PERSONAL NOTES FROM HOME.

Evening Star, Issue 13047, 15 February 1907, Page 1

PERSONAL NOTES FROM HOME.

[Fnoii Ora Special CoKwesroNDKsr.J LONDON, January S. By the death of Mrs Godley, which occurred on the 3rd inst. at her house in Gloucester place, a link with the early history of New Zealand is severed. Her husband, Mr John Robert Godley, eldest son of Air John Godley, of Killegar, County Leitrim, was the leading spirit of the Canterbury' Association, under whose auspices the province of New Zealand which bears that name was founded. Mr Godley himself , went out as the representative of the Association and leader of the colonists to New Zealand in the year 1849, and lived there, chiefly at Lyttelton, for about three years. He is generally” regarded as having been the founder of the province, and his statue, by Woolner, stands in the Cathedral square at Christchurch. Mrs Godley accompanied her husband, and in her own sphere exercised an important and most beneficial influence on the early developments of society in the settlement. It is now more than fifty-three years since she left New Zealand, but her interest in all the affairs of the colony was keen to the last. She survived her husband by forty-five years, and died, after a short illness, at the age of eighty-five, having retained her faculties almost unimpaired to the end. She. leaves a son. Sir Arthur Godley, Under-Secretary of State for India, and three daughters. Her father, Hr 0. G. Wynne, of Voelas, Denbighshire, and Cefnamwich, Carnarvonshire, was for many years M.B. for Carnarvonshire. Mr Ernest Rutherford, Macdonald professor of'physics in M'Gill University,' Montreal, has been appointed to succeed Professor Schuster as Langworthy professor of physics and director of the physical laboratories at Manchester University. Professor Rutherford is a native of New Zealand, .who has won a leading place in the scientific world. After a distinguished career in Now Zealand University, he proceeded to Cambridge as an 1851 Exhibition scholar, and entered Trinity College, prosecuting research in the Cavendish laboratory. Ho was one of the pioneers of wireless telegraphy, and occupies a high position in the scientific world owing to his experimental work on tho ionisation of gaaca, the discovery of radium emanation, and tho foundation of tho how generally accepted theory of radio-activity. It is expected that Professor Rutherford will arrive in Manchester early in the summer with a view to taking up the regular duties of the chair at tho beginning of the session in October. Mrs Ramsay Macdonald, in a letter from Now Zealand to this week’s ‘ Labor Leader,’ describes her visit to Christchurch. She and her husband went to tho New Zealand Cup meeting—tho first race meeting either of them had attended in their lives. Mrs Macdonald was much struck with tho beauty of tho ladies’ costumes and tho money they must have represented. “It was a lovely sunny day,” she adds, “and tho racecourse looked green and fresh, with a lovely background of snow-tipped hills, and it was pretty and amusing for ( a single experience, but I do not pine to repeat it.” Neither she nor her husband succumbed to tho allurements of tho totalisator. Speaking of social reform in New Zealand, Mrs Macdonald says: “Wo find it immensely interesting to trace tho effects of the Socialistic legislation here, I cannot enter into an argument on such a wide subject hero in a letter which can be little more than a chatty description of our experiences, but at least I can say it convinces us more than ever, if that is possible, that no wage system is satisfactory, however favorable it may be towards the' wage-earners, and however its hardships may he mitigated by tho conditions of a new country.’ I Mr H. W. Jolly, late bead of tho firm of Jolly and Co., real estate agents, in Wellington, arrived in London from Buenos Ayres last August, and since then has been busily engaged in tho shipping of Almcria grapes from Southern Spain to ports in Britain, Germany, Belgium, and the United States. Mr Jolly and his wife and two children left Wellington for Buenos Ayres in April, 1904. Mis Jolly was returning to the home of her childhood, for she was bom at Quilmcs (fifteen miles from Buenos Ayres), where her family had resided over a hundred years. During her husband’s business visit to London Mrs Jolly is remaining with her children at Buenos Ayres. Mr Jolly is now engaged on a scheme to found a British artisan colony at Bahia Blanca, a rapidly growing port in the Argentine Republic. He proposes, in conjunction with Messrs C. A. Jolly and J. G. Wilson, proprietors of tho Wellington Dairy Company. to form a colonisation company, limited, tho idea being to settle New Zealand artisans and small dairy farmers at Bahia Blanca, the settlement .to bo organised, apparently, on some co-opera-tive system. At present Mr Jolly is awaiting news from his partners in Wellington. jjr K. S. Stephenson, of Dunedin, arrived in London on December 19, after a slow but otherwise.agreeable voyage in tho B.s. Banffshire. Ho will leave this month on a visit to Davos Platz and other health resorts in Switzerland, and later on ho proposes to visit Vienna and the principal sanatoria for the treatment of consumption in Germany. Mr William Smith (Colyton, Feeding) , who has been on a visit to England during the poet three months, intends to take up mission work in India, under the auspices of the London Missionary Society. He recently completed a course of missionary training at Metonrne. The L.M.S. have appointed him missionary a.t Kudda.pah, about ISO miles north-west of Madras, and he leaves for India next week, via the Continent. In Now Zealand Mr Smith and his two brothers have been well-known breeders of stud Lincoln and stud Romney Marsh sheep, and during his visit to England Mr Smith has inspected various flocks of these breeds, and also interested himself in the frozen meat trade generally. He has also induced several people in this country to go out to New ? Zealand and lake up farming. He hopes eventually to

