OUR LONDON LETTER.

Evening Star, Issue 7344, 17 October 1887, Page 3

OUR LONDON LETTER.

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES,

London, September?. DISTINGUISHED VISITORS. Lady Molesworth and the Hon. Charles Molesworth sail for Australia by tho Coptic on Friday. The same vessel will pick up Lord and Lady Carnarvon and young Lord Porchestcr at Cape Town, The Carnarvon return Home via San Francisco. A RTOUY ABOUT THE "COLINDIES." Now that the lips of the "Colindies" officials arc unsealed some strange stories are going tho rounds relative to the attempts of British exhibitors to obtain space there. "There seems," says the 'St. James's Gazette,' "to have sprung up at South Kensington a class of exhibitors' agents ready to go anywhere and fill up any corner—no matter in what court, or as representing what Colony. The representative of the Cape Commissioner tells us that one man wanted space for crystal to demonstrate its manufacture into lenses. He was ready to sign a declaration on oath that the crystals came from Caledon (in the Western province of tho Colony), and that to refuse him would be to ruin a Cape industry. His application was declined; but he was eventually found in tho Canadian court, where he seems to have satisfied the Commissioner that the crystals came from Manitoba. Needless to say, he was doing a thriving trade. Many other products, unfortunately unknown to the Cape Commissioner, were waiting anxiously, and bribes were frely offered for show-room. In spite of the reports of our Consuls and Viceconsuls, the mercantile genius of our ancestors is not quite dead within us." EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY. At the first professional examination for the graduation in medicine held at the above University in August Mr F. F. Foster, of Timaru; Mr R. Lamb, M.A., of Christchurch ; Mr T. M'Kellar, of Invercargill; and Mr W. Patterson, of Chrjstchurch, were successful. A CHEAP TRIP TO AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND. Tho P. and 0. Company have resolved, with a view to tempting tourists to winter in India and at the Antipodes, a series of cheap trips at much reduced fares. Their new s.s. Britannia, which will be the finest floating palace in the world, is advertised to sail for Melbourne and Sydney on November 4, and return tickets (also available by any other of the Company's boats homewards) arc being issued at from L 65 to LlO5. I understand all the best accommodation is booked. Mr John Hollingshed, who has just started on a " globe-trotting " tour, is communicating his impressions and experiences to 'The Times.' Before he took to theatrical management, "Practical John" was a special correspondent and litterateur of no mean calibre. Lord and Lady Drogheda will see the Antipodes under what "Atlas" calls the happiest auspices, as Sir Henry and Lady Loch, Lord and Lady Carrington, and Sir Robert and Lady Hamilton are very old friends. C. W. Forde, who used to be well known in the colonies a few years back as a smart sprint runner, was defeated at Lillie Bridge last Saturday in a 120 yards tussle with an English amateur, A. R. Pettitt. THE P.R. The long-expected contest between Tom Lees (the self-styled Australian champion) and William Goode (of Whitechapel) camo off at the Lambeth School of Arms on the evening of tho 30th ult. The battle was for LSO a-side and the middle-weight championship, with gloves. Lees is twentynine years of age, sft llin, and scaled on the day of the fight list 31b. Goode, though only sft 7in, was within a few pounds ot his rival, and is much better set and more muscular. For the first few rounds there was not much to choose between the opponents. Goode, however, gave his adversary some terrible rib-benders in the eleventh round. These had the effect of making Tom rather groggy. In the twelfth round Goode had evidently much the best of the exchanges, Lees being in a bad way. Seeing this, Goode's second shouted to him to finish Lees. Goode was, however, anxious to avoid punishing his opponent more than was necessary. He held out his hand, begging Lees to give in, but instead of doing so Tom struck Goode. Bill thereupon went for his opponent, and floored him several times. Lees' seconds pretended not to be satisfied, so another round was fought, with the result that the Australian was knocked down insensible. Even then his backers were loth to chuck up the sponge. However, Jem Mace and others refused to allow Lees to be got up for another round, and, the police appearing, the fight was ended. Goode was, save for a closed eye and a few scratches, very little worse for the encounter. The 'Sporting Life,' in its remarks on the encounter, says:—" Lees was evidently much overtrained, and should not fight under 12st. He also missed punishing Goode in the first six rounds, when he had, the opportunity." The '' Daily Telegraph,' in a leader on the same subject, says:—"lhe encounter between the Australian and the denizen oi Whitechapel plainly shows that the human hand, though shielded by so much padding and covered with washleather, is capable of doing as severe execution as can be inflicted by the naked fist, and that a well-manipu-lated glove may be made as formidable an instrument as a knuckleduster. No sooner did the men face cacii other thap. Jhere be came apparent'a disparity of fighting backbone, and the disparity was against the Australian. The antipodean champion was too tall—' lanky,' in fact; and looked more as if he were about to ride a race than to encounter the terrible ordeal of a pugilistic encounter with a short well-set-up Englishman, full of elasticity and go. Lees, however, has indomitable pluck, and, though staggering and half blinded, would not give in. Ho was at least endowed with the Anglo-Saxon incapacity to know when he was beaten, and continued to hit ol, t a * 'be Englishman until the champion of Greater Britain was laid at his opponent's feet an inanimate mass." There is to be another glove fight between Goode and Lees for LSO a-side. This time, we take it for granted, tho Australian will take care to get in proper condition. FROZEN MEAT. The supply of frozen mutton continues enormously in excess of the' demand, and, with the River Plate County system coining into force shortly, New Zealand importers and agents are almost in despair. At the present moment there must be over 100,000 New Zealand carcasses stored. The current rate ip 3Jd per lb, though in a few instances last week 4d was realised. The best allround frozen mutton in the market at present comes from Sydney. The New Zealand carcasses have not been up to mark lately, but they aro still far superior to River Plate meat. Current rates;— Sydney mutton, 2e 4d to 2s 6d ; New Zealand do, 2s 4d to 2s i $d ; New Zealand lamb, 3s to 3s 6d j Rivei i Plate, 2s 4d to 2s 5d j Scotch, 4s to 4s 8d; ' English, 3s 8d to 4s 6d; Dutch, 3s 2d to 4s. i MR WESTOARTH AT THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION, ' One of the most interesting papers reac '. before the British Association last week wai i Mr William Westgarth's on " The Batth r I Between Freetrade and Protection in Aus tralia." He said;— "A sleepless contest

