PERSONAL AND GENERAL NOTES FROM LONDON.
[From Otth. Special ConßEsroNnKsT.]
LONDON, December 22. Lord Onslow has nob been allowed to retire from tho London County Council without some recognition of the value of his services thereon. This week a presentation was made at the India Office to the Earl by Mr Beachcroft, Colonel Legge, and Mr R. A. Robinson, on behalf of the Moderate party. The present took the form of an illuminated album, containing the resolution unanimously passed at a meeting of the Moderate party in the Council, expressing their regret at Lord Onslow's retirement and their appreciation of his services to London and the Moderate party. The heading of Miss Murphy's article "England Invaded by Australasians' seems to be appropriate, judging by the numbers of concerts given during the last month by colonial performers. The latest artiste to make her debut to a London audience was Miss Colia Dampier, who gave a violin recital in Kensington Town Hall last week end. The young New Zealander's technique and excellent tone displayed in her two numbers, ' Tours romance.' and Wieniawski's -mazurka, led to unanimous encores for both items. Mrs Manson, of Dunedin, contributed two songs, and received hearty recalls ; Miss Thercse Sievwright, without whom no colonial concert seems now complete, warbled 'II Segreto' and Fa-nzani's 'Good-bye': and Miss Beatrice. Griffiths completed the harmony with examples of Chopin *ind Kowalski. Signer Pa-nzani acted as conductor of the concert.
The Earl of ( Sea Geld, in spite of his distance from Canterbury, has not lost interest in his old company, the Canterbury Mounted Rifles. Learning that twelve men of that company are members of the New Zealand Contingent in South Africa, he has i-ent to each man a tin of tobacco, and to the sergeant-major a handsome silver-mounted pipe, as a Christmas box. This licit: token of goodwill will doubtless be uuch appreciated. The Earl and Countess are still in Florence. Those who are sending letters or packages to the Contingent, have no doubt already been advised that all communications should bo addressed as follows: (Name and rank of recipient), New Zealand Contingent,
Field Fnroe. South Africa. An army post office has been opened in Cape Town specially to deal with communications for the forces in South Africa. Mr Eugene Wason. brother'of Mr .1. Cathcart Wason, ex-member for Kelwyn (Canterbury), was on Wednesday returned as Liberal M.P. for Clackmannan and Kinross-shire by a majority of 516 over his opponent, Mr George Younger. Mr Wason, who is an Ayrshire man, and was born in 1816, is a barrister, and has had alternating political experiences in South Ayrshire, having been twice elected and twice defeated in that constituency. He showed a ready wit, in reply to his hecklers during the recent c;impaign. To*those who accused him of being a carpet-bagger in a strange constituency, he replied with effect that he wn.<; not a carpet-bagger—he had never used a carpet bag, he had always stuck to a good old gladstone bag. Mr Wason was a. devoted follower of the G.0.M., and a believer in Home Rule.
The Agent-General has not been mating many public appearances lately, office work having claimed all his attention. He found time, however, the other night to address a meeting at Richmond on ' Social and Political Experiments in New Zealand.' At the close of the meeting a. Richmondian, thirsting for information, asked Mr Reeves if the low birth rate was not due to the Socialist tendency of the. legislation. Mr Reeves admitted the low birth rate, but—adds the local journal—did not attempt to explain it. Not even, it appears, to quote the Year Book, which gives as the most potent cause of the decrease " a disinclination to assume, the responsibilities and burdens of a large family."
Miss Vida Reynolds, of Dunedin, had the operation performed on her knee by Dr Howard Marsh last week. He in very'satisfied with the result of the operation and with his patient's progress. Although she ■will have a permanently stiff joint, she will, after her recovery, have no pain, and should be able to walk about quite comfortably. She has, naturally, suffered a. good deal of pain, and had to have morphia for several successive nights after the operation. Miss Ma-nie Reynolds has taken up her abode at the Clifton Hotel, Welbeck street, in order to be near her sister, with whom she spends nearly the whole day. In about a month's time they will probably go to the seaside, ■where Miss Vida will begin to learn to walk again.
It is an HI wind that, blows nobody good, and the "blast of war-" is favorable to the New Zealand and Shaw, Savill Shipping Companies, who have had a certain amount of space requisitioned by the Imperial Government for the transport of munitions of war. The boais of these companies are also carrying small details of troops as passengers, and the. Ruahine the other day took on* 200 marines to make up for casualties.
The New ZeaJanders are quite as full of fight as any patriotic John Bull. A youne New Zealander writes to the "Chronicle'' suggesting that there, are several colonials and others like himself in London who ■worald be only too triad to ,get to the front and fight if they could obtain sufficient money to take them to South Africa. He asks whether the shipping companies could not do something to help such men to reach the Cape, where they could join some of the irregulars.
