PERSONAL NOTES FROM LONDON.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXI, Issue 198, 21 August 1900, Page 2

PERSONAL NOTES FROM LONDON.

(From Our Special Correspondents

LONDON, July 13

Mr C. C. McMillan, District Grand Master of Auckland, was among the colonial visitors at the 102 nd annual festival in connection with the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys, held on Tuesday last at the Freemasons' Tavern. The subscriptions announced in connection with this gathering were \£ 16,700.

Among the successful candiates in the recent examination at Edinburgh University for the final degree of M.8.Ch.8. were Mr H. J. Maclean, who passed -with, distinction, Mr -A. A. Martin, and Mr C. B. Sncw, of New Zealand.

Miss Buller has, I regret to report, had a nasty accident. She was patting a friend's small pet dog, when the vicious little animal snapped and bit her on the nose, inflicting a severe .wound. Miss Buller was taken to St. George's Hospital, where her wound was dressed, and is now progressing favourably. I trust that her usual good fortune in making a complete recovery after disfiguring accidents will abide with her in this instance also. As this was the third occasion on which the dog had exhibited signs of vice, its owner promptly killed it.

Mr Tolhurst and his family are going down to Hove on Friday for a douple of days, and on Monday he leaves for Yorkshire. He will return to the Antipodes in September. The genial banker has been much in evidence at all gatherings of New ZeaJanders, and has paid more than one visit to the House of Commons to listen to the debates on the Commonwealth Bill.

Mr Kingston, -the Soutlh Australian delegate, was in a humorous mood the day the Commonwealth Bill received the Royal assent. He described himself as having lingered cm in London like "a motherless foaJ," a. role which it is hard to conceive of as being filled by the burly South Australian, and, When an Irish member expressed admiration for his blackthorn, replied jocularly, "I have been a premier more than once, and this stick is the most striking argument I ever handled."

"Alien" (Mrs Baker) is publishing iwith Mr Fisher Unwin a story entitled, "Tho Devil's Half Acre." The scene of Sher story is partly laid in New Zealand. Mrs Baker now resides at Deal.

In the 82nd year of her age, Mrs Mary Isabel Jenner, widow of Dun* edin's first Bishop, the Right Kdv. Heniy Lascelles Jenner, departed this life at the Old Vicarage, Preston-next-jWingham, on July 9th. Deceased was the daughter of the late Captain William Finlaison, B.N.

The good folk of Brussels would appear to be rather more simple minded than their particular protegees the "simple, pastoral, Burghers of the Transvaal." The other day a Brussels jury acquitted Sipido, the would-be assassin of, the Prince of Wales, on the ground of "irresponsibility," but the Judges pronounced that Sipido, would remain at the disposal of the Government till he came of age. Having ' passed this precious sentence, Sipido was set at liberty, and being "slim" as well as "irresponsible," the youthful criminal saw no reason for holding himself at any one's disposal. ' He made off and to-day the authorities are making desperate efforts to find and re-arrest him. In England if a prisoner gets the benefit of a verdict which, relieves him of the responsibility for crime on the* score of mental weakness we put him forthwith into, an. asylum. In Belgium apparently they, turn him into the streets and give him a chance to add to his evil score. Our own plan seems the most sensible, but perhaps it appears otherwise through Belgian spectacles.

A, question asked by Mr Hedderwick ia the House o£ Commons on Tuesday last, and immediately replied to by Mr Chamberlain in the affirmative, as to whether Colonial clergymen are eligible for appointment to the dignities of Chaplains Boyal, recalls the fact that at least three Colonial Bishops have been translated from their spheres of labour in the Antipodes to English sees. The late Dr. Selwyn was in '68 translated to Hchfield, in 1686 Dr. Moorhouse was appointed, to the Bishopric of Manchester, and in 1894 Dr. Kennion was promoted from the see of Adelaide to that of Bath and, Wells.

The officers and men from the Australian station who were, relieved, by the crews brought out; by the Europa, and were cix route Home in that much maligned cruiser, are not to enjoy life in the Old Country yet awhile. The cruiser has been intercepted and the bulk of her Australian station, men will be sent on to China to strengthen Sir E. Seymour's squadron there. ,

Mr W. £, peeves has, the "Outlook" informs us, a pretty wit. Some time ago a member of that peculiar class which seems to think that our cblonists are of an inferior grade to the men whose limbs have been made in England, was cross-examining Mr Beeves on the climate and geography of New Zealand. The latter happened to state: "As we went north the heat became greater." "Oh, but that's impossible, Mr Beeves. Come, now, you will be telling me that the sun rises inthewest out there instead of the east." "No," said Mr Beeves, with delicate irony, "it is true that we have changed many things in New Zealand, but that is a good old British custom which wef do not propose to alter —at least not for the present." s ' ..

I regret to hear that .the widow- of the late Judge Munsford of Wellington, who is in very delicate health^ is Ist very necessitous circumstances, the Bon-observation of some technical f or»ality preventing the payment to her of some money in the hands of the Public Trustees, to which she is entitled. She has a warm friend in Lord Glasgow who is interesting himself in her case.

Mr and Mrs D. J. Cresswell, who have just returned from a cycling trip in the South of England .have left London again for Wales. From there they are going through Ireland, across to Scotland, and down again through the English Lake district. They will be away for about two months.

The following1 notice appears in the AffGßy Column of some pi the London

papers: "Young (Robert). —If Rob?rt Young, who was last heard of as reporter in the "Star" Newspaper Office, Dunedin, New Zealand, in 1893, will communicate with S.H.M., care of Messrs Charles Barker and Sons, 8 Birchin Lane, London, England, and give the maiden name of his mother and other particulars of his family, he may hear of something to his advantage. If Robert Young is dead his representatives are requested to communicate as above with full particulars.

