ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8541, 15 April 1891, Page 6

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

[>"ROM our own CORRESPONDENT. London, March 6. Mr. G. R. Parkin, the peripatetic apostle of Imperial Federation, is not only a brilliant orator but an accomplished litterateur. His descriptions of his impressions at the antipodes are excellently expressed, and betray , close observation as well as a keenly sympathetic appreciation of the phases of colonial life. The excessive growth of the urban population is noted with anxiety, and accounted for intelligently. While admitting that the concentration of population has enabled the artizan class to secure unequalled present advantages, he holds there is justification for the view that it will sap the foundations of permanent prosperity unless a check can be found. Melbourne is £ city which fills him with admiration, It is a city where one feels that men count for nior< than anything else iirthe making of a place He notes the strenuous character of the American in their love of business, Italian in their keen enjoyment of pleasure. Mr. Parkin appears to have been duly 1111 pressed with the beauty of Sydney harbour, and declares it to bo one of the sights ot trie world. The evident pride the colonists take in their public gardens and their lavish expenditure upon them induced the belief that the masses were beginning to exhibit a refinement of taste and softening of manner such as contact with art lias given to the Italian and the Greek. If ever the esthetic side of the Anglo-Saxon race is to receive full development, Mr. Parkin declares it will be in the Australasian colonies. The Australian Auxiliary Squadron will all bp commissioned and ready to start in a few days. They will, 110 doubt, be serviceable vessels, but the improvements iiv naval architecture are so continuous and rapid that already they have been distanced by later designed snips. Although three of the cruisers have been built by Sir \\ . Armstrong and Co. at Els wick, that firm is just finishing another cruiser which completely jelipses them. I refer to the Twenty-fifth 01 May, just built for the Argentine Government, and which President Balinaceua, of Jhili, is trying to buy, confident that with ler aid lie could soon give all account of the laval rebellion, which threatens to overturn lim if prolonged much more. This splendid vessel is a little larger and a little more :ostly than the Wallaroo, Mildura, etc., but lot to such an extent as to have materially ifl'ected the adoption of the same model for ;he Australian boats. _ But it is her extrairdinary speed which is her supreme merit, she can steam -1 4- knots on natural 1 caught, while the Australian cruisers can >nly manage 10j'. She could therefore run therefore run round them if it came to a piestion of rapid manoeuvring. It is exremely disappointing to have to record ;he comparatively insignificant speed performances of the Australian vessels. I know that naval experts are of opinion that_ if the :olonies are wise they will lose 110 time in mlcring two or three Tweiity-tifth of Mays. Mr. T. 1). Sullivan, the Irish poet, possibly 1 reading to encounter the terrible adventures md privations which Sir Thomas Esmonde so eloquently described on his return from lie Antipodes, hits discovered that it would )c inconvenient to undertake so long a jourley at this juncture, so Mr. J. R. Cox has started alone on his unenviable mission to raise unds for the support of the evicted tenants, sir J. Pope Hennessy was mentioned as a possible colleague, but the member for _ Kilkenny was dreadfully disgusted at the idea, md refused to entertain it.. Mr. W.Reelnoud and Mahony are mentioned as having jeen deputed to visit Australasia on behalf >f the Parnell section, but the news needs joufirination, as I see it stated that Mr. \v. Redmond is to go to America instead. Papers regarding the working of the ' Liquor Laws " in Canada, Australia, anil S'ew Zealand, have just been presented to i'arliament. They are chiefly interesting as throwing light upon the operations of the ocal option clauses, though it seems to be ulmitted that it is too early to form reliable leductions as to its working. Comparatively :ew votes are recorded compared with the lopulation entitled to vote, which shows that or a large proportion of the people the subject has little interest. The RegistrarGeneral for Queensland asserts that the )j>position to sale of liquor is principally .vorked up by persons influenced by conscientious objections to the use of alcohol, and on ;ho opposite side arc to be found principally hose who have vested interests in the liquor traffic. Lord Onslow, writing on May 1/, 1890, remarks "It is admitted on all sides hat the ' local option' clauses of the Act ot 1881 have not had the effect anticipated. L'his view is supported by a singular return resented to the New Zealand Parliament in LSB*2;Hvhich throws a peculiar light on the working of the local option clauses 111 each icenaiug district in the colony. Lord Onslow lirects attention to the tact that the consumption of intoxicants in New Zealand per leael of the population is the smallest of the Australasian colonies with the exception of rasinauia, and but little more than half .he consumption per head in Great Britain. The late Rev. Dr. A. Hannay will probacy be succeeded in the secretaryship of the cr regational Union of England and \\ ales 3y the Rev. Charles A. Berry, of Wolverlampton, who, it may be remembered, dedined to succeed the Rev. Henry \> ard Seedier, at Brooklyn, as well as in the pasto■ate of the leading Congregational Church 111 Victoria. ,T t m i A smart Yankee, named J. J. Murphy, is ibout to undertake a unique voyage round the world. He starts from iNcw _ York lext month, and after visiting all the principal -ports of Europe and Asia, will ;ross the Pacific to San 1' rancisco, touching it Pitcairn's Island, in order to secure a phonographic account of the story of the nutiny of the Bounty from the lips of the lescendants of the actors in that affair. He lopes to transfer to wax the voices ot many lavage tribes, and to exhibit the fruits of Ins nelustry at the Chicago Show in IS'J.S. Mr. Howard Vincent is trying desperately to convert the Imperial federation League .ojiis belief that the prope? way to bind the nother country and the colonies together is pv the ties of a commercial union, which is ,0 hold good as against all the rest of the .vorld. Mr. Vincent made a determined iffort quite recently to induce the council of the League to seek an interview with the Prime Minister, to urge upon him the fitness if the present time for the institution of a thorough inquiry, by Imperial Conference or Royal Commission, into the possibility of istablishing a commercial federation within the Empire. The more cautious members '011 tinned to hang the matter up until Lord Rosebery returns from the Continent, where re has been staying ever since his wife s ieath. Mr. Vincent aspires to be the leader jf the fair trade party, which seeks to :stablish reciprocal trade agreements with pther nations. He has plenty of assurance, md is believed to think that he can manage ill mundane affairs better than anybody else, jut surely lie must see that his two movenents are in direct conflict, and that lie jannot win on both horses. J; Is the Australasian girl destined to boom 11 the marriage market of the old world to [the extent that the American undoubtedly ioes '! A beginning has at least been made r>y the marriage of Miss Mary Beauchamp of Sydney to Count Henning Auguste von krnioii-Schlogenthin, of Berlin, the only son pf the late Count Harry Arnim, who was German Ambassador at the first courts 111 Kurope until he was harried to death by Prince Bismarck. The Hon. R. Oliver, late Postmastergeneral of New Zealand, has just been elected i member of the Council of the Imperial ede"ation League. A new departure has been resolved oh in order to popularise the League md still further . stimulate the interest excited 111 Imperial concerns. It is proposed to establish a women's branch of the League, which will operate through drawing-room meetings, lectures, and women's colleges, etc. Several well known ladies have already joined the branch, including Lady Aberdeen, Lady Brooke, Miss Clough, Principal of Newnham College, Mrs. Arthur Walter, and Miss Emily Faithful. The success of the Primrose League has of course prompted this move. , , . , , The Dean of Christchurch spoke at a large public meeting, held at Brighton 011 the 2nd instant, in support of the Society for 1 ronoting Christian Knowledge. The " Ethics of Beef" formed the subject of I popular address delivered before a London ludience a few days since by Dr. Norman Kerr. He deplored the tact that beef eating ,vas on the increase in this country, and differed in toto from the opinion lie had heard ;xpressed by a .learned colleague, that if the leople of this country only ate as much as did the people of New Zealand, they would lead nore moral, happier, and longer Jves. xh,at, Dr. Kerr declared, was utterly fallacious, tie would substitute the porridge of Scotland or the roast beef of old England. Those who are acquainted with the fiery jualities of Dr. T. W. Croke, Archbishop of Jashel, can form some idea of the state of nind he is in, owing to the refusal of Mr. farnell to abandon all claims to be regarded is the leader of the Irish nation. Dr. Croke las written a peculiar letter to the i 1 eenan's Journal, in which he proves to his )wn satisfaction that Parnell can never jecome the Irish leader, because three-fourths )f the intelligence, nearly all the wealth, and in overwhelming share of Irish influence are irrayed against him. He declares that the alien " chief" may iust as well be called the Rajah of Hyderabad as the leader of the Irish people and of the Irish race. The Archbishop ,-entures to speak, not only for Ireland, but 'or America and Australasia. Of the latter le remarks: " The Australian anil New Zeaand Irish are solid against him, as I have

