuse your ten per cent., and burst up the whole arrangement thus late in the day," remarked Sir Westsby coldly. •' No," said Mr Playford, " I think you Bhould have stood by Sir Saul, bub I can'b by myself take the responsibility of rupturing bhe plan bow. Ab the same time my 65 tickets are definitely promised, and I'm nob going to go back on South Australia, to whom they're pledged. Five tickets, however, I reserved for my own family party (i.e., wife, daughter and two sons). These shall be senb to Sir Donald Smith." From this position Mr Playford wouldn't budge. The tickets havo been sent bo the High Commissioner, and the South Australian Agenb General will seat hia personal parby elsewhere. THE GREAT NAVAL REVIEW. Arrangements for the greab naval review at Spithead in connection with tho Jubilee are daily making progress, and such vessels as are already in harbour are donning their holiday garb of fresh paint and gilding, and obhers are preparing for commission. As regards bhe mooring of the ships ab Spitbead for bhe great function, there has been some difficulty in making satisfactory arrangements, as each ship muss be given swinging room, and eueb enormous crafb as the Powerful and Terrible are nob easy to berth. Ib was ab first suggested that the fleet should occupy as many ac eight lines, but these have now been reduced by three, though the decision of the Admiralty on the point is still awaited. Should the plan foe approved, the vessels will extend over a length of fully five miles, the lines commencing at bhe entrance to bhe Solent and ending in Oaborn Bay, opposite the Queen s Palace. This will add considerably to the effectiveness of the illuminations, which are being arranged by the staff of the Vernon, and will be of a moßb elaborate character.

THE NEW SHAW-SAfILL LINER. The now White Sbar liner Delphic, which

after a preliminary run or so across the Atlantic will be added to the Shaw-Savill float, has arrived at Liverpool from Belfast, where she was constructed by Messrs Harland a,nd Wolff. The Delphic, though nob quifca so large as tho Georgic, the latest vessel running in Messrs lsmay- > Imries' New York service, will yet be the largest cargo steamer in bhe New Zealand trade. Sho ia 475 foeb loag and has a breadth of 55 feet, with 40 feet of hold and a gross tonnage of 8,273. She will not carry aafoon passengers, bub is well arranged for Bteerage passengers in the event of such accommodation boing required for the Cape or New Zealand. The remarkable carrying capaciby of the Delphic will bo noted by the fact that she has insulated space for upwards of 90,000 frozen sheep besides a large amount of ordinary hold space for general cariro. The Delphic is fitted with two complete sets of triple expansion engines, driving separate propellers, thus providing as far as possible against a complete breakdown ab sea. Her refrigerating machinery has been supplied by Messrs Haal&m, of Derby, and her general fittings for tlia reception and discharge of cargo are of the highest class and very much " up to date." PERSONAL NOTES. Mr R. A. Escobt, mining engineer and representative in New Zealand for the Carson Wood's Syndicate, arrived in England last Saturday by tho Barbaroasa. Durine bhe pasb week he has been up to his eyea in business. The mining market, ho tells me, shows slight signs of improve menb, and although this ia only in Kaffirs and Weatralians ultimately it will bonofib New Zealand, for it ia expected that as these shares rise speculators will unload, and money at present locked up will become available for now venbures. That there is an appreciable improvement in the feeling with regard to New Zealand nainoa for flotation ia evident, for whereas pro moting houses a few days ago would nob even listen to representations, Mr E.*cotb now finds them not only ready to listen but to consider proposed Dotations. Ho lias been met everywhere with tho story that has already been told about a probablo boom in New Zealand minoa being killed owing to the prices asked by the vendors being extortionate, but whab is of more importance iv that he ia assured that in future transactions no cash payments will be made. Working capital will be pro vided sufficient to thoroughly carry out operations, but the deal will be one in shares. Mr Escott ia accomoanied by his wife and two children, and they are staying with friends ab llFord, in Essex. His stay in England will probably extend over four months, and during that time he expects in tho intervals of business to be able to take shorb runs inbo the country with his family. Mrs White Law, of Auckland, was a passenger by the North German Lloyd's mammoth steamer Barbnroaaa, which arrived ab Southampton bowards midnight on Saturday last, the 15th insfc. Mrs Whitelavv, who will be for dome months in England visiting relatives both south and north of the Scottish border, caino Home mainly to see her daughter, Mias Annie Whitelaw, who completed her atudios at Girton College with the eurronb summer term, and who is, therofore, at present in the thick of the mosb trying of tho exam inations which are parb of a several years course ab this college. Mrs Whitelaw ig staying ab Stamford, Hill and will remain there for about a forbnighb. After this she visits Cambridge to witness the festivities marking tho elosir.g of the summer tevta in thab university town.

Dr. Bowen Hogg, of Timaru, who enmo Homo some six weeks ago in the P. and O. steamer China for the purpose principally of acquainting himself with the iatest developments in surgical and medical science, lookod in ab tho N.Z. P. A. the othor day, having jueb returned from a tour in Wales. He is now spending mosb of hia time at his old hospital, Guys, and the Samaritan Hospital for Women in Marylebone.

Amongst the passongers by the Btoamer BarbarosHa were Misses Simpson, Prie«tley, and Walker, of Auckland. The bwo first named are on a purely pleasure visit, while Miss Walker, who was chief Burgical nurge ab bhe Auckland Hospital, intends going in for a higher certificate than that which she ab present holds. It was Mis* Walkor'a wish bo go out nursing in connection with the Turko-Grecian war, but the remarkably smart collapse on the part of the Greeks ended the war before even sho arrived in England.

Speaking of the Barbarossa reminds me that there were no le*« than seven parsons and two Roman Catholic priests passengers by her. The bad woather usually accompanying vessels overstocked, as one mighb say, with clergymen waa not, however, experienced, the voyage from Australia being beautiful throughout. Some persons of course attributed bhe breaking of one of tho propeller blades, which occurred shortly after leaving Adelaides, and which made the steamer a couple of days late in arriving, bo the very heavy consignment of gentlemen of tho cloth, bub evidence to connect tho facts was lacking. The accident was rabher enjoyed by the passenger?, for ib gave bhem a couple of days in which to explore bhab interesting old ciby Genoa, while the steamer was in dry dock having another blade fitted.

The lateafe addition to bhe P. and O. fli&eb, the steamship Egypt, a vessel of 8,000 tons and 11,000 horse power, was successfully launched from Messrs Caird and Co.'s yard at Greonock on Saturday morning.

The friends of Mr McCoah Clark will ba pleased to loam that bho Bbabe of hia health ia gradually improving, although he has nob yeb reached thab condition of well being when the vvabebful eyo of the doctor can be withdrawn and business with its numberless worries taken up. A marked improvement has been noticeable, however, in Mr Clark's health since tho remarkably quick change for the better in the weather has allowed him to get inbo the sun and open air.

The luxury of being idle is not apparently much appreciated by the Now Zealand ex-cbainpion sculler Tom Sullivan. Ib is only aboub a month ago thab he relinquished the poab of mine hoab of the Rubland Hotel, ab Hammersmith, and next week ho enters into possession of the Union Arms, a well-known house of call in the Babtersea Bridge Road. On Friday lasb, by the way, Tom's family circle was enlarged by bhe advent of a little daughter, and up to date mother and child have both done well. Sullivan appears to have abandoned Bculling so far aa racing for Btakea and tibles is concerned, bub he continues to coach ambitious amateurs, and is now training Mr Everett, a well-known member of bhe London Rowing Club, who has an eye upon Henley and the Diamond Sculls.