ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES. [FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.] London, 12th March.

Evening Post, Volume LV, Issue 87, 14 April 1898, Page 6

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES. [FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.] London, 12th March.

THE FLAX COMMISSIONER. Mr. John Holmes is still keeping up his reputation as a livo man. Up has been proclaiming the virtues of New Zealand hemp with no uncertain voice, and contemporaneously with his pi\>ans the hemp ni:ir!<pl. has improved in price, with v stronger demand, and cash orders have gone forward to the colony for execution by the merchants there. He has also been writing to the Post Magazine and Insurance Monitor, calling attention to the exceptional Ifioilities lor the .sil'e investment of capital in the colony, and his reference to the reword of the A.M. P. Society, which, on thf>3lst December, 1595, had £I^oo,ooo invested in mortgage .securities and only £3-1 outstanding in interest, seems, like Homocea, to have "touched the spot," for several companies and capitalists have been making enquiries from him with a view to investing in the colony. The Post Magazine refers to Mr. Holmes as "by no means a man of one idea," but one " who has large views of the future of New Zealand and of the potentialities of its trade developments." Mr. Holmes is also continuing his investigations into the tricks of tho trade with frozen mutton, and when I last paw him was preparing some information for the Rev. L. M. Isitt, the watchword of whose lectures is, I believe, to be "Avoid strong drink and take New Zealand mutton for thy stomach's sake." When I last yaw Mr. Holmes he "showed me a letter from a. prominent tradesman in the country, whose name I am not at liberty to mention, and who himself fattens sheep for the market. This gentleman wrote that the quality of the N.Z. mutton was on a par with anything that, could bo obtained in England, and that having a large family he had been supplied with N.Z. mutton for the last six months, although his household fondjy imagined all I he time that they were eating prime Welsh. It can be readily imagined that to a large Family a saving of 4cl or 5d a pound In mu tt on totals to a large amount at the end of tho year.j A WEDDING IN OUH LATE GOVERNOR S FAMILY. I hear that the engagement of Lady Augusta Boyle and Mr. Orr-Ewing is quite a love-match, and that the pair have been warmly attached to each other for some time. Ludy/Augusta's "financy" is a moat eligible parti. He is a member of Parliament, and has, so it is said, £12,000 a year, a house in Park-lane, a shooting box, and a large 3 f acht. But. there is one drop of gall in the cup of their bliss. Mr. Orr-Ewing's first wife transferred her affections to a brother officer, and her husband obtained a divorce from her and the custody of his two small children. I understand that some of Lady Augusta's relations have strong objections to the re-marriage of even innocently divorced persons, and that the Biahop of Bath and Wells in particular has protested strongly on the subject. However, the wedding is to take place on ( tho 30lh April at Fairlie, and the happy ]>air are to spend their honeymoon at the Italian Lakes. Miss Ida Williams, of Wellington, who is at present making/ a short stay with Lady Glasgow in London, is. I believe, to be one of the bridesmaids ; and her cousin, Miss Elsie Williams, of Wellington, is also to be present at the wedding. The two Misses Williams have therefore postponed for some lillle time their return to the colony. CAPTAIN EUSSELL IN LONDON. I had a short chat with Captain Bussell at his club early this week. Ho tells me i!i:tt he is going to confine his visit to England, in all parts of which he has friends, and that ha expects to be back in New Zealand by the middle of June in time for the opening of the session, probably returning via Vancouver, a route which a good many New Zealanders are sampling 311 st now. He also, like many PakehaMaoris before him, is going to tackle the frozen meat question. Two things in particular have struck him since his arrival here — the increased interest taken by all classes in the colonies, and the generous hospitality that has been offered to him everywhere, which he thinks could not be beaten even in New Zealand. TIMNTTY COLLEGE MUSIC EXAMINATIONS. The Board of Trinity College, London, has decided upon some important modifications in connection with the College local examinations in musical knowledge, which affect colonial as well as United Kingdom candidates. The first has reference to what papers candidates may take. Hitherto they have been restricted " to working the two papers of any one division — junior, intermediate, or senior — but in future a candidate will be permitted to enter for any two adjacent sections— i.e., junior honours and intermediate pass, or intermediate honours and senior pass, or, of course, as heretofore for the two papers in any division. Hitherto a candidate entering for pass and honours could only receive onf certificate, but iv J!uture a certificate will be issued for eveJ^ paper successfully worked. In future also there is to be no age restriction for candidates forjjnnior honours, and this departure will put an end to that unsatisfactory feature of the junior pass lists, the number of candidates coming under the denomination " ineligible for certificates by reason of age." Commencing with the ensuing season, three prizes of £3 each will be awarded for the best pass papers worked, one in each division, these prizes being supplementary to tho three of £5 each awarded for the best honours papers. In future in examinations in vocal and instrumental music the maximum marks for the various sections will be as follows :— Studies, <fee, 20 ; piece, 40; scales, 20; sightreading, 10; grammar, 10. Total, 100. DKATH OF ONE OF THE CALLIOPE HEROES. Mr. B. G. Bdnrke, who was staff engineer of th« Calliope when she steamed out to sea from Samoa in the hurricane of 1889, and to w hose management of the engines the ship's escape was largely due, died at Haslar Hospital on Saturday after a week's illness. For his services on the Calliope he was specially promoted to fleet engineer in the Ro3 p al Navy. Only a few days ago Mr. Bourke, in the course of conversation about the Apia affair, said : — " In all my years at sea nothing Kave me so much confidence in our men as the way they rose to the occasion on 15th March. I was about calling upon some extra men who were off duty to go below, when every man of them volunteered, and all through the hurricane, though we were boxed up there in the engine-room and the stoke-hole, and could hardly hear each other's voices for the howling of the storm, yet every man did his duty without a murmur. It takes a time lifcr> that to show what a Britisher is !" Mi-. Bourke, who|vonld havee;rned his retir-ment in a year or so, leaves a widow and lour daughters, and his fpllow officers of tl > "■• avy are in hopes that the Admiralty will do a little extra in the way of pension Joi Uit'.-e bereaved ladies, in consideration of t •• service rendered to the State by husband and father. COIONIAL SCULLEES IN ENGLAND. The New South Wales sculler, James Wray, gave a very poor display in his halfmile open boat race with William Haines, of Old Windsor, which was decided on the

