OUR LONDON LETTER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XI, Issue 4094, 28 December 1874, Page 1 (Supplement)

OUR LONDON LETTER.

I . [FROM OUR SPECIAL . ! London, Friday, Oct. 30, 1874." ; When I wrote to' you last, in the ~ first week of September, I told you that - London was "empty;" that, the West End clubs were desevted; that Piccadilly and Regent-street were as desolate as Tadmor; that Hyde Park was-as devoid of life as Sahara; that even the .lawyers were, with one . accord, " making holiday"——in. one word, that London was out of town.. It how, however, affords me no small pleasure to say that, returning to town as I • did a fortmght, ago, after a brief visit to Germany, I found London comparatively "full" again. Of course London is not yet by any means so gay as it ordinarily is in February; but assuredly the change for the better is little short of marvellous between London in the last week of October and London in the first week of September. For example,, the Prince and Princess of Wales are once more at Marlboro' House, whither they returned yesterday morning from the Continent, and I myself saw them present last night at the St. James Theatre, witnessing (ana apparently with no small degree of pleasure) .the performance of the "Black Prince." Regent-street and Piccadilly are now in the afternoons comparatively full. Nearly all the theatres—of winch I shall have more to say ere I close my present letter to you—are now open ; the winter exhibitions of the art societies are preparing to be thrown open to the public ; on Monday week the famous "'Monday Concerts" at St. James's Hall (fanr;tV4.'?y known here as the " Monday Pops") a'fis to be resumed; the Saturday Concerts at the Crystal Palace are already in full swing ; Mudie's library is issuing to the public the new books of travel, biography, gossip, &c., which are to amuse us over our sea-coal winter fires—in short, the dreadful lethargy which has hung over London since the end of July, has been, dispelled, and the busy part of the- year is now upon us. - I hear that the first Cabinet Council of the season will be held upon Tuesday week, the 10th proximo. I also learn that our present Ministers —and this is the only bit of political news with which I shall trouble you in my present letter—are greatly exercised upon the subject of the deficit which there is only too much reason to fear will present itself in the national accounts for the year ending on the 31st of next March. It certainly is remarkable that, whereas for years past, during the Liberal regime, there has been an annual surplus of large amount, no sooner do the Conservatives come into power i.lian they are brought face to face with a deficit. The public here has for so long a time been accustomed to look to the annual production of the budget, aa a pleasing ceremony at which great remissions of taxation were periodically made, that they will, I feel sur-, take exceedingly badly with the imposition of the new taxes which Sir Staffoi-d Northcote will ih sJI probability have to make in April next. I need also scarccly say that Mr. Gladstone and Mr. Childers will not fail to make political "capital" out of the deficit, aud that the Opposition will avail themselves to- the utmost of the opportunity to attack the present Administration, which will thus ha afforded them next March.

Monday next is the first day of Michaelmas term, and the lawyers have—worse luck •—now returned to town after their annual holidays, and are at present surveying gleefully the long list of cases which are set down for hearing before the various Courts of law. Apropos of legal matters, I may mention that Sir George Honeyman,' who was recently appointed Judge of the Court of Common "Pleas, is so ill that I fear it is but too certain that he will have ere long to resign his seat on the Judicial Bench. In that event, his place on the Bench would as a matte,r of course be offered to the present Solicitor-General, Sir John Holker, Q.C., M.P., and in the event of his refusing it the "Attorney-General's Devil" (as he is popularly termed), Mr. Bowen, would be offered it. Whilst writing upon legal matters, I may mention that the foundations of the new Law Courts are at last being dug. When the erection of the Courts will be finished, however, no man knoweth. There is really no earthly reason why the Courts should not all be completed within the space of the next two years, but probably ten or twelve years will really elapse ere their erection is finished. Whilst writing about the erection of the new Law Courts, X r-*y state that the vacant laud near the Ho*bom Viaduct has been bought up by a company. The shares —I learn privately—of the new company are fixed at £1000 each, and of these Mr. Morley, M.P. for Bristol, holds no fewer than two hundred. The intention of the new company is to erect handsome shops, offices, &c., on the vacant plots of land which they have acquired, and they anticipate that they will be able to make the thing pay handsomely. From the very heavystake which Mr. Morley has taken in the undertaking, it would certainly seem as though he were of the same opinion. Mr. Morley is a very prominent man amongst the Independents, and annually gives away large sums of money in charitable purposes. His business is that of a warehouseman in Bread-street, City.

