TOPICS OF THE DAY.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1193, 11 January 1895, Page 29

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

From Our Special Correspondent.

PERSONAL NOTES. London, December 1.

The engagement is announced of the Earl of Stamford to Miss Elizabeth Theobald, third daughter of the Rev Charles Theobald, rector of Lasham, near Alton, Hants. Being a clergyman's daughter, Miss Theobald will not, I need hardly say, bring her fiance shekels of gold and silver, but fortunately he doesn't care about money (so Sir George Grey tells me), and in all other respects the marriage is a most suitable one. The Theobalds are a considerable county family in Hants, and two 6r three generations back thore was another alliance between them and the Greys. Some of the latter's land has, indeed, passed into the Theobalds' hands, and is now owned by them. Lord Stamford's marriage takes place at Easter, and if in England Sir George Grey will of course be present. Young Dr Gerald Baldwin, who is now house surgeon at St. George's Hospital, has just taken the first and most important F.R.C.S., a degree which the majority of medical men do not pass till they have been qualified a few years, instead of (as in MiBaldwin's case) a few months. The Agent-General tells me Dr Baldwin is, strictly speaking, the first New Zealand educated F.R.C.S. He was brought up at the Dunedin Medical School, and reflects great lustre thereon. Of the many hundreds of medical students who qualify each year, only a very, very select few, who have had specially brilliant records, achieve the coveted house surgeonship at a great London hospital. Dr Levinge, of the Sunnyside Asylum at Canterbury, returns by the Oruba, sailing next Friday. Mr Charles Spurgeon was presented with a purse of .£l5O prior to leaving yesterday for the Cape, where he will remain till his health improves. Mr Tom Spurgeon keeps fairly well. Sir Francis Boileau, Bart., and Lady Boileau', with Miss Boileau and two sons* sailed for New Zealand to-day by the Oratava, and Mr John Aiken, of Christchurch, left by the same vessel. Mr and Mrs S. F. Smithson, of Timaru, who are at present in residence at 17, Somerset street, Portman square, intend to leave for the Colony during December, but havelnot as yet fixed upon the steamer. Mr George Thorne, jun., sometime an agent for the New Zealand Government Life Assurance, but now general manager in Scotland for the Equitable Life of New York, has just concluded the purchase of a splendid little property near Sterling. Apparently Mr Thorne still retains his smartness in insurance business, and makes it pay as of yore. Mr Charles Smith, of Wanganui, who has been Home on a lengthened holiday, left England last week for America to find his way to the Colony either via San Francisco or the "*• all red route," as fancy may dictate when he reaches the other side of the Atlantic.

Mr H. Collier, of Wanganui, who came Home to run his "Two-speed Gear" patent, has been taken up by a Manchester syndicate, and seems to be getting on very well. The patent should certainly bring in " shekels/' for it is undoubtedly one of those things which supply a. long felt

want." As a cyclist lam struck with the simplicity of the working parts of the apparatus, and shall expect to see Mr Collier's patent very often during my spins next summer. He has, I understand, several Other cute ideas up his sleeve, which will be at the service of wheelers if they take kindlyito his present invention. The Hon James Inglis (" Maori ") has a volume of Scotch stories and reminiscences in the press describing the preservation of northern characteristics in Australia and New Zealand.

Messrs *Gatti are so well pleased with "The Fatal Card" that they have commissioned Haddon Chambers and B. C. Stephenson to write a successor thereto. 1 Mr Chambers' lucky "star" is once more in the ascendant. " John-a-Dreams " has received greater praise than anything he has done.

Mr J. S., or " Jack," Gorst, who has just been made Minister of an important department in Egypt, is the eldest son of your old friend Sir John Gorst, and 30 years of age. He had a brilliant university career, and his rise in Egypt has been wonderfully rapid. The Temuka footballer and fisherman, Mr W. Mendelson, now in residence at Jesus College, Cambridge, is rapidly making a big name for himself amongst the sporting and athletic section of collegians. He is acknowledged to be one of the very best full-backs ever included in the University "Rugger" team, and on Tuesday last he proved himself a " bad 'un to beat " in other forms of athletics. On Wednesday, whilst playing full-back for the'Varsity against Leeds, Mendelson, after distinguishing himself greatly in the initial half of the game, got his right knee badly hurt soon after recommencing. He retired for a brief space, but pluckily attempted to continue later. But his pain was so obvious that Captain Tucker ordered him off the field. Minus one the Cantabs had hard work to keep their opponents in check, but managing to retain their early lead, won by three goals to one. Mr W. L. Murdoch is organising a bazaar at Brighton in aid of the Sussex County Cricket Club, at which Lord Sheffield will, for the first time, exhibit in public his remarkable collection of cricket curios. These include the balls used in all the matches played by his team in your part of the world. To a philistine like myself there doesn't seem to be a great deal to look at in 17 or 18 cricket balls all manufactured by the same maker. The thought occurs to one indeed that some difficulty might be experienced in distinguishing "t'other from which." But that, I suppose, only shows how little one knows. There is not much to be said concerning Mr Andrew Robertson's "Nuggets in the Devil's Punch Bowl" and other other Australian tales recently published by Longman's. They are readable sketches of colonial life rather of Mr Hornung's than Mr Boldrewood's quality, and not to be mentioned in the same breath as? Favenc's "Tales of the Austral Tropics." The December number of Longman's Colonial Library is Miss Edna Lyall's " Doreen," of ) which Mr Gladstone (to whom the book is dedicated) has been saying such nice things. The tendency to prose rather grows on Miss Bayly (to use her proper name) au she becomes older, but apart from this the story will be found, like " Donovan/' both interesting and edifying,

