MAIL NEWS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXI, Issue 73, 27 March 1900, Page 2

MAIL NEWS.

(VIA BRINDISI.]

PERSONAL NOTES FROM LONDON.

(From Our London Correspondent.)

LONDON, February 16

The Sir George Grey Memorial Fund now amounts to about £ 590, which .•will permit of a suitable portrait bust ibeing placed in St. Paul's Cathedral, and of a portrait in oils being presented to the trustees of the National Portrait Gallery for inclusion in their collections. Both the Dean of St.' Paul's and the trustees of. the National Portrait Gallery have been approached, and there is every reason to believo that the bust and the portrait will be cordially accepted by them respectively. I understand that a meeting of the Memorial Committee will shortly be held to carry these proposals into effect.

. A poor old chap, whose name dicl not transpire, turned up at Lambeth. Police Court the other day to ask ior, advice under* somewhat humiliating Circumstances. In his young- days the. old gent served the Queen in the Crimea and in the.New Zealand war, fearing nothing1 and nobody until he got married. In his wife's " 'ands 'e'a like a little kid." She had finally turned him out of his home, he told the magistrate, and -would.not allow, him to return. He was unwell, and so ■unable to work. Could he have an order to enable him to return to his home? He admitted that he did not give his wife anything, but his pension, of lOd per day ■was sufficient for his keep. All he wanted was a lodging. . "I've never been unkind or cruel to anyone in my life, let alone my wife," he added, sadly, The magistrate, of course, had no power in the matter, but he directed an officer to go with the old gentleman, and see if he could persuade the lady, to take her husband back.

* If Richard Higgs Rankin, who many years ago left Bermuda for the States, and after working for a while in Collins? shipyard emigrated to Australia in 1852, and was resident in Auckland in 1853, is still in the land of the living- he is entitled to a share in the estate of his father, the late George Eobert Rankin. His brothers, Samuel Croft Rankin, and John Cox Rankin, of St. George's, Bermuda, who are the executors of the will, are making enquiries as to Richard Rankin's whereabouts, and would be glad of any information. ...

Miss Marion Sampson —she no long* er masquerades as "Zeala," that pseudonym having been used also by Mrs French's clever little daughter—has been for the past month delighting Pavilion audiences with ballad and operatic selections. Her engagement terminates shortly, and in the near future she will be found doingthe Alls as warbler of coon songs and a dancer. Miss Sampson is undoubtedly very clever in theterpsichorean department, and as really good dancers are scarce nowadays she can command good terms.

A visitor at one of the AgentsGeneral's offices this week came in to make enquiries about afriend who had recently died and left property in the colony. The clerk-, interrogated in order to ascertain whether a search Bhould be made in the colonial registers for a will, enquired, "Did he die intestate?" "Oh, no," was the reply; "in either Wellington or Brisbane, J, don't know which."

Sir Charles Dilk«, cays the "Times,' intends to introduce during the present session, for the purpose of having it seen and considered, a Wages Board Bill, based upon Victorian tentative, legislation initiated some years ago ■upon the suggestion of Mr Alfred Deakin, which the present Government of Victoria are now occupied m extending. The probable early arrival of Mr Deakin aa a delegate' from Victoria in connection with the Commonwealth Bill -will afford M.P.'s an opportunity of consulting him about the working of the Act in Victoria.

Sir Frederick Young, K.C.M.G., who has so long been a prop of the Colonial Institute, is now engaged upon, a work which will shortly be published, entitled "Exit Party: An Essay on tie Rise and Fall of Party as the Ruling Factor of the Future Government of the British Empire."

