PICTURES FOR LONDON.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXX, Issue 10111, 9 August 1893, Page 5

PICTURES FOR LONDON.

THE AGENT-GENEEAL'S OFFICE. , The office of the Agent-General in Loa« don has already been made a pleasant place of resort for Anglo-Colonial and other visitors, and—as it ought be—«a bureau of information, reliable, up to date, concerning all that pertains to thU country. Its attractiveness and utility will soon be further enhanced, for by tha San Francisco mail Mr S. H. Moreton id sending to Mr Perceval more than a dozea monochrome water-colour paintings of loko and mountain scenery. Those who haveseenj some of Mr Moreton's exquisitely soft pio- 1 turea will readily appreciate the fact that some carefully selected examples will not unworthily represent the New Zealand palette. But the idea of glorifying himselD can scarcely<have entered the mind of thff artist, since it is noticeable that the pio*' ture signatures consist only of the modest initials. The object in view, then, is to describe to would-be tourists, more vividly than any word painting could do, some of our marvellously diversified scenery*-* placid lake mirrors, deep gorges withi hanging woods, ragged mountain massetj seared and riven by the fury of ten thousand storms, and the gleaming ol Alpine heights. The subjects Mr Moreton has chosen' may be divided into two principal groups; one of which delineates the scenery sot 4 rounding Lake Te Anna. The pictures include the Pinnacle Peaks at the head of the lake, the Middle Ford as seen from' Centre leland. Trinity Peaks, and Mount) M’Dougall, at the head of the North Fiord. The Lake Wakatipu section includes the! Humboldt Mountains, the Tooth Peak and; Greenstone Valley, two views of the Cosmos Peaks, three of Mount Christina under widely differing aspects. Mount Earnalaw; and Gann's Lake. There is also a beautiful little picture of the Moffat Peake, Lake* M’Kellar. “Far from the madding crowd" are these scenes. The Greenstone Valley, fosj example, shows an exquisite vista whereiqj there is never a habitation. Lakes Qaa& and M’Kellar, perhaps not two miles apart,; constitute the supply reservoirs of the Greenstone Elver, which for twenty miles flows through a silver tussock valley; and, by the way, both lakes are said; to be literally abounding with trout. Bat; enough has been said to evidence the foot that Mr Moreton is with generous enthusiasm doing no small service in illustrating to some extent the diversified beauty of this “ land of lilies and loveliness." His' pictures we may be sure, will be judiciously used by the Agent-General; and they will indirectly do not a little for the advanoa- 1 ment of New Zealand.