ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9152, 6 September 1888, Page 6

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

«- [fsom OCR OW>" CORRESPO.VDE.VT.J Lovdo.v, July 27. | Ms. Crawford, who is endeavouring to i promote two companies, the Richmond Hill silver mine, and the Caledonian Extended j gold mine, has, I understand, decided to : delay operations nntil next season, as j things look too dull in the mining market ! it present. The news that Sir Francis Bell has been ] appointed Agent-General for a further term j af three years from October next'— an ; unreduced salary—his given satisfaction to many colonists in London. Especially was j the news welcome to the various Agents--senera!, with whom Sir Francis is a prime favourite, both on Account of his recognised i ibility and urbanity of manner. I understand that an effort has been ] ■nade to float & company to be called the j Sew Zealand Copper Company, to work a 1 nine in the Nelson district. The capital | aired is £130,000. Up to the present j inly two gentlemen have agreed to act as J iirectors, and they are believed to have no j particular influence. Sir Walter Boiler ] *?** approached, and offered the chairman- I •hip. but he declined to associate himself i vith the transaction- The promoters feel I sanguine that their "mountain"' of copper I rill prove a draw, but some mining experts s sold a contrary opinion, based on the j extreme apathy of the mining market just I low. I The Hon. William Gisborne's bx>k on S'ew Zealand is to be sent to the publishers ! shortly. Xlis Minnie Palmer and her husband, j Vlr. Rogers, have come back to England in j Lxcelleat spirits. They talk of the enor- ! nous gains they have made during their our in Australia, and say that that twelve nomas of their lives represents takings to he extent 01 over £30.000. The announcement that the Hon. James | iVaite, of Sydney, has catered two New south Wales colts for the Derby of SS9, and the Grand Irix o' IS9O. is tttracting some comment in sporting circles. A circular has been issued to the deben-ture-holder* in the New Zealand Agriculural Company, Limited, in which it is pro>o*«d to reduce the interest on the deben,uTft» to the extent of 1 per cent. Mists Agnes Fairfax, eldest daughter of Sir. aad Mrs. Boss Fairfax, of the Sydney

Morning Herald, is to be married on the Slsfc lost., to Mr. H. Carrick Webster. Mr. Frauds has undertaken to write a preface for Mr. J. C. Firth's book on New Zealand, which is shortly to appear under the title of "Our Kin Aero the Sea." It Is to be hoped he will take advantage of the opportunity to contradict or correct some of the amazing inaccuracies into which he fell in his " Oceana" respecting the colony. A pamphlet kit* been published by a West Indian gentleman dealing very severely with the "great historian's" statements, or rather mis-statement* about the West Indies, which the author characterises by the generic term of " Froudeacity." Speaking in general terms of that gentleman and his prophecies and opinions, the writer says :—" Imperial statesmen should pay no heed to Mr. Fronde's vaticinations founded upon the gossip he heard during his seven week's picnic in the West Indies. He has constituted himself the champion of the fossil prejudices and a narrow-minded set. He is neither inspired,, nor is he the heavenborn Minister of State he thinks himself. He is a mere man of the study, who writes with a charming style. Let him stick to I his last. He would pass himself off as the j Ulysses of the Empire; stripped of his | mask he is discovered to be but the Don I Quixote of Colonial and Imperial politics." Carl Lumholte new book relating to | his travels in the wilds of Australia will be I published towards the end of the year by Mr. John Murray. Besides other interesting records, it will give an account of a year's residence by the writer amongst the savage tribes of the north-east portion of the Continent. The annual statement of the St. George's Club has been published, from which it appears that, since the last general meeting, 641 new members have been elected, and that the membership of the Club is upwards of 3000. The St. George's, I believe, has members in everyone of the colonies of the Empire. The Bishop of Duuodin took part in ft meeting at the house of Sir Monier Williams at Onslow Gardens, a few days ago, at which the Bishop of the Ancient Syrian Church delivered an address. Dr. Nevill made a short speech expressing the interest he took in the subject. Last Sunday the Bishop of Nelson preached at the Chapel Royal, Whitehall, and he and Miss Surer together with the Bishop of Auckland and Mrs. and Miss Cowie were also amongst the guests at the garden party given at Lambeth Palace. The Admiralty have apparently not yet commenced to build the Australian flotilla of five special cruisers and two torpedo boats, as agreed upon at the Colonial Conference. But no doubt they are awaiting the action of the Mcllwraith Government, in Queensland. It is understood that