Blachwood for December contains some entertaining reminiscences of James Anthony Froude by Mr Skelton, which all Australians should read. The historian's "Life" has been undertaken by Sir Theo. Martin.

Mr Patchett-Martin has discovered from some old files that most of Mr Gladstone's translations of Horace were written many years ago.

The Dean of Rochester who (as I recently mentioned) is negotiating with Messrs R. S. Smythe and Son for a lecturing tour in your part of the world, either alone or in conjunction with the Rev H. R. Haweis, has just brought out a new book of reminiscences. Dr Hole's first effort in this direction came out two winters ago, and was a most interesting work. Like all or nearly all sequels, " More Memories " is not so good. It contains many good stories, certainly, but alas ! the majority are fine old crusted " chestnuts."

I met Mr W. A. Low, erstwhile of Hanmer Plains, a few days ago. He is living with his family at Richmond, but has experienced no particular inconvenience from the recent Thames floods. Mr Low still takes a keen interest in the welfare of the Colony, and anyone decrying New Zealand will speedily discover that he has a " rough side to his tongue." Dr and Mrs Hope Lewis and family have definitely engaged passages in the Rome, sailing the first week in January, and expect to be in Auckland before his leave as health officer expires. The doctor is just at present "going through a course of ears" at (I think I heard) the Ear Hospital in Soho, but I would not be sure about the place. In the evening Dr and Mrs Lewis go frequently to the theatre, and the other day they renewed an acquaintance, commenced in Auckland some years ago, with Mr Charrington and his wife (Janet Achurch) and Mr Herbert Flemming.

Like most good colonist's in business at Home Mr Harrison Davis, who still supervises the London business of the New York Life Office, has his finger in the Westralian pie. When I ran across him on Thursday he was looking fagged, yet triumphant, having, after working night and day for some time, successfully floated tha Lady Loch mine. .£70,000 is the capital of this promising "spec," but only 25,000 one pound shares were offered to the public, and, in spite of the many tempting things previously put forth, Mr Davis had the satisfaction of seeing his venture fully subscribed. The applicants for shares have also the satisfaction of seeing their bread back again with a little butter on top in the shape of an eighth premium. jMr Davis does not appear on the directorate, but he has secured four first-class men of business to look after matters at Home, whilst Lord Percy Douglas and Mr F. C. Monger, M.L.A., will act as local directors. The site of the mine is one mile aud a half south-west of Bayley's Reward Claim. The reports are of a very favourable nature, though it is not concealed that a " water find " will have to be made before the mine can be worked economically enough to show big profits. Mr Harrison Davis tells me that his better half is hard at work, putting the finishing touches to her new novel, which, publishers acquiescing, will be called "Angus Murray." Mrs Davis has no new theories of life to put forward, no new gospel of sexual relations to teach, in her latest work. "Angus Murray," her husband says, is a simple story of a man's life, in which seekers after new sensations will be disappointed. It will probably be published by Hutchinson. Mrs Davis's play "A Life Policy," which was successfully " matineed" at Terry's, has not yet found its way into an evening bill. The authoress has considerably revised the piece. She has had several offers from the provinces for "A Life Policy," but prefers to "bide a wee " and make a London success.

A biography of the late Professor Owen, the eminent natdralist, possesses no special interest to anyone in New Zealand except a few local savants and members of scientific societies. But his name will be for ever famous in connection with the now extinct moa (dinornis gigantica). Long before a complete skeleton of the great wingless bird was discovered a single fragment of a thigh bone of some unknown species was sent to the Professor. From this very slight clue he constructed, with a degree of anatomical skill and insight which was nothing short of genius, the outlines of the moa. The story of the confirmation by subsequen t discoveries of Professor Owen's speculations reads like a romance. The biography of this great scientist is written by his grandson, the Rev Richard Owen, M.A., from materials supplied in 15,000 letters, and the diaries kept by the late Professor's wife and sister. It would appear that amongst his other eccentricities he used to have the carcases of wombats, kangaroos, chimpanzees, and other animals brought into his backyard for dissection and anatomical study, and he frightened his cook by bringing into the kitchen a specimen of the "Anarrhichas ltipus." She thought a fish with such a name could not be a fit thing to send up to table. It turned out to be a " wolf-fish," and not at all bad.

