OUR LONDON LETTER

Evening Star, Issue 8775, 16 March 1892, Page 4

OUR LONDON LETTER

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES. [Prom Our Special Correspondent. J London, Jannary 29. The four days which have elapsed since 1 wrote via San Francisco have_ b « n exceptionally dreary. The weather is milder, but the influenza fiend literally paralyses business. Every office almost is short-handed, and each day (according to the RegistrarGeneral) things grow worse and worse. No doubt many nervous people absolutely frighten themselves into the complaint, Mr Kennaway has returned to Victoria street looking not a great deal the worse for his slight attack ; and Mr Perceval, I am glad to say, keeps well, though he has exchanged hii ruddy shipboard complexion for what the lower classes call a “ London regular. The Victorian Agent-General, Sir Andrew Clarke, was seized early in the week, and . Saul Samuel went home so ill last night it is feared he too has succumbed, bir Somers Vino and Sir W. des Vooux are both dangerously ill with pneumonia, and Sir Charles Tapper, Lord Alcester, and the lata Mr Spurgeons son (Rev. JU Spurgeon) have slight attacks of the epidemic. Mr Mennell is convalescent, but Mr Marriott Watson’s cold on Saturday last became inllueuzt, complicated with a touch of pneumonia, and has required the greatest possible care, Mr Watson has been very unfortunate this last twelvemonth, having been constantly laid up with first onei tiresome little illness and then an 'ther. Mr t. W. Ward (your cablegraphist) is down with a sharp attach of gastric fever, the worst of which, however, is now, 1 am assured, over. Mr Randal George Vogan (father of the author of ‘Black Police’) died of influenza at Redhill last Friday.

