ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXIV, Issue 9168, 30 July 1890, Page 6

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

London, May 30. AN AUSTRALIAN DUKE. The selection o£ the Dukedom of Clarence for Prince Albert Victor confirms the rumour (for some time current) that a new departure will he taken in the case of Prince George, whose title, it'is suggested, should be associated with one of our Colonial possessions. In ordinary course Prince Albert Victor would have been denominated Duke of Kent, and the Dukedom of Clarence would have been conferred on Prince George. As, however, only one of these titles could beretained, it was resolved the latter as the older must be the one. Should Intercolonial Federation be successfully consummated some time in the course of the next two years, there can he little doubt that that will be the moment chosen for paying a compliment to Australia. The chief difficulty lies in the selection of an appropriate title. Duke of Melbourne would offend Adelaide and Sydney, and Duke of Australia sounds over-comprehensive somehow. CHRISTIE MURRAY. The dearth of general news just now is exemplified by the clacking which the liner and London correspondent fraternity have been making over the suppositious disappearance of Mr Christie Murray. One writer considers it probable Mr Murray has gone to visit his old friend Stevenson, at Samoa. Another understands he meant to reside some months amongst the Maoris in the Zing country. A third hints gracefully that he is dodging duns; whilst a fourth refers darkly and sorrowfully to the popular novelist’s known disposition towards overwork. MEAT INSURANCE. The reduction of the premium for insurance on frozen meat cargoes from New Zealand, which has been going on for some time past, is worth noting. Less than two years ago a leading Company over here refused to do business under sgs per cent for "all risks.” From, this figure it dropped to 90s, and then to 80s. When the cover expired it was offered for renewal at 70s, but the Company had reached their limit, and declined to do the business at anything under 80s. The cover was accordingly offered and placed with another English Company at the 70s rate. Meanwhile, some enterprising broker discovered a market on the Continent at 60s, with good security. Several English Companies have followed suit, and there the rate stops for the present. CABLE CONFERENCE. The Agents-General have been* away 1 since Wednesday, week in Paris attending the Telegraphic Conference, the result ; o£ which of course you are aware of. Sir John Pender banqueted the party early on in the proceedings, and last night all (except Sir A. Blyth, who was expected in town this morning) were entertained at dinner by the British section of the London Chamber of Commerce. I am told that the credit of bringing the negotiations anent the cable rate reductions to a mutually satisfactory issue must be given to Sir Graham Berry, who (backed up by Sir F. Bell) took the leading part in the proceedings. Mr Braddon unfortunately mistook the date of the Conference, and only arrived on the scene in time to share concluding compliments. The Agents are not hopeful of the Imperial Government agreeing to the request of the Colonies to share equally’with them the cost of the subsidies and guarantees to the cable Companies. They will, however, of course, formally submit the matter to Lord Znutsford for consideration. PERSONAL. A feature of Wednesday’s meeting of the Movable Committee of the Manchester Unity of Oddfellows at Ipswich was the arrival of Mr Wilkie, a delegate from Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand, whq received (according to the daily papers) ‘‘ quite an ovation.” The Pall Mall Gazette, referring to the visit of Lord and Lady Onslow to the Waitomo caves, says that their discovery lends some colour to the title "Wonderland of the Pacific” claimed for New Zealand by poetic and patriotic Colonial writers. Sir Hercules Robinson is Chairman of the Imperial, Colonial Finance and Agency Corporation, to be launched on Monday next with a capital of two millions. Mr Beetham, Mr Lewis Vincent and Mr John Reid, of Oamaru, are the advisory Directors for New Zealand. Major Dane, who recently-arrived from your part of the world, where (according to the papers) he excited " great interest and enthusiasm,” is just about starting a tour with a series of Antipodean lectures. The numerous friends of poor Annie Poole (Mrs Russell Crawfurd) will be sorry to learn that the voyage Home has done her no good, and that the poor lady is now in St Thomas’ Hospital and extremely ill. SYMPATHY WITH HOME RULE. Mr Parnell has been complimenting the people of Australasia upon their "noble response” to the appeal of the Irish delegates. Mr Deasy was even more emphatic, and declared that antipodeana would subscribe to "the cause” whilst they had a shilling left. Last night, Mr Dillon was banqueted at Dublin. He gave an enthusiastic description of his welcome in the principal cities of Australia and New Zealand. After denouncing those who had prophesied failure for the mission, Mr Dillon proceeded to give the amounts contributed by the various Colonies, as a result of the efforts of himself and his colleagues. In all ,£32,849 was subscribed. The idea impressed on him was that as long as the struggle went on, the people of Ireland could appeal to the people of Australasia again and again. r JL'ho N .£32,000, lie said, did not represent the capital that Australasia was wiilingtopledgeandrisk in the struggle; it represented;theincome on which they could depend as long as the people of Ireland were loyal to the cause. In proportion to their resources the people of Australasia had given n larger sum than the people of America. Their cause was not, as many people would like to believe, confined to people of Irish lineage in Australia. In most of the Colonies, and more especially in New Zealand and Queensland, a large section of the population took an active part in, and sympathised most eagerly and warmly with, the Irish cause. literary notes. "iJA Bride from the Bush ”is the,-title of a new Australian,, serial to be commenced in Corrihill for July. Just at present the author prefers to remain, anonymous. Mr Hume Nisbet is contributing a number of sketches of Australian scenery in black and white to the Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic. His new shocker, " The Black Drop,” will be published next week by Trischler; and Messrs Hutchinson have in hand a selection of the-same author’s stories, entitled “ Under the Gum Tree.” A fairly successful Antipodean novelist remarked to me (half-sadly, half-satiri-cally) the other day, that though the papers in his native town were ready enough nowadays to brag of him as a local product, they had never, when he moat required it, published a story of his, or in any way held out a helping hand towards him. " I was,” he said, "no prophet in my own Colony. Moi’eover, it is the same everywhere. You do not find the Brisbane papers publishing Nisbet’s tales, or tbe Dunedin journals Fergus Hume’s, or the Christchurch weeklies Marriott Watson’s. ‘Robbery Under Arms’was refused by half the editors in Australia before an unusually perspicuous Sydney journalist discovered ‘ Boldrewood.’ As a rule, indeed, the London reader and reviewer must place the seal of his approbation on the Colonial writer’s work before the Colonial reader will admit the possibility of there being anything in it.” " Speaking of newspaper fiction,” went on the same young man, " I am amazed at the sort of stories with which certain presumably well-meaning Colonial editors stuff their readers. They would recoil at the idea of pandering to the lowest class of reader. by - supplying