return and settle again in New Zealand himself after a term of missionary work in India. Miss Loio F, Prior (Woffington), who left the colony in September, and saSed from Melbourne in the Orontes in November last, has arrived in London. After a pleasant voyage Miss Prior left the ship at Naples, and spent six days there visiting Pompeii, Mount Vesusius, Borne, and the usual tourist attractions. A visit was paid to the two villages that suffered most by the recent eruption of Veeusins. At ! one of these villages the lava was still smoking. Miss Prior went from Naples to Rome, and spent eight days there. She had the honor of an audience with the Pone before bringing her visit to a dose. From Rome she went to Pisa, Genoa, and Marseilles, spending a while in each place, and embarking at MarseiHea on the Oruba for London. She landed in England last Sunday, and at present is staying in Lon- | don. In the course of a three months’ stay in this country she hopes to visit ! Scotland and South Wales, eventually returning to New Zealand via New York and San Francisco. Miss Prior will deliver several lectures hero and in the United States in the cause of Spiritualism and kindred subjects. Miss Jessie Savage (Auckland) arrived hero by the Orontes after an extremely pleasant voyage, and has since been staying at Hampstead. This week she left with her relations for the Italian Riviera, where she will stay at Bordighen, Mentone, and Cannes during the winter months, and return in the spring through France to Paris, where she remains till tho middle of May. The rest of the summer Miss Savage expects to pass in various parts of England, and she will probably return to Auckland via America in the autnmn. Mrs C. Howells arrived hero from Invercargill via Wellington Sydney, and Suez by the s,s. Mcolton on December 23, and is now staying in London. Her object in coming is to consult a speoiaifit as to her health, and eh© has no fixed plans, though she will probably visit relatives in Scotland later on. Mr Patrick Comiskcy, formerly of Auckland and latterly' of South Andley street, Mayfair, London, died at the Riviera Palace Hotel, Penzance, on Christmas Eve. The funeral took place at Brighton -five days later. Mr Aubrey P. Cox (Christchurch) is amongst the recent arrivals from the colony. He travelled via Australia, Suez, and Marseilles, where he left tho steamer and proceeded overland to Paris. After spending an enjoyable six weeks in the French capital, be crossed the Channel to Dover, spent a week with cousins in London, and thhn went to Frensham for Christmas. Mr Oox expects to spend the next fortnight in London, after which he goes to Worcester, where ho has received an anooiritment under Mr Hillard at the Royal Grammar School. His future plans are indefinite, but he may remain some time in England if work and other conditions suit. Mr J. Arthur Cook, son of Mr Wm. Cook, of tho Bank of New Zealand, Ashburton, has obtained a position with Messrs Bruce, Peebles, and Co., Edinburgh. After serving an apprenticeship ; with a firm of marine engineers in Aberj deen Mr Coctk decided to take up electriI cal work. To that purpose ho came to London to study at the Finsbury Technical College, and has recently completed tho course with marked success, being described by the principal, the well-known i Professor Silvanns P. Thompson, as “ one of the best men of his year.” Callers at the High Commissioner’s .office this week :—Mr W. J. Smith (Feilding), Miss Loie F. Prior,(Wellington), Mr G. M‘Beth (Christchurch), Miss Jessie Ravage (Auckland), Mr H. W. jolly (Wellington). j Among ‘ The TnnesV obituaries of the ’ week is that of Sir Rodney Stenart Riddel, fourth baronet, of Ardnamnrechan and Snaart, who died at Bath on Wednesday last in liis sixty-ninth year. Sir Rodney (succeeded to the baronetcy on tho death of his cousin, in 1883. He was formerly paymaster of the 70fch Foot, now the 2nd East Surreys, and saw active service on three occasions—first in the New Zealand War, later in the Afghan War of 1868, and (twenty-one years ago) in the Soudan expedition. Ho received medals for all these campaigns, as well as tho Khedive’s star. On his mother’s side ho was great-grandson of the famous Admiral Rodney. Deceased was unmarried, and is succeeded by his