PERSONAL MOTES FROM LONDON.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIII, Issue 111, 12 May 1902, Page 5

PERSONAL MOTES FROM LONDON.

(From Our Londoa Correspondent.)

LONDON, April 4,

Mr. Stafford Ransome contributes to the "Pall Mall Gazette" a column of windy verbage on "King Richard of N.Z., tbe Autocrat of a Democracy." New Zealanders will not tbank Mr. Ransome for "the suggestion tbat in their case "mutton is in a great measure synonymous with Imperialism," nor for the speech he puts into Mr. Seddon'.. mouth, "I am an Imperialist because England buys our mutton." Mr. Ransome adds: "There .was that in his eye as he said these words which seemed to suggest that somewhere in. his heart of hearts there might be lurking an attachment to the Old Country which was based on something warmer than frozen meat. Yet this essentially practical answer was characteristic of the essentially practical man who made it, and expressed a bald truth which might well afford food for reflection to our Government."

And Mr. Ransome seems to think he is paying New Zealand and its Premier a compliment!

Mr. Ransome thus sums up King Richard: Mr.' Seddon's great quality is his capacity for grasping a situation rapidly and acting promptly. Vacillation and want of self-confi-dence have no place in his character. In a great measure he owes his popularity, and the* strength which comes of it, to the fact that he keeps his word. Throughout his political career he has never once swerved from the role he adopted when he first entered the lists, that of the working man's advocate. Apart from his being their champion in the collective sense of the word, he never forgets them individually. Prosperity has not made him neglect his old friends, and he is as ready to-day to welcome a humble comrade of former times as he is to converse with Royalty. Like all great men, Mr. Seddon has his weaknesses, and one of these is that he cannot make a short speech. Once on his legs he feels impelled to unburden himself at length on all sorts of topics that may or may not be in the programme. If he is given to talking.however, he is certainly capable of action."

The Agent-General will hold an Anglo--[ew Zealand reception at the Imperial Institute on much the same lines as that in 1897. probably on the of ternoon of June 10. At that function and at the New Zealand dinner on the 12th the Premier will be the most prominent guest.

Mr. Reeves attended the memorial service to Sir Andrew Clarke yesterday, expressed to Miss Clarke New Zealand', sympathy and condolence with her in her bereavement, and sent to the funeral a wreath with the inscription, ""Sincere regret and sympathy from the New Zealand Government."

Messrs. Cameron and Grow have -vyorked their way as far north as Edinburgh, and will not be back in London for another ten days yet.

Mr. Mandeno Jackson (he is "Tommy" when you know him) has, after thirty odd years of life, come to the conclusion that it is not good for man to live alone, and has therefore decided to enter shortly the noble army of mart —I mean married men. His complement will be Miss Emily Foxcroft, a popular young singer, whose vocal attributes are by no means her only attraction.

A marriage has been arranged, and will shortly take place, between Mr. Frank Baden-Powell, M.A., barrister-at-law, of 8, St. George's Place, Hyde Park corner, and Florence Sydney, third daughter of the late Mr. James Watt, o\ Napier. Mr. Baden-Powell is a brother of the majoi;-general, but is not so well known in legal circles as Mr. Warington Baden-Powell, K.C., and Lieutenant R.N.R., who after thirteen years' experience at sea acquired an extensive practice in the Admiralty Court.

Admiral Sir Edward Seymour and Major-General Sir Leslie Rundle will be guests at the Royal Colonial Institute's annual dinner on 30th April. In view of the Coronation , honorary membership of the Institute has been extended to such Premiers, Privy Councillors, and officers eomimanding detachments of troops from His Majesty's dominions beyond the seas as are not already Fellows of the Institute, during their stay in England in connection with the Coronation.

The annual conversazione < of the Royal Colonial Institute on "the 20th June should be an exceptionally brilliant and distinguished gathering. The band of the . Royal Marines, which accompanied the Ophir on her Royal tour, has £een engaged for the occasion.

"God Save Our Grac_ous King" is preferred by His Majesty to "God Save Our Lord the King" as the opening line of the National Anthem.

Admiral Sjr George Digby Morant, who writes to the papers indignantly denying the offensive statement that he is the father of the man Morant executed for murdering unarmed Boers, is a gallant old officer who was fighting so long ago as the Burmese war, and nearly thirty years ago won fame and promotion by his services as a pirate exterminator in Chinese waters. He wears a gallery of medals, including the Burmese, the Baltic, the Crimea, and the China tokens, and it is certainly hard that in his old age he should be falsely accused of the paternity of one who, from such evidence as we as yet possess, seems to have been a peculiarly bad sort of scoundrel.

The auxiliary barque-rigged yacht Morning, now being fitted for the Antarctic Relief Expedition, will sail under the flag of the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club.

F. E. G. administers in the "Westminster Gazette" to that "good judge of traitors," Mr Dillon, this pertinent poetical interrogatory:—

When Dillon looks on Vilonel He sees "a traitor," black as hell. When Dillon look, on "Colonel" Lynch, He sees a hero, every inch. Against one's countrymen to fight Is hideous wrong—ls glorious right. But how distinguish, Mr Dillon, Between your hero and your villain?

'Mrs-Brown-Potter appeared this -week in Ulysses, and showed us her rown idea off Calypso, not that of Mr Stephen Phillips. She was sinuous and seductive, picturesque and passionate —but always Mrs Potter —and gives the lines that are put into her mouth anything but their real value. The.critics who have the courage of their opinions "slate" her. One says "her gestures are wild, exaggerated, and sometimes meaningless. Her voice plays strange pranks with the verse." Another, that ' her style suggested a parody of the mannerisms of our leading tragic actresses.

