(Continued from page 16.)

Free Lance, Volume VIII, Issue 401, 7 March 1908, Page 17

(Continued from page 16.)

The cablegiam which announced the return of Madame Ada Crossley to Aus tralia on a stairmg tour next September is confirmed by a letter from the distinguished contralto' (dated January 10), expressing her delight at the prospect. It seems that as soon as Madame Crossley had signed the contract, under which she sails from London in August, Mr. J. A. E. Malone (Mr. J. C. Williamsons London agent and manager of Daly's Theatre) communicated it to the press, with the result that within a fortnight she received nearly two score applications from artists of position for places in her concert party Notching will be decided in a hurry however, as Madame Orossley intends to take the greatest care to foam a strong combination. At length it is possible to make _ a definite announcement regarding "Peter Pan " that dainty and most whimsical of fairy stories by J. M. Barrie, to the Australian premiere of which play-gcers on this side of the world have been so eagerly looking forward That premiere will take place at the Princess Theatre, Melbourne, on April 18t'h( Easter Monday), and an additional attraction will mark the occasion in that it will signalise the return of Miss TitteTl Brune to the scene of so many former triumphs. • • • Tn anticipation of "the double event," J. C. Williamson booked the theatre twelve months ago, and when Miss Brune left on her holiday trip last year, she was asked to lose no chance of seeing the two most famous exponents of the character — Maud Adams in the United States, and Pauline Chase in London. Moreover she had to present herself to Mr. Bairrie, in London, for he makes it a rule that the actress chosen for "Peter Pan" should be subject to his approval. That weighty interview is over, and Miss Brune has had numerous conversations with Mr. Barrie, who has given her every help in connection with the reading of the part. Miss Brune leaves for Australia in a week ot two>. • • • Mark Hambourg, whom Messrs. J. and N. Tait have secured for an Australian tour commencing about the middle of this year, tells many good stories about his trip to the United States last year, several of them illustrating the quickness of the American intellect to see money in anything. It appears that he and Paderewski were tiavelhng through the country at the same time, and, as a natural consequence, their routes occasionally intersected, so that their lespective recitals in a town sometimes took place within a few days of each other. The inevitable result was that both the artistic treatment and the technique of each in regard to the other oame in for a considerable amount of discussion, the more so as the same pieces frequently figured on the programme of both. * • • • Music critics, indeed, in some cities raged furiously together concerning the playing of the two famous performers, a<nd divided themselves into Hambourg and Paderewski camps. This pronounced partisanship of on© or the other gave the manager of a big New York music hall a Napoleonic idea. He offered them both a most flattering fee if they would consent to appear for one week at his theatre and play the same piece within half^an-hour of each other. It is presumed that they would toss for position, and, perhaps, as a finale play at the same time — a kind of competition in chords. Unfortunately for the business of the music hall, the manager's suggestions did not come off. • • • According to a London paper, there is a scarcity of principal boys, though £50 a week is going begging. It thus summarises the needed qualifications : — (1) A buoyant spirit and an attractive presence ; (2) a wink which can be olearly seen by the gallery ; (3) a good voice and considerable ability for acting ; (4) a smile which makes every one in the audience smile and a laugh which makes everyone laugh ; (5) a power of pleasing a child of eight and also the grandfather who brought her. Jkelba's voice will be heard a century hence ; in fact, there is every Teason to believe that hex singing will in. quite a literal sense ring through ages to come. This by means of the gramophone. There was a most unique ceremony recently in the subterranean passages of the Opera House, Montreal, Canada. It consisted of depositing in a specially prepared vault a talking machine and disks bearing records of the voices of the greatest singers of the twentieth century. Tamagno Caruso, Scotti, Plancon., De Lucia, Patti, Melba, Calve, and others are represented in the selection.