iioare’s failure. The failure is announced of Mr Henry Hoare, late banker, of Bryanstou square and Staplehurat, who has a large amount of lauded property Ju New Zealand, The liabilities are LL2u..>(of is unsecured), aud assets Lr-.iUU. iir Hoare attributes his failure parti,/ to losses in company investments aud pare.y to the heavy depreciation in tho valuo of laud in New Zealand. There are charges to the amount of L 120.000 on his estate in the latter colony, which must surely bo of prodigious extent, KIWIS FOR THE ZOO. A large flock of apteryx, bettor known to you have been received at the Zoo, and placed in tho house of the cassowaries, who greeted their colonial relatives with much cordiality. N.Z.S, COMPANY V. THE TYaER3._ Tho cast) ot the New Zealand Shipping Company v. Tyser and Co. came befoic Justices Denman and Cave, as a Divisional Court on Wednesday. This was an appeal from Mr Justice Charles, who had refused to order the defendants to produce certain documents. The action waa brought by the New Zealand Shipping Company against the firm of Tyser ami Co. to recover damages for breach of agreement, Mr Bigham, Q.C., and Mr Atkinson appeared for the plaintiffs in support of the appeal, and were opposed by Mr Finlay, Q. 0., and Mr Harrison. Mr Bigham said tho defeudants (Messrs Tyser) were until ISS9 managers and agents for the New Zealand Shipping Company. They became the plaintiff's’ managers and agents by virtue of an agreement of August, ISSS, At that time the New Zealand Shipping Company were carrying cargoes between England and New Zealand iu competition with the Shaw, Savill Compary, the Colonial Union, and two other companEs. The Colonial Union practically belonged to Messrs Tyser. On 10th August, riSff, an agreement was catered into between the ih res companies which have been mentioned, the object cf which was chat the Colonial Union should nut run any cargoes at all, and should receive L 5,000 as a condition, and the other companies should pool their freighra. Messrs Tyser insisted that they should be made managers of the New Zealand Shipping Company for five years at a luge salary. The plaintiffs now alleged that, with the view of getting rid of this tripartite agreement, Messrs Tyser voluntarily wound up tho Colonial Union aud formed the Tyser Line, Limited, and then ran ships in competition with their own principals. Then the defendants, who were in occupation of the plaintiffs’ offices carrying on their own business as well as the plaintiffs’, refused to go out. The plaintiffs said that Messrs Tyser obtained fur their own company, the Tyser Line, a contract with a New Zealand meat company which they ought to have obtained for the plaintiffs. The plaintiffs wished to see the documents which passed in negotiating this contract. Tyser and Co. had wound up the Colonial Union, and then said to tho plaintiffs: “ Now that the Colonial Union has caused to exist our agreement has ceased to exist,” But in the same month that they dissolved the Colonial Company they created a new company, the Tyser Line, Limited, which was practically the same as theoid company, with the same ships, the same shareholders, the same directors and offices, and carried on exactly the same business. The defendants, by means of this trick, were able to get out of their contractual obligations and put themselves into competition with the plaintiffs, the N.Z.S. Company, Hers Mr Denman asked what Messrs Tyser professed to be. Mr Bigham said tho two Messrs Tyser were managing directors of the Tyser Line, Limited, and held a preponderating number of shares, “We are not,” ha said, “suing the company, but suing Messrs Tyser as individuals.” —Mr Justice Cave : 41 There arc other shareholders. Do you ask u» tKlxt the other shareowners arc iu the swim with Messrs Xysei?” —Mr Bigham :“I ask you to infer that,”— Mr Cave : “ We cannot poa&ibiy do that in their absence.”—Mr Bigham: “1 hold that -there is sufficient evidence to lead you to ihe ooncluaion that tho dissolving of the Colonial Union and the creating of the Tyser Line was a more trick to abrogate this .agreement v : i:h us.”—Mr Cave remarked that it would be contrary to all rules to hold that.—Mr Bigham : “ Wo want to prove ah that we say as to the breach by tho Tysers of the agreement. We wish to see tho documents which passed between Messrs Tyser and the meat company.” Their Lordships refused to alter Mr Justice Charles’s judgment, and the appeal was dismissed, with costs. PERSONAL AND GENERAL. The old Dunedin friends of Mr B. L. Farjeon will be pleased to learn, on the authority of the Boston ‘Transcript,’ that the novelist’s dang', tor—a bright and lovable lassie of ten summers—is smitten with a ,c»reat longing to become a poetess. Though so tender in years, Misa Nellie Farjeon has no affinity for dolls and takes no delight iu games ; her ohiefest pleasure is to get at her father’s typewriter and improvise verses. The Ballarat, which leaves on 18th February, has for New Zealand Mr H. A. Black and Mr C. Williamson (who is at present on the Continent, and joins at Brindisi). Mr i>. M‘Donald and Mrs Tancred return to the colony by the Ozaba a week later.

Captain Fox, of whose intention to sail for the colony by the Arcadia next week I informed you last mail, is, I am sorry to jay, severely indisposed, and will not ba able to occupy the berth booked for him. ilo expects, however, to be strong enough to proceed Now Zealandwarda by tbe next boat following the Arcadia. The Rev. Frank Seth-Smith, of Oamaru, iias taken unto himself a wife in the person »f Constance Wilson, daughter of the iiev, Robert Wilson, 8.A., of Hankow, Uiina. The nuptial knot waa tied on Wednesday last, at the Congregational Church, New Garnet, by the Rev. Robert Lawson.

The Shaw, Savill steamer Arawa arrived at the Albert Dook on Tuesday, having been quarantined for a very short time at Spithead, The yellow fever taken aboard at Rio waa confined to the crew entirely, and two of them died.

Signor Foil, the famous baritone (or is it bass), has arranged to make an extensive tour of the Auatralias, and sails by the Ophir in March. He looks forward to the expedition with pleasure, Santley having ■Meqred him “Aastrallaa audiences are amongst the most comprehending and appreciative in Christendom.” Lord Beaumont, who died of pneumonia last Saturday, made a tour of the Australian

