ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1163, 15 June 1894, Page 10

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

From Our Special Correspondent. London, April 27 PERSONAL GOSSIP.

Amongst recent callers at the Now Zealand Press Agency was Mr George Beetham, whom Mr Harrison Davis kindly brought up to see us. Mr Beetham expects to be in England some considerable time. He not long ago underwent a laryngeal operation at tho hands of a famous throat specialist, which proved completely successful. Indeed, our visitor had since gained 71b in weight. Mrs Beetham's health has also benefited materially. She and her husband spent the latter part of the winter at Brighton, but aro now at Torquay, which is in the heighth of its fring glory. The many New Zealand friends of the iv Edwin Nightingale will rejoice to hear he has been presented to the excellent living of Escotin Herefordshire by Sir John Kennaway. Mr Nightingale has had wide experience, having been a curate in Marylebone"(London) and Hertfordshire, as well as in New Zealand, and in 188(3 he was chaplain at Hyeres. Lord Stamnore (Sir Arthur Gordon) has let the Red House, his beautiful place at Ascot, and come up to town for the season. Mr and Mrs Harrison Davis were at home to a number of colonial and theatrical friends at 8, Elm Park Gardens, last Wednesday afternoon. The occasion was the reading of a new play by Mrs Davis, which will not improbably bo heard of at a trial matinee ere long. The title of tho piece and its plot one must not, of course, divulge, but the impression created was most favourable.

JfMv G. P. Williams, of Christchurch, 'arrived home by the Gothic ten days ago, and looked in yesterday afternoon at the New Zealand Press Agency. He has taken up his quarters at 17, Seymour street, Hyde Park, and already managed to become an honorary member of the Savage Club. One of the missions of Mr Williams is to affiliate tho Christchurch Savage Club with tho institution in Adelphi Terrace. Ho had already entered on negotiations by letter with the Chairman of Committee (Sir Somers Vine), but during the last ( few weeks one of the explosions which periodically disturb the serenity of the Savages took place, and Sir Somers and all his henchmen resigned. So Mr Williams will have to begin again with the new chairman. The week after next Mr Williams talks of going to Newmarket to see the race for the Guineas, which promises to be the most interesting contest since Ormonde, I Minting and Saraband met to try conclusions.

Lord Onslow's son, Lord Cranley, who has been reading" with Mr J. L. Stuart, M.A., at St. Raphael since Christmas, has just passed his entrance examination at New College, Oxford. The authorities there were so well satisfied with his work that the master assured Lord Onslow there seemed every probability of his son proving an ornament to his College and possibly even to the University also. Lord Cranley does not go up to Oxford till the October term. Meanwhile he will spend some time at a French Pasteur's in Normandy, where Lord Amptill and other sprigs of the aristocracy are qualifying by studying modern languages for the diplomatic service. The scare which the illnesses in New Zealand of Lord Cranley and other members of the household gave the Countess of Onslow has made her ladyship an enthusiast, not to use the objectionable word " faddist," on sanitation, and wherever the family go now the drains, &c, are searchingly enquired into, and if necessary overhauled. Otherwise their reminiscences of New Zealand are very pleasant. Lady Onslow told a friend of mine her husband was informally offered the Governorship of New South Wales, but she insisted on his refusing it, as she disliked living long in one place, however good. What little has been seen of the now representative of Victoria since his arrival in London points to his being a great success as an Agent-General. Ho has already captured the hearts of the press men who have sought speech with him, and (as the song says) " that's good enough to go on with." By reason of his civility to the press, Mr Gillies is a much paragraphed man at the present moment. Snatches of his biography have appeared in every London daily. Lord Folkestone, who has been sojourning in your part of the world, was a passenger by the Britannia, which arrived in the Thames hist Saturday. Lady Folkestone accompanied her husband, and among other 'notable passengers were Sir Lambert and Lady Dobson, from Hobart. Bishop Selwyn will read a paper on the " Islands of the Pacific " at the Colonial Institute on Juno 19th, when there is sure to be a big muster of Antipodeans. Sf-OThe London Australasian Club has made but slow progress since the inaugural dinner at the Westminster Palace Hotel. The membership then had reached the hundred, and at the present moment 110 is the full total. A room has been taken at the Westminster Palace Hotel, wher* on Wednesday evenings members can meet to enjoy social intercourse, card-playing, draughts, chess, &c, and a ground has been ranted at Lordship lane for athletic purposes. The first scratch cricket match of the season is to take place Saturday week next. Once the Club has, so to speak, "got into its plenty of young men connected with the Antipodes in trade will doubtless join. The indefatigable secretary, Mr Berry, of tho Victorian Office, has " such, a way with him" that it is only necessary for him to get five minutes with a man in order to impel membership. Aforetime he has only been able to speak of what the Club was going to do. Now he can dilate upon what the Club is doing, which makes a lot of difference in the amount of persuasion. Madam© Patey's will, just proved at