The disks aio in double boxes, each separat-e fiom the other Neither light nor air can penetiate the coverings, and it is believed that they can be thus preserved fox a century. At the end of a hundred years they will be opened and the people of that age will ha\e the oppoitunity of hearing voices of this eia, as well as seeing the talking machine as manufactuied to-day

i- Lambton Quay is beginning to look c quite imposing now in its architectural >- beauty. Amongst the many new s offices just occupied there aae those ot i the Wellington Trust, Loam, and Ine vestment Company, Limited. This company has moved into (mew and spas cious quaiters, at 219, Lambton Quay. • ■» Increasing interest is being show n in, t the approaching saie ot the balance of r the charming town, of East Poinrua, ' which has been arranged for by Mac- \ donald, Wilson and Co., to take place • at their Exchange Land Mai-t, Lamb- \ ton, Quay, on Wednesday, March 18th. The many advantages claimed for this | vicinity as a residential area are too well known for rehearsal. In addition, however, and perhaps primarily, the areas under notice have lncompaiable claims in their suitability for market gardeners, poultry farms, fee fanners, etc. The sections range from a quarter of an acre to five-acre blocks, and, as they front on to. the WellingtonManawatu Railway line, and aie situate immediately in, fiont of the Porirua station, the claims of the agents as to the splendid investment oftered are unassailable. The convenient terms arranged for are quite a feature of this sale, and our readers are referred to the exhaustive particulars with respect to the sale set out elsewhere lin this issue. Information! re conditions of sale, plans, etc., may be had on application to' Messrs. Biandon, Hislop, and Johnston, solicitors, o,r at the auctioneers' offices There isn't much land left now out at Miramar for baigain hunters and unvestors. The progress of vv ellington is written in capital letteirs out that way. But Macdonald, Wilson aaid Co. are booked to give unvestons one more golden opportunity for taking up healthy and sound property on the Miramar Peninsula, on Wednesday evening, March 18th, at 7.30. There are forty-three sections on. Macdonald, Wilson and Co..'s catalogue this time, every one a gold mine. The terms of sale are such as to make the Mivestment as nearly a gift as is possible, consistent with business. Particulars to be had on application to the auctioneers. • • • The splendid progress of Upper Hutt as ouir most fashionable residential suburb is again in evidence by reason of the sale of the great Cleveland Estate. As Tooiak is to Melbourne, so this vicinity will be to Wellington in another half-a-dozen, years' time, only with the additional beauties of hill and river and entrancing natural beauty spots Macdonald, Wilson, and Co.. have catalogued some seventy sections -on this famous Cleveland Estate for sale by public auction m the Exchange Land Mairt, on, Saturday evening, March 14th. Elsewhere we note a few of the many incomparable advantages of this estate to those in search of residential site investments. The terms of sale are worthy of careful notice, as their liberality is unique. Plans and further detailed information may be had on, application to the auctioneers at their offices. • • • An interesting brochure has been issued by # Messrs. W. H Tumbull and Co.. auctioneers, of 5, Panama-street, as a catalogue of theair pending important sale of the great Rhodes Estate. Primarily, of course, the catalogue sets out the diagrams, and detailed particulars of the various properties affected by the sale. Very careful attention, has been, given to this phase of the publication, and those who atttemd the sale on Wednesday afternoon, of March 18th, will have come well informed as to details of the sale if they have first studied the interesting little book. Burf>, in addition to these business-like features the issue has been made a most interesting historical compendium, with a dozen or more pages crammed full of the pith of Wellington's history. Altogether the get-up is smart and catchy. The Rhodes Estate sate of city pro- c perties is to take place at the auction roms 5, Panama-street, at the tame noted above. • • • The general manager of the New Zealand Government Railways invites written tenders up to Tuesday, March 24th, 1908, for the lease of keeping bookstalls at various railway stations enumerated m our advertising columns for a period of three years. Conditions of tender, etc., and full particulars are to be obtained at the ■ various stations. ■

R. Hannah and Co. notify that their gLgantic sale of footwear positively closes on Saturday, and that all odds and ends and broken sizes are still further reduced to effect a clearance. On Tuesday e\ enmg next Messrs. W. H. Moil ah and Co. Yiil hoW an important auction m their rooms, 54 and 56, Willis-street The sale affects some si\tv-so\ en sections at the head of Evans Bay, KiJbnnie, the- area having a Long hon-tage to' the Kilbirme Traim way-road, the Seatoun-road, and the Evans Bay beach. It is claimed for this block that it is the most important area vet offered at auction m Kilbirnie. Te.rms and full particulars on application to the auctioneers • • • Written tenders are invited in, this issue by the General Manager of the New Zealand Government Railways for the sole right of displaying automatic machines on various Government railway stations (sections enumerated elsewhere) in the Dominion for a period of three years from Ist ApriJ, 1908. Specifications and conditions of contract, etc., to be had on application to station-masters at the various sitations affected.