when thev do put the vessels in hand they will build them by contract. They hope to get them completely finished at the works, so that they will simply have to come round to the port of departure for guns, coals, and stored. A short debate took place in the House of Lords on Tuesday night on Lord Lamington's Foreign Meat Bill, the second reading for which was moved by the noble lord but afterwards withdrawn. The object of the measure was to compel English butchers who sold foreign imported meat to label it as such. But Lord Onslow asked how anyone was to tell the difference between foreign and English meat ? The UnderSecretary of State for the colonies admitted that a great deal of foreign meat was sold as English, but said that until they could in some way ear-mark each particular joint he did not see how the fraud complained of was to be stopped. Lord Lamington was apparently 60 much impressed with the force of this argument that he asked for leave to withdraw his motion. Mr. HughG. Seth-Smith, District Judge, New Zealand, has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Colonial Institute, Miss Minnie Palmer intends to produce a new drama called " Her Father's bake," by Henry Herman and Christie Murray, It will oe brought out first in London and then in the colonies. The prise list of the summer session of the Edinburgh University School of Medicine contains the names of the following New Zealanders :-—Mr. T. C. Foster, second year class of practical anatomy ; Mr. J. Fitzgerald, junior division, class of diseases of women and children ; and the same gentleman is classed amongst the senior second year students in the class of practical anatomy. Mrs. Gordon Baillie, Mr. R. P. R. Frost, and Robert Gigner, their " butler," were on Monday fully committed for trial at the Old Bailey on the charge of conspiring and obtaining goods and money from tradesmen by means of worthless cheques. At one time it looked as though the magistrate did not think the evidence strong enoagh to justify a committal, but in the end he not only sent all the defendants for trial, refusing them bail, but highly complimented Inspector Marshall on" the BKill with which he had got up the case. On the last day of the hearing of the case before the magistrate, the " \ ag."suddenly put in his appearance in the witness box. and, when asked what he was doing there, replied that he had gone into the box in the exercise of his profession. He said he knew Mr. Knight-Aston in Australia, but did not know .Mrs. Gordon Baillie, except by reputation.. (O ! Yag ! Vag ! what about the Colonial and Indian Exhibition year?'; There seemed Co be a desire on the part of the prosecution to cast some doubt upon the divorce of Mrs. Gordon Baillie from Mr. Knight-Aston and upon the validity of her marriage with Mr. Frost. But the " V&g." could throw no light upon this subject. Mrs. Gordon Baillie, in reply to a question from the magistrate, said that she and Frost were married at Brussels on May 4. ISS6, in a schoolroom attached to a church, by a Roman Catholic priest. It is confidently stated that the committee appointed by the Pan-Anglican Synod to consider the " Mutual relation of the dioceses of the Anglican Communion," has recommended that the Primates of India and the leading colonies should be appoin-ed A.chbishops. If this suggestion be acted upon, New Zealand would have an Archbishop as well as Australia. The Bishop of Nelson was present at the first annual general meeting or the Corporation of the Church House, which was held in Dean's Yard, Westminster, last Saturday. On Wednesday week a party of Bishops attending the Lambeth Conference were entertained by the University of Cambridge. Amongst them were the Bishop of Auckland, the Bishop of Dunedin, the Bishop of Nelson, and the Bishop of Waiapu. August is the holiday month with the "Agent*-General. They will all be flitting next week—Sir Francis Bell to Switzerland, Sir Graham Berry to Dover, Sir Arthur Blyth to Cromer, etc. There will be little doing in colonial circles for the next six ■weeksSir Walter Bulkr is making rapid progress with volume 11. of his classical History of the " Birds of New Zealand," parte Yin. and IX being now issued together as a double number. The interim list of subscribers is a very influential one. The Duke of Argyie, the Earl of Derby, and other leading' scientists are amoa? the number ; the Guildhall Library, and nearly fifty city magnates follow suit: Oxford University takes three copies, and many of the principal libraries in England and America are represented. The publishers are confident that every copy will have been applied for before the last page is printed, and then the market price will advance rapidly, as was the case with the former edition. The Wesieyan Conference is now sitting. The Rev. William Morley, the delegate from New Zealand, has been warmly welcomed, and has taken a prominent part in some of the proceedings, Mr. John Bradshaw, J.P., the author of "New Zealand As It Is," has nearly completed