Of new clubs in London, "the cry is still they come !" I hear that a new club, to be called the Bayard Club, and which is intended for the use of both ladies and gentlemen, h<os been formed. The motto of the new club is to be Sans -peur et sans reproche. Another now club, to be called the Atlantic Club, and which is intended for the use of colonial and Amerian visitors to London, has just? been formed. The tradesmen at the West End (who are carefully excluded from the existing clubs at the fashionable part of town) are now forming a club of their own, which is to be called the Hanover Club. Its house is to be in George-street, Hanover Square. Two city Clubs have also, I hear, been formed. They are called respectively the Ramblers Club and the City United Club. The annual subscriptions to both of these clubs are very moderate, and they may therefore will prove successful. Tam, of course, speaking • from memory in the matter, but at the same time I do not think I am in error in saying that during the last seven years not less than thirty new clubs have been projected in London, and of these fully two-thirds have proved successful. This fact, of course, shews how great must have been the amount of money which has been made in England during the last few years. For one of the first signs of a man's "doing well" in England is, I think, his wish to belong to a London Club.

I am sorry to hear of a very grave scandal ■which has jus l ; occurred here. The son of one of the chief dignitaries of a. certain cathedral was engaged to act for a short time as tutor to the son of a very "wealthy man, who moves in the best society here. "What has happened in other cases happened also in this. The lady of the house conceived ! a great passion for the tutor of her son, and j the old story of Potiphar's wife was once more enacted, with this difference, however, that in the present instance Joseph fell. So infatuated was the erring lady that she had persuaded her companion in guilt to fly with her to the Continent, but when they were on the eve of departure, their sin was disco\ ered. The husband has of course separated from his "Wife, and a divorce suit will I understand, be forthwith begun. I need scarcely say that the families concerned in this painful matter are deeply distressed at it—distress with which I am sure your readers will sympathise. The Colosseum in Regent's Park—which was erected about fifty years ago, and which was m its day one of the most famous sights of London—is about, I learn, to be pulled down and a new building to be erected in its place. The new building is to be let out in suites of rooms, suitable for the residences of people of good position. Such of your readers as have visited the salons of Paris or St' Petersburg, will know that' the advantages which -are to be derived from families livinoin a suite of rooms are very great, and hence

the promoters of the new building hope that ; their enterprise' may proVc successful. Had I the new building oidy fronted-Hyde Park" instead of Regent's Park, the newwould, however, in my humble opinion have had a much greater chance of 3uccesa. I premised that I would- say a few words about the London theatres in my present letter. To begin with, then, I may remark that theatrical London is on the qui vive to ; witness Mr. Henry Irving's performance tomorrow night, of Hamlet, at the Lyceum Theatre. Sir. Irving is an actor who, in the comedy of the "Two Roses," and in the plays of "The Bells" and " Charles 1.," has rapidly raised himself to the front rank in his profession. Mr. Tennyson, the poet laureate, has, I understand, given Mr. Irving several valuable hints for his performance of Hamlet, and has promised to witness it himself. On to-morrow week a new piece, entitled " Sweethearts," by Mr. ■ Gilbert, is to be produced at the Prince of Wales Theatre, simultaneously with a revival there of Mr. T. W. Robertson's comedy of "Society." The most striking novelty, however, of the season will be seeing Miss Marie Wilton's company play the " Merchant of Venice," which, they have promised to do during next year. For a light comedy company like Marie Wilton's to play the " Merchant of Venice" is indeed a bold stroke. Mr. Sothern has returned to the Haymarket Theatre, and is playing in his old character of Lord Dundreary. Miss Lydia Thompson is playing in a burlesque of Bret Harte's—"The Heathen Chinee"—at the Charing Cross Theatre. The revival of Mr. Albery"s "Two Roses," at the Vaudeville Theatre has proved very successful. Drury Lane is at present occupied with a version of Scotts novel, '' The Talisman," whilst Covent Garden is given over to music. The promenade concerts, which are nightly produced there, seem proving a great success. At the Adelphi Theatre that ever-green player Madame Celeste has been playing in that ever-green piece, "The Green Bushes." The literary world here is much interested in the recent publication of Mr. Mill's "Essays on Religion." The publication of Mr. Greville's " Memoirs of Court Life during the Reigns of George IV. and William IV." has jiroved very successful. Mr. Greville's book is full of Court gossip, which he had of course ample chances to hear, for he occupied the post of Clerk of the Council. Mr. Wilkie Collins has begun a new novel, called "Fatal Fortune," in the pages of All tfie Year Round. His new novel, " The Law ana the Lady," which is now appearing in the Graphic, is considered by competent judges here to be too "sensation;;]." Mr. Anthony Trollope is writing a new novel, in which he is utilising his Australian, experiences. Mr. Gladstone's recent paper on Ritualism has carried the number of the Contemporary Review in which it appeared—i.e., that for October: —.in£& sn eleventt:;:. eclition. New editions of both " CLjmbe?i<j\7bicyclop;edia" and the " Encyclopaedia Erit sanica" are in progress. Mr. Theodore Martin's oiogi 'iphy of the late Prince Consort" is making good progress, and will be out by Christmas." Mr. i Walter Thorobury, the well-known litterateur, has just recovered, I am glad tc learn, from a serious illness. He is about to begin the revision of a new and greatly-improved edition of his " Life of J. M. W. Turner, the great painter."