ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

Evening Post, Volume LX, Issue 119, 16 November 1900, Page 5

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

(From Our Own Correspondent). PERSONAL ITEMS. LONDON, 28th September. Private Wade, of the Second New Zealand Contingent, has been invalided Home for the purpose of undergoing an i operation. He was wounded in the leg i and right hand at Pretoria, and has still the bullet in the muscles of his leg. The medical authorities deem ifc inexpedient to take it out yet. Recent callers at the Agency-General include: — Mr. E. Brock, Bay of Islands; Madame de Launay, of Stratford; Mr. A. Reynolds, of Auckland; Mr. Herbert Edwards, of Oamaru; Mr. Charles Sewell, of Christchureh ; Mr. A, Moderate, of Bennett's Junction, Canterbury; and Mr. John Ross, of Wellington. Mr. and Mrs. T. Fergus have returned to London from Paris, where they had a very pleasant time visiting the Exhibition. They were fortunate in timing their visit simultaneously with that of the twenty- two thousand provincial mayors to Paris, and had the opportunity of being present at the great banquet, probably the largest thing of the kind ever yet successfully attempted. Captain J. Cowell Cooper, of Wellington, returned to London this week from Oxford, and took his departure for New Zealand yesterday by the Shaw, Saviil and Albion steamer Delphic. He tells me that his long tour among the Mediterranean ports was very successful, having resulted in the completely satisfactory establishment of the business relations he sought to initiate. It is probably known in New Zealand that Captain Cooper obtained a lease from the Government of the sponge beds round the Chatham Islands. The principal object of his journey Home was to obtain the necessary information and assistance — including skilled labour — for the working of these sponge beds. This he has now fully accomplished, and sponge production promises to be an important New Zealand. industry of the future. Mr. Edward Patterson, who holds a diploma of the Otago School of Mines, who was formerly a pupil of Professor Ulrich, and who, lately, held an im{jortant mining position in British Coumbia, passed through London last week on his way to South America. He will visit the Argentine Republic, Brazil, Chili, and Peru. The object of his mission is to make a skilled report upon certain valuable mining properties in those countries. Mr. Harold Blundell, of Wellington, has returned to London, and to his studies at the Dental Hospital, after spending the summer vacation very plea.santly. He visited Paris, Brussels, and Antwerp, cycling a considerable part of the intermediate distances. While in Belgium he went to the historic battlefield of Waterloo. The rest of his holiday he spent in cycling in the South of England, where he was charmed with the placid beauty of the country. Just before the beginning of his vacation he acted for three weeks as locum tenens for a leading dentist in Hampstead, acquitting himself very successfully. s Miss L. Halse, of Wellington, returned to London a short time ago from the* Channel Islands, and has since been staying, I hear, with friends at Newhaven. Mr. A. H. Gee, the New Zealand baritone, is fulfilling an engagement at the attractive concerts which are in progress at Blackpool, the Lancashire watering-place, which has of late leaped into such striking popularity. It is announced that Mr. Edward Lloyd, the greatest English tenor of this generation, intends to pay a piofessional visit to New Zealand and Australia before finally retiring from the public concert platform, probably some time next year. • v New Zealand will lose in the new Parliament here one representative in the House of Commons just dissolved. Mr. Faithful Begg has decided not to offer himself for re-election at St. Rollox. Feminine franchise will consequently miss its principal and most energetic advocate in Parliament. In the October issue of her magazine, "The Woman at Home," Annie Swan says: — "I continue to receive many indignant protests from New Zealand regarding the stricture passed by my Blenheim correspondent on the manners and customs of the colony. I am obliged to •Exile,' 'Maori Maid,' 'Indignant Dunedin,' and very specially to the Countess of Seafleld for her exhaustive refutation of 'Blenheim's' charges. I wish I could print her letter in full, but space forbids. She has had long experience of New Zealand, and unhesitatingly proves that ' Blenheim's ' charges are grossly exaggerated, and in many cases absolutely without foundation." New Zealand readers will doubtless remember the series of outrageous misstateinents which " The Woman at Home " published on the authority of that Blenheim correspondent, and which were largely quoted by the British press. Tom Sullivan, the New Zealand oarsman, who is living at Battersea, is said to be anxious to scull again his old opponent, Wag Hording, who, it will be remembered, has beaten him both on the Thames arid on the Tyne. Another New Zealander, Charles Stephenson, is said to be seeking a match with either George Bubear or Sam Emmett, while Bill Barry, the same authority reports, would like to meet Sullivan. So there seems to be no want of life with the rowing fraternity. Under the heading "An Engagement of the Week,'* a well-known London society paper makes the following remarks:—"Much interest is taken by Scottish society in the engagement of Viscount Kelburne to a countrywoman j of his own. Miss Sibyl Mure is very pretty and an heiress. She carried off all the honours of a season in Edinburgh ballrooms before she was presented; and