Dr. T. Hope Lewis (Auckland) and his wife and family have thoroughly enjoyed their journeyings. At 'Frisco Dr. Lewis went over several of the chief hospitals. At Niagara they had a glorious day, everything being frozen, and sleighing in full swing. Their week in New York was full of interest; of the comfort of the Manhattan Hotel, which they niade their headquarters, and of the hospitality of the New York people in general, or of Mr Edward Patterson in particular, Dr. Lewis could not speak too highly. Visiting- the Belle Vue and Presbyterian hospital^ he was struck with the lavishness and completeness of their equipment and appliances. Dr. Lewis was fortunate enough to meet the great surgeon, Mr Mcßurney, and get some glimpses of the luxury of New York club life. After a week or two in London, where they were joined by Mr Lewis, who is a medical student at "King's," they betook themselves to Deal, where Dr. Lewis met«some of his old naval friends, had plenty of golfing, and whence they made excursions mr to Kent. After a month on " the Continent, they will return to London for the festivities. Dr. Lewis will, probably be back in Auckland again in January. - 7

Dr. Hocken has at last made his appearance in London, and is staying at 28 Euston Square.

By the death of Sir Andrew Clarke, the Empire has lost a faithful and industrious servant, whose public career extended over a longer period than falls to the lot of most men, and a man whose services were certainly not rewarded in a manner that erred on the side of generosity. Many a man has gained an earldom for the accomplishment of far less in the cause of Empire than Sir Andrew, who could fairly challeng-e comparison with any contemporary as regards variety of Imperial experience. His work everywhere did him credit, but. especially at Singapore, and it was that and his labours at Chatham which he looked back upon with the greatest satisfaction. In Anglo-Colonial circles a hope was frequently expressed in the early days of Federation that the power'sin Australia would offer the veteran Imperialist the High Commissionership, and it was an*open secret that Sir Andrew himself would dearly have liked to have figured in that capacity if only for a brief space. It would certainly have been a fitting coping stone to his life's work, ana as apparently the duties of the post up to the. present would have been of the mpst nominal character Sir Andrew's health need hardly have been considered a bar to his appointment.

Sir Andrew's funeral took place yesterday at Bath, and consequently but one of the Agents-General was present at the graveside, though all of them sent wreaths. Sir John Cockburn was among the mourners who accompanied his old friend on his last earthly journey, and Mr Arkell, the secretary of the Victorian Office, followed his chief's remains to the grave. The departure of the funeral cortege from London was marked by imposing military honours. The interment was fixed for half-past one, and the coffin and the mourners were taken down by an early train -from Paddington. By order of Earl Roberts a gun carriage, in charge of the men of the Royal Horse Artillery, and escorted by a posse of the 2nd Life Guards, conveyed the coffin, which was draped with the Union Jack, and hidden beneath a wealth of beautiful floral tributes, from Sir Andrew's residence in Portland Place to the station. At Paddington a detachment of the Royal Engineers met the cortege, and a bearer party conveyed the corpse from the gun carriage to the train. The remains were interred in the vault containing the body of Lady Clarke in Locksbrook cemetery, Bath.

For those who, whilst desiring to pay a last tribute to Sir Andre j*Clarke, but cotjld not make the journey to Bath, a' memorial service was held at Marylebone Parish Church, and was attended by a great number of friends, including all the AgentsGeneral for the Australian States and New Zealand, Lord Strathcona, Mr Bromley, of the Colonial Office. Mr Henniker Heaton, Sir Frederick Abel and a large muster of military metn including* Generals Sir Owen Burne and Sir Edward Williams.

A strange tale, that would be at onee1 dismissed as a fantastic fabrication, but for the extraordinary series of coincidences disclosed in it, seemingly verified by dates and facts, is told by Mr Robert Dennis in the "Express." Over fifty years ago, he says, there met in Melbourne, Captain Andrew Clarke (26), Hugh Childers (23), Antonio Gabrielli (23), an Italian who was a naturalised British subject. On the suggestion of the Italian the three agreed that so far as consistent with public and private honour they would mutually help each other through life. Gabrielli, who had a little capital, began by giving Childers a legup, financing him so as to enable him to become something better than an inspector of schools at £150 a-year. Childers in 1855 became Commissioner of Trade and Customs of Victoria, Clarke Commissioner of Crown Lands and Surveyor-General, and about the same^ time Gabrielli got a Government Contract for important improvements to Melbourne harbour.

In 1857 the trio came to England, Childers as Agent-General, Clarke to take up some minor public appointments, Gabrielli set up in business. In 1864 Childers became Civil Lord of the Admiralty, Captain Clarke was appointed Director of Contracts to the Admiralty, and Gabrielli was engaged in enormous dock extension works at Malta. In 1866, Clarke, still Director of Contracts, had referred to him a letter from Gabrielli to the Admiralty

asking to be allowed %o tender fo_i works at Chatham. He recommended that Gabrielli should be allowed to tender on giving satisfactory proof of competeincy. Gabrielli's tender was lower by £47,000 than Clarke's official estimate. Clarke reported in its favour, being "inclined to think* that the contractor intended to make extensive use of excavating machinery not hitherto used in England. On Gabrielli's producing unexceptionable sureties from. the city, to which Childers' influence contributed, Gabrielli's tender was accepted. The work was' done to the Admiralty's Satisfaction, and when, in ,IS7O, there was some ill-natured' gossip over the Chatham contract Childers himself moved for a Parliamentary paper giving all the documents. In 1871 Childers resigned from the Admiraltj', in 1873 Clarke was made a K.C.M.G. In 1880 Childers was Secretary of War. In 1881 Clarke was appointed Inspec-tor-General of Fortifications—a War, Office appointment. _\ _

Mr Dennis believes that the trio in every transaction acted thoroughly] honourably, and says that the death of the survivor releases him from the secrecy in which the story was confided to him.