PERSONAL NOTES FROM LONDON.

Evening Star, Issue 10782, 17 November 1898, Page 4

PERSONAL NOTES FROM LONDON.

[From Our Sukcial Corresu’ondext.] LONDON. October 7. The Agent-General returned on Tuesday from the Hydrological Congress at Liege. 1 hear that the proceedings for the most part were very medical, and not very enlivening. Two papers, however. Mr Reeves thought of interest to New Zealanders one on the health of people working in mines and the measures taken to preserve it, the other on thermal springs—and these he intends to have translated and forwarded to his Government. 1 believe that he did not succeed in finding a suitable balneologist for the Rotorua Sanatorium. Another subject investigated by him pretty fully was the working of the special line of Belgian Government steaim-rs between Hover and Ostend, which are punctual, fast, and well titled up. Mr Beeves will report on the subject to the Government. " Reeve-euons a nos moutons” is a saw m Inch Mr Reeves keeps eoiffantly before him. ,;nd. in conjunction with Dr Cockbnrn and Sir Horace To/.er, he interviewed the AngloAmerican Chamber of Commerce in Brussels ini the subject of frozen meat and cheese. The Australasian Agents-Geueral specially went into the question of the efforts made by i he Belgian Government to keep out colonial nie.it. A new order of things seems to be , i-nimeneing, ami Mr Reeves is not without In.pe that smne arrangement may be come In for the admission of colonial produce in tin- future. At all events he thinks the l-ru-peet good enough to justify liini in sendi.i.,- ,i Government expert over to investigate :he nhole question. Mr Cameron will probably be selected. Mr Reeves ,iLo paid a Hying visit to Spa, ■iid nils much struck by its bright, cheerful kink, and the excellence of its arrangements. Although this favorite health resort has not one fiftieth of the natural advantages of the Botorua region, it has had about fifty times •s nnleh done for il to make it attractive to \ i-itoi-- and tho-e who de'tre to take the v i iel's.