Tyne course on Wednesday last, being beaten in easy fashion by :i couple of lengths in very slow time, considering thp tidul and atmospheric conditions prevailing. Ten minutes before the start from Kedheu^h Bridge, Wray was a strong favourite, odds of 6 to 4 heiug laid on him, but in the last lew minutes tho Haines party backed their man so freely that odils veered round to G to 5 on him. Hainey, who was in receipt of three seconds start, got fairly well away, and was a length anil a-half on his journey when Wray sot off in pursuit. The Australian travelled well in the first minute and a-half, and at the Sldnnerbtirn was barely half a length to the bad. But Haiues was sculling well within himself, and the proximity of the aspirant for tho world's championship honours did not seem to worry him at all. Wray at this point began to sheer over to the south side of the river, a move which took him out of the run of the tide and caused him to lose ground. At the end of Davidson's Jett}' llaines was in possession of a full length's lead, and when Wray tried :i spvirt he answered with a better one. Seeing that pursuit was hopeless, the Australian ceased to persevere and dropped down to a strong paddle, leaving llaines to win as he liked by a couple of lengths. The time of the winner was Sinin. lsec. W ray's collapse was a bitter disappointment to his Northern admirers. Charles Stepheuson, formerly of Auckland and Wellington, has fixed up a match with W. A. Barry, of London. The pair have agreed to row three miles and a quarter on the Tees at Middlesbrough on 9th April for £100 a-side, and on Tuesday each man put up £20 earnest money. LAWSUIT AGAINST THE NEW ZEALAND SKIPPING COMPANY. • The action brought by the owners of wool shipped in Queensland on the Waikato against the New Zealand Shipping Company to recover damages for iujury done to the wool on the voyage, came up before Mr. Justice Bigham on the 4th inst. for argument of preliminary points of law. The shippers alleged that the vessel was not iv a proper condition to carry thes wool by reason of tho insulation of her holds, whereby the heated air in tho holds was unable to escape, and that thereby the wool had been damaged. The compauy contended that it was protected by the clause in the bill of lading excepting the company from liabilty for loss or damage arising from defects, lateut on beginning of voyage or otherwise, of hull, boilers, or machinery. Two questions were decided by Mr. Justice Bigham before the trial of the action— 1. Whether, having regard to the bills of lading, there was an implied term that the parts of the Waikato in which the wool was stowed should bo, when the said wool was shipped, in a proper condition to carry the wool safely on the voyage ; and (2) whether the fact thai they were insulated for use as refrigerating chambers, wheroby the heated air in the holds could not escape, was not a defect within the meaning of the clause in the bill of lading. The learned Judge, after hearing the ltight Hon. 11. H. Asquith, Q.C., and Mr. Scrutton, for the plaintiffs, and Mr. Joseph -"Walton, Q.C., for the defendants, said that in his opinion it. was a most unlikely contract for any cargo owner to agree to that his goods were to be carried upon the terms that the ship was not responsible, although she started on her voyage in an obviously unfit state to car.ry the cargo, and that the words "of the bill of lading did not plaiufy* and distinctly tell the cargo owner that the ship would not be responsible for damages done under such circumstances. He, therefore, gave judgment for the wool owners on both questions, with costs. " THE FLAG THAT HEAVED TTIE BATTLE AXD THE BREEZE." There has been some agitation during the past week in the House of Commons by the Welsh members, headed by Mr. M'Lean, of Cardiff, for the representation of the Arms of Wales upon the Royal Shield and Standard of the United Kingdom, and also upon the Union Jack. Sample flags were exhibited in the House of Commons, the red dragon of Wales being quartered upon the Royal Standard under the Scottish lion, and a Maltese cress being tacked on to the centre of the Union Jack. Mr. M'Lean interrogated the .First Lord of the Treasury as to whether the Government would favourably consider the scheme, and as might have been anticipated, his question led to others by Mr. Faithfull ~Begs, of Glasgow, and Mr. Parker Smith, of Lanark, asking whether the Government could see its way to advise the propriety of a change in the ltoyal Arms embodying a recognition and commemoration of the extension of Her Majesty's territories in the colonies aud India during her reign. A ltoyal Standard which contained quarterings representing the principal countries in the Empire would resemble nothing so much as a crazy-work quilt covered b} r a congested menagerie, and all Anglo-Colonials are, I feel confident, quite satisfied with the old flag, and will approve of Mr. Balfour's answer: "I have the utmost sympathy with the sentiments of Welshmen for their principality. In my belief, there is no antagonism whatever — quite on the contrary — between such sentiments of local patriotism and the wider national and Imperial loyalty. But I think my lion, friends will feel with me that if we alter the Royal Arms many other parts of Her Majesty's dominions besides Wales will have to be considered. As regards the Union Jack, it will be no light matter to alter a flag under which we have fought since the days preceding Trafalgar." Three cheers for the Red, White, and Blue ! I