Mr Stuart Cumberland, whom, you had a long visit from in the "'thought reading" period of his career, is now the part proprietor of a weekly called the "Empire." In its current issue he offers—on the strength of having "made studies," i.e., read the thoughts of Moltke and other eminent military leaders— to yivisect Lord Roberts for us. The [hope of the Empire, Stuart Cumberland says, is fixed upon iord Roberts, fend it is his sincere conviction that the hope -will be realised. In his opinion Lord Roberts is a tactful man, a man of resource, and a man with a heart as well as nerve. He is not too old for the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in South Africa, as Borne have objected; and Mr Cumberland also thinks he has strength of character to resist any political pressure, no matter from what direction it may come. Whatever his plan of campaign may be, Mr Cumberland is confident he will succeed, because he will go the right way about to achieve success. This eulogist does not hold that Lord Eoberts is the equal of Moltke as a strategist, although in some mental and physical aspects he resembles him, but he has a power of getting more out of his men through personal devotion than the great German general ever possessed. We ara told that already he has worked wonders at the Cape, has given heart to the loyalists, and at the same time has evoked a feeling of unwonted respect amongst the Bondites.

Dr. Crosbie Hamilton, who is one of the committee of the Australasian Bushmen Contingent Fund, makes a spirited appeal in the Plymouth and Exeter papers for contributions to this fund and to the New Zealand Fund.

Mr John Pemberthy, who toured the colony recently, lectured the other night at' Victoria Wesley Guild, Manchester, on "Maoriland: Scenes and Stories from New Zealand." He is to lecture on the colony again on the ttth.

Bir. Walter Buller is staying-at St. Ermin's'Mansions for a few days, but . BCPBPfifis to reiu33s in Djfisdea ehorilx.

Mr H. J. H. Blow is away this week at Glasgow on Government railway business.

The directors of the Waihi Gold Mining Company, Ltd., recommend a dividend of 2/6 per share per quarter.

Stimulated by the magnificent action of the colonies during- the war, Mr Hedderwick proposes at an early date to submit a resolution declaring that in the interests of the Empire it is. desirable to admit them to some direct representation in the Imperial Parliament.

Dr. E. A. Nathan is another young New Zealander and old Christ's College boy who is going to the front in South Africa on medical duty. In writing of his inability to be present at the proposed dinner of Old Christ's College Boys, which has, by the way, been abandoned, as it has been found impossible to collect together enough Old Boys, he expresses a hope "that it may be possible to have a New Zealand dinner in Pretoria, when our fellow colonials having shown Oom Paul of what stuff they are made, make their victorious entry into the one-time capital of the Transvaal."

The fire-engines are still playing upon the language used by Mr George Musgrove on reading the following particulars of his plans in the "Daily Mail":—"Mr George Musgrove," says your contemporary, "is shortly going to, Australia, where his presence may be required through the dissolution of the famous firm of Williamson and Musgrove. It is probable that Mr Musgrove will come to an arrangement with the most consistently successful manager in Australia, Mr Bland Holt, who will take over the business direction of Mr Musgrove's theatres, in addition to his own."

Even a journal circulating a million and a quarter is not allowed to learn George's plans prematurely.

Clement Scott wlpely disclaims "discovering" Hilda Spong anywhere save in London. This is, perhaps, as well, considering Australia had found the lady ages previously, and Dion Boucicault predicted her possibilities. Miss Spong certainly brought an influential letter of introduction to the all-powerful critic, but I believe he took no notice of it till after the first night of the "Duchess of Coolgardie" at Drury Lane. Then indeed he did give Miss Spong a magnificent notice. Writing from the States, "Clemmy" says: —"Carados is in error when he hints that I am. supposed to have 'discovered' Miss Hilda Spong in America. She was 'discovered' by me when she first appeared in London from Australia., and I have before me a charming letter from the gifted g'M herself, thanking me for the encouragement I gave her in the 'Daily Telegraph' on the occasion of her debut in England. What I did say was that young actors and actresses of obvious talent and artistic enthusiasm got a far better chance of exploiting that same talent and enthusiasm in America than England. Here they have a "fair field and no favour.'"

The chatty article on Auckland and the Hot Lakes in "Blackwood's Magazine" for February may whet your taste for Mr and Mrs A. S. Boyd's forthcoming book of Antipodean travels, which will be entitled "Our Stolen Summer." The eminent Edinburgh -publishers of "Maga" have it in hand —a hopeful sign. .

Mr Simpson Newland has declined an offer from Gay and Bird for his new book. If he is wise I think he'll wait a little till war prospects brighten. No one dares do business now.