The Bradford 'Observer,' commenting on the results of the recent elections, says: " New Zealand is evidently still in the mind for progress, and . . . the course of reform should continue to run smoothly. It is a noteworthy fact, in view of the doctrine bo sedulously taught by certain politicians in this country, thai in spite of enactments •which are here looked upon as revolutionary dreams, in.spite of nine years of this changeleas Government of change, New Zealand enjoys material prosperity, the depression which prevailed five or six years auo having disappeared without the intervention of the party which is supposed elsewhere to ensure interest on capital and full pods on beanstalks. There is something almost Arcadian about a land where* progress is still progressive in spite—or is it because?—of local option and women's,franchise." Among the list of athletic students who were successful in part two of the examination for medical and surgical degrees (human anatomy and physiology) held at Cambridge recently I note the name, of Mr C. L. Nedwill, son of the popular Christchurch medico, who is a Trinity undergrad. who has distinguished himself during his collegiate career in Rugby football and lawn tennis. That profound statesman the Duke of Manchester, who has been dividing his time in America'between the Empire and the staee has broken down so badly in health that he has been odered Home again. One ennnot wonder at his health failing under the se-cera mental strain of providing articles f A° r _3 tlle , ' Journal ' nn such topic* as the Anglo-Saxon Alliance and the task of learning his part in the society nhiy which the belles of New York (not Mr Mtis'grove's sta-e variety, but the genuine article) have been S et *™g UP to ridicule Mrs Potter Palmer of Chicago Mrs Potter, ho it understood! was the wife of the Chicago hotelkeoper who succeeded m marrying her niece. Miss Grant ..£ "v V Ve Russi ™ Prince, who was neither bankrupt in reputation nor pocket and wasnt a dipsomaniac, but a first-rate articles in all respects. This made Naw York society virulent and hence'the production of The Lady Irom Chicago' for Charity's sweet sake. Mrs Zigger is the ladv. with her daughters Imorene Michigan Zigger and Peachy Zigger Then fiere is AndUorium Lake Zigger their son. Mr Livingston, the son of a railway k.ng, is another character, and come to " Mr Van Rensselaer his friend, the part taken by the Duke It- is believed to have been the strain of on the stage a New York Knickerbocker aristocracy that caused the Duke to faint at a recent rehearsal The preliminary meeting of tie Control Board of nhe proposed Pacific cable, which met at the Colonial Office last week, does not seem to have clone much. Sir F. Mowat one of the Government reDresentatives, was in the chair, and Lord Aberdeen was the only absentee. The meeting dealt with various preliminary matters only, such as costs, and, having-.called for certain necessary information, adjourned until early in January UvJallow the information to be collected and laid before it.
He -was wagging a grey beard among boys, and all were filling the second class smoker with war talk. to this!" said one exultant youth, scanning his evening paper : "' The third (militia) battalion ot the York and Lancashire Regiment have volunteered for service outside the United Kingdom. When on parade yesterday the colonel asked those who' were willing to servo abroad to slope arms, and every "man responded. Tho strength of the battalion is about 650 of all ranks.* " " That's good," said the grey beard. " So's this," quoth the ycuth. " Here's a Melbourne cable says the new joint Australian Contingent—a thousand mounted troops—for the Transvaal will sail before January 10, and that the battery of artillery offered by New South Wales is ready to start at once if its services are accepted." " If," yapped the old man angrily. "If? What tho deuce a.re our folk up to. it all. these high a«d mighty fellows in the War Office seem to consider these Australian offers just like a man does a stranger's offer of a doubtful smoke. They've had that offer four or five days under consideration. If I were the Sydney folk I should send the artillery along by* the first steamer, without waiting for orders from England. I'll bet they'd find a warm welcome up at the front either from Methuen or Buller. If they were asked, I fancy they'd cable out: ' Come along, and God vou.' right off."
It is officially notified that sons of officers in the colonial forces will he allowed in future to enter the Royal Artillery Academy at Woolwich on the same reduced terms as the sons of officers of the Imnerial forces—viz., £SO, as cornered with '£lso charged to others.
The Queen has consented to be the patron of a grand concert to be held in the Albert Hall early next year under the management ot the British empire League. The proceeds of the concert will be devoted to the assistance of widow? and orphans of members of the colonial forces engaged in the present war in South Africa, and of men of those forces who may be incapacitated by wounds from resuming their occupations. In the current issue of that excellent (if at times too ' goody-goody ") periodical the ' \ oung Man' Mr Fiichott gives some sage advice to the youths who may be thinking of turning their faces to the land of the golden fleece. The young men who have the best opportunity in Australia, says Air Fitcbett, are those with a business training and a- little capital. A young fellow with character, intelligence, and business knowledge, without, capital, may get on admirably, but ho has some risks ; he may have to wait for a while. If he has a little canital he can almost, certainly find a, business opening, which won't prove a short and easy cut to a great fortune, but will give him an assured position and all the comforts of life. But if possible he ought to have some little resources of money as the area oi employment in commerce' is about as preoccupied in the colonies as in England. It is not often that the colonies are honored by inclusion in the epilogue of the Westminster play. This year, however, the epilogue contains tho following passage :
Aeschmus, a soldier, and Ctesipho, a yachtsman sit upon Deuiea, a Little Endander MT' for his unpatriotic utterances. The following colloquy then takes place : Demea (rising and rubbing his eyes): Caelum fulgere videtur Oinne Leoriidilms: sidera tot video. Ae. : Sed nunc, terapus adest, abeo: me patria po^cit.
t e ? I0 T - i (an . eJltor giving Aeschinus a U n j on i i t. : siguum in quo sol non cadit. Hue tola Britannia major Undique per terras servat honorat, amat: Hoc Australasiae niti Canadaeque sequuntur Sponte sua, proles maths amantis amans.
Ae.: Nonalias cupimus terras, non quaerimus aurum.
Get. (a sailor): Undique sit cunctis jus modo semper liein. Ae. : Pacere subjects, sed debellare superbos. It<?. ; Hie labor, hoc opus est; et reracetur opus. *
Other topics referred to in the epilogue were the Dewey episode, 'Pinafore, 5 the pro-Boer demonstration, 'Theßolle of York,' Lipton's tea and jim and the Shamrock, the Absent-minded Beggar, the French gutter Press and wireless telegraphy, and the destruction of a dog and pot destroyed at Mafeking.
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Bibliographic details
Evening Star, Issue 11153, 31 January 1900, Page 3
Word Count
2,139PERSONAL AND GENERAL NOTES FROM LONDON. Evening Star, Issue 11153, 31 January 1900, Page 3
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