ABOUT PEOPLE.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVI, Issue 142, 15 December 1908, Page 3

ABOUT PEOPLE.

NOTES FROM LONDON. GOVERNOR HOBSON'S DAUGHTER. THE BISHOP OF STEPNEY. (From Our Ovvn Correspondent.) LONDON, 6th November. The death at Pcnlcs House, Stoke Damerel, on Thursday, of Miss Mary Esther Hobson, recalls the first and farsighted Governor of New Zealand, Captain W. Hobson, R.N., of whom she was the daughter. After the death of Captain Hobson in New Zealand, thp family settled, down in England, the deceased having lived the greater part of her life at Stoke. In her younger days she was a fine horsewoman, and £Jhe always had a great love for animals. She was one of the old generous school of presidents who fully felt the 1 lesponsibihty of having mean*. .Slit: was a supporter of the parish church, and always responded most liberally, although unobtrusively, to all deserving charities. The St. Bartholomew Men's Club was practically founded by her. She will be greatly missed by the poor of the parish. Miss Hobson's brother, the late Captain W. Hobson, li.N., is distinguished! for his work in the West Indies. Her sister married Sir Alexander Rendel, consulting engineer to the India Office. I mentioned last week that the Bight Reverend the Bishop of Stepney had been invited to become Bishop of Montreal, in succession to the late Bishop Carniichael. He has replied expressing regret that he cannot accept, the honour. The widespread popularity of the Bishop of Stepney ana the remarkable success which has attended his work have always besn considered as ulti- ' matey marking him out for a larger sphere. But the acceptance by him of tho request that he should pay a visit to Australia and New Zealand was in no Eente looked upon as an indication that he might find his ultimate destiny across the Hcas At n mass meeting of the Church of England Glen's Society, the Bishop of Stepney referred to his acceptance of the Australasian invitation. He then paid that during, the Lambeth Conference many bishops in many parts of tho world asked him to go out and explain what the movement meant. Had he accepted all the invitations he would have been hard, at work as a globe-trotter for two or three yiear^. but he felt he could not refuse the invitation of Australia and NewZealand. He made it quite clear that he was not going out merely or primarily m connection with any suggested imrisftion oi help, or even as a delegate' of the Men's, Society. Tho bishops, he said, had asked him to go out from the men of this country, especially the churchmen, and makp an appeul eimplj and. solely for the men of these now nations of the Anglo-Saxon race. Sir James Mills and Mr. J. M. Ritchie were guests, at the annual dinner of th« Institute of Marine Engineers, held at the Holborn Restaurant last week. The President of the year, Mr. James Denny, was in the chair, and there was an unusually large and representative gathering. Thoso present numbered about 400, and included : Lord Inverclyde, Sir Thomas Sutherland (I\ and 0. Company), Sir James Mackay (British India Company) and other prominent members of the shipping world. The Board of Trade was represented by Sir William Ho well, X.C.8., and Captain Chalmer, and the Admiralty by Admiral Fremantle and Admiral Engineer Oram. Sir William While, the "Hon. C. A. Pafrsons, and Sir Jforteseue Flannery were al.«o present. Altogether it was ono of the most successful functions of its kind held for a long while. What is regarded by artists as the portrait exhibition of London, that under the auspices of 'the tiocicty of Portrait Painters, has just been opened. The number of pictures is limited to 150, and as some of its fifty members may exhibit two canvases, or three if they chose, and ac some other artists are invited to send canvases, it 's plain that ordinary outside exhibitors have littlo chance of showing any of their work at this particular exhibition. This year there is one New Zealand artist — Miss Grace Joel (Dunedin) who has had a large portrait accepted; the subject is a young girl, In harmonies of •pink ; this picture has a place of honour on the line. Miss Jo«l has many friends in New Zealand, who will learn with interest of her recent success. Sir Richard Douglas Powell occupied the chair at the ordinary quarterly •meeting of the -Royal College oi Physicians of London-, Jast Thursday, wheu a number of candidates for the College Licence, having conformed) to the bylaws and regulations, and passed the required examinations, had licences to practise physic granted to them. In the list I notice the following names: — H. C. R. Darling, University College (Oamaru, N.Z.) ; C. 0. Lillie (New Zealand and Middlesex), E. L. W. Mandel (Guy's Hospital), and J. W. Adams (Oambndigo and St. Bartholomew's Hospital). I After thirty years of song on the public platform, Madame Albani— favourite vocalist of the late Queen Victoria is preparing to appear at the leading variety theatres in England and Scotland. The famous singer will receive what is believed to be the highest salary ever paid in vaudeville. She will probably start at Glasgow, where she will fulfil a fortnight's engagement at a salary of £1000. Madame Albani is the greatest oratorio singer and prima donna to go upon the English vaudeville stage. Thirty years ago such a- step as this lady is now taking would have come as a thunderbolt to' the musical world, but things have changed since then, and it is not improbable that other famous singers will follow her example. The Rev. W. E. Paige, formerly Anglican clergyman at Masterton, has died at Paignton, at the age of 72. He was educated at Merton College, Oxford, where he graduated. Hg was ordained in 1859, and acted as curate of St. James's, Plymouth, from 1859 to 1861. He was subsequently chaplain of the gaol and headmaster of the grammar pchool in Antigua, West Indies, until 1868, when he- became incumbent of All Souls', Antigua. From 1880 to 1894 he was incumbent of St. Matthew's, Masterton, and from 1894 to 1899 he took an active share in the work of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. Dr. J. A. Macdonell, of Hastings, Hawkes Bay, will be the surgeon of the Shaw, Savill and Albion Company s steamer Mamari when she leaves for New Zealand on 2nd December. This .veek the callers at the London office of the New Zealand Government have included : — Mr. and Mrs. F. Tay lor (Auckland) and Miss Taylor, Mr. J. Clark (architect of the Auckland Town Hall), Mr. E. A. Ogle (Auckland), Mr. and Mrs. J. King (Dunedin), Mr. Ernest Pall, Miss Henriquette Maud (Napier), Mr J. Rose (Wellington) and Mr. A. B. Rose, Mrs. W. H. Vinsen (Westport) and Mr. Vinaen, Mr. J. Smith

(Canterbury), Mr. J. H. Wood (Christchurch). It is stated to be the intention of Mr. and Mrs. E. J. Hylton (Wellington) to return to New Zealand by the steamer lonic, leaving London on 12th December. Miss Lenore Pulsford, tho. popular Wellington soprano, who has been studying for some time under Madame Jan- j sen, in Melbourne, was disappointed in her expectation of finding a vacancy under the tuition of Handegger, the Italian master. She hus, however, made arrangements to commence her studies under a very eminent tutor, Madame Minna Fischer, one of the teachers of Ada Crossley, Beatrica Miranda, and Amy Castles. Mr. G. Clutsam is Madame Fischer's accompanist. Miss Pulsford ha 3 a flat with some Australian friends at Maida Vale. Mr. O. Gore Adams, son of Mr. C. W. .Adams, of the Hutt, has just returned to London with his wife from a sojourn in the Republic of Colombia, South America, where he had control of a mining property for an English proprietary. Mr. Adams is now going out to Australia to report on some mines there for an English syndicate. He will leave with Mrs. Adams in the s.s. Orotava on the 14th inst.