' Mrs Ballance is returning to Loudoh in a day or two and will take up her abode at 16, Treboyir Road, Earl's Court. Miss Ballance is remaining at Aix-la-Chapelle for some time longer.

Dr. and Miss Cory-Thomas (Mrs Banks, of Christchurch) have now h flat at Hamlet Mansions, Ravenscourt Park. Miss Banks, who was one of the bridesmaids at the Yog-el-Levin wedding last Tuesday, has just returned from a most enjoyable visit. No the Todhunters at Harlow, in Essex.

I hear that Mr Jellicoe's appeal against the decision of the Supreme Court of New Zealand suspending him from practice for thee months will be heard by the Privy Council before the end of this month, his application for adjournment having been abandoned.

The announcement is made n.| the appointment by the Bishop 'of Wellington of Mr Clifford Wyndham Holgate, secretary to the Bishop of Salisbury, and registrar of the diocese, as one of his commissaries in England.

The New Zealanders in London have had ample opportunity during the past week of meeting one another. On Saturday Sir Montague and Lady Nelson gave their annual garden party at Hanger Hill House, Ealing. From four to seven Lady Nelson received n large number of Anglo-Colonials nud colonial visitors, including Sir Westby Perceval and Miss Perceval, Sir Walter Buller, Mr, Mrs and Miss Wolf Harris, and Mr and Mrs George Beetham. On Tuesday the Vogel-Levin wedding took place, and there was n large gathering of Wellington folks. On Thursday night Lady Perceval and her sister, Mrs Johnston, gave a large "At' Home" in the rooms of the Eoyal Institute of Painters, Piccadilly. This afternoon Mrs yon Haast is giving an "At Home" to enable a number of old friends to meet Lady yon Haast. Judging by the number of familiar faces at all these gatherings it looks as if the bulk iof New Zealand society had been transported to London.

The British Government is sometimes "real cute," as our American cousins have it. The man Arnold, whose extradition has been demanded from the State of California in connection with the big- legal frauds t»f Messrs Sismay and Arnold, was g>ing to play a nice little game with our police folk. In the, ordinary course Arnold would have been brought to England by the quickest route, viz., across the States by rail, and lie hod intended to exercise, his undoubted right to apply for release from custody in every State through which he passed. This would have meant a tremendous amount of international legal souabbling, and very probably Arnold would have escaped. But the Government'knows a thing tor two, and when the swindler is given up to the detective sent to California to safely conduct him to London, he will be shipped at 'Frisco to Australia, end brought thence by either a P. and 0. or Orient company's steamer. The garden party gjiven by Sir Walter and Lady Besant at their suburban home on Saturday afternoon to meet the Atlantic Union was a crowded function, but badly arranged. Few of the guests knew either their hosts or each other, and some odd mistakes occurred. Thus, 1 heard a crisp, spectacled, dried-up little Bostoman say to Lady Besant, "So very pleased to meet you, dear, again amongst such happy family surroundings and blessed with a title and all. Little did 1 think when I heard you lecturing on theosophy at, Toodle-oodle-00, in Australia and wearing a wisp or so of muslin, that I should ever see you in a -Worth's costume on your own lawn. "But," interjected the smiling hostess "you really mustn't mistake me" "Mistake you!" screamed Uncle Sam's daughter. "Mistake you 1 couldn't. You must remember me. Why I was the first lady to be carried out fainting at your attack on the marriage laws. I've never been married since." 'j%

Lady Perceval and Miss Johnston gave a very pleasant At Home in the rooms of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours last night, which was attended by a large number of New Zealander's. Three generations of Percevals were there—Mrs Perceval, Sir Westby's mother, Sir Westby himself and Miss Perceval. Lady Vogel and Miss Vogel, looking in no "way fatigued after Mr Harry Vogel's -wedding, were receiving the congratulations of their friends on the success of that ceremony. Begrets were expressed at the death of Mrs Fitzgerald, of Wellington, news of which.fortunately had not reached Mrs Levin until the day after her daughter's marriage. Mr Justice Dehniston, who last week revelled at Henley and Lords, had brought his wife and daughter, who •were in close confabulation with many Dunedin friends, the, Reynolds' and Gibsons among the number. Lady yon Haast, accompanied by Air and Mrs yon Haast, was renewing her acquaintance with such old friends as the Percevals, the Tolhursts and the Walter Kennaways, who were surprised to find her looking so young. Miss Buller was sufficiently recovered from her wound to be present, and was accompanied by Sir Waiter Buller. There was quite a tribe of the Khodes family, including Mr and Mrs Arthur Bhodes, Mr an^ Mrs Willes and Miss Willes, and Mr and Mrs Alistrer'Clark. Mr ana Miss Noeline Baker, Sir Montague Nelson, Miss Jervois, the Dymocks, Colonel Peace, Mr Harrison, Mr Willie Wood, Mrs Wolf Harris, and Mrs and Miss Wilson were among the New Zealanders whom I noticed. Music was provided by a string band, Miss Downes sang a trio of songs, an imitation Corney Grain gave some amusing items, and the water colours and miniatures oh the walls provided the guests with something to look at in the intervals of conversation. Altogether a quiet enjoyable evening.

A sale of work in connection with the Baptist Church will be held in the Ponsonby Hall to-morrow, and on Thursday and Friday. The opening ceremony will be performed to-mor-row afternoon by the Mayor (Mr D. Goldie); Entertainments will be given in the evenings.