more or less animated, goes on among our Australasian colonies on the merits respective!}' of Freetrade v. Protection. It should be premised that when the Imperial Government conceded constitutional selfgovernment to these colonies, now rather over thirty yeurs ago, they were all launched on the general Freetrade basis of their mother's system. From that trrey have mostly more or less departed since, but in no case to any material extent, excepting in that of Victoria, whilst her immediate neighbor (New South Wales) has continued faithful to Freetrade. As these two colonies, although by no means identical in circumstances, have, one thing with another, a fairly compensatory adjustment, the race of process between them is extremely interesting ; and that race will probably prove before long a factor of decisive character in the general question. Although Victoria lias not yet plunged very deeply into Protection, the extent, consisting chiefly in a somewhat general ad valorem duty of 25 per cent., with certain lesser rates, and a maximum of 30 per cent, upon woollen clothing, she would nevertheless appear to have st far encumbered her action as to be threatened with second place in the closely contested race. New South Waleß, which is now a century old, has had twice the length of life of Victoria ; but, beginning in a small way as., a convict colony, there was not much comparative attainment until, in 1851, the great avalauche of gold production precipitated all Australia into a nation, as the late Mr Wentworth happily, phrased it. Victoria started, relatively speaking, at least decidedly behind New South Wales; but her enormous gold production —at ten times that of New South Wales—quickly sent her far ahead in all three items. Her gold, however, gradually fell off, until it is now but three or four millions to the one million of the other Colony. Victoria then, with her spare labor from the gold diggings, turned herself naturally to increased agriculture, and also, by means of Protection, to manufactures. Meanwhile New South Wales, inevitably handicapped for a time by the Victorian gold, has since been gaining steadily on her sister, and is already equal in population and substantially ahead in trade and revenue,

TIIK RIVAL TKAMS FOR AUSTRALIA. Messrs L. 0. Docker and G. A. Smith have accepted the otter of Shrewsbury to take part in the tour in Australia during the coming colonial season. Shrewsbury's team has been finally settled as follows : Messrs W. Newnham, G. Braun, C. A. Smith, and L. G. Docker, with Shrewsbury, Briggs, Pilling, Ulyett, Preston, Lohmarn, Maurice Read, Pougher, and Lillywhite. The Melbourne Club team will consist of the following:—Hon. M.B. Hawke (captain), Messrs W. W. Read, G. F. Vernon, T. C. O'Brien, A. E. Stoddart, A. E. Newton, and M. P. Bowden, with Attewell, Abel, Bates, Beaumont, Peel, and Rawlin. At the last moment Mr W. E. Roller has decided to accompany Mr Vernon's party, and ho will be available for all the principal fixtures. PERSONAL AND OENERAL. The failure is announced of Daniell and Co., the colonial merchants of London Wall, with liabilities of L 22.000. The bankruptcy of Lord Augustus Loftus, at the end of a long and honorable career, has excited much commiseration. It proves unmistakcably that in the corpi diplomatique brains, influence, and even success are all futile unless a man has money. At the very moment when he had reached the topmost rung of the ladder and become plenipotentiary at St. Petersburg, want of money crushed Lord Augustus down. It has been crushing him ever since. The will of Mr John Pearson, J.P., of Golborne Park, was proved last week, the personal estate being sworn under L188.86G He leaves his property in New Zealand to his two sons resident there, to be divided between them. The colonial Estimates were before the House of Commons last night, but beyond a casual reference to the New Hebrides question nothing transpired of interest to the Colony. Mr Claydcn has sent the ' Daily News' a condensed version of the debate on Home Rule in your House of Representatives. Messrs Biggar, Healey, and Redmond arc delighted with Sir George Grey's sentiments. Redmond claims to have been mainly instrumental in converting New Zealanders to Home Rule. If Mr Sims Reeves intends keeping his engagement to visit your part of the world, he should be sailing soon. I cannot, however, find his name amongst either the P. and 0. or Orient bookings. Mr Sidney Galvayne, the well-known Australian horse-breaker, was the other day honored with a command to give his performance before the Queen at Balmoral.