she has held her pwn splendidly in London, where the number of high-bora Scots girls is only equalled by their beauty and charm. Lord Kelburne is, like his father before him, a sailor, and was lately appointed to the Queen's yacht. Some time ago he had a serious, illness, and relapse after relapse occasioned his parents and friends hotrible anxiety, especially as his brother Edward died only a couple of years ago at Malta. Lord Kelburne looks a typical son of the sea, and, as a matter of fact, has few thoughts that are not connected with his profession. He is just over twenty-six, and bound to get on." Mr. Finch Mason, late of Auckland, galled to see me to-day, and get a little New Zealand news. Since he left the colony eighteen months ago he has had plenty of excitement. Joining the West Somerset Yeomanry, he served under General Rundle at Dewetsdorp, Wepener, Thabanchu, and other places in South Africa, being eventually invalided home in consequence of dysentery. Mr. Mason expects to go back to New Zea- , land shortly. He has now completely recovered his health. Mr. and Mrs. Charles Pharazyn 'have returned to London from the Continent, and have taken a flat at 20, Avenue Mansion, Frognal, West Hampstead, where Mrs. Pharazyn and the family will remain during the winter. Mr. and Mrs. Pharazyn spent some time in Switzerland, where they had some very eni joyable experiences, especially at LvI cerne and Murren. Mr. Charles Pharazyn goes to Scotland to-night to meet Mr. Purvis Russell with reference to the important I land case that has been going on fpr some time in connection with Mr. Russell's property at Hawkes Bay. Shortly after his return to*- London Mr. Pharazyn will leave for New Zealand, but by> a very circuitous and highly interesting route. Starting from London toward the end of October, he goes first 1 to Paris and its Exhibition, theiice across France to Marseilles, and then by the s.s. Arabia to Egypt. He will spend three weeks in Cairo and on the Nile, going as far as the First Cataract. Next he will take steamer onward to Bombay, visiting most of the famous Indian cities, including Delhi, Benares, and Calcutta. From the last-named port he will sail for Ceylon. Arriving at Colombo on the 20th December, Mr. Pharazyn has arranged to meet there his daughter, Mrs. Stratton Izard, #ho proceeds thither from England,.by the P. and O. s.s. Arcadia. Mr. Pharazyn and Mrs. Stratton Izard go forward in the Arcadia to Australia on the way to New Zealand, and are due 'to reach Wellington about the middle of January. Mr. Pharazyn goes to New Zealand merely for a trip, and will stay only two months in the colony, so as to be 1 back in England again by next May. » Mr. and Mrs. Louis Pharazyn have been for some time at Biarritz, one of the most delightful of Continental seaside places, situated near the FrancoSpanish frontier, and at the foot of the Pyrenees. They were thoroughly enjoying it, and the pleasant air pf the Bay of Biscay, when Mr. Louis Pharazyn was unfortunately seized with illness, wHich developed into a severe attack of tonsilitis. From this he is still suffering*, but according to the latest advices he is now making rapid improvement toward convalescence. Fortunately his wife is with him, but this unlucky episode of illness has unavoidably somewhat spoiled what otherwisa was a yery pleasant tour. LONDON, sth October. The Rev. Alexander Gordon, M.A;, of Egremont, and President of the Liverpool Baptist Union, who sails shortly to take a charge at Dunedin, is a Scotchman, born in Glasgow, and educated at the Free Church Normal Aca3emy in that city and Glasgow University. Mr. Gordon purposes leaving England for Genoa, there to join the s.s. Barbarossa, which sails on the 22nd instant. Dr. Boor, late of Nelson, was in London last week. I learn that he means to settle permanently in this country. Mr. and Mrs. W. F. Barraud are still staying