OUR LONDON LETTER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 6147, 30 July 1881, Page 6

OUR LONDON LETTER.

[from our special correspondekt.] London, June 16, 1881 BISHOP SELWfN.

Less attention has been paid to the memory of George Augustus Selwyn, than might have been expected. Yet the laying of the foundation-stone of Selwyn College, Cambridge, brought together a distinguished company of gentlemen anxious to do honour to the New Zealand worthy. The Provost and Fellows of King's College entertained, at luncheon, the Earl of Powis, the Bishops of Durham, Lincoln, and Carlyle, ViceChancellor of the University of Cambridge, Mr. Russell Lowell, the Earl of Dartmouth and many others. The subscription for the new foundation has been on foot for about three years, r,nd it has taken that time to raise £21,000. The subscriptions within the first few months amounted to £16,200; but, for some reason, they slackened, and it has not been possible to increase the original amount, except by a few thousands. Tho memorial has had the effect, however, of making many turn to Mr. Tuckor's Life of Selwyn, to see what manner of man he was. His long period of work in New Zealand is not very well understood here, but his leaving Windsor to accept the newly-founded Bishopric of New Zealand is regarded as in itself something of a heroic measure. His numerous journeyings at the Antipodes are only vaguely known, but on his return from New Zealand he had an opportunity of asserting himself as Bishop of Lichfield, where he threw himself into his work in the true apostolic spirit. The ten last years of his life were years of new labour. He was present at the general convention of the American Church at Baltimore (1871) and New York (1874). In England he established Diocesan Synods, instituted a syitem of theological examination, all his energy taking the turn of outward works, aa contrasted with the classical labours of most of his contemporaries. The Times probably speaks the ordinary conventional view of his character among Englishmen when it says : —"Though he had aji extraordinary comgood qualities and powers, he had none to that excess which beats all rivalry; for, after all, his goodness was his chief talent, and the best thing about him. He had no eminent genius j he was not a considerable orator or writer ; he was one in a crowd of very good scholars; in the varied sea of theology be held on even course; if in some other points he was very well informed, it was to the extent of holding his place among English gentlemen. He was athletic, and active, and skilful in sports of all kinds, but it was all by training and exercise—that is, by working hard for it, and practising endurance. There is nothing here but what tho humblest undergraduate, from, the i office, the parsonage, the farm-house, or the shop may easily imitate, even though he may have no conspicuous ability—nay, no talent at all, except a resolution to do his duty always and everywhere."

■: ■ wool. The International Exhibition of wool at the Crystal Palace has been generally accepted as the best testimony to the progress of the colonies. Apropos to the exhibition, I find the most valuable account of the history of that progress writtin in the "Economiste Francais. Briefly, it is stated that in 1788 there w.ere 29_ sheep in Australia, _ in 1880 there are -62 millions. The "first sheep-farmer was Captain McArthur, who began with a flock which he crossed with some Cape sheep. He afterwards crossed them with an Irish ram, a long wool, with excellent results. In 1796, the statistics of sheep were 1531 in the colony,, a ewe being worth from £6 to £8. Then came the introduction of Spanish merinos, purchased at the Cape of Good Hope for Captain McArthur, Captain Waterhouse, and Mr. Cox. From Captain Me Arthur's diary it is pointed out that in 1807, he purchased at the Windsor sale of King George 111., several rams, with which he formed the famous Camden breed of sheep, still! possessed in Victoria. The Aμstralian climate nad the effect of. improving in weight and quality the. fleece of the Spanish merino, the colonists 'preferring the cross between the Indian and Cape breeds. The first export from Australia was made in 1807, when 2451b5. was sent from New South Wales to England. Fifteen years after, the total exports were 172,8301bg.; and no other AusJtraliancolony had as yet,began to export. :But Tasmania followed suit, as in 1819 that settlement was in possessionof 172,079 sheep; in 1829, Tasmania was exporting 925,3201b5;. more than was shipped in the same year, from Sydney., -Farmers front all parts of England had_ gone to settle in Tasmania, : ' carrying merinos. from/Europe,;;., The. Van , Diemen Land Company, formed, in 1825, to. keep England independent of the' European woolsupply, spent £30,000 .in buying merinos. Some years lateu> Victoria being" discovered, with its great tracts.of p'asture land, settlers removed ...thither. .'Their, enthusiasm for needing may be, the prices paid tor rams..; Mr.; John Ailtam paid £350 for a merino ram; purchased from the flocks of . rince Liclinbwski,' in; Prussia. From 1836 to 1839 England poured emigrants into Vicuna.; L lti-,1840 the, wool exports amounted io 831,0001b5. • ten years laterit had risen to;15,000,0001bs.. Sheep moved froni Tasmania to Victoria improved in flesh and. wool, but their increase was; so great that they were not worth more $han a shilling a head. Discovery of gold turned away attention from wool; tut riewimmigrants brought with theni ranis from Germany and the French flocks at Rambouillet, and improved a degenerating breed. Thelast change made in the merino. ; breed by Victoria, has been thecrosswith rams from Tasmania.: The breeds' of England, it is said, are rather unpopular, and except, a few flocks of Leicesters in Tasmania, it is only thpsouthrwest coast, where there is damp soil and long grass, that English sheep flourish/ The Lincolns flo very well there. - la North

Queensland,'c6mpetition sprang up, and farming gora on over an area_of 1200 miles there. Them follows an account of the wool'exhibition of-Australia, gotfup in-1828 by Messrs. Groldsboroagh, Hastings,-and ■Cunningham: The size of the Melbourne wool warehouses are indicated, and the : weight of : wool ex-" p6rtedforlß79iscalcnlatedat3l3,Ooo,qOolbs., value £15,000,000 (which is said to .include 62,000,0001b5. from New .Zealand). The weight of the fleeces has been doubled withm twenty years; and, eays the Economist?, "There are so many millions of acres over which no sheep have ever run, that the Australian wool trade is yet a long way from its highest development."

IMPERIAL ORGANISATION. i The members of the Royal Colonial Institute seem to be the only class of public men who definitely interest themselves in the unity of the British Empire. But they, at least, do keep the idea before the public. The most important recent contribution has been made by Mr. Francis Labilliere, who addressed the members of the institute in the Grosvenor Gallery Library. , He makes no doubt that some general scheme of unity must yet be adopted, so as to tie together the more members of the English race; but whether it is to be in the form of a bund, a Zollverein, a federal Parliament and executive, he hesitates to prophecy. Recognising, however, that the time is coming for the realisation of such a scheme, he goes on to state the liberal principles to which it would be subject. Brießy they are these, joint defence must be at joint expense, which would mean joint control of foreignaffairs. Each portion of the Empire would have to contribute its fair share of the Imperial revenue, and would be entitled to a voice in its expenditure. Then, on the part of internal defence, -as the federal government would provide for all the territories of the Empire against internal attacks, the provincial governments would have to maintain peace and order within their respective jurisdictions.' His whole position maybe summed up in one sentence : ; " Common defence involves common expense; common expense and danger confers the right of common control of foreign affairs from which danger may arise, and of the forces required Tor defence; common control must be by common representation, and common representation is Imperial federation." But there is no sign that the subject is exercising any considerable amount of attention outside purely interested circles.

POLITICS. In politics the country ia still where it was—discussing the Irish. Land Bill. Or rather, it would be more correct to say that the country has given up its discussion of the Land Bill, and that any interest which is concentrated in it is in the Houses of Parliament only. So much has been heard of Ireland and her grievances, the Irish members have been so pertinacious, and English and Scotch legislation has been so completely thrust to the background, that Ireland ia hkely to suffer in the'long run from the apathy of the electors. That is due entirely to the conduct of the Irish agitators which have refused to regard the Land Bill, oven with its new provisions for free sale, fixity of tenure, and fair rent, as worthy of adoption. A new phase is reported to bo given to the Irish debates by the appearance of the measure in the House of Lords. Will the Lords throw it out ? it is asked. And the general expectation is that they will, having so good a reward in 1 their favour as the rejection of the measure by Mr. Parnell and his followers. Then, in the event of the House of Lords throwing it out, what will happen? Some of the more extreme leaders do not hesitate to »ay that a new agitation, having the abolition of the House of Lords as its object, will be commenced forthwith. Another solution of the difficulty is that there will be a long pause in the discussion of the Land Bill, that Mr. Gladstone will in the meantime extend the franchise, appeal to the country, and with a new and more thoroughly Radical Parliament run the Bill through. But, as things are at present, there is the most widespread discontent. The Scotch members say old Scotland might as well be blotted out of the constitution for all the attention that is paid to it. So far, however, from there being any signs of a Tory reaction, the difficulties of the Government serve only to increase the sympathy of the constituencies. Besides, the Opposition are unable to bring the agitating power to bear, which made so much of Conservative disasters at the time of the last general elections.