OUR LONDON LETTER.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXX, Issue 10219, 13 December 1893, Page 5

OUR LONDON LETTER.

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES. [phok otra London oobbespondent.] London, Nov. 4. The AgeirO-General had a highly successful trip to Nottingham last Friday. Daring his visit he was that guest of Principal Symes of University College, and his address in the evening was /delivered in the splendid new lecture theatre which the authorities have recently built out of the profits of a highly remunerative property of theirs, to wit, the local gasworks. The municipal elections being in full awing, and the Carl Boaa Company playing the popular Oavctlleria Rusticana at the Opera House, it. would not have been surprising bad the audience at the University been thin. On the contrary, however, the building was crammed, and Mr Perceval declares he has not since, he has been in the “ Old Country " addrereed more genuinely interested hearers. Of course the limelight views proved of immense assistance. Mr C. R, Valentine's slides were used here for the first time, and found admirable. "At last,” said the Agent-General toms afterwards, "we really have got a thoroughly good lot of elides.’' Principal Symes occupied the chair, and Mr Perceval talked (as he believes in doing) rather than solemnly orated. He was specially struck by the interest these young Midlanders displayed whenever he chanced on a political subject, such as the/ land question, or woman's suffrage, or local option, or, in fact, any of the peculiar Antipodean problems. They applauded as though to say, “ go on, go on," and seemed to listen with all their ears.

The Council of the Gardening and Forestry Show at Earkcourt have awarded Walter Buller their silver medal for his admirable trophy of New Zealand woods, which was the sols Colonial exhibit in the building, if I except the advertising kiosk of Mildura and Denmark. MrE.W. Roper (of Christchurch), the well-known wine merchant and sportsman, is staying at the Savoy Hotel—moat sumptuous of the metropolitan hostolries. On (Lit, he has been bitten by the desire (dormant in the bosom of nearly everybody) to produce a book, and means to give us a racy account of his extensive ' travels. Mr Wolfe Harris and his son leave for Dunedin to-day by Messageriea steamer', Mr Harris, jurr,, will join the firm of Bing, Harris and Co., and it U to see him started, and generally (us I believe business people say) “fixed up," that hia father accompanies him. ’ Rev Thomas Flavell spends a good deal of hie time, when not "on the road " for the S.P.Q., at the Imperial and Colonial Institutes. He is at work on a life of th® retired Primate Bishop Hadfield. It will deal chiefly with bia missionary work among the Maoris, when Archdeacon of Kapiti. The New. Zealand tree ferns of various species which Lord Glasgow sent home to' Kilburn Castle, Ayrshire, are doing very well, and becoming quite a feature in the glasshouse's and grounds. ■ The marriage of Miss Alice Gisborne, daughter of Mr W. Gisborne, erstwhile of New Zealand, and now 0 f Ailestrea Hall, Derbyshire, with Captain Reginald Britton, of the' Sherwood Rangers, Derbyshire Regiment, will take place at Allestree, in the Parish Church, on N ov. 22, A marriage has ako been arranged between Mr Gisborne’s eldest daughter Gertrude and Mr Edward N. Anson, of the Civil Service, British Guiana. Mr Anson is a son of Mr Hamilton Anson, of the Queen’s Household, and lata of the Bengal Civil Service. • At an “At-home " on Wednesday last, 1 had the pleasure of meeting Mr and Mrs Harrison Davis, and of having a long chat with the former. As London manager of the New York Insurance Company; Mr Davis finds his hands pretty foil, but in some way or other he manages to come in contact with nearly all the lead, ing colonist* who visit the Old Country, We'had along “chin "about New Zealand, of course, and I was pleased to find that he is very keen on getting back amongst you in the near future. It will fee a holiday trip when ha does come, but how ho will find time for it I cannot say. I discovered on this occasion that Mr Davis ia a siffleur of a high order, and one could not fail to see that whistling ia an accomplishment that is still in great demand here. Sitting at the piano, he played his own accompaniment and whistled in a manner that would have done credit to Mrs Alice Shaw, or the celebrated American, Tom Browne. The only difficulty appears to ba that people cannot have enough of it, and i Mr Davis had to repeat hia performance three times before his listehers were satisfied. Mrs Harrison Davis’, new novel is fast approaching completion, and will probably be published in February of next year. After the big success she scored with hor last novel, “ For So Little," of which no less than twelve thousand copies wore sold, a good deal of interest is felt in her new work. It is entitled “ Angua Murray,” and is a psychological study. The scene is laid in your quarter of the world, and is, I am told, a typical Australian novel. Orders for four thousand copies have been received for the book up . to the. preaoafc, and several offers have been made for its publication. Mrd Davis did not receive much for her last venture, and &he has' not yet decided upon the publishers for the new one, but will probibiy:. follow the advice of Mi? Walter Betast, who takes a great interest in her work. Mrs Davis dramatised “For So Little," and has been approached fey one London manager for its production. If she comes to terms with him the play will be sent for a preliminary cantor in the Provinces before it is brought out in London.