Somerset House, has occasioned great surprise, the total of the gross estate amounting to J64CS4 only. For many years she earned nearly jus much as this per annum, but her private expenditure and charities were very large. The death is announced of M. Couvreur, the Brussels correspondent of the Tunes, and the husband of the talented Antipodean novelist who writes under the pseudonym of " Tasma." M. Couvreur was the Belgian Cobdeu, and much older than Madame Couvreur,who was his second wife. Australians interested in your longpending visitor, Paderewski, will no doubt like to read the May number of the Woman at Home, which contains the only interview ever granted by the idolised pianist. Major George and Mrs George, of Auckland, have arrived Home, and like Sir Georgo Grey are stopping at the Hotel Metropole. They voyaged from Australia to Marseilles by the Messageries steamer Polynesien (by which Mr Thos. Russell also travelled), and spent a month on the Continent before crossing to London. Major Georgo's visit is this time wholly one of pleasure. I hear that Mr Norman Williams, son of Judge Williams, lias also arrived in London. He comes to study medicine at G uy's Hospital, and will in all probability share the " diggings " of another New Zealander, Mr Batchelor, of Dunedin. WARLIKE CHILDREN ON BOARD SHIP. The Messageries Company would do well, if they desire to retain the substantial share of the Australian passenger traffic which they have of late years annexed, to pay attention to one little matter which is not so trifling as it may possibly sound to those unacquainted with ocean travelling. We have had not ono or two complaints, but several of the unbridled rowdiness and general license allowed the children on the recent voyage homo of the Polynesien. They were a study and healthy lot of young colonists with unrivalled lungs and legs, and they pervaded the ship, howling and whooping and generally having an excellent time from 5 a.m. till 8 p.m. No part of the deck was sacred to them. Elderly gentlemen fled from ono corner to another in the search of peace. They were discovered and harried and driven out relentlessly. One morning, when Major George, Mr Thomas Russell and Mr Lassetter had just settled down to a quiet chat, the youngsters began a game called North American Indians directly in front of them. The gentlemen couldn't hear themselves speak. " Look hore," said Major George piteously" if we go away and leave you this nice bit of deck to play on will you promise not to follow/' "No, we won't," said the ringleader, a spirited specimen of the South Australian native, " the deck's as much ours as yours." On another occasion Mr Russell essayed to stem th*e nuisance. A lady had just lain down to rest with a headache, and Mr Russell was writing in|his state-room when the youngsters started hare and hounds in the passage. This agreeable diversion rendered sleep or work equally impossible. Mr Russell rushed out.

