ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 8361, 15 September 1890, Page 6

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

[FKOM OUK LONDON CORRESPONDENT.] London, August 9. The Shaw, Saville, and Albion Company, Limited, are having their two new steamers the Rangatira and the Pakeha, fitted with refrigerating chambers for the frozen mutton trade.

A meeting of the New Zealand Antimony Company, Limited, was held last week at Winchester House, Old Broad-street, for the purpose of receiving the reports of the committee of investigation, but as representatives of the press were excluded it is impossible to say what transpired. The London Miller declares that never perhaps has New Zealand wheat played as important a part 011 Mark Lane Stock Exchange as during the past six weeks. In consequence of the poor state of the Home wheat this journal says there has been quite •iii extraordinary demand for white wheat of New Zealand, and that more than one firm has cleared over 40. X) quarters in a single morning. The Miller further says that at its best New Zealand wheat possesses very much of the mellowness and sweet flavour which so characterises British wheat, and that many experts hold that it is the best substitute for that article.

Truth last week published a letter from a I New Zealand sportsman 011 the subject of barbed wire fences. The writer says he has read with some interest the statements of the evident scare which seems to have come over hunting latterly in England 011 account of wire fences. In New Zealand, where they hunt hares, he says, there is any amount of wire, both concealed in the gorse fences, and barb wire fences very often with a barb wire 011 the top, and the New Zealand horses always have to jump them. In fact, it would lie impossible to follow the hounds in the colony without jumping wire, and lie thinks that the 'English horses could be schooled as the New Zealand horses are schooled to jump over wire. Truth points out that this correspondent does not seem to appreciate "that the English limiting 111 in's objection to wire is directed rot so much to the article itself as to the practice of concealing it in hedges. He speaks, indeed, of wire concealed in gorse fences, but if a gorse fence with a wire in it is _at all equivalent to a British quickset hedge with the same embellishment the New Zealand horse which can always be trusted to detect and negotiate the wire must be as remarkable for intelligence and eyesight as for jumping*power." It is announced that a biography will shortly appear of the " Rev. Dr." Keatinge, whose exploits oil your side of the globe, may not be unfamiliar to your readers. " Dr. " Keatinge has at various time been a workhouse boy, a student in a Jesuit seminary, a Roman Catholic priest, secretary to a " Conditional " or Italian conspirator, a Dissenting minister, a Church of England curate, a strolling actor, an Anglican monk, an author, comedian, lecturer, Divinity professor, and a schoolmaster. The worthy gentleman's mundane career ought to furnish some excellent " copy." On Saturday, July 26, Mr. .Justicc Chitty, in the Chancery Division of the High Court of Justice, appointed Mr. H. Lever, chartered accountant, provisional liquidator of the New Zealand Agricultural Company (Limited), to carry on the business and protect its assets until the hearing of a petition on August 7. After hearing the petition 011 Thursday he made an order for the compulsory winding up of the concern. The Canadian Government arc arranging to invite a number of farmers from various parts of the United Kingdom to visit the Dominion and prepare reports 011 the agricultural resources of the country. Two or three farmers are to be selected from England and Wales, two from Ireland, and two from Scotland. They will be provided with free passages to and fro the Atlantic and on the railways of the Dominion, together with an allowance for personal expenses. It is considered that New Zealand might follow this example. A number of officers of the Salvation Army have taken passage to Australia in the P. and O. Victoria.

The "Jubilee Plunger" Benzon has been able to declare an immediate dividend to his creditors of 5s in the £ out of the book debts, amounting to thirteen or fourteen thousand pounds. A sum of six thousand pounds has been collected, and out of this sum the trustee has been able to make the payment above referred to. Mr. Benzon's amended statement of affairs shows gross liabilities amounting to £40,262, out of which £21,447 are unsecured, and assets amounting to £13,520. Mr. Benzon has been allowed to pass his examination. Sir Thomas Esmonde, M.P., continues his series of articles in United Ireland upon the