I he •Sun.’ I no! i.-f, st a t es tli.it Mr Beeves i- lui-.v mi hi' ' 1 ,111■ nf Sir Ccorgc Grey.' 'l'li-- ' ’ I i f • ■ 111 r. ■ > i i-1 G ,i 'lmi! biographical i, ii-Ii .if ih.. l.ii-- 'i.itc'in.iii fur • Foiliimii 1 ili- i.tii.-11| -:-n i.f tli- British l-’in|>ir«* 1.-,- i,nil-. M-i-l-llv i' 1 1.1 Ii U' 11‘ f 'ki-tril nt the " i,1.1 (1,-\ i-i u.u will In- f..iiiul in M r IL-.-vi■ l.i.ii: White ( l<.ml" liidi is dmin i!...nr u fortnight. Tlu* style iii which Mr Beeves .'Hill.' 141 Sir (1 t’i'list' s diversified Mill M range characteri.-l ics will rniliiiul tlln reader forcibly of Macaulay. The |iortr;iit is ;i 'trikin,' onn, frnn frniu eulogistic grovel on i 1!. 1 .in' liaiul or iiart'ow-niituln.l carping on 111- ollmr. Gibbon Wakefield anti Bishop Snlvyii. 1 ho ,l founder " ami " pa'ior," as Sir George «:a tlln " rill.'in" ;uv aNn sketched iioin lifn, although not in such great ilntail. Appte.-iations of Sir Harry Atkinson ami Mr lloiln'ton will liotli, I think, astonish Mr 1 In.-vn'*' (lppo>ition critics, ami nonvinnn thill 11 nr of hi' capacity to take an impartial \ inw of tlln game in which ho played so prominent a part, while the C«>ntiiim ills Mini'try" have their history told -probably for tin- tif't iiim' with no little littnior. The l l i'.hilnti..n struggle is one of the "hones of contention" to which the hook gives a chapter. Thi' Ministry Mr Beeves likens to the nautilus, which creeps trout compartment to compartment of its shell, ever advancing. ever changing, hut til ways of good '.liliu,' and float in,'.capacity, or to the gar-l.i-nt u lych in the end was all patches. ] predict for the hook, both as a picturesque hi'.ory and as a literary effort, an eiithusiM in reception. I’rofe'sor F. I). Brown. of Auckhtml. expect' to remain in England over Christmas, ih- ha' m-r doi.c much 'ii far except look up ..Id friend', hut he proposes shortly to visit l:n with a view to investi, r atin,' the iaho-til-lies there. The professor had meant to spend more time than he did in the States, hut the heat was -,o terrific idodeg at midnight in X.-W Volk l that hi- pal tv railed a. ro." the l'..in incut as swiftly as eireums t . 1! - - - s permitted. The professor attended Sir I Icu -,'c 1 1 rev's funci .d at St. Paul's I'.ihedra!. and, like myself, was painfully stru-'k with the absence of the human eh'-m-nl. He was invited to join the mounters M the Norfolk Hotel, hut a late train prevent...l Lis ,'ettiti,' there iii time. 1 had. .-'.most f..r,'otten to add, that the professor . , 1 - Moana, of which and of Captain Carey h- cannot speak 100 hi-.-lily. Mr T. IT. With, hud's at rangement-' have he.-11 pre-tpilal e. 1 I >v the illle-s of his soil, v. !i..se niedi. d advi'cis have reeoinmend.-d an i 111 ined’a te return to Aneklaml. Mr With-foi'd and his son leave London to-day 1., join the Tmlia at Marseilles. I 1 m across Mr d. A. Erskine in town a . otiple t.f d-.tvs ago, FTe has just compk-ted hi' course of studv in Germany under the 1551 Exhibition Scholarship, which he gained some two vears n, r o. Most of his time has been spent nt the-Universities of Bc-vlin and Leipzig, in special research work in th-. higher branches nf electrici.y. The results of his researches Mr ErskinV lias embodied in papers in 1 Wiedemann's Annalen,’ with formidable German titles, that may be translated thus: "On magnetic screening in the damped fields produced by Leyden jar discharges," "On tin- conductivity of elecn 11 vies for v.-rv rapid oseilla t ions," " (In the intlm-iiee of two .-it'ettits on om- another, and ii- -[.plication to the determination of dielectric eoii'tants." lu his inl-rvals of leisure, Mr Erskin- found time m tour the greater t 1 i t ~f ( h-rm-.i.e. jo urn.-yin-g 111 the llhin- ■' 111111 • r v l-i't year with Mr Ernest Blither;.a -1, He In' jtl't r.-nn ue.l Irom mi extern 'i\- eVelillg llip with Me-'IS Gibb'. It h-liiihurgh. dov, II the Uhitie, and through I; .varia, Thuring''n. and lie- Hart 7, country ; -ud i- now on tie- look out for a lectureship. Mr Erskine spoke in high terms ..f thTe. hiii.ai High School' in Switzerland and ( .Viiiimiv. and 'could r-eommelid any eo- ’. 11 i . 1 1 ,'tudeiil -.-niing limn- to Europe t - 'it’.lv 'l i-nee to spend .11 least, a year in lit - -'High School at 1 hi nil 'I a d 1 and Zurich. Th - laboratories of the latter high school, and its .Ten,imos and other electrical appliances, h' toii.'iders superior to anything that he ha - vet seen in England or Germany. Hies.' Hiii-h-Sehtilen must not he eontonnded with , 111 colonial high schools, as they stand on -In- '.nut footing in Germany as the universities. .and, while primarily intended for pi .irie.il scientilie training, atford every t.o-ilitv for higher scientific 1 search. Mr Andrew Collins, president of the M elIn.gion Trades Conned. dropped in at the V Z.P.A. vesterday to say " good-bye. He ivriims to S'.-w Zealand by the Grient, which h- joins at Plymouth next Saturday, hut will teat in a ft*w* .lavs at Adelaide. Melbourne. Mid Svdnt'V. where he has engagements to le. ture upon the work of the recent Labor Congress at Bristol, and upon labor matids in the Old Country geitertilly : so he v ili not get home until the end of the s.-eond week in December. Since I re-r-ned to Mr Collins a month or so ago he been lecturing the British working man all over the country under the auspices of 1 he Independent Labor party, and been 1 r. tug to persuade them to make an organised at-t-iiii.i to better their condition by using the had..; box to [Hit real representatives of I hnr in Parliament. The Labor party would have kept Mr Collins on the job for a couple .a vears if he could have stayed at Home. 1 n 1 he found that his health began to siiih r iioni the strain of continual travel and addressing large audiences in the open air. He I,*,' miked To the miners of Durham, the . bain and nailmakers of die Black L omitry, . h- railwav men at Swindon, the biscuit hands at Beading, the Goalies" at W igam, and the quarrvmen at Bath, and. in com- , -1 ; e with Beil Til let t. paid a Hying visit to Paris. Boulogne, and other industrial centra' in the north of !• ranee. Here the a m hoi uies do not appreciate "labor agitators" to the- extent of allowing them to hold open-air meetings, but Mr Collins ami hi' companions " got among the boys all tile same, and had a sympathetic recejition from the French toilers, whom the New Zealander considers much more earnest and tmer to their unions than their English brethren. , Another of the few remaining othcers who took part in the Maori War has gone over 1., the Meat majority—namely, Lieutenant- , nh.m-MV. A. Shortt. This'gallant officer -ci vcl with distinction, also, in the Crimean Wm ~f 1854, taking part in the siege and f ill of Sebastopol, the storming of the Redan, and the bombardment- and capture of Ktnbourn. On the conclusion of the New Zealand campaign, Lieutenant Shortt was thanked for his services in the general