about nine years ago, when a number of clever people (amongst whom was the writer), not having heard of the title, suspected him to be a fraud. As a matter of fact, the title Is one of the oldest in the peerage, though most of the holders appear to have been respectable nonentities. His late lordship was a capable soldier, and fought through the Zulu war, being present at Ulundi. He also held a post on the Crown Prince’s staff during the Franoo-Prnssian campaign. The inquest on Mr Hume Webster s remains did not reveal any adequate cause for his committing suicide. He had been very depressed lately, his son said, partly through an attack of influenza, and partly through anxiety in connection with the reimportation of Ormonde. Mr Webster had closed with the South Americans for the repurchase of Doncaster’s son for L 37.000 (safely landed in London), and this sum he had to make up amongst racing folks who had promised to take out subscriptions to Ormonde at L3ooa mare. Mr Webster was worried with difficulties in connection with the affair, but had certainly never threatened to take his life. The jury decided he was temporarily insane. On Monday afternoon, it transpired later, Mr Flaxman Haydon, accountant, was appointed receiver of the estate of the late Mr Webster, on behalf of large creditors, for about L 70.000, I may here mention (though not strictly Anglo-colonial news) that Captain Osborne has handed over to the Treasury for Messrs Spink the L 250 in LSO notes he found in his wife’s possession, and a cheque of his own for L3OO. The family complain that the police are hunting Mrs Osborne from place to place, although she is just on the verge of her confinement. They add they are so closely watched that they can only communicate with her through moat tortuous devices. Captain Osborne wishes his wife to end all the trouble by promising to give herself up after her confinement. She did do so. When in Madrid a few weeks back the detectives caught her, hut later she managed to escape again, and at present is believed to have baffled pursuit.

Mr Arthur Henry Tickle, son of the wealthy J. B. Tickle, erstwhile of Sydney, now of 29 Palace Gate, will bo married to Mias Violet Lamb, also of Sydney, on the 9th pro*. Mr aud Mrs Kipling arc honeymooning in one of our quietest suburbs. They will start almost at once on another journey round the world. Mr Kipling is as uneasy as tho Wandering Jew, and doesn’t seem to bo able to setblo anywhere, Whether the colonies will bo included in his programme this time seems uncertain,

It is scarcely surprising that Sir James Fergusaon, “ for a variety of reasons,” cannut accept Mr Heaton’s public-spirited offer to guarantee the L 75,000 which stands between tho public and Imperial penny postage. The Postmaster-General probably reflects that if ho said “Yes” and the scheme turned out a great success, Heaton and Co. (without having in tho faintest degree assisted the gigantic work of reorganisation necessitated by such an important change) would annex all the credit. On the other 1 hand, if it failed miserably Heaton and Co. would blame the crass ignorance and obstinate conservatism of the postal officials, and complain that it was hard they should lose L 75.000 through bureaucratic blundering, Tlio game, in fact, would iyß tjje old one of “heads I win, tails you lose" so far as our own wily Hennikor was concerned, and Sir James Fergusaon naturally couldn’t see his way to play it with him, Annie Goodwin, a cook, who went to Australia a few years ago penniless, returned in the Orient with Ll3O of savings. Unfortunately, soon after arrival Annie fell iu with some old friends, to whom she, being (as they tol l her) “ a real lidy, and no error,” stood “buckets of booze,” Annie partook freely herself, till she discovered her money had been stolen, when tho silly woman had just sense enough loft ts .stagger to Bow street and request to be taken into custody. 11 I’m—drunk,” she remaikod gravely. The inspector could not see his way to detaining Annie till she “ kicked up a bit of a shindy.” The lady vaa then locked up. Upon becoming sober Miss Goodwin narrated particulars of her loss, and Pedder took the case in hand. It is feared, however, Annie will have to return to Australia or New Zealand for another “spell.” Sir Oscar Clayton, the Queen’s physician, who at seventy-three succumbed to the epidemic on Monday, proscribed plenty of oranges and the following mixture to be taken three times a day for the disease:— Sesqut carbonate of ammonia, 1 drachm; bicarbonate of potash, 1 diachm ; tincture of oranges, 4 d^cjims; pure water, 8 ounces; water of orange flowers, 3 drachma. Take three times a day in tablespoonful of lime juice. Diet : Fish, chicken, a little port wine negus, plenty of strengthening sago and tapioca. Feet in hot water and mustard at night.