brother. Yet another veteran of tho New Zealand War of 1864 has gone to his rest. This was Major H. Sadden, whose death at the age of eighty occurred at Sunderland last Wednesday. Major Sladden joined the army aa*a private, and at the time of the Crimean War had risen to be a sergeant in the 68th Durham Light Infantry. During the campaign he was several times commended for bravery. His chief exploit was on. May 11, 1855. Fifty or sixty Russians had forced their way into No. 7 Battery. The officer in charge had been shot through tho neck, and tho position was most critical. Sladden got together a party of men, but could find no officer to authorise a charge. At last he saw a captain, and shouted to him “Will yon lead these men to clear the enemy out of that battery ?” Tho captain said ho would, and Sladden and liis men, who numbered about twenty,' dashed at the Russians and drove them out. The board of officers selected tho captain from the list of those submitted for the Victoria Cross, but rejected tho case of Sladden as not coming within the terms of the Boyul Warrant. Shuldcn, however, was awarded a salver medal and £ls for distinguished conduct in the field, and the Gross of the Legion of Honor (fifth class) and the Turkish medal. He was promoted to tho honorary rank of major in 1882. Messrs Carruthcrs and Elliott, the New Zealand Government’s consulting engineers in London, intend visiting the colony in the course of a tour round the world. They leave for New Zealand next week by the lonic. The Earl of Ranfuriy has become a vicepresident of the Central Emigration Board, formed to encourage and promote tho emigration of desirable and suitable pereons from the United Kingdom to the British colonies. It is an administrative and advisory body, neither commercial, philanthropic, nor denominational in origin; it is national in purpose, and founded on linos of public utility and tho welfare of the individual. The chairman is Sir Clement Kinloch-Cooke. It is specially hoped that the services of the Board may be of use to distress committees under the Unemployed Workmen Act, 1905, boards of guardians, and other public bodies desiring to put into effective operation their statutory powers relating to emigration. .MrS. S. Blackburns, late chess editor of the ‘ Canterbury Tiroes,’ is tho subject of a very eulogistic article in this week’s chess column of the London. ‘Times,’ from the pen of Mr Alain C. White, the American problem composer. Says Hr White: “ The fate Mr Samuel Tinsley onoe expressed the opinion in ‘ The Times Weekly Edition’ that Hr S. S. Blackbume was one of the best living authorities on the problem art ; nor was thin exaggerated praise. Becoming chess editor of the ‘ Canterbury Times ’ in 1898, Mr Blackbume studied the theory of chess problems thoroughly, and was liberal with his learning for the benefit of local composers and solvers. His articles on the problem art, however, soon became known outside of New Zealand, and served to establish bis wdl-doeerved reputation. In 1803 Mr Blackbume. was compelled to surrender his column in the ‘ Canterbury

Times,' but ho soon ■undertook to renew the debt of New Zealand to him by preparing a work on chess in that colony. It is a great pity that illness has forced him to give up, this plan, which this series of articles, based on some of his materials, can do little to replace. Mr Blackimmo has been too busy to do much composing, and his whole output does not amount to more than a score of problems, all of whicbexcept three are two-movers; but rk composi ' ons have met with considerable success in tourneys. He favors complexity in 2-ers, getting all the strategy that is possible into toll, key and after-play. Aside from problems, Sir Bhekiraxno has taken an active pan. in introducing the British Chess code itito Now Zealand, and in framing the laws for play by telegraph in the code itself. .Mr Black borne is at present preparing a second edition of his 'Problem Terms and Clurat tsristics,’ which, it is expected, will be published within the next few weeks by an -English boose. The new edition will be a ooi.S'< t-rable enlargement upon LJio first, and vi; 1 contain a preface written seven! years ago by the late air A. F. ViickcHzie, and be illustrated with numerous examples.**