orders. He returned from active service in 1874* and for the last four-and-twenty years has held the prosaic but not unprofitable position of Inspector of Weights and Measures in North Derbyshire. Another old Canterbury College graduate of whom I have heard lately is Mr B. &. Bull, who, after a couple of years’ study of chemistry at Munich, has quite recently married a Herman wife and settled down .it Greenwich as chemist to a largo him of varnish makers there. I regret to hear that Miss Neave, ot Christchurch, is laid up at the Kennaways with a severe cold. No doubt a rest in that hospitable household will soon set her up again. , Mr John H. Baker, who seems to have made up his mind to permanent residence in the Old Country, and for the time being has pitched his tent at 45 Kensington Mansions, Karls Court, is going to winter with hrs wife and daughter at St. Jean de Luz. near Biarritz. Mr J. C. Hall, of Auckland, who came Home in May last with a view to having what the medical fraternity designated a t*vst removed from liis throat, sailed for the colony l»y the I*. and 0, steamer India, which left London yesterday, the operation was oulv partially successful, but it lias given him great relief, and has enabled him to thoroughly enjoy his holiday. I* or the most part he has favored Yorkshire, where he has many relatives and friends, but he has also toured in Scotland and Wales. The following resolution was unanimously adopted hy the Kxecutive of the English Restoration League at their last meeting “That the Kxecutive of the K.R.L. otter I'ucir respectful sympathy to the relatives of the late Bight Hon. Sir George (.rev, recognising that the great principles which Governed his political life have endeared jus memory to the democracies of the Empire. Mrs Inglis, of Dunedin, and her daughters, who arrived last April, have been spending ;ni enjoyable holiday in Pans. Scotland, the Isle of‘Wight, and various seaside places. Thev leave for Dublin on the 25tb by the Australia, hy which vissel Mr F. Stanley Oliver is reluming to Australia. He came Home in a sailing vessel lor his health, and spent two and a-half months m Scotland and the rest of his stay in London, coming in for the sweltering summer. Mr (Jerald Russell, of Christchurch, has lu-'uu Ins medical studies at Guy’s Hospital. He expects Mr A. O'Brien, a school-fellow from the Boys' High School, to Join him m bis similes and his quarters at Vt esl Croydon in about a week's time. The Rev, Leonard M. Isitt commences what he ealis a "great temperance crusade’ in the Metropolis a few weeks hence. He opens on Sunday. October 23, With two addresses at Exeter Hall, and follows up with six meetings in the largest halls available in the various suburban parishes ami wands up with three big meetings at Lxeter Hall on November 2, 3. and 4. The New /ea andei is being - Smvtlied” by the Loudon Auxiliary of”the United Kingdom Alliance, and has the assistance also of most ot tlie metropolitan local temperance associations nid of the National Temperance Choral Union, which will contribute a musical programme to each of bis meetings. His eiusade promises to be one of the most mmvrkable temperance demonstrations held m London for some years past Among the I'enlleiueu who have promised to be ehaiimeu at Mr Isitfs meetings are Lord Monkwell, Sir George Williams. Air Samuel 1 ope, 0.U.. Mr J. F. Moulton, Q.G., and sundry members of the Loudon County Council.

