OUR LONDON LETTER.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1666, 3 February 1904, Page 64

OUR LONDON LETTER.

(From Our Special Correspondent.) LONDON, December 11. •Mir-l’R. H. Hooper, Commissioner for the New Zealand Government in England, is'to lecture next week at the Wye Agricultural College, Sent, on “New Zealand from the Farming Aspect.” . T „ a The following visitors from New Zealand ;calleci at the AgentiGeneral’s office during the past week :—Mr Joseