OUR LONDON LETTER.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 17 September 1908, Page 1

OUR LONDON LETTER.

(From Our Own Correspondent). London, Aug. 7, 1908. Mr David Hutton, of Wanganui, and Mr George George, of Auckland, are attending the International Art Congress now being held at the South Kensington Museum. Forty-six countries are represented, and there are 1800 delegates. Sir John Gorst is the chairman of the movement. The expenses are being defrayed by private effort, as tho Government are not in any way assisting. The six galleries are filled with thousands of drawings from every quarter of the world. Miss Nora Barrett, who will be well remembered in the Dominion as the contralto singer from Melbourne, |vs iust now in London studying. Two of the "All Blacks" which toured the North of England last season, have signed on to play for English teams next winter— -Jl Lavery, who will play for Leeds, and L. B. Todd, who will play for Wigan. Miss Aulesbrook, the Auckland contralto mentioned at length in former letters, is engaged for the forthcoming series of promenade concerts at Queen's Hall. She will appear on September 3rd. Miss Nora Long, the New Zealand soprano, is just 'Settled in Paris for a course of tuition under M. Bouhy. Miss Long has been singing in London and the provinces with some success, and a brilliant career is predicted for her- in operatic work. j Mr Leonard H. Harrison, 8.A., lata of Canterbury College, has just graduated B.Sc. from the Honours School of Chemistry at Manchester University, ; with first-class honours. He has also won i a University scholarship, and has re- ' ceived the Le Blanc medal for work -in fuels and fuel gases granted by the Victoria University for special excellence in certain branches of techiological chemistry. Mr Harrison has been appointed private Schenk research assistant io Professor H. B. Dixon, the Director of the Chemical Laboratory at Manchester. Captain F. C. D. Sturdee, of H.M.S. New Zealand, says a well-known weekly, recently wrote to the High Commissioner's Office asking for somo music associated with New Zealand, for the use of the battleship's band, and a copy of tho song, "God Defend New Zea'and" waa sent to him. The words are by Thomas Bracken, in three verses, of which the first is as follows : — Cod of nations, at thy feet, In the bonds of lovo we ns.t, Hear our voices, we entr;at, C.c.d defend oui* f le-c ..nd! Guard Pacific's triple star, From the shafts of -;tv : fe n.id war; Make her praises ht-nrd af.ir, God defend New Zea!. ind ! Captain Sturdee is havpaj band parts made, and proposes to ador' "C^d Defend New Zealand" for his battleship. He has also accepted with thanks an of. fer of books of illustrations of New Zealand for the ship's library. ""VVe ara anxious." he wrote, "to identify the ship in any way possible with the great Dominion she is named after."