OUR LONDON LITTER

Evening Star, Issue 7247, 25 June 1887, Page 1 (Supplement)

OUR LONDON LITTER

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES,

[From Our Own Correspondent.]

London, May sth. The Prince of Wales having expressed a wish that the Conference folks and all distinguished colonists now in England should make a point of being present at Sir F. Abel's lecture on the scope and purposes of the Imperial Institute, it was fully expected there would be a large and brilliant attendance at the Royal Institution last Friday. But even the Royal fat seems unable to rouse pubhc interest in this unfortunate scheme. The Agents-General (most of them turned up, as in duty bound) and a few Colonial Viceroys and Conference delegates were sprinkled about the room, but the company generally could not truthfully be styled either influential or representative. H.R.H. looked, as he doubtless felt, out of temper, and, if one may use such an expression about an heir-apparent, I should say he snapped at Sir John Somers Vine when that blowsy personage wriggled himself into notice. Vine, I may remark, en passant, has not, so far, taken any steps to clear himself of the serious and definite charges brougut against him in the ‘ Financial News,’ and ’tis scarcely wonderful that people are beginning to look rather coldly on the man. His association with the Institute is, at any rate a most unlucky fact, and the Prince probably begins to realise it. Abel’s lecture is far too long to quote. The following, however, contains its substance :—The lecturer began by saying that the Colonial and Indian Exhibition, which owed not only its conception but its brilliantly successful realisation to His Royal Highness, would be pre-eminently remarkable in times to come for having achieved many results of vital importance and of the highest benefit to Her Majesty’s subjects in all-parts of her vast realms. The Imperial Institute must not be confined in its objects to particular portions of the Queen’s dominions; it must be made thoroughly representative of the interests and of the unity of the whole Empire. It aimed at very much more than the creation and maintenance of collections illustrative of the natural resources of our colonies and India aud of the development and present condition of the chief industries of different parts of the Empire. It would be a place of resort and a rendezvous for colonists visiting England, the scene of conferences on matters of common interest, and for the cultivation of intimate relations and goodfellowship between ourselves and our brethren from all parts of the Empire. It would promote a better knowledge of the geography, natural history, and the resources of our colonies. Sketching then the great strides that have been made in the last fifty years in the application of science to the purposes of daily life, he urged the necessity for further technical education, and pointed out how this work would be aided by the establishment of an educational branch of the Intelligence Department of the Imperial Institute; how, through its aid, commercial education could be improved and knowledge could be diffused through the instrumentality of commercial institutes, the establishment of a system of correspondence, the organisation of emigration, and the systematic collection and distribution of information relating to industries. The Prince of Wales: You are well aware of the deep interest I take in this Institute. lam anxious that it should be a memorial of the Jubilee of Her Majesty the Queen, and at the same time a memorial which will be of great use to this country, and which will cement still further the good feeling which I trust will always exist between the Mother Country, her colonies, and India.” At the final meeting of the Indian and Colonial Exhibition on Saturday, a surplus of L 35.235 was announced, L25,0000f which will go to the funds of the Imperial Institute, and L 5,961 to meet the deficit on the Inventions show. The reports and accounts will be published directly they have been presented to Her Majesty. Mr Walter Bentley, who is well known in New Zealand, has just reappeared, after a long absence, on the stage of his native town, Edinburgh. On Tuesday evening the delegates dined at the Mansion House with the Lord Mayor and the City Fathers. The usual set (Sir H. Holland, Mr Stanhope, Lord Lome, Lord Belmore, etc., etc.), of whom they must be getting pretty tired, were asked to meet them, and most of the speeches were of the stereotyped complimentary pattern. Lord Rosebery alone struck a new vein by cursorily suggesting that the colonies should be represented in the House of Lords. He then caused much laughter by some sly hits at the recent rows in the House of Commons. It would not do, he said, for innocent colonial representatives to sit in our Lower Chamber; they might get corrupted. But in the Lords they would be safe. These jests did not meet with the approval of Mr Speaker, who was present, and who, in a dignified tone, hoped and trusted the colonies had an undying love and respect for the House of Commons. He should say little, except that he was sure every gentleman present felt that anything that could reflect upon the House of Commons was a dishonor to himself. Personally, he should regard as an enemy any man who made an assault on its character or impaired its glorious traditions. Mr Deakin was the only Australian who spoke. In the House of Lords on Monday evening the Prime Minister was questioned by the Earl of Harrowby on the prolonged French occupation of the New Hebrides, notwithstanding the engagement in concert with the English Government that neither Power should annex the islands, Lord Salisbury, in a guarded answer, referred to the earnest assurances of the French Government that they had no intention of permanently occupying they New Hebrides, and that they were ready to withdraw upon satisfactory arrangements being made to guard against the recurrence of outrages, A proposal had been before them for some time from Her Majesty’s Government ; and the French Ambassador, he understood, was likely to leave an important despatch on the subject at the Foreign Office this week. Remarks expressive of disappointment at the delay were made by the Earls of Rosebery and Carnarvon, Earl Granville, also joining in the conversation, expressed the hope that the communication from the French Government would prove satisfactory to England and the colonies. The same evening Commander Bethell asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether upon further consideration, and having in view the great importance to people in this country of an authentic and easily accessible source of information as to the state and progress of the various colonies, he would have any objection to requesting the Governors of the self-governing as well as other colonies to furnish an annual report of the countries over which they respectively ruled. Sir H. Holland, in reply, said that in self-governing colonies the Ministers are responsible for the preparation of the annual report on those colonies, and it would not bo desirable to require the Governors of those colonies to furnish their own reports in addition. The Colonial Government reports are very full and able, and, although they are too voluminous to reprint in England as Parliamentary papers, he should endeavor to make arrangements for placing them, as soon as they are received, in the libraries of the Houses of Parliament.

