LONDON LETTER.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 74, 30 March 1910, Page 3

LONDON LETTER.

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES. EMPIRE CHOIR TOUR. (From Our Own Correspondent.)! LONDON. 18th February. Describing a fashionable gambling hou ? e in tho vicinity of Grosvenor-f-quare, Modern Society remarks :—: — "There is one young peel, now compnlsorily rus-ticating in New Zealand, who lost eight thousand pounds in a fcingle evening. That he lost this money fairly no one who knows anything of the place believes for a moment. But i nothing could be detected, much less proved. . . . The men are drawn from almost every class of society, and are of all ages. Soldiers, sailors, authors, dramatists, and barristers are all to be peen clustered round these table? with the lust for gold upon their faces." BANGIUIA ON MAORI ROMANCE. Rangiuia, the Maori singer, who is taking London Society by stoim, ha£ told an interviewer that his aim is the founding of an Academy of Music in New Zealand. While the march of civilisation may be improving the Maori's financial position,' yet Rangiuia thinks that their romantic characteristics aie fast being destroyed. He said: "Give me some of my greai-uncles in preference io tome of my cousins of the present day. Give me the Maori as he used to be, and not as he is now, for the two men are very different. I worship the Maori of the* past. He was fine physically and mentally ; but habits have been acquir ed which have altered the nature of the people, and make for loss of manliness. Although from my childhood I have been English in my training and associations, yet I do not suppose there is any one of my countrymen who has a stronger feeling of affection for tli-e old Maori life than I have. But the romance of tne past is fast slipping away." Special interest will attach io the book on the Maori Legends of New Zealand which 13 being written by the Baroness de Bertouche from details! supplied by Rajigiuia. All his songs are taken from these beautiful folk tales and set to music of his own composition. TITLES OF BARONETS. The issue of a Royal warrant under the Mgn manual in connection with the "preservation of the dignity of the baronetage," and the "prevention of abuses touching the status" has aroused much speculation as to the individuals likely to be moef- affected by the new regulation?. There are upwards of a Thousand baronets mentioned in tho Court directories, but it is held that the claim* of many of the persons therein specified as the possessors of titles are not sound in lavr. One gentleman, who is an authority on such .matters, said that the setting up of an official roll of baronets may be a severe blow to many people who are now enjoying the imaginary status of the baronetcy. There are cases in which it is more than doubtful whether the title was ever conferred at all. PROPERTIES OF NEW ZEALAND SAND. Specimens of sand from various parts of the world were exhibited at the Royal Institution oil Friday, when Mr. C. E. S. PuilHds delivered a lecture on "Electrical ana Other Properties of Sand." He pointed out that the socalled black iron«ai-d from New Zealand consisted almost entirely of magnetite; and on account of the regularity of iti grains, and their highly magnetic character, and freedom from dust, it was particularly useful in the laboratory for tracing lines of magnetic force. Having demonstrated the fact that considerable charges of electricity could be obtained by the simple device of letting grain* of sand fall upon a suitable substance, Mr. Phillips stated that white rand racing over ironsand gave only a feeble electrification. This was mentioned as of interest- in connection with the atmospheric electrical phenomena which often accompanied sandstorms in hot climates. TROUT FROM NEW ZEALAND. It is announced by Country Life that * .ye. yer y. interesting experiment is to be tried in the Blagdon reservoir, near Bristol— the introduction into it of a large number of trout from New Zealand. It is pointed out that this is a reversal of the earlier policy of sending out English trout to the "Antipodes, where they have grown to such great aize in some of the rivers and lakes. It will be curious to watch whether the race of New Zealand giants will have the effect of increasing the size of the native stock. Doubt is expressed as to whether this will happen— or for more than a generation ahead, because . tho growth of fish is largely dependent on the food supply. But, should it ever so far succeed, an interesting result will j have been arrived at. The Blagdon re- ] •ervoir is already a well-stocked water. AN EMPIRE CHOIR. Dr. Charles Harriss has now returned from his tour of the oversea States, and has made complete arrangements ' for the great musical festival throughout the Empire, which is io take place next year. In explanation of this remarkable musical enterprise, Dr. Harriss told an interviewer : — "By the time we sail from England, in 1911, ij, will have ! taken me just ten years to get round the world with my project and to settle the details. But, mind you, this coming tour is not the end for which all these years I have been working. It is only the initial step, the 'foundation-stone ceremony' of musical reciprocity within the Empire." When first announced, the idea of taking a chorus of 200 voices round the world seemed like a scheme of a mad man. But during the last six months reports have come from overseas dominions testifying to the heartiness and enthusiasm with which Dr. Harriss's project has .been received. Everywhere the Canadian — he might be called Imperial — musician has met with whole-hearted support not only from prof essional - and amateur music-lovers, but from prominent civic and administrative authorities. Not content with any written or cabled assurances of goodwill, Dr. Harriss has visited the various countries of the Empire himself to ascertain the true feeling towards his idea, and to sow the aeed of artistic onion. On overy side he found not only a passive, but an astonishingly active interest in his plans. Dr. Harriss intends to sail about the last week of March, 1911, with 200 members of the Sheffield Choir, for Canada. With them will go their wellknown chorus-master, Dr. Henry Coward, who, together with Dr. Harriss, will conduct jointly the festivals to be given. EMPIRE'S ITINERARY. AH being well, the tour will taice about six months, the choir returning at the end of September. The Oversea Dominions will be visited in the following order: — Canada, New Zealand, Tasmania, Australia, and South Africa, and from Cape Colony home, disembarking at Southampton. Roughly speaking, a month will be spent in each countrj , though a lunger.period will be passed m Canada and Australasia, in the latter continent the visit extending to 36 days. With the choir will go some orchestral players, several prominent soloists, aad

a double vocal quartette party. But both the choralists and the instrumentalists will be augmented in many places by local forces for certain works, such as "Messiah" and 'Elijah," thus bringing •bout that artistic intercourse between British musk-lovers which is the basis of Dr. Harriss's reciprocity scheme. NEW ZEALAND ASSOCIATION. On Wedneiday e%ening tho .annual meeting was held of the New Zealand Association; it took plac* at the Westminster Palace Hotel, Major II H. Bridge presiding over a good attendance, which included— Messrs. C Wray Pal1 User, J. A. Mason, F. 11. Nuding, C. ! Hale, J. J. Boak, E. M- Kennaway, S. T. Fannin. A letter was read from Mr. J. P. Whiwlaw, resigning his Do*ition as nun. secretary of the association. j The resignation was accepted with regret, and the meeting passed a resolution thanking him for his past 6«rvkew. The High Commissioner was reappointcd president of the association. The following vice-presidents were re-elected : —Hon. W. Pember Reeves, Sir Walter Kennivray, Sir E. M. Nelson, the Hon. R. Oliver, Sir Lambert Ormsby, Major | H. H. Bridge. The following old members of the committee of management were re-elecied : — Messrs. J. W. Parkinson, J. J. Boak, J. A. Maeon, C. Hale, E. M. Kennaway, A. M'Nab, F. H. Nudiug, C. Wray Palh^er, Is. Sayer, and H. L. Less.