PERSONAL NOTES FROM LONDON.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXV, Issue 188, 8 August 1904, Page 2

PERSONAL NOTES FROM LONDON.

(Prom Our Special Correspondent.) LONDON, July IA Reuter cable message from New Zealand on Wednesday contained the announcement that the Government intended to invite Lord Roberts to pay a visit to the colony. With the object of : learning whether he would be able to | accept this invitation, I wrote .to His Lordship yesterday, drawing his attention to the cablegram. This afternoon's post brought mc the following reply from Lord Roberts* private secretary, Colonel H. Streatfield: "July Ist, 1904: Dear Sir,—Field-Mar-shal Lord Roberts wishes mc to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of yesterday's date, and to say that he had already noticed the cablegram from New Zealand which you enclose. "The Field-Marshal hopes that at some future time he may find it possible to visit New Zealand." The reply ia non-committal, but it is, of course, difficult for Lord Roberts to be more explicit until he has actually received the invitation. Mr. Paul M. Hansen, general manager of the Auckland Electric Tramways Company, arrived from New Zealand this week, via America. Mr. Hansen is staying at the Savoy Hotel, in the Strand. Mr. Marcus Madill, of Auckland, is renewing acquaintance with the Old Country after an absence of 35 years. Accompanied by Mrs. Madill, he travelled Home by the Omrah, arriving in London a fortnight back. Mr. Madill leaves next week for the North of Ireland to revisit his birthplace. The date of hia return to New Zealand is as yet uncertain, Mr. Wm. Randall, of Auckland, has been spending most of his time in London during the past two or three months. Next week, however, he goes to Hamburg, and expects to remain for about three months on the Continent. Mr. Isaac Coates, of Hamilton, Waikato, arrived by the Onrrah, via Suez, a fortnight ago, accompanied by his wife and two daughters. The sights of London, including a visit to the Agricultural Show at Park Royal' have kept the party busily employed. Mr. Coates , trip is one of pleasure, but while here he intends to visit all the principal agricultural shows in England and Scotland, and he is already in treaty for some machinery to take back to New Zealand. The return trip will be made overland as far as Marseilles or Naples. Mr. J. G. Coates, general manager of the National Bank of New Zealand, reached London this week, in good tune for the annual meeting of shareholders of the Bank, which takes place on Tuesday next. Mr. Coates travelled by the Vancouver route. Another representative New Zealander who has just arrived, via Canada, is Mr. W. L. Roes, of, Gisbo.Tie, who has come Home to argue an appeal before the Pricy Council. Mr. H. B. Lusk (his son-in-law) accompanied Mr. Rees. Mr. and Mrs. G. P. Donnelly, of Napier, were received last week at Marlborough House by their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales, and at the last Court Mrs. Donnelly ("Airini") was presented by the Hon. Mrs. Alfred Lyttelton. Her dress was of richly sequined black net over black sa f in, and corsage of same. The train was of black sequined chiffon, and fell from '.he shoulders. Her plumes and veil wer? also of black, 'and she wore in her hair a chieftainess' comb carved out of whalebone and set with mother-of-pearl, and a tiara of diamonds. Around her neck was suspended a Maori tiki. After the London season Mr. and Mrs. Donnelly, with their married daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Perry, will go to Dublin for the Horse Show, and later to Scotland, and then on to the Continent, returning to New Zealand about the end of the year. The Shaw, Savfll, and Albion mail steamer Athenie leaves Plymouth tomorrow for New Zealand, via Capetown and Hobart. She takes the following passengers for New Zealand ports: Auckland—Miss M. Jones, Miss H. Streiff, Mr. C. C. Andersen, Miss E. H. Fergie, Mr. J. J. Nicoll, Mr. J. R. O'Connor; Wellington—Mr. Blomefield, Dr. and Mrs. G. J. Hall, Mr. G. E. Owen, Mr, C. Abbott, Miss Morrison, Mr. J. Turnbull; Lyttelton —Mr. A. Everard, Mr. and Mrs. E. Mulcock, Miss F. Pilliet, Mr. T. Stringer; Port Chalmers—Mr. J. Beecot, Miss E. R. Beecot, Miss M. Gray, Mr. W. Willis; Timaru—Mr. D. H. Gillingham, Mrs. H. Grierson; Nelson — Mr. E. Horsefield; Napier—Mr. K. T. Jenssen, Mr. and Mrs. J. Milligan, Misses Milligan (2), Dr. and Mrs. B. Stendahl, Miss G. and Master G. Stendahl; BluffMrs. A. C. More, Mr. J. W. More, junr. There are over 200 third-class passengers for New Zealand. Mr Thomas Finlayson, of Auckland, who was recently admitted a New Zealand partner in the firm of Sargood, Son and Ewan, is the subject of the following paragraph in the London "Drapers' Record": —"He joined the firm as a lad in Dunedin in 1865. and by continual upward steps rose till ISB7, when he became manager for the Auckland house of the firm, in conjunction with Mr H. C. Tews ley. Mr Finlayson has seen the business grow under his able management from five hands, in a small twostorey building in Durham-street, till now the huge premises in Victoria-street and back to Durham-street, employing over 100 hands, hardly give room enough to carry on the large and rapidly-in-creasing business." Mr John .Savage, of Auckland, and Miss Savage have been spending their holiday in London very quietly. Six days after his arrival Mr Savage had the misfortune to lose his brother, with whom his daughter and he were staying at the time. The sudden death of his brother has naturally been a severe blow to Mr Savag-e, and has cast a cloud over his visit to the Old Country. The first function of any kind which he and his daughter have attended since their bereavement was the Colonial Institute conversazione last week, where they were fortunate enough to meet quite a number of old friends. Next week they leave for "Warwickshire to stay a month in that county, and afterwards they go to Cornwall. Mr Savage expects to leave again for New Zealand about December next. Mr Ernest H. Rhodes and Mr Francis Rhodes, who are sons of Mr George Rhodes, the well-known Auckland builder, have come Home to gain experience in the building trade, and .intend staying here for some, months. They hope to combine pleasure with business, . and see something of the Old Country before returning to Auckland via Ame-