at Montague-place, Russell-square. They go into Northamptonshire next week to spend a few days with friends there, after which they may perhaps pay another visit to Worcestershire and possibly to Suffolk. Their present intention is to start on their return journey to New Zealand early in November, going by way of Belgium and Germany to Genoa or Marseilles, where they will join their steamer. Mr. J. Mitchell, architect, of Auckland, who has just returned to London from the North of Ireland, took steps while in Belfast to induce some of the most skilled workmen there to go in for the flax machinery bonus offered by the New Zealand Government. He also thinks there iB an opening for. the growth of flax in the colony — not phormium tenax, but other varieties. Mr. Mitchell is loaded up -with information on all sorts of subjects, and has paid particular attention to drainage matters, rubbish destruction, and sanitation generally. The Hon. W. Rolleston is in to^n saying goo.d-bye to his friends. No further alterations ip his plans have been made. MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS. At a meeting of the Colonial Missionary Society it was agreed to co-operate with the Congregational Union of New Zealand in a Forwa«i 'Movement at Palmerston North. Through the kindness of the committee of the Congregation Union of England and Wales the lantern transparencies* of that Union are to be exhibited throughout the Australasian colonies, -beginning with Queensland. It is stated that the White Star Shipping Company is about to place two additional steamers in the frozen meat trade between the Australasian colonies and London, and that they will, be put in hand ' immediately by Messrs. Harland and Wolff, of Belfast, who build all the White Star boats. The new steamers are to be of 13,000 tons each. ' Several invalided colonial troopers lately returned from South "Africa were entertained on Monday by the management of the Royal Duchesjs Theatre, Bnlham. "Sweet Lavender" was the play of the evening, and the visitors were welcomed in a speech from Mr. Edward Terry. New Zealand was represented by Corpl. Brown. Arrangements are being made by' the British Empire League again this Winter for a series of free lectures descriptive of the different portions of the British Empire.- New Zealand is to form the subject of one of these lectures. It is not yet announced who is to be the lecturer. Attention is called in the circular of the Emigration information Office at Westminster to the fact that there is "plenty of work in New Zealand." Mr. E. M. Clissold, writing to the Spectator, finds a curious analogy between fhe Boers and the Maoris in their interpretation of the Old Testament. An old Maori teaoher of his, he stvys, assured him that the Maoris were the descendants of the ancient Israelites, that Auckland was to be their Jerusalem, to which the Maoris would be gathered, and there live in happiness, the pakeha being driven into the sea. Reverting to a humorous statement that in New Zealand half the people are engaged governing the othen naif, a correspondent of the Daily Chronicle holds that the Government service in New Zea-

• land is "certainly one of the most efficient in the world." On a rough calculation he finds thav one person in every eighty only draws pay from the Government. On Tuesday last the annual meeting of the New Zealand Shipping Company was held at the offices, Leadenhall-street, Sir Edwyn Dawes presiding. As usual, the r proceedings were private, but I understand that the report, which I have already sent you, was agreed to. This afternoon at tho Cannon-streeb Hotel a meeting of shareholders in the "New Zealand Joint Stock Company was held. The meeting was a, statutory one, the iirst after reconsbruction. The Chairman reported that all the shares were now 10.s fully paid ; he expected a .good dividend would be declared early next year.