PERSONAL NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 14, 18 January 1899, Page 2

PERSONAL NOTES.

The resignation of Sir William liarcourt has been received with very mild mourning in Anglo-Colonial circles Sir William belongs to the unmitigated Manchester school and like the late lamented Mr Gladstone neither knows nor really cares a dump about Ike colonies. Of course he wouldn't pay that, but his actions have i.-t'ten enough proved it. Lord Kiseberv on the contrary is prime prophet or Liberal Imperialism. He has taken the trouble to visit your chief cities and to understand your lines of ihourhr, and he never misses an opportunity of showing his special regard for Australians. Naturally we all hope he will now return to the leadership he should never have vacated, and congeal distracted Liberals into some semblance of a policy.

The Agent-General is in communication with the American railway companies with a view to endeavouring to expedite the delivery of the San Francisco mails in New York. On several occasions recently the mail haa missed by an hour or so a boat in New York harbour. Now is the time for tha.t Anglo-American understanding to operate.

The current issue of 'Sketch' contains a reproduction of the Commission appointed to inspect the defences of New Zealand, or as the 'Sketc.V puts it, 'to see that Britannia really rules the waves as regards the colony.'

Whilst admitting its indubitable utility neither underwriters nor ship owners 'enthuse' over the idea of exploiting Mr Arenas' patent electrical temperature recorder. They admit it should prove invaluable to* producers and shippers, but seem to think if, would take a bit of money out of their own particular pockets. The underwriters believe the recorder would reduce premiums and the shipowners believe that It, would materially increase claims. This of course is vastly complimentary to the invention, but not financially satisfactory. Mr Arenas has now decided to invite producers to run the show and returns to New Zealand to form a limited syndicate there. It should be a sound'investment.

The prospects of Mr Frank Hull's (of Auckland) clever boat steerin<* apparatus are not, I sincerely regret to learn, promising. Mr Hansen, who has the matter in hand, could not patent the invention in America (it so closely resembled other notions of a similar kind), and London experts shake their heads over the posibility of financially exploiting it. If I were Mr Hull 1 should ■ spend no more money on the thing. The man with a patent nearly always suffers from the sick heart caused by hope deferred and he's invariably a'shocking bore to his friends. I speak feelingly, as T once writhed for weeks beneath the confidences of an Australian gentleman who has invented the nattiest of; contrivances for disinfecting sick-' rooms, lavatories, etc., etc. He used j to come into our offices and (savins I the room seemed a little stuffy) blow j through his patent vaporiser till the ' place smelt like a-decayed chemist's I shop. 'There.' ho would say proudly, 'there's a smell for you. something- to j sniff, eh? and grandly wholesome.' I had at last to protest: against the perfume, after there »vas a coolness between us. That happened years ago, but T believe the sanguine inventor still haunts city offices try in* to find a capitalist with sufficient courage to exploit his sanitary vaporiser.

A poem 'In Memoriara. Sir George Grey,' from the pen of Mr Gerald L Peaeocke, appears in th e latest issue of 'Britannia,' the organ of the British Empire League.

The Daily News' states that the Mayor of Birmingham is to be asked to grant the use, next January, of the Town Hall for a meeting- to be addressed by the Agent-General, who will explain the colonial statute for the compulsory settlement of trade disputes. The Bishop of Hereford has promised to attend and speak. This announcement is somewhat premature as the Agent-General has not yet been approached on the subject. _ The December number of the 'National Eeview' has under its heading of Australasia a very appreciative notice of the Agent-General apropos of the prolongation of his term of office Mr Pember Reeves, it f.ays, has 'made cheap, and constant advertisement of Country.' . . . 'It, is not easy to point out any other Agent-General, ! either past or present, with such in- i tellectual attainments.' . . . 'He is a Radical Imperialist and recognised as a valuable factor in our political i world.' While he has 'constituted him- j self a sort of information bureau' he '' 'has abstained from enforcing the view he probably holds, viz., that some of the measures carried in New Zealand are applicable to Great Britain.' The 'National' thinks 'a competent and clever Agent-General, of whatever po- { litical persuasion, is a conspicuous, a considerable mark in the Mother the colony he represents.' Last week end the Agent-General spoke at Paddington on 'England and her Empire.' The London 'Gazette' issued last Friday evening announces the Queen's approval of M. Le Comte Louis Antoine Marie Joseph Henri de Comte as Vice-Consul of France at Wellington New Zealand. - : |