riea. Messrs. Ehodes arrived in London on June 19th, and have been spending the past week at the Isle of Wight. The callers at the Agent-General's office, 13 Victoria-street, included this week the following visitors from New Zealand: Mr Marcus Madill (Auckland), Mr J. L. Holland (Auckland), Mrs A. E. Gilmore (Auckland), Mr S. H. Papps (Christehurch), Mr R. M. Simpson (Wellington-, Mr C. Coleridge Harper (Palmerston North), Mr N. E. Hawthorn j (Wellington), Mr C. J. Harcourt (Wellington), Mr G. Andrews (Christehurch), Mr W. T. Charlewood (Christehurch), Mr Wm. Dawes (Wellington), Mr L. A. Booth (Wellington), Lieut. S. Strile (Auckland). Miss Lillie Day (Hokitika), Mr W. L. Rees (Gisbome), Mr Anthony Metcalf (Canterbury), Mr, Mrs and Miss Murchison (Canterbury), Mr J. Barugh (Hamilton), Mr James Muir (Auckland), Mr A. J. Le Gren (Timaru), Mr H. L. Bowker, jun. (Christchurch), Sir P. M. Hansen (Auckland), Captain A. Whitney (Auckland), Dr. J. S. Purdy (the : Hutt), Mr M. D. Mans (Christehurch), Mr Arthur Gresham (Auckland), Dr. W. , Stephen (Riverton), Mr Jas. Coates (Wellington), Miss E. M. Bearne (Christchurch), Mr E. Charman (Wellington), Mrs and the Misses Harvey (Wellington), Mr W. Holland (Christchurch), Mr F. L. Branfill (Wellington), Mr C. i F. Napper (Christchurch), Mr A. J. Pati rick (Dunedin), Mr E. Lewis (Feilding). i ' Mr J. L. Holland, of Auckland, is visiting London, accompanied by Mrs and Miss Holland, and Miss Rose Hellaby. The party left AucklancMor Sydney on May 2nd, and proceeded from Sydney to Melbourne by train, a method ■ which Mr Holland advises travellers to 1 avoid if they have time to go round by ' boat. From Melbourne to London they ' travelled by the R.M.S. Omrah, and had 1 fine weather throughout the voyage. Even in the Red Sea light head breezes kept the weather cool. It is some eighteen years since Mr Holland travelled by that route, and he found great improvements at all the various ports of . call. He and his party are Home for change and pleasure. At present they have not matured any plana, but they intend to see London thoroughly, visit friends in Warwickshire, Derby, and \ Leicester, and later on take a short . trip to the Continent. Should health [ and other circumstances permit they . hope to make a stay of some twelve or t fifteen months, and so will not need to . hurry through their tours. Mr Holland . intends to pay a round of visits to the t larprer manufacturers of photographic . goods, with the object of noting the latest ideas in apparatus and materials. During the few days he has been in London Mr Holland has contrived to see a good deal, and he expresses himself as astonished at the sign 9 of progress and , the gTeat changes everywhere ■ apparent, i "London," he says, "is gradually emergi ing into a really magnificent dty."