Mr Carlton Dawes' "The Pilgrims: A Bit of Cornwall in Australia," just published by Chapman and Hall, is being on the whole very favourably reviewed. The bookseller in To-day {i.e. Douglas Sladen) says that his brother-colonist can always command .£2OO on aceount for a new novel. Is that indeed so ? Then Mr Dawes well deserves the epithet lucky. I doubt if Christie Murray could do more, admirable story-teller though he still is. Mention of Mr Murray reminds me that he has been filling up our American cousins with some tallish tales of the G.O.M. For instance, he says that when he went to Ha warden at the time of the Bulgarion atrocities to interview Mr Gladstone for a London daily, the right kQn.Qurable gentleman took him into the

castle grounds and kept him walking about there for seven mortal hours.

From the respectable piles of the aa\? edition of " Paving the Way " to be seen on the London bookstalls, I should think that it is going off uncommonly well, and that Gay and Bird will have a nice cheque to send the author presently. Mr Louis Beck's "By Reef and Palm " has also started selling like the proverbial " hot cakes/' 'Tis said the enthusiastic review in the Pall Mall Gazette was by Mr Henley, and that another influential critic will devote an article to it in the December magazines. Sir George Bowen, in the course of a letter to the Times on Mr Ilbert's address on the " Record of Comparative Legislation " at the Imperial Institute, recalls the saying attributed to Lord Beaconsfield 30 years ago—viz., that " if Englishmen wish to know what England will be politically in the next generation let them study what Australasia is now." " And he was right. Duiingthe last 30 years England has adopted almost avowedly after Australasian models a large number of political and administrative reforms, from vote by ballot, a very low franchise, and compulsory popular education down to hanging criminals inside instead of outside the gaols. I say ' almost avowedly/ because before most of these reforms were adopted by the Home Government circulars were sent to us Governors asking for detailed information as to their practical working in the colonies." A GREY STORY. Sir George Grey tells an amusing story about the contemplated annexation of Samoa by the Government of New Zealand. It was in the halcyon time of the "Vogel regime, before the triple protectorate was established oyer Apia by Great Britain, the United States and Germany. As all the world knows, and as Now Zealand will have good reason to remember for many a day, that was the period of vast and daring projects when such an exploit as the annexation of Samoa was a comparatively unimportant item in ambitious programmes involving the expenditure of tens of millions of borrowed money. There is in Sir George's possession a most interesting relic in the form of a deck chair, made at the time for the Government steamer Hinemoa. On the back of the chair is inscribed the legend, " Samoan Expedition." Several of these chairs were made for Ministers and others who contemplated a sort of grand embassy to Samoa, but nothing came of it. Sir George says he intends to present this article of furniture to some New Zealand museum, where, in future ages, it may excite the wonder and admiration of the antiquarian as a reminiscence of the ambitions of the young Colony.

_ - DROWNING OF MR E. A. WORTHY. From the Riviera comes news —which will, I imagine, already have reached you through private letters —of the accidental death, at St. Raphael, of MrE. A. Worthy, erstwhile classical master at Christ's College, Canterbury, who was drowned whilst bathing on 31st October. A New Zealand lady who was there at the time states .that Mr Worthy had arranged that afternoon to go with some friends for a walk, and asked them to meet him near a new bathing place he had discovered, as he would like a dip. They kept the appointment, but he failed to turn up, and at last Mrs Worthy grew anxious. This anxiety turned to active fear when the missing man's clothes were discovered. The alarm was given, and a search instituted. Some hours of maddening apprehension followed, during which Miss Loughnan and other friends did what they could to comfort and reassure poor Mrs Worthy. Late in the evening the body was found with the head resting on a rock. The cause of death was syncope occasioned by a blow on the skull. Deceased had evidently dived as he thought into deep water, and struck a rock little more than three feet below the surface. Death must have quickly and painlessly followed. THE CASE OF SIR J. FERGUSSON'S SON. The terrible catastrophe which has befallen poor young Allan Fergusson—who was sentenced to a year's imprisonment for arson at Edinburgh last Saturday—will, I sincerely hope, be the means of leading parents with mentally backward boys to be more careful how and where they send them to school. Unless the lad's counsel grossly misled the Court as to his condition there can hardly be a doubt young Fergusson was totally unfit to be at Glenalmond College. * I know the popular theory with regard to such cases, viz., that " it will do the boy good and make him more like others to mix with his fellows," and I am convinced it is, far oftener than not, wholly wrong. The temperament of such a lad is nearly always nervous and (though he may not show it) hypersensitive. His deficiencies make him the butt of his comrades, and practical jokes which would be nothing to an ordinary child are to him torments. There was a boy like that at the same school as the writer at Rugby years ago. His life I know was one of misery. " Do you think hell can be worse than this ?" I remember his asking me. We were (let me confess) fellow-sufferers, loathing cricket and football and hockey (as only weakling boys forced to play can), and despised and bullied by our elders. In the hands of an understanding and sympathetic tutor, and amidst half a dozen instead of two hundred comrades we should both have been easily led, alike mentally and physically, into the way we should go; As things were, I wonder poor "Funky" (as he was nicknamed) didn't commit suQide. I could always get away from trouble by burying myself in novels, and purchased temporary respite at night by acting story-teller to the dormitory. But the wretched " Funky " cried himself to sleep pretty regularly. Yet if that lad had taken his life, a dozen witnesses would