CITY COUNCIL

The ordinary meeting of the City Council was held last evening, and attended by His Worship the Mayor (Mr K. B. Cargill), Urs Denuiston, Crust. Chisholm, Solomon, Swan, Haynes, Howlison. Carroll, and Miller. An apology for non-uUeudanee was revolved from Ur Bark. Till-'. TOWN (T.KUK. The Mavor said he had much pleasure in reporting that their respited town dei-k (Mr W. B. Taylor) was making very mvorable progress. I OK UKSI'ON OKNOK. Messrs Irvine aud Stevenson wrote drawing attention to the hardship they suffered uHough the want of means of disposing ot Hu- surface water in London street. —Referred to the Works Committee to act. The Technical Classes Association wrote asking if the Council could help them in Hie matter of a site or in some direct manner. Reidy to lie sent that the Council regretted that they had no pqwer to help them in the matter. The Town Clerk. Maori Hill, wrote uskin>' for permission for tradesmen s carts to cross the Town Belt in order to serve customers at the township of Cannington.—Referred to the Reserves Committee to net. The Town Clerk wrote acknowledging the receipt of Council's resolution granting him three months’ leave of absence. In the course of his letter he said : “I thank yourself and the Council most sincerely for this verv kind and generous action to myself. I can onlv say that it but adds one more to the very many acts of kindness and consideration which have been extended to me by Council and councillors collectively and individually during my pa.st term of office, and which have gone far to make my duties a pleasure.”- - Received. Mr A. May wrote offering to rent a section next to sections 32 and 33, I pper Kai-koiai.--Referred to the Reserves Committee to act. Messrs Smith, Chapman, and Sinclair unite pointing out the necessity of cither reappointing Mr James Reid as valuer for the purpose of revaluing in compliance with the judgment in Goldie v. the Corporation or appointing another valuer. -1 pon the motion of Cr Deunislon Mr Reid was reappointed valuer. Mr -I. Kingston. Iron, secretary of the Dunedin Amateur Athletic Club, wrote asking for permission to employ a "sandwichboard man" to parade the City on the 25tii and 26th inst. to advertise their sports meetijjg.—Tho letter was received, it being understood that no objection would be made provided that there was nothing offensive on the board. The Acting Town Clerk (Mr Henry \\ . Wilson) wrote pointing out the next meeting of the Council would fall in ordinary course on November 50 (St. Andrew’s Day). —It was decided to meet on Tuesday, November 29.

KKI’OHTS. The departmental reports were all adopted as published. IIIK MUNini'Al. t-TtAXCinsi-: Ul-'.FOUM ACT. 'His Worship, in moving the adoption ot tlie General Committee's report, suggested that the acting town clerk .should explain the position of the new Municipal Franchise Reform Act. Mr Wilson said that a letter had been forwarded from the Council to the Colonial Secretary on the subject, requesting that the Government should have the regulations mentioned in the last clause of the Act at once gazetted, in order that the larger towns in particular might know on what basis the compilation of the several rolls would require to be made, and also requesting that applications for enrolment should be made by declaration, in the same form as was now done in the case of the electoral rolls. It had been pointed out that the matter was one of urgency, and that it was highly desirable that there should be no delay. He mentioned that a Christchurch councillor had suggested a conference of town clerks with the Crown law officer who had drafted the Bill, for the purpose, if possible, of ascertaining the intentions of the Act. Ur Havnes said this was another example of legislation by Order-in-Council, and tho inconvenience and difficulty' arising there from. It had been thought the Act intended to give two votes to the freeholder—one to the°hushand and another to the wife—but the solicitor to the Municipal Association had advised them that under the Act the U-nant would have the same voting power, and practically the franchise was the same as for general elections. It was to be hoped that as far as possible the many difficulties created by the Act would be remedied by the speedy issue of the necessary regulations. The report was adopted, and the proceedings terminated.