A farmer writes from Shropshire that in the county town last Saturday New Zealand mutton was-being sold at Id per lb; prime legs, undietinguiahable from English, fetching 4id per lb. With these prices (the poor man says) it is impossible to compete. We had better take to mining, which seems far better paid. I hear Sir Julius Vogel is once again bent on trying to persuade your Government to consider his claims. If I am correctly informed, the old gentleman io very far indeed from well off at present. Hia connection with the Americaollnsuratice Company, which seemed to promise so well, did not last long., Sir Julius was too deaf to toe clients, and mere busineßß drudgery was not in his ( line. How he occupies himself now I'don’t know. It ceitiinly seems to me, and it ia a view I have before expressed, and which many others hold, that, without in any way' admitting the justice of the ex-Premicr's claims, your Government might very well make him a small allowance. I do not say it would be accepted, but I think, for the Colony’s own credit, it,should be offered, A correspondent of the Glasgow Sordid, who signs himself “ J.F,P„” cordially commends New Zealand as a health resort, and quotes voluminous evidence to show that Auckland is most favourably situated for the treatment of phthisis. The writer also states that the higher-lying - towns amongst the New Zealand Southern. Alps offer a fine field for the treatment of phthisis as carried out at Davos and other Continental Alpine resorts, and will not improbably develop era long into one of the great sanatoria of the world. "The Greater Britain beyond the sea," “J.P.F.” winds - up, “ is also the brighter Britain, and such many a sufferer from cur dread scourge of phfcbisis has found it." ; Continuing his Provincial tour, your new dairy instructor, Mr Valentine, went from Liverpool and Manchester to Glasgow, where ho repeated the lecture delivered in those towns to the Chamber of Commerce of St Mungo city. In the discussion which followed, Mr Stevenson, in proof of the high quality of New Zealand cheese, said that within the last few weeks it bad been gelling at 8s per cwt more than the Canadian, and only 6g per cwt less than the Homo product, Mr Davidson’s experience was that the bulk of the New Zealand butter was inferior to thn Australian. Mr Muirheud opined that whilst Australian pastures excello-i for butter, the ;, Faw Zealand pastures were best for cheese.. All who took part in tho discussion urged

direct shipments as calculated to stimulate trade. Mr Valentina is now, of course, eit route to San Francisco, and due at Chicago io-morrow. . A number of .water-colour drawings of Now Zealand scenery, by Mr Moreland, have arrived in England, and will presently be visible at Westminster Chambers. The Agent-General, who thinks very highly of them, has seat them to M. Chevalier to get his opinion. - One consequence of the advertising which New Zealand is getting just now and of the “reducedpassages" departure is that an epidemic o? lectures on the Colony has broken out all over the Provinces, and that the Agent-General is constantly being pestered to lend slides, fill up blanks in the lecturer’s information, &0., &c. Of course, in cases where the orator’s pretensions to knowledge of his subject seem genuine, the Agent-General is only too ready to oblige in every way. Unfortunately, however, all the gentlemen anxious to hold forth here do not answer to this description. Mere “ globe-trotters” abound, and their egotism, conceit and ignorance are simply amazing. It is, 1-may remark, most necessary that the New Zealand Government should not offer a shred of countenance to persons threatening to lecture at Home on the Colony. Too often iu tho past a mete expression of approval on the part of a member of the Ministry has led to a lecturer making statements as though he had got the Colonial Goverment at his . back and his every assertion was authoritative. The trouble that sort of , thing leads to, and the difficulties it has made ' for Agents-Qeneral, ate only known at Westminster,Chambers. Mr Robert S. Hawes, of Northcote, -Auckland, New Zealand, has been busy again "fouling hia own nest.” According to a,; long, rambling and not Earticularly intelligible epistle with which a favours the Bristol Mercury, the Colony is in a bad way. The statements of optimist legislators and newspapers, that things are pretty well (compared with thrpo years ago) at present, and steadily improving, ate false. Hawes knows, and Hawes says:—“There is no work in our city} theory of the unemployed is hoard , everywhere. Female labour is paid at a shockingly low rate. Sweating in many trades is prominent. * * * Our railways— principally made in the interest of . squatters and jobbers—are anything butthe useful means of communication they should be. Settlers dread to send their produce by them, for the extortionate and carious charges swallow up the whole of ■ the produce.. At the present, through the failure of a big loan and land Company, the trials and losses of the farmers will be Intensified, and hundreds of industrious men and women of mature age reduced to beggary. * * * Oar House of Representatives is acknowledged to.be one of tbe roughest ever: erected; the Premier chosen because ho is a jolly good fellow and could sing a jolly good song. * * It is thought by many the Mother Country will have to take us over again as a Crown . Colony, an event which, if it happens, will 'be the saving of the Colony from anarchy and ruin.”, ... The Agent-General has carefully con- : sidered the desirability of.answering these periodical outbreaks of Mr Hawes, and coma to the conclusion, that it would bo unwise to notice them in anyway.. The letters carry personal malice written large on their face, and in consequence are not likely to mislead anybody.