On Monday evening Mr Henniker Heaton elicited two facts from the Postmaster - General in the House of Commons of interest to the public. Letters are carried to Australasia and New Zealand ports by fast, powerful, punctual, and regular sailing steamships (not under contract) for Id each; but the public are charged 6d each letter, in order to compel them to patronise the expensive lines, for which a heavy subsidy is paid. He also learnt that not less than 25,000 newspapers which are posted for the colonies and India are not forwarded because of insufficient postage or other irregularities. The mass of these publications are destroyed. In a letter to the ‘ Daily Telegraph ’ Mr Heaton says : “I do not expect to carry Imperial penny postage at a bound ; but my complaint is that the PostmasterGeneral has signed, or is about to sign, a contract to pay a heavy subsidy for the conveyance of Indian and Australian mails for the next ten years and seven years respectively, and thus to close the doors of reform in the direction of cheap postage for that period.”

The ‘Temps,’ which is the official organ of the French Government, in an article on the New Hebrides question, declares that there are three solutions passible, viz., the declaration of their absolute independence ; a protectorate by one Power or -the other ; and, finally, a joint surveillance by Franco and England over the islands, which would in that ease remain independent. The journal thinks the third plan will be adopted with some slight modifications, I saw Mr J. C. Brown, M,H.R., of Tuapeka, the other day, and was glad to learn from him that the prospects of his projected company are on the whole considered excellent by competent authorities. The Bank of New Zealand is lending Mr Brown every assistance, and Bcrymgours (the New Zealand loan brokers), who are a great power in such matters, seem inclined to back him up with their influence. Mr Brown spends what leisure time he can spare in the galleries of the House of Commons. He had just heard John Morley orate when I saw him, and confessed himself not greatly impressed with the late Irish Chief Secretary. Mr Brown avers, indeed (and, from all I have heard, with sound discrimination), that as a parliamentary speaker, your Premier (Sir Robert Stout) is far superior to many of the fashionable and flashy orators of the Imperial Parliament.

At the meeting of the Eastern Extension Australasia and China Telegraph Company on the 27th inst, Mr Pender referred to the discussion which had arisen between the New Zealand Government and the Company as to the renewal of the subsidy by the Colony. There was, he said, no doubt that the Company gained the battle, but it was of no use contending against a Government unnecessarily. Seeing the inconvenience they would have caused, not only to the community of New Zealand, they had acted on the suggestion of Sir Dillon Bell by adopting the status quo ante, so as to enable the Parliament of New Zealand, which was now about to meet, to deal with the question. He hoped that the liberal course taken by the Company would be appreciated by the colonial Parliament. Mr C. E. Haughton, of Dunedin, is visiting friends at Rochester. He goes abroad shortly on a trip to Brussels, Germany, and Italy. In the course of his speech at the annual meeting of the Orient Company, the chairman incidentally mentioned three facts of interest to travelling Antipodeans, The first was that the boilers and engines of the Lusitania (which, though one of the oldest, is one of the most comfortable boats in the service) have been renewed at an expense of L 30.680, and that this steamer can in consequence now keep up an average of fourteen knots. (2) That the Company are well satisfied with the Ormuz, which has fully answered expectations in the matter of speed. The directors had heard that day of her arrival at idea for Adelaide, the distance having been accomplished at an average of fifteen knots. The contract price paid for this vessel was L 205,000. (N.B. —Remembering that a few years back steamers of the Iberia and Liguria class cost over L 200.000, this sounds cheap). (3) That the loss of LBO,OOO incurred by the Company through the foundering of the Austral had been recouped ; and, moreover, the vessel was now in every respect doing well and enjoying the confidence of the travelling public. Mr Honniker Heaton favored last Sunday’s ‘ Observer’ with one of those phenomenally long letters on the Imperial penny postage scheme for which he has become famous. After reading it carefully I cannot see that any new arguments are advanced. Mr Heaton’s contention continues to be that his scheme would not merely be an inestimable boon to all sorts and conditions of men, but would pay. He could prove this, he feels sure, if the Post Office would only open their ledgers to him and show Him what they take. Unfortunately, this is just what the Post Office won’t do. Mr H. hopes, however, to persuade the Conference to make them.