tour round the world of the Irish delegates. In the two last of them he deals with a trip made by himself to the South Sea Islands, and withhis experiences after Mr. Dillon had joined him, and they had proceeded to California, Mexico, and the West Indies, in which latter place he seems to have been greatly interested in the bull fights in the Spanish islands. The appointment of the Earl of Jersey as Governor of New South Wales is considered a very good one. Lord Jersey is not a clever man, but he is very rich, generous, hospitable, sociable, and fond of sport. His great wealth comes from the marriage of a preceding Earl of Jersey with the heiress of Child's bank, with whom the noble lord eloped and fled to Gretna Green. The furious father followed close on their heels, but the bridegroom materially retarded his progress by shooting one of the horses of his postchaise. Alter the wedding had become an fait accompli old Child made the best of it. and left his daughter all his wealth. Through his father the present Lord Jersey is descended from the Duke of Buckingham of the early Stuart period, and through his mother he is a grandson of the great Sir Robt. Peel. The Countess of Jersey is a very brilliant lady who is sure to take Sydney society by storm. Lord Jersey is 45 years of age. His eldest son, Lord Villiers, is distinguishing himself at Eton, and his eldest daughter. Lady Margaret Villiers, is a very beautiful young lady. Lord Jersey has appointed as his private secretary Mr. George Goschen, son of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Lord Carrington's house, in Whitehall, which was pulled down soon after he left i England, has been rebuilt, not in the [ place in which it stood, but on the Thames embankment. There was some idea of taking up the old house bodily, and moving it on wheels to the new site, which is not very far away. But it was found that ic would be cheaper to pull it down, and re-build it in the usual way. The house will be ready for Lord and Lady Carrington's occupation when they reach England in November. lie Select Committee on Colonisation has finished its labours for the present, but it is understood that no report will be issued. There appears to have been some dissension in the committee upon the question of Stateaided emigration and colonisation. The Irish members 011 the committee seem to have suspected that it was the intention of the Government to apply some large scheme of this kind to the congested districts in Ireland, and they accordingly laboured hard to adduce evidence before the committee showing the impracticability of colonisation projects of this description. But whatever the cause may be, it is certain that the committee have not been able to agree upon a report. It is probable that the Committee will be re-appointed next year. The annual general meeting of the Union Bank of Australia was held at the Bank buildings on the '28th ult., Mr. Arthur Flower being in the chair. A dividend was declared at the rate of 14 per cent, per annum, and a sum of £15,378 was carried forward. The chairman declared that the best thanks of the directors were due to Major Fanning, to Mr. Innes, tr. Mr. Palmer (chief ollicer in New Zealand), and the stall' serving under them, as well as to Mr. Newburn and Mr. Carbcry, and their stall' in London, for their unflagging exertions in all that concerned the Bank interests.

The degree of M.D., of Aberdeen University, has been conferred upon .Mr. Gray Hassell, of Wellington. The preparation and ultimate publication is announced of the " Australasian Dictionary of Biography, comprising notices of eminent colonists, from the inauguration of responsible Government down to the present time (1855-01), by Philip Mennell, F.R.G.S." This work is intended to discharge the two-fold purpose of perpetrating the memory of deceased notabilitic" 'of recording the careers of the living. ?, however, to confine it within reus le limits, no biographies will be included of persons who died prior to the'inauguration of responsible Government in the two leading colonies ; and in the case of others, with, of course, the exception of Western Australia, the main promineneo will be given to individuals whose careers are associated with the progress achieved in each case after the concession of similar privileges. The editor will be glad to receive information and suggestions from old colonists. Those obliging him in this respect are requested to furnish particulars on the following points : —Name in full; date and place of birth; parents' names; if married, name of wife and date and place of marriage ; date and place of arrival in Australasia; offices you have held, political, civil, military, naval, or ecclesiastical, with dates ; and any other particulars of general interest. All communications are to be addressed to Mr. Philip Mennell, care of Messrs. Hutchinson and Co., Publishers, 25, Paternoster Squar* London, E.C. The current number of Imperial Federation contains a supplement of some twelve pages in length, said to be written by Mr. rlenniker Heaton, M.P., dealing in an exhaustive manner with the subject of Imperial penny postage and cheap telegraph rates, lie adduces figures with the object of showing that the cost of conveying a letter from London to New Zealand ought not to be more than a farthing. He waxes very indignant over Sir John Pender's monopoly of the cable communications of the Empire, and accuses that gentleman and his colleagues of fattening like vampires 011 the life blood of the Empire, and claims, as the result of his personal exertions, to have " wrung " from them an offer to reduce the Australian rate from 10s to ss, and ultimately, to 4s a word.