an important descriptive and statistical book ut>on the colony, on which he has been engaged for the last twelve months. I am assured by a gentleman who has assisted the author in the collection of information, that it is a most exhaustive work, and will serve as a handbook to New Zealand for some time. The Commission appointed to select a dire- tor for the Canterbury Museum has held several meetings, and on the 30th instant i will proceed to make a final selection. It is | understood there are 15 candidates, several being scientists well known in this country. | Mr. Ik. B. Sharpe, whom I mentioned as a | candidate in a former letter, has withdrawn I his name owing to the redaction in the ' salary attached to the office. Among the j present candidates is Mr. H. O. Forbes, : the enterprising' New Guinea explorer, a I very energetic ;iad capable man," who is

well and favourably known in England and Australia. The selection will be made by Mr. do Malet,, Sir P. Cunliffe-Owen, Professor Flower, and one other Professor. The s.e. Doric, on her next trip, will take out 50 nominated emigrants. In noticing the death of Mrs. Harper, one of the London papers mentions the fact that both Bishop Harper and Bishop Hobhouse, afterwards Bishop of Nelson, were nominated to the see of Christehurch when the late Lord Lyttleton, Mr. Godley (Mr. < Gladstones private secretary), and other enthusiastic churchmen were founding the Canterbury settlement. The final choice was left to the late Bishop Wilberforce, who is&id, alluding to Bishop Harper's large family, " How can I be so cruel to a young colony as to send a Bishop without olive branches when Harper has his quiver full of them, ready to possess the land ?" There in a decided improvement in the frozen meat market; ana the prospect is likely to bo fair for some little time. New Zealand frozen mutton is selling at 3s 4d and 3s Sd per stone, and Sydney merino at 3s 2d arid crossbred 3s 4d. The telegram which was to enable the Agent-Gun tocomplote thearranaements respecting the Midland Railway, has not ! vet been received, but is expected almost J hourly. I 1; i.9 understood that the matter j has been practically left in the hands of the Government, and that the company are prepared to accept their views. Amongst those who are showing hospiI tality to the Bishops attending the Lam- : beth Conference is Mr. S. N. Silver, of 3, ! York Gate, who has always taken an active ' ieterest in missionary enterprise in all parts of the world. The Bishop of Waiapu was one of a party who spent an enjoyable day last ! week at the residence of the Bishop of Ely, and took tea under the famous plane tree on the Bishop's lawn which was planted more than two hundred years ago by Bishop Gunning. The well-known and popular commander of the steamer Mariposa, Captain Hayward, has received well-merited distinction | at the hands of the Board of Trade for his j manly and humane action regarding the j crew and passengers of the barque H x nry James in the Western Pacific, He has been i awarded a piece of plate, while Mr. F. W. '■ Hart, the first officer, has received a gold . shipwreck medal, while the seamen, Johan Bar park, Harry Erving, William Allen, and Thomas Driscoll, have each received a silver shipwreck medal and the .-uni of £2 each. Mr. Raikes and Mr. Goschen seem deter- | mined to rile the Australian colonies over the new- mail contract'. They have been : unwise enough to side with the F. and O. : Company in the dispute respecting the , alteration of the date of departure of the j homeward mails from Monday to Thursday. ! The company declare that they made a ! heavy pecuniary sacrifice in order to secure j permission, at certain times of the year, | to send their Australian, India, and China j mails on from Colombo to Sue? in the same | steamer. They say they cannot avail them- | selves of this concession unless their steamj ers leave Adelaide on Mondays, and they I refuse to alter their arrangements. Mr. i Raikes upholds: their contention. He argues that in yielding to the company for a money consideration the right of working the | Australian and Indian contracts together, j the Imperial and Australian Governments | divested themselves of the title to call on ] the contractors to perform the service on any conditions that would to all intents and purposes render nugatory the right so acquired. He therefore feels that if the contract is to be confirmed he has no alternative but to leave the present carefullyplanned arrangement of the P. and 0. undisturbed. The Agents-General for New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia are dreadfully disgusted at the scant atten- ! tion paid to their remonstrances. Sir Graham Berry, as the hardest hitter of the three, has written a sharp protest to Mr. Raikes. He describes the view taken of the so-called concession to the company as extraordinary and extreme, and plainly states that the colonies are not likely to acquiesce in the continuance of the existing objeci tionable arrangement.