A very important meeting of the Colonial Institute will be held at Prince’s Hall, Piccadilly, on the 10th May, when Mr G. BadenPowell, C.M.G., will read a paper on “ Colonial Government Securities.” Sir F. D. Bell and Sir Graham Berry are expected to speak, aud most of the delegates have signified their intention of being present.

The balance-sheet of the Indian and Colonial Exhibition, which is now to hand, reveals some interesting and instructive facts. We learn, for example, that out of a total expenditure of L 215,218 no less than L 55,611 went in wages and salaries. Sir Phillip Cunliffe Owen was paid LSOO, whilst he also drew his official salary of L 950 as director of South Kensington Museum, and, in order to cover these duties, L 420 was paid to certain of the staff of the Museum by an arrangement with the Treasury. With this exception it is impossible to tell what individuals received. The electric lighting bill was very heavy, amounting to the prodigious total of L 32,787. The colonial wine room resulted in a loss of L 984, and the notable artisans’ admission scheme of Sir Somers Vino cost L 2,131. Who paid for the countless champagne luncheons, dinners, and suppers at which Sir Cunliffe Owen invariably presided so genially, we are left to conjecture. 1 The Times,’ commenting on the fact that the Indian and Colonial Exhibition surplus is to be applied to the funds of the Imperial Institute, says: “ The scheme appears to us to be fair and reasonable. The Imperial Institute is the successor and natural heir of the Indian and Colonial Exhibition. It includes, in its more comprehensive design, the same purpose as that of the Exhibition, but carries it out in-a better way. .Our hope is that it may be attended with the same success. The chief doubt at present is whether the needful funds will be forthcoming. Lord Derby, in asserting the claims of the Institute, was forced to acknowledge that the appeals made to the public have not been met as well as might have been desired. Sir Francis Dillon Bell added his regret that the colonies had not given the support they should have done. But there is yet time for all deficiencies to be made up. The surplus contributed out of the net profits of the Indian aud Colonial Exhibition will be a welcome addition to the funds required for the Imperial Institute. The Prince of Wales has the first right to a voice in the matter, and in adopting his suggestion as to the disposal of the money, the Commission have come to a resolve which public opinion will approve. Mr J. B. Gilfilan, of Auckland, who came home by the Sutlej last month, is at present staying with friends in Edinburgh. He has already paid visits to Liverpool and Aberdeen, and purposes coming to London in a week or two.

Mr Orchardson’s famous picture of the “ First Quarrel ” which is one of the leading attractions of the Royal Academy this year, has been sold to the Melbourne Art Gallery for L 2,300. The ‘ Anglo-New Zealander and Australian Times ’ (which is now under the full control of Mr Philip Mennell, and the best informed Anglo-colonial newspaper ever issued in London) has to-day a lithographed portrait and biographical sketch of Sir Arthur Blyth. Sir Walter Boiler has presented a Hura bird to the Zoological Society. Sala lectures on his colonial experiences at St. James’s Hall on the 11th prox. A special collection of the works of Sir Oswald Brierly, who accompanied the Duke of Edinburgh on his colonial tour, are being exhibited in Bond street. They include several Antipodean studies.

Mr Heaton asked a number of the delegates to dine with him at the House on Monday week, but, strange to say, only Sir P. A. Jennings and Sir R. Wisdom put in an appearance. The party, however, was graced by the company of the Home Secretary, the Postmaster-General, Mr Chaplin, Mr Pnleston, and Sir C. Russell, Our own Henniker is getting on. I hear that, by the way, he meditates a trip to Sydney during the recess. The degree of Doctor of Divinity has been conferred by Glasgow University on the Rev. J. Dunlop, of Dunedin. I have just heard that the mahogany case containing Sir Pertab Singh’s jewels, which were believed to have been looted by a steward during the confusion prevailing at the wreck of the P. and 0. Tasmania, have been recovered. They were in the bullionroom all the time.