(From Our London Correspondent.) LONDON, December 16. The latest additions to the (livy | Memorial Committee are the Duke of ! Devonshire and the Hon. Cecil ! Hhodes. who has cabled that be will jbe pleased to act on the Committee. | The Agent-General for New Zealand. I the Hon. Sec. of the Committee, has | prepared n circular inviting- subscriptions for the erection of a monument 'at the heart of the Empire.' I hear that any memorial in St. Paul's can be placed only in the crypt, as the authorities will not permit any statue or tablet in the body of the Cathedral. Personally 1 should like to see the memorial take the form of a statue somewhere in the open air where the man in the street could see it and realise every time he passed that the' Good Governor' was honoured for his Imperial services. St. Paul's ! crypt is a grisly vault, to see which a. charge of sixpence is made. The. cod- i sequence is that a mere handful of I people ever visit it. A Grey memorial j to be effective must be in the eye of the public where he that runs may read.

: The Misses Bing (of Christchurch have, been staging- in London for a fei days prior to their departure for th colony by the Gothic. The enterprh ing 4 sisters have, during- their thre years' absence, travelled pretty e.\ten sively on the Continent in German; France and Austria, and acquired "i nice command of tongues of variou nations. They sojourned for somi time with relations in Hungary, vvhic] tliey describe as distinctly Oriental ii character, and in which country the; were not allowed to go out without ai escort, although they had hithertc displayed plenty of capacity for tak ing- care of themselves. Another passenger by the Gothic is Mr Wall, the newly-appointed Professor of English a.t Canterbury College At the Council meeting of the British Empire League on Tuesday a resolution calling the attention of the members of the League to the proposal to erect a memorial in London 'to that distinguished servant of the Empire, the late Sir George Grey,' was unanimously passed. In the course of a newspaper controversy on the comfort of English versus foreign mail boats, several experienced correspondents pronounce the Orient. s.s. Ophir 'the most comfortable boat' they've ever travelled in. On the other hand, the same authorities damn the P. and 0. with faint praise, and are not too enthusiastic even concerning the Messageries liners, though they admit they provide 'a capital table.'

Three dramatic celebrities not unknown to fame are to take part in Lady Greville's matinee next Monday at the Strand Theatre in aid of the East End Mothers' Home. The Earl of Yarmouth, the Duke of Manchester, and Miss Beryl Faber are to play 'Praticia in a Quandary.' If Dame Humour be correct, 'Patricians' have not infrequently been 'in a Quandary' in the colonies.

At the Prince Consort memorial service at Frogmore on Wednesday, which was attended by the Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and all the elder members of the Royal family, the choir of St. George's Chapel, Windsor, sang with exquisite feelingthe following special hymn, written by the Rev. S. C. Lowry, music by W. 11. Monk. Both words and music greatly moved the congregation, and 'tis to be hoped the hymn will find its way promptly into the accepted hymnais of both church and chapel.

O Saviour, once again the ebbing year Awakes the memories of days now past; And we with chastened hearts are gathered here

Thy compassion all our care is

cast; O, God of Comfort, Thou, and Thou alone,

Canst soothe us when what most we prized is gone.

Thou wilt not chide us, if to-day we long For loved ones, dear to us and flear to Thee, And fain would call them back from yonder throng,. To tell us all their saintly spirits see; In grief, O Man of Sorrows, Thou had'st part And our sad thoughts .find echo in Thy heart.

Ah, vain the wish. Enough for us to know That in some fairer, calmer land above Each ransomed soul, who walked with Thee below, Is ripening 'neath the sunshine of Thy . love; O God of Peace, grant us with them, the blest, To share at eventide Thy promised rest.

Meanwhile, through lonely vale, O'er rugged steep, Help us, good Lord, the daily cross to boar. And when Thy voice shall wake our last long sleep, May -they, our loved and lost ones, greet us there. O God of Hope, O Lord of Life and Light, Still lead us on, till faith be lost In sight.—Amen.