murders, outrages, &c,, &c., in their ordi-j nary news columns, yet every issue must] have its two or three columns pi nauseous' twaddly fiction by Charlotte Braeme, i Bertha Clay, Georgina Sheldon, or soinej such scribbler. English editors used at one i time to salve their consciences for dieting] their readers on trash, by declaring that poor folk would not read high, class novels. ‘ Time ’ and Tillotson’s and Deng's Fiction Bureaux have long ago proved the fallacy) of this statement. The novels these j bureaux supply may not be-of the highest j order, but they are at least immeasurably superior to Braeme and Co.’s sentimental i balderdash. I Fergus Hume’s first serious effort iaj fiction will be published in three volumes) on June 10, by White’s. The story’is called! “The Man With a Secret;” Such a! good title, I wonder it has never been used) before. i ■ ; Farjeon’s "Mystery of M. Felix,”’is' published in 3 vols. to-day. It was most successful as a serial, materially improving . the circulation of the weeklies in which it - appeared. ' ; Mrs Campbell-Praed has returned from] Algiers much benefited by the " grape cure ” which she underwent there, andjresumed her literary work. “The Ladies* Gallery,” the third of the stories which the clever Australian wrote in conjunction with Mr Justin M‘Carthy, has just been re-issued at 2s, uniform with " The Rival j Princess.” ! ..