F. H. Dougall, the notorious next-of-kin agent, who has for years advertised as “ P. H. Dougall and Co., of 67 Strand,” was, at Bow street, yesterday, charged on

several counts with obtaining money on false pretences One of the prosecutors was a M r Fisher, An uncle of his died somewhere in Australia several years back. The defendant pretended to have discovered that the deceased died in South Australia, and had left money. Prosecutor paid him seven shillings, when it transpired that the South Australian Fisher was no relative. He specially told the defendant his uncle’s name was Thomas Fisher, whereas the South Australian Fisher appeared to have been christened “ John,” Defendant pleaded that his business was a legitimate one, and offered to produce his books as proof thereof. Case adjourned. In the House of Lords on Tuesday evening Lord Onslow, in answer to Viscount Sidmouth, regretted that there had been some delay in the publication of the new regulations relating to the employment and remuneration of naval and military officers serving in the colonies. He explained, however, that copies of the papers containing them had been placed in the hands of the members of die Colonial Conference, and that the latter had expressed satisfaction with the arrangement. which they said had long been desired, and would be of great service to the colonies. At the meeting of the Eastern and Australian Telegraph Company on Wednesday Mr Pender ridiculed in unmeasured terms Mr Heuniker Heaton’s notion that a shilling tariff between England and Australia would ever pay. Mr William Dunckley Paine, the wellknown colonial broker, formerly of Mincing lane, leaves (according to the ‘ City Press ’) personal estate amounting to L 30,000. The Mercantile Bank of Australia announce the issue of 25,000 shares of L 5 each, with L2 called up, at the price of L2 5s per share, payable 10s on application and LI 15s on June 1.

Mr R. H. Long’s famous mare Dame Agnes, with which the Australian sportsman won several important two-year-old races in ISS4-, and hoped to carry off the Oaks in Lonely’s year, has been sent to Barcaldine on a visit, and will be shipped for Australia early in June. She is, of course, intended to join Mr Long’s stud. It is authoritatively announced that at the conclusion of the Hare and Kendal partnership next year Mr and Mrs Kendal will start on a prolonged professional tour of the world, taking the Australian colonies first, and then America. No definite arrangements have as yet been concluded, but it is probable they will be accompanied by one or two members of the St. James’s Theatre company to support them in leading characters. The repertoire will include most of the big successes of the Hare and Kendal management. The silly and rather captious complaint which Mr Deakin continually makes re English newspapers ignoring Australian affairs draws forth from the ‘ World’ the following comment; —“ If we are to accept the testimony of Mr Deakin, who was their principal spokesman at the St. George’s Club, their sole ground of remonstrance is that they do not find enough about themselves and their doings in the English newspapers. The English newspapers, they asseverate, have plenty to say about foreign countries, but about the British colonies they have hardly anything to say, except on the occasion of some such trivial event as a cricket match. In Victoria, for example, Mr Deakin assures us the Press gives full information concerning every social and political movement in the Mother Country, and he asks how it is that the Press of the Mother Country should be so unmindful of its duties and responsibilities as to fail to chronicle with equal particularity the political and social movements of Victoria ? We venture to imagine that there are several causes which tend to account for this deplorable phenomenon. It is possible that the contemporary history of a community numbering between thirty and forty millions may in itself be a subject of greater and more general interest than the contemporary history of a community numbering a little over one million, assuming that they have both of them arrived at the same or a similar stage of civilisation. If we may hazard the conjecture without presumption, we should expect, with some approach to confidence, that a convulsion of Nature which submerged the British Isles would be regarded by mankind at large as an event of graver import than a convulsion of Nature which submerged the colony of Victoria. We would even go so far as to affirm that the contemporary history of several European nations—such as Germany, or Russia, or France is, in some respects, of more serious moment to us than the contemporary history of Victoria.” At the meeting on Tuesday of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, Sir John Gorst said when he looked back to the condition of New Zealand and Australia twenty-five years ago, and looked back at their condition now, he was filled with astonishment at the progress which Christianity had made there. Sir Win. Fitzherbert, Sir John Downer, and the other colonial delegates, attended the levee on Monday, and were formally “ received at Court” by H.R.H. the Prince of Wales. I'OSTHCKIPT. London, May 6. The delegates visited Woolwich yesterday in order to inspect the Government Telegraph Depot there. Mr Raikes ciceroned the party, whe partook of lunch on board H.M.S. Monarch. Sir James Lorimer, in responding to a complimentary toast, commented on the undefended state of the Thames, and said he thought Victoria could set the Mother Country a lesson. Certainly Melbourne was far better defended than London. Sir Wm. Fitzherbert formally proposed Mr Raikes’s health. Amongst the new M.A.s of Cambridge are Mr A. C. Gifford, of New Zealand, and Mr Thos. Giles, of South Australia Mr Richard Waddington’s ‘ Colonial Experiences in Australia and New Zealand’ have just appeared in pamphlet form.