PERSONAL NOTES FROM HOME.

Evening Star, Issue 13099, 4 November 1908, Page 3

PERSONAL NOTES FROM HOME.

[Feom Cue, Special Coeeespondent.] ; LONDON; 1 September 25. Mr and Mrs Thomas. Black (Dunedin) and their two daughters,, are on a visit to London. They spent three weeks in Syd-, ney en route, and to England by the Miltiades via Cape Town, arriving in London on July 12. Afteq three weeks in the metropolis they made a tour of Scot- ■ land, wMch would have been longer but for the advent of cold ‘\veather. Return- ! ing southward, they : Liverpool, ; Chester, and Shakesreargixco,untry oh their i way to London. They propose visiting the j Continent shortly, and probably go as I far as Venice, staying |atT Paris; Geneva, • and Milan en route, and'fetilrning to London via the Riviera! They sail for New Zealand in November by the German liner i Roon. Mr Black came to England in ! search of 7 health, atd as this object has i been achieved, he his thoroughly enjoyed his visit: Mr A. Miller (Wellington) is revisiting the Old .Country on holiday, after an abj sence of years, and is accom- ; panied by his wife an& daughter. They | arrived , by the Oroites . on July 25, and i spent three weeks, in ’Pevon; and Cornwall, i and four? w.eeks hj/Mr Miller’s native I county, Nottinghamshire- visiting friends and relations in the little., village of Cropwell Butler, where fe 'was born. They also visited Matlock] and came to London on September 14. if ter spending-a week here in they have-gone to [ Ramsgate, and Hssex; to see friends. They 1 sail for. New Zealand ,by the Arawa on October 17. j Mr Francis W. Court (New Plymouth) is visiting England, partly on business and partly om a pleasure .trip, after an absence of twenty-two jsamc.l He finds great alterations. and signs of advancement in the towns, but the country districts seem to him as far behind as ever. He noticed the same old cumbeisome machinery, and even saw a crop of! barley being mowed with a scythe. Mr Court thinks;that the railways; here have i lot to learn from the colonies. Some of the carriages, he says, especially, in Kent,! would make a good addition to colonial museums. Mr Court will return to New Zealand via panada, California, and Australia. Mr R. Essex (Palmerston North), who arrived by the Ruapehu on August 10, is visiting England fbr,’ the benefit of his health, which has i already been much improved by the The length of his visit is uncertaii, but he is not likely to remain long, as 1 his business requires his return to New Zealand at th© earliest possible date. Mr Essex’s time has been spent so far principally, at the FrancoBritish Exhibition, ind this week he has fane to Bierkshire, Whence he proceeds to cotland and afterwards to Bournemouth. Mr Thos. Bush, Hex-president of the Wellington Bowling Club, was among the guests at the annual tinner of the English Bowling Association last evening (September 24), and responded. to the toast of “The Visitors.” la. the course of Ms speech he pleaded eloquently for a visit of an English bowling (ham to New Zealand, and assured his hearers that the Dominion would give them a host cordial welcome. Mr Chas. A. (Auckland), who arrived here at the end of June, will probably stay for two years before returning to New Zealand via America. Mr Kessell has just returned tot London from an enjoyable tour in Scotland and the North of England. He hopes to see a good deal of England and the. Continent during his stay in these latitudes. Mr Jenness (Wellington) arrived in London last- Sunday from Naples, where he had disembarked fiom the Ortona, and spent fifteen days; touring round th© district and visiting especially all Greek and Roman remains in the vicinity. He went to Paestum, Capri, Castellamare, Pompeii, Herculaneum, Baiae, Cumae, and other places. Mr Jenness has come to England to study classics at Balliol College, Oxford, and he will leave London for Oxford in a fortnight’s time.’ He hopes to spend the next three or four years in study. A. F. Wilding was in great form at the Eastbourne open tournament.. He won the South of England Championship Singles, and in partnership with Dr W. V. Eaves carried off the Doubles, and associated with Mrs Lamplough. also -won the Mixed Doubles. Mr E. E. Booth, a member of the “All Blacks ” of 1905-06, is back in London as a visitor attached to the Australian amateur football team. He tells me that the Australian team now in England are a good lot, and should win at least 85 per cent, of their matches. They are young and keen, and individually as good as any international

team. Theit combination is not yet “ machine-like,” but this quality may be expected to -develop, ao the tour progresses. On a hard ground they will be very difficult to beat. Their five-eighths, and centres have not yet the piercing. attack ’of the “ All Blacks,” but, nevertheless, they are a clever, resourceful ‘rear division, and poseers good .pace. Mr -Booth considers that, the .first six matches will, thoroughly test their prowess. . Another veteran of the New Zealand war of 1864-66 has joined the great -majority: This was Lieutenant-colonel F. F. Eereday, who died last Week at Forest Lodge, Totton, Hampshire. He entered the Army Pay Department jn 1878, having previously been attached to the Land Transport Corps in the Crimea, and to th© 68th Light Infantry in the New Zealand war. For his services in the latter campaign he received the medal. Mr W. T. Neill (Dunedin), who came to England by the “All Red” route, arriving on July 17, will return to th© Dominion via Melbourne by the Marathon, leaving London on September 30. Mr Neill spent several weeks in London sight-seeing, and had a trip to Scotland to visit relatives and friends, after which he spent some time on the Continent. He has had a thoroughly enjoyable holiday Mr James T. Partridge (Westport), who has come to London to exploit certain coal areas near Westport, has taken an office in the City. He has excellent connections in the coal trading world, and anticipates a successful issue to his negotiations, which, he says, are proceeding satisfactorily. Recent callers at the High Commissioner’s Office;—Mr W. -J. Mathews and Miss D. Mathews (Hawke’s Bay), Mr R. Boulby and Mr E. Boulby (Christchurch), Mre William Grant, Mr Percy J. Fryer, Mr and Mrs J. C. Ponsonby (Dunedin), Miss Wood (Dunedin), Mr A. Thomson (Kelso), Mr Charles A. Bessel 1 (Auckland), Mr and Mrs Alexander Palmer (Dunedin), Mr Charles Cathie (Wellington), Mr and Mis George Mackenzie (Otago), Mr A. Luxfoid (Auckland), Mr Bernard F. Mitchell (Auckland).