SOME PERSONAL REMINISCENCES.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1206, 12 April 1895, Page 32

SOME PERSONAL REMINISCENCES.

BISHOP SITTER AND OTHER NEWZEALAND CELEBRITIES.

Our old journalistic friend Mr D. M. Luckie, who was . editor and proprietor of the Nelson Colonist at the period referred to in his narrative, supplies the following interesting particulars:— When Bishop Suter arrived in Nelson, in 1866, I was, of course, introduced to His Lordship, and f ovmd him then as genial and courteous as he always proved to be during his life in the Colony. On shaking hands, after a few words of welcome, I said to him :" My Lord, is this the right hand which in 1852 administered suoh a vigorous dressing to the stalwart Highland gillies

who opposed your passing l through Glen Tilt, when the Duke of that ilk for a second time had determined to close the right-of-way which had been open from time immemoral?" The Bishop laughed, and asked what I knew about the affair. " Oh! " said I, " I was living in Dundee at the time the thing occurred, and knew the High Church Dr Forbes, Bishop of Brechin, from whom my wife and I had a letter of introduction to your predecessor, Bishop Hobhouse." I added that "I had previously been through the then prohibited pass and policies, as the, Scotch call the domain lands, of the Duke ; and I well remember the ode of Punch on the subject, in which you and your fellow-graduate were immortalised in its pages in heroic verse." I then quoted to him the only two lines of the verses 1 could recall at the moment. They were these '> —

Fire flashed from the eyes of Suter, Wrath blazed in the countenance of Strange. He laughed heartily, and then we had some pleasant talk about his adventure, in the course of which he acknowledged that in those days he was a fair hand at boxing, and that he and Mr Strange had a vigorous tussle with the Highlandmen. But it was brief; they were not very difficult to overcome, and he and his friend forced the pass and no doubt helped with the force of a strong public opinion to keep G-len Tilt open to the public. The Bishop's hand in the middle sixties was large and fleshy and very soft, and hence my pertinent or importinent question, and I expressed a doubt as to whether he could follow the examplo of Bishop Selwyn, who was credited with having in this Colony given substantial proof of his accomplishments in the noble art. By the way, this "accomplishment was

not reserved for churchmen. Other dignitaries have manifested intimate acquaintance with the use of the manuals and their relative muscles. Sir William Pox was one of these. In the summer of 1869 I was dining with him when he occupied what was then a Ministerial residence in Hobson street. After dinner we had a game at bagatelle, and as I noted his erect carriage and square, mobile shoulders as he walked about the table I said, " By the way, Mr Pox, were you ever a bruiser ? " " Oh, yes," he replied, " but why on earth do you ask such a question ? " " Well," I rejoined, " the way you carry yourself and the set of your shoulders appear to me as if you were ready to 'shape' at a moment's notice." " I daresay," he said, " I might be if occasion arose. The fact is I had good lessons ; I was a pupil of Gully, he who after many successful battles in the ring was elected a member of the House of Commons." I hope it will not be deemed political sacrilege for nie to say that there is another New Zealand Premier, all alive, who is not less " handy" in this line than was my old friend Sir William in his palmy days, one whose feats of strength on the coast and elsewhei'e not; very many years ago on various occasions surprised the miners, and astonished the natives, among the latter the strongest and heaviest man of the native race. Talking of the Fox incident, I venture to finish with the sequel to our game of bagatelle. I should mention that at that time Mr Fox wae as strict a teetotaller as he continued to be all his life thereafter, and consequently there was no wine or strong, drink on his table. Just as we had finished the game a messenger arrivedfrom the Native Minister, Mr Donald McLean (he hadn't then been knighted), and who lived in a house almost directly opposite to that of Mr Fox. The messenger said that I was particularly wanted at Mr McLean's on important newspaper business. I made my excuses to my host, and hastened across to find Mr McLean and Mr Gisborne with decanters before them. They laughingly greeted me with the remark that they were sure I had had enough of the teetotal entertainment, and would no doubt like a change of circumstances and a glass of something stronger than lemonade. It was tawny port, vintage '57. Mr Fox never asked what was my important business, and 1 never told him. Eheu ! All this was nearly thirty years ago.