George Darrell has in his time played many parts, yet I doubt if this j popular actor ever filled an odder role I than when on Monday afternoon last, to oblige Harry Musgrove, he took the i chair at M. Louis de Rougemont's | Brighton lecture. But whatever Mr Darrell acts he acts well, and the fervour of faith which he put into his i introductory remarks vouching for j good Mr Grin's veracity was very finely i done. During the lecture Mr Darrell, j who had recognised poor old Johnny j Toole in the front row of stalls, asj sumed a touching'expression of confiding simplicity, and applauded the ■ tales which were not too 'tall.' His equanimity wap, however, severely tried by the advent of the little New South Wales magistrate, Alex. Ogden, who bowled over poor Grin-Grein-Green conclusively. In allowing the ! latter to bolt at the first opportunity Mr Darrell was probably wise, though the meeting broke up in some confusion. I see the 'Star' refers to the eminent actor as 'a Mr George Darrell, said to be an Australian journalist.' Alack! alack! Such is fame!"

Mr Wallace (late Wallage) Kennedy a.nd Mr Mandeno (late Thomas) Jackson have both got on terms with the Sunday League and the former sang i at the Albert Hall last Sabbath with great acceptance. Madame Belle Cole's | poor health renders it almost certain she will revisit the colonies next year, and Mandeno Jackson is likely to be j one of her concert party. The Meister* ! singers haVe contracted for an Antipodean tour, but Gregory Hast does ; not accompany them. Miss Florence

loung is also credited with the jnten-1 tion to return home. Miss Virginia Boswell, daughter of Dr. Boswell Reid, of Melbourne, will play Dandini in the pantomime of 'Cinderella' at the Comedy Theatre, Manchester. For the benefit of her little girl's health Amy Shervvin means in future to live at Margate, when not professionally employed, and has taken a house atCliftonville. The Misses Sievwright will spend Christmas with Lady ci e la I Warr at Inchusey, where there' arc- to | be private theatricals and concerts in which they will assist. , It is no particular secret that the stage struck Duke of whose determination to follow Lord Rosslyn's lead and become a professional actor the j society papers keep talking is your j recent visitor His Grace of Manchester. Mr F. H. Hobbs was the baritone soloist at the Norwich Orchestra Union's concert last Thursday. He' scored a success i» the part of Leander in Dr. Lloyd's cantata, 'Hero and Leander,' and his rendering of Korbay's Hungarian melodies 'Had a Horse, a finer no one ever saw,' and 'Shepherd, See Thy Horses Farmn,* Mane,' proved so much xo the taste of the audience that an encore was insisted on and responded to with Allitsen's 'Old English Love Song.'

j 1 am not superstitious but unquestionably the 'Daily Mail' narrates ;i ! very singular instance of the i verification of the 'thirteen' , legend. One of the passengers of the ill-fated Mohegan wrote on .starting- to his friends: '1 am not superstitious, but if there is any ill-luck about the number thirteen 1 ought to gxz it this journey, as I have taken Xo. l' y. cabin and paid £13 for it.' He was drowned, and the friends who identified his body found it was the th'rj teenth in the line of corpses. This , piece, of news is published by the j 'Mail,' we may add, on the thirteenth ]of the month. i ! I had a short note written by Cnpt. Sundstrum on board the 'Kimu' at sea j on his way to Holyhead. H-n- trial trip j took place on the 7th against 'i strong | gale. Nevertheless she. made 04 knots, I behaved very well and will, her skip- i | per believes, prove a i,oo:l s-ea boat, j i Capt. Sundstrum left early on the I ; 14th, and as he had a irask n-est gale ' to contend with was obliged to cany j the pilot on to Holyhead. i Mrs and Miss Napier Bell have arrived and are staj'ing at Queen's Gate, but intend leaving town in a few da3's.

I clip the following- 'rnr' from "he Norwich 'Mercury': "From The other side of the globe has reached us a noteworthy production, associated with the work of a Xorwl.vi man, m the shape of a special Chric'inas number of the 'Christchurch Weekly Press' (X.Z.). A feature of it. in a really beautifully executed picture supplement,, in colour, of a Maori Princess, sketched from a photograph by Sarony, by Mr Phil Xi. Presants. a Xorwich artist, who recently enriferstted to New Zealand. For artistic merit the picture has probably never been equalled in the Australasian journalistic world. A tastily designed cover, also in colours, depicting- 'some Xew Zealand birds.' is also Mr Presant's work.'