MAILS FROM OVERSEAS.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20087, 17 November 1930, Page 10

MAILS FROM OVERSEAS.

The Royal mail steamer Maunganui, en route from San Francisco, ria Papeete and Rarotonga, has reported by wireless that she expects to arrive at Wellington at 7 o'clock this morning. She is to sail at 4 p.m. to-morrow in continuation of her voyage to Sydney. The Maunganui has on board 164 passengers, of Whom S6 are for Wellington. Her mail comprises 692 bags froir England and America, and 51 parcel receptacles from America. The intercolonial steamer Marama left Sydney at 3 p.m. on Friday for Wellington, and is due there early tomorrow morning. She is to sail at 1 p.in to-morrow for Auckland, leaving there on Fridav afternoon on the return voyage to Sydney. from the parish in Gloucestershire to which he belonged. Otto was Mr Thorpe, descendant of a highly-re-spected and skilful saddler, and the other was Mrs Harriet Porter, known as the mother of the South Malvern district, who was a member of his father's domestic staff, 56 years ago, when he was barely seven years old. In those days, the days or the cradle, he was "under the control of the imp of mischief; and nothing aroused that imp more than to hear the Mayor's speech and to learn from him that in a certain religious atmosphere they held watch-night services which were not devoted to ordinary functions but to the amity of, he would say, intending benedicts. Merits of the Counties. It would be imprudent, he thought, to expatiate upon the respective merits of Cornwall, Devon, Gloucestei, and Somers- 1 As for Cornwall, he chose that co j- for his honeymoon with Lady T .edisloe and there he was able to introduce to her the Cornish pastie. Although they were Gloucestershire people, they had thus begun their married life in Cornwall. In Devonshire he had been Borry to see falling into decay the industry of lace-making. The activities of Nottingham had killed home lace-making in that county. Lord Bledisloe suggested that possibly they might try to start lace-making as a useful industry for the women's institutions to teach in the back country of New Zealand. If it were started there would bo a good market in England Somersetshire was chiefly remarkable for the fact that the people could nevei make up their minus which of three places was their capital—Taunton, Bath, or Weston-suner-Mnre. Such was the difference of Opinion that they had their council meetings in rotation at each. He regretted that Gloucestershire cheese was no longer made in Gloucestershire. Variety of People and Scenery. "In the West there is & great variety of people and beautiful scenerv," he continued. "I have now travelled in almost every part of the world, and I am confident that, with the possible exception of New Zealand, there is no area containing such a great variety of beautiful scenery aa in the counties to which we belong. "What have we in common? A spirit of Freemasonry which, without any initiation into a secret assembly, enables the people of the West of England to feel the bond of sympathy ana friendship, to rejoice with those that rejoice, and mourn with those that mourn. Another thing we haxg in common is scald or clotted cream; a third—orchards, the finest in the world. Fourthly, we have undoubtedly the best of cider, whether it is a temperance drink, has a modest 5 per cent, of alcohol, or. as some people in this country make it. is strong enough to blow off"your head. There is nothing to oompare. with the cider of the West of England. Another point in common in the cheese of the West. still some very good cheese made in Gloucester, and I may say it's not standardised. But outside Ayr, Scotland, the finest cheese comes from Somerset. During the evening a musical programme was given as follows:—Piano solo, Mr P. E. L. Broad : vocal solos by Mesdames Stallard and Alvea, Miss Mvra Pollard, and Messrs F. Vinicombe. W. Trewern, W. Spratt, Rodda, and Caithness. Tho accompanist was Miss Bessie PoH*rd.