" You little dev—, I mean my dear boys, I will not have you running up and down the passages this afternoon, several ladies are lying down, and I am writing. Please (with deferential politeness), please go away." " Shan't," yelled the S.A. imp, " shan t, shan't, shan't. Pa says I can run just where I like, and I mean to. Yah!" Of course serious representations were made to the Captain, who sympathised deeply. "Yes, it was pandemonium. The parents ought to stop it. No doubt if messieurs et mesdames spoke to them they would do so, &c, &c, &c." Evidently he did not mean himself to interfere, and the deputation retired in high dudgeon. One or two bold spirits did later venture to suggest to the parents that old people who wished to be quiet might be allowed a scrap of the deck to themselves. The "Mother of Four" approached on the subject, opined such selfishness was downright disgusting. For her part she pitied (spitefully) those unable to appreciate a child's merry games. The pastime called " North American Indians " stimulated the dear little,, things' imaginations. Perhaps her own darling Tommy had gone rather far when he realistically took the scalp off a little boy in the second saloon with a pair of scissors, and left the back of his head as bald as a billiard ball. Still she had apologised to the youngster's mother, and—well, " boys will be boys." The complainants, she concluded, evidently wanted the whole ship to themselves! PRODUCE NOTES. The Victorians are truly a most enterprising nation, and deserve all the success that may fall to them from their endeavours to open up new produce markets. Tho recent shipment of pbrk by the Parramatta was a success in every way. The pigs being of medium size, well, fed and not too fat, were just right for the market. Freezing had done the meat no harm, and the carcases were pronounced by experts to bo in beautiful condition. A portion of the consignment was placed on Smithfield market, and brought 4£d per lb, a very satisfactory price considering the fact that pork at this time of year is going out of favour witk consumers. Argentine and United States pork on the same market brought a halfpenny a pound less. Lately also the Victorians have experimented with frozen fowls and rabbits, but the result is not so encouraging to the exporters as in the case of pig. The fowls sent were tho first ever received here from Australia. Some six score ready-dressed fowls, with heads and feet intact to prove youth, reached London in perfect order, having suffered nothing from being frozen. The same may be said of the ducks, teal and rabbits, but the success of the experiment ends there. The fowls sold at from 3s to 4s 6d, I'm tcld, Say the average

rate would be 8s 6d (very fine fowls would be required to command this price all round); but of this the consignors demand 2s as the lowest prices at which they can export profitably. Carriage, freezing and packing is calculated to cost Is each bird ; thus only sixpence is left to cover all profits and incidental expenses at this end. Probably the Is could be much reduced, but 3s Gd is a tip top average price, and cannot bo reckoned on in face of increasing Russian consignments. I can buy an excellent small Russian fowl for Is Gd, and last week invested in a plump, white-fleshed, tender chicken of admirable proportion for 2s 9d. Looking fairly and squarely at facts and probabilities I do not counsel New Zealanders to emulate Victoria in this direction until freight, freezing, packing, &c, will allow of a small profit out of 2s Gd a bird. Having partaken of one of the Australian fowls 1 can vouch that they are no better than the good Russian birds I've sampled. In the caso of the rabbits the carriage comes to close on lid each —a monstrous price surely—and the sales show an average of Is 2d each only, so that an actual loss must be involved in the export of them from Victoria. The condition of the bunnies was perfect, as may be judged from the fact that 8d to l(>d was the ruling price of English rabbits when the Victorians were sold. It is said that the mode of packing adopted for those trial consignments is regarded as wasteful, each bird and animal being given a separate compartment in the packing cases. Of course, by freezing the fowls and rabbits first, and packing them close together, a great economy in space would be effected and the cost of transit materially reduced. But it has yet to bo proved that close packing would have no liarmf ul effect on the condition of the carcases on arrival. As I havo already intimated, the prices obtained by the Victorian consignments were realised by reason of tho splendid condition of every bird, and this condition I maintain was duo to a very great extent to the careful method of packing adopted. The birds and beasts looked so nice that buyers would willingly " spring a few coppers " extra. Tho Russian birds come to hand carelessly packed, and not particularly nicely dressed, and the result is that they only fetch poor prices considering how very excellent the better birds are.

Antipodean exporters of goods of any kind should always bear in mind the fact that the "look of a thing" is its first credential. To please the eye is the first necessity, as every trader knows. The idea of a committee formed of the leading agents and salesmen who handle the frozen meat exports of Australasia, suggested by Mr Peter Cunningham, of Christchurch, to a British Australasian interviewer some time ago, seems to have " caught on." In the course of a week or two I shall be in a position to give information on this subject. Several preliminary meetings of firms interested have taken place at Messrs Nelson's offices, and, so far, nothing has occurred to damp the ardour of the promoters of the committee.