have come forward quite honestly to swear that he was well tended, well looked after, and never bullied.

THE SCULLER SULLIVAN.

In connection with the controversy which has been taking place between Sulliva and " Wag " Harding, his whilom trainer, over the suggested championship match between them, a communication reached London the other day to the effect that Harding's North Country supporters claimed for their protege the honour of holding the Sportsman Cup, as Sullivan had made no move towards a match. The Sportsman representative at once sought the New Zealander, who, on hearing the state of affairs, expressed himself willing to meet Harding, but not before March next. He authorised the Sportsman to make public this, his ultimatum. " I will row Harding on the Tyne for stakes of «£2OO a side and the Cup early in March, on condition that Harding makes a second match at the same time for a race, to be rowed on the Thames a month after the decision of the first, also for .£2OO a side, and the whole of the stake-money for the two matches to be made good at the date the articles are signed." These terms, of course, are monstrous. Perhaps the New Zealander is afraid to meet his erstwhile trainer. "Wag's" reply to Sullivan is just what one would expect. He states that the Sportsman Cup conditions do not mention anything about two matches on the Tyne and Thames, and if Sullivan won't I row according to the rules governing the trophy he must give it up as other champions have done before him. "Wag" is perfectly justified in demanding a race on the Tyne, for by the conditions of the Cup the race for the championship must take place on the Thames and Tyne alternately, unless both competitors desire otherwise and trustees consent to the race being rowed twice in succession on the same river. However, Sullivan has since "climbed down," and at the " urgent request of his many admirers," has consented to row Harding on the Tyne within ten weeks of signing articles, which are to be prepared forthwith. Hear, hear ! But what a lot of persuading the New Zealander has taken, to be sure. TIMBER. At the Imperial Institute last week, Mr. C. R. Fenwick, A.MXC.E., gave a most interesting paper, the subject of which was the uses to which some of the Australian hard woods could be put to in the Old Country. He insisted that timber merchants and workers in wood would do well to make the acquaintance of Antipodean timbers. The range of selection was very wide, and included timbers of-both, strength and beauty. Touching upon the question of streetpaving, the lecturer laid stress upon the very satisfactory results obtained by using Australian hard woodblocks, and he quoted the opinions of several municipal engineers as to the enduring qualities of karri, jarrah, blue gum and stringy bark- under heavy traffic. He pointed out that in supplying material for street paving alone there is a wide and increasing field for Australasian exploitation —a field in which they might peg out claims with decent profit to themselves. New Zealanders should really try for a portion of this particular trade. There is room for all, but it is wise to be early in the field. It is not a business in which you would have to wait long for results, nor one which requires nursing like the dairy produce industry. You have nothing to learn, no scientific difficulties to overcome. You don't need Government experts to teach you how to cut and trim a tree, there are no nice points in packing, &c, to consider. All that you can possibly want,jP> know Mr Freyberg has already told you in his reports. The trade is one to be cultivated by private enterprise, and it needs no Governmental assistance to bring it up to the paying point. The eagerness with which the Tasmanian bluegum and stringy bark cargoes were bought.up shows clearly the state of the wood-paving market, and the prices realised in these sales are proof sufficient as to the profitableness of the trade to shippers. The reserves placed on the cargoes we may fairly suppose represented the minimum price at which a profit would show, and the sales were effected at from 30 to 46 per cent, better than the reserves. This seems to indicate a handsome profit. Meanwhile an English company is being formed to exploit the West Australian karri and jarrah forests in the Torbay neighbourhood. The capital is fixed at .£150,000, but out of this certain railways, tramways, mills, &c, have to be purchased, besides some 50,000 acres of timbered land. When the purchase and promotion money has gone the working capital will hardly exceed .£20,000.