LONDON GOSSIP.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1196, 1 February 1895, Page 32

LONDON GOSSIP.

From Our Special Correspondent. PERSONAL. London, December 7. Dr E. V. Levinge leaves London for Naples to-morrow, where ho will join the Oruba on the 14th, and go straight through to Port Lyttelton. Dui’ing his few months stay at Home ho has visited the. principal asylums in England and Ireland and picked up many “wrinkles” concerning the cure and treatment of the insane, which will be of great value .at Sunny side. He made some stay at the Bristol Asylum, and also at the Middlesex County Asylum. One of the chief objects of the doctor’s trip was to discover the best form of steam laundry purchasable, as they are about to erect one at Sunnyside, which will, it is hoped, afford employment for many patients, and make the asylum largely self - supporting. Dr Levinge is preparing an elaborate report on this subject, and also on the general results of his trip and the conclusions it has led him to. No one seems to know what has become of Dr Gore Gillon. The Agent-General has not seen him since he returned from abroad, and at the London Hospital—which he walked for a time —they now “know not Joseph.” Dr Levinge met his colleague on Lord Mayor’s Day, when he seemed in excellent health, but where he lives or what he is doing exactly he couldn’t inform us. I hear that Mr H. C. Cameron, who came Home to establish a New Zealand produce supply store in Manchester (and elsewhere if success attend his initial effort) has secured very good premises at 95, Piccadilly. The site is directly opposite the London and North-Western Railway Company’s terminus, so that Mr Cameron starts fair as to position. I understand that in the appointments of the New Zealand Produce Store the worthy colonist is sparing no expense, and is making a good display with marble and mirrors. Well, here’s great success to him. That his enterprise may have its proper reward is my earnest hope. Providing he has sufficient capital to thoroughly advertise his venture (and every business man in the Colony will comprehend the cash meaning of the phrase) he will doubtless achieve success. In cases of this kind it is useless to “begin in a small way” in nine cases of ten. You must make a “ splash ” at the start to get public attention, and when you’ve got that you must be prepared’ to give for sixpence as good value as your neighbours give for a penny more. Mr Cameron knows this very well, and I understand intends to go the whole hog. He is now in London arranging for supplies, but though I have been hard on his trail I cannot get hold of him anyhow, which is a sorry confession to make. Mr George Holdship has got no further than Florence on his way back to the Colony. He and Mrs Holdship will probably join the Oruba at Naples a fortnight hence.

Captain Ashby returned from the Continent last Wednesday, much benefited by his stay at Aix-les-Bains, where he underwent the usual bath course. His stay in town was very brief, for on Thursday Mr Ashby left for St. Leonards. Most of his friends thought that he would make the Continental trip part of his journey to New Zealand, but Captain Ashby evidently intends to spend Christmas in England. Mr C. Challis, who came Home by the Oruba for a holiday-citm-business tour, has taken up his residence with an uncle at Enfield. Ho docs not expect to remain in England long, but the length of his stay depends entirely on the progress made in the aforesaid business matters.

I have only just heard of the death of Captain David Rough’s wife, which took place at 10, Pine Avenue, Ellery, Bournemouth, on October 30th. To Mrs Rough death came as a happy issue out of affliction. Four years ago she had a paralytic stroke and from that time she knew no freedom from pain. A second stroke deprived her of the power of speech, and since July last she had not been able to recognise even old friends. A third visitation ended her eartly troubles, and left poor old Captain Rough a widower in his 84th year. Aucklanders who knew him will sympathise deeply with the old man in his grievous loss. A year ago, in spite of his years, the Captain was hale and hearty, and walked miles every day. But death has dealt him a blow from which he will never recover.

Mr Dennison, of Oamaru, who has come Home to " place ” an invention in connection with bicycles and to look into matters connected with the frozen meat trade at this end of the world, has for the present taken up his residence at the Tavistock Hotel. LORD JERSEY’S REPORT. Lord Jersey’s report on the Ottawa Conference, which was expected early in the autumn, will to-morrow make a belated appearance. Why it should have taken such a prodigious period to prepare and publish I confess I don’t know. Hie Lordship’s obiter dicta contains (judging by a summary in the Standard) neither comments nor suggestions of striking originality. They are indeed just what

might be expected from an intelligent man and convinced Freetrader whose views have been modified by colonial experience. The Times, however, claps the Earl on the back with enthusiasm. “ The report,” it says, “ can hardly fail to increase His Lordship’s reputation for able and sympathetic grasp of colonial affairs, and it will be a matter for general congratulation if the adoption of its recommendations by the Imperial Government should have as a secondary result the permanent association of Lord Jersey’s career with the colonial service.” The St. James’ Gazette says:—“The most interesting part of Lord Jersey’s Report is that which relates to preferential trade arrangements among the colonies themselves, and between the colonies and the Mother Country. He finds no valid objection in diplomacy or international law to the colonies making such tariff conventions with, one another as they please. Noforeign Powers would have any legal ground for complaint, except in the case of Australia, whose disabilities ought to be removed. And Lord Jersey goes, a long way further. He thinks we can if we please grant preferential trade " advantages to our colonies; though the unlucky Belgian and German treaties prevent us from getting in exchange any benefits from them which are not equally shared by Belgium and Germany. Obviously, then, the first thing to do is to get these Conventions modified. We wish we could believe that Her Majesty’s present advisers were at all likely to give themselves any trouble in the matter ; but evidently the mere suggestion of commercial arrangements for the colonies scares them. There was a case in point a few months ago. When the new Constitution for Charterland was drawn up Mr Rhodes tried hard to insert a fundamental article declaring that the duties levied upon British goods should never be higher than those levied at the Cape. A most excellent provision, as it seems; making it unconstitutional ever to raise a

Chinese wall of tariffs against British goods as they have done in Australasia. But some .bugbears of Freetrade and Cobdenism and most - favourednationism floated before the Colonial Office mind; and this salutary arrangement was vetoed, in spite of an indignant protest from Mr Rhodes. And so if at some future time the Mashonaland colonist claps a 50 per cent, duty on English made boots, blankets, guns, or bottled beer, our bootmakers, weavers, gunsmiths and brewers will only have their own paternal. Government to thank.” TOM SULLIVAN. On Monday afternoon there was a rare muster of aquatic celebrities and nonentities at the Sportsman office. They gathered to see the drawing up of the necessary articles of agreement between Tom Sullivan and “.Wag” Harding for a straightaway scullers’ race on the Tyne: Both menwilling, very little time was cut to waste in wrangling over trifles;/and pltimately it was decided that the race should take, place (weather permitting)' on Monday, February 11th, 1895, the course to be from Mansion House to Scotswood Bridge, and the time half an hour before high water. The stakes were agreed upon at .£2OO a side, and the Sportsman Cup* which is the English championship trophy. Both men placed .£SO in the editor of the Sportsman’s hands, the second deposit of .£SO being due on December 20th, and the final <£loo on February 7th. The Sportsman editor will be the final stakeholder, and in event of the contestants failing to agree upon an umpire, he will appoint one. Mr H. S. Verity, the amateur punting champion, witnessed Sullivan’s signature to the articles. lam very glad the New. Zealander has come to terms with Harding. He would have saved himself a “ climb down ” if he had considered the little man’s challenge in the proper spirit, a month ago. It does not look well for a champion to be absolutely forced into defending his title against a physically much inferior man.