ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 13948, 3 January 1906, Page 8

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES

PERSONAL AND GENERAL. [From Our Correspondent.] LONDON, November 24. The victims in the terrible wreck off St Male included a well-known New Zealand lady, the Hon Mrs H. Butler, formerly of Wanganui, who was on her way to join her husband and two children at Dinard. Mrs Butler was a Miss Mary Abbott, daughter of Mrs Abbott, of Mount Desert, Wanganui, where tire deceased was married in 1894 to the Hon Henry Cavendish Butler, then a cadet on a station in the Rangitikei, and afterwards A.D.C. to the Earl of Ranfurly. When the Earl completed hie terra as Governor Mr and Mrs Butler came to England, and latterly had been living at Dinard, in Northern France. Mr Butler is a brother of the Earl of Lanesborough. The deceased lady had been living at Dinard for some time, and was returning from a visit to England by the Hilda. She leaves two daughters, the elder of whom- is ten and the younger five years of age. Mr Dennohy, of Wellington, who came Home early in 1904, has since then been travelling extensively in Ireland, America and Canada. He was employed at St Louis Exhibition by the British Commissioners, and sine© the close of that great “show” has been touring in the States and enjoying the hospitality of “ Our Lady of the Snows.” Mr Dennehy found New Zealand to be a much talked of country in the land of the wooden nutmeg, and ho believes that there will presently bo a drastic change there in the conduct of governmental affairs, New Zealand supplying the models for the reformers. Mr Dennehy is at present in London, but after seeing the “ All Blacks ” perform against England at the Crystal Palace next Saturday he proposes to tour awhile in Ireland, visiting friends and seeing the country generally. He will in all probability leave for New Zealand early in March, and patronise the Suez route. To all whom it may concern. It is announced in the “London Gazette” chat the clasps “ South Africa, 1901,” and “ 1902,” for the officers, non-com-missioned officers, and men who served with the various New Zealand corps’ in the South African war are almost ready for issue. Application for these clasps should be made as early as possible to the Assistant Director of Ordinance, ! Stores, Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, accompanied by discharge certificates’ and lull particulars of any service with other corps. | Callers at the High Commissioner’s office this week: Dr and Mrs Sorley (Feilding), Mrs F. F. Haggitt (Feeding), Mr D. F. Dennehy (Westport), : Miss Mabel King (Christchurch), Mr ! Oliver Shale (Dunedin), Mrs Robert day (Dunedin) and the Hisses Hay. On Monday last the Board of Control held a meeting at Lord’s for the ; purpose ,of adopting the accounts for 1 the recent Test matches. The accounts submitted and passed showed a very flattering state of affairs. Upwards of £II,OOO were taken as the aggregate “gate” of the five matches—the best being at Lord’s—the colonials, as their half (gross) share, receiving £5635 17s Id. _ The other half, plus the stand receipts, were pooled, and the expenses deducted. The balance, which exceeds £IO,OOO, is distributed in the following manner:—(a) Fifty per cent between the first-class counties and M.C.C. (b) Ten per cent between the minor counties competing in the second division championship, (c) Forty per. cent between the five grounds to which the Test games were allocated. Each firstclass county will, roughly speaking, receive rather more than £3OO, each minor county about £62, and each of the five .entitled under 0 to about £847 apiece. The “Teste” are good business for other parties as well as the Australians apparently^. A man named Ernest Henry Lavington, alias Robert King, aged twentyeight, who hails from New Zealand, and who is described in the police report as a journalist, was charged at the Mansion House this week with ,obtaining credit by false pretences from the Bank of New Zealand to the extent of £7594 3s 6d. He was also charged with attempting to obtain money and valuable securities from the same bank by fraud. The counsel for the prosecution stated that in April, 1904, Mr Robert King, of Te Puke. New Zealand, came over to this country with letters of introduction to the London branch of the Bank of New* Zealand, and iii interviews with the authorities he endeavoured to induce them to open an additional branch in the district where he resided. In December last Mr Sing returned Home. On September 27 last the Bank of New Zealand in London received a letter from an address in Brighton, purporting to be signed by Mr King, and referring to the previous interviews. The writer proceeded to instruct the bank to purchase for him two hundred and ten Canadian Pacific .Railway shares. As the signature was an exact facsimile of the real R. King’s, the bank, through their brokers, purchased the shares in question for £7594 3s 6d. They failed to get any money from their correspondent “R. King,” who offered various excuses for not sending a remittance, and they refused repeats ed directions subsequently to . buy further shares, which would have increased the indebtedness to over £IB,OOO. Ultimately the bank sold the Canadian Pacific shares at a loss of ■.bout £2OO. Upon inquiry, said counsel, it was found that the letters came from the prisoner, who had been a clerk do the genuine Robert King at Te Buko, and, of course, know his signature and of his interviews with the bank in London. On returning to Eng- ! land the prisoner, in the name of 1-eorgo Matthews, had directed Messrs Tart and Co., stock ami share brokers, o sell some Canadian Pacific shares, • hich they refused to do. In the ourse of the correspondence with that irm he was traced to Worthing. Subsequently he moved to Brighton, and x;ok lodgings. Owing his landlady £3 In, he induced her to cash for him a ■heque for £6 Is, and received the balance in cash. The cheque was dishonoured. The prisoner - was recently nested, through the instrumentality T Messrs Hart and Co., in Edinburgh, vhore he occupied a cubicle in a ommoh lodginghouse. Evidence in upport of counsel’s statement having ■een given, the Lord Mayor granted a ormal remand preparatory to the jrisotier’s oommital for trial.