good reason to know," It is therefore mere " sillv and sycophantic gabble" to assert that Mr. Parnell is leader either at home or abroad. Nevertheless lie is prosecuting his Irish campaign so vigorously that he lias practically silenced his opponents, and filled them with very dismal fears. . The United Empire Trade League, which is the offspring of the fair-traders, is trying hard to attract subscribers. It aims at uniting on a broad popular and patriotic foundation all persons interested in the extension of British trade and the development of British industries. Sir Julius Vogel has become one of its vice-presidents, and some 50 members of the English House of Commons have indicated sympathy with the movement. . . , Among fashionable marnnges on the t.»pis and to be solemnised at an early date are the following Between Captain Stewart A. \\ . Bruce (Londonderry Artillery, South Irish Division Royal Artillery), third son of Colonel H. S. B. Bruce, J.F., D.L., of Ballysculhon House, Castledftwson, and Helen, second daughter of the late Mr. John McGregor, J P of Balmenach, Cromdale, Morayshire, N. 8., and late of Burwood, Otago, New Zealand • also betweeu Mr. Robert Crossman, eldest son of Major-General Sir W. Crossman, K.C.M.G., M.P., of Chiswick and Holy Island, Northumberland, and Miss Elsie Clogstoun, daughter of the late Mr. E. L. Clogstoun, of Mount Four Peaks, New Zea- ' Sir John's Macdonald's ambition is to round off his political career' by drawing closer the relations between the Dominion of Canada and Australia and New Zealand. But events are not favouring the early realisation of his policy. Both he and Sir Charles Tapper have tried to rouse some popular enthusiasm on the subject during the electoral campaign they have just fought; but nothing but accomplished facts will go down with the Canadians, who are at their wits end to find markets for their goods. Sir John could not declare that his liberal offers in the matter of subsidies had been accepted by Australia, and hence lie benefited but little- by this plank in his platform, lne Imperial Steam Navigation Company ot Barrow are becoming uneasy at the apathetic attitude of the colonies, for the whole scheme is contingent upon the colonies co-operating in the support of the trans-Pacific mail line.