LONDON LETTER.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CV, Issue 12426, 15 February 1901, Page 3

LONDON LETTER.

PERSONAL , AND GENERAL ■ NOTES. ' [FhOJI OUB, C'ORBESrONUENT.j LONDON, Jan. 4. The Agent-General and Mrs Reeves arc spending the first week of the century with the former’s uncle, Air E. H. Perabcr, Q.C., at Vicar’s Hill, Lymington, Hants, near the New Forest. Mr and Sirs \\ ills and their family are stopping for stunts weeks Bouintniuutli, enioyin ir the capital music pioridcd in the Winter "Gardens by the Municipal Orchestra and Band, conducted by Mr Dan Godfrey, and also cycling in the New Forest. I understand that Major Hunter Blair, of the Gordon Highlanders, will leave shortly for South Africa to join, his regiment there. Mr J. A. Gilrnth, . the colony's chief veterinary surgeon, arrived at the beginning of the week by the Australian, utter a pleasant passage. The boat eras late in her atilt al, as she was delayed, first in the Canal, and then‘by a storm,in the Mediterranean. Mr Gilrnth was the earliest visitor at the ■AgentGeneral’s'Office in, the new century, and exchanged New Tears greetings with Mr Kennaway and Mr. Cameron. I understand that he will be consulted in the selection of the new veterinary surgeons. He is at present quartered at the Charing Cross Hotel, but purposes running up to Scotland in a day or two. , I am inclined to think that Midshipman J. D. Guy, of her Majesty’s ship Burfleur, who has just beeu awarded the Victoria Cross for his courageous act tu China is connected with the Guys, who, some years back, wereTiving in Christchurch. At all events, whoever he is, ho is a well plucked one, as the “ London Gazette ” testifies.

A clergyman .recently returned from New Zealand °tells the great British public the following amusing story to illustrate the difficulties °of clerical work in out-of-the-way and sparsely populated districts. On one visit tq a parish, parts of which could be visited only in a steam launch, a settler invited him to baptise his children, but when the parson arrived, no children could be found, and the ceremony had to be postponed until next time. On his next visit the settler was in waiting on the bank, and before tlie clergyman had time to land, burst out, “Come on, I’ve got ’em.’’ The puzzled parson followed the excited settler to the latter’s house, and there shut up in hen coops were the young hopefuls, who were brought out one at a time and duly baptised.’ -i According to the New York ‘Evening Mail ” of Dec. 28, a very mysterious but very important official document from the Government of New Zealand, is on its way to New York from .the Pacific Coast. It is a despatch to the British Government, and is of -so important a nature that a special train has been chartered on the Pacific side to catch the Canard mail steamer Campania, which sails for England to-morrow. It is stated that the British authorities have even induced the Cunard officials to delay the departure of the Campania if necessary, owing to the absolute necessity of the despatch reaching the British Colonial Office by Jan, 5.‘ V : 3 ' i

Mr Reeves-made mock of the alarming rumours to which this story has given rise. He was prepared to say, first, that the despatch did not portend any immediate rupture of diplomatic relations between his Government and that of Washington, however irritating on Pacific trade the American navigation laws might he. It ■ was equally untrue that war was pending between New Zealand and the Kingdom of Tonga. Any story of an outbreak of hostilities between New Zealand and New South Wales over tiie Fiji question, was also unworthy of attention. He scouted, also, the notion of an intended sudden New r Zealand raid upon Sydney while the' inhabitants of that city 'were immersed in festivities• attending the inauguration of the Commonwealth. We are. going- to,: have. ,a lively time -in 1901, according to predictions ofthe, editor of the journal “ Coming Events,’ who- styles himself “ Sepharial.” It is te, be a period of “ acute tension, of ferment, of unrest, of scarcely veiled animosity between nation and nation, between master, and man and priest and layman.” But worst-of all, the “eclipse, positions of the year” make is safe for “ Sepharial ” to say thata, large share o-f misfortune will fall upon India-, Morocco, France, Russia, Ireland, New Zealand, Persia, Poland and Brazil. In each of these countries disaster will take some different form, says ■“•Sepharial,” but in all, the political status will be severely ’ shaken.” During the second quarter of the year a total eclipse of the sun occurs in Taurus, the effects of which! will bo witnessed, says “Sepharial,” in Australia, China, Borneo, etc.,“where earthquake shocks, financial disaster, widespread destruction of cattle, and a sterilisation of earth crops may be expected.” We at Home are really very sorry for you “down under,” but we have troubles of pur own to face. “Sepharial” predicts ructions in, Egypt, labour troubles at Home, great storms, acute distress among the working classes, a recrudescence of influenza, “an alarming number of sudden deaths,” devasting disease, financial crashes, bank failures, and “ the massing of our naval forces to resist an- attack upon our supremacy.” The New Zealand flag flew from the balcony of the Agent-General’s Office on New Year’s Day in line with the flags of the federated Australian colonies, thereby causing the “Express” to remark that “New Zealand is not’ at present in the Federation. She hopes to be soon,- though. So the Agent-General felt justified in taking a share in yesterday’s commemoration.” There seemed some doubt in the minds of the officials at} the Agent-General as to whether the flag was flying for the New Year, the new century, or the Common- , wealth. Inquiry, however, led to the ex-planation-that the flag.had been hoisted in accordance with the usual custom to commemorate New Zealand Charter Day. Seeing that New Zealand'is. participating at- the Antipodes in the Commonwealth celebrations, it would in any case have been only courteous and neighbourly for the representative of New Zealand in London to give some outward and visible sign of his •colony’s sympathy. It was with a feeling- of intensest relief that Lord -Ho-petoun’s English friends and relatives read that the Governor-Genera! •had gob through the fatigues of Federation Day without a breakdown. A fiasco on such an occasion would have been a fiasco indeed, and yet something of the kind was prophesied long before bis Excellency left London. The one reflection of all privileged to meet and congratulate him here was that, he looked dreadfully ill and might be obliged (inspired by medical orders and conscientious scruples) to forego the crowning honour of bis life. Lord Hopetoun, however, was too -plucky to succumb to physical disabilities and let us hope in the superb climate of Australia- he is picking up fast.

There can be small question Lord Carrington is bidding high for the High Cominissionevship of Australia Fcderata. On Wednesday afternoon he presided over a meeting of the committee of the National Liberal Club, at which it was decided to telegraph to Mr Edmund Barton, Premier of the Australian Commonwealth, who is an honorary member of the club: “National Liberal Club warmly congratulates Australian people on the birth of their great free Commonwealth.” It was resolved to hold a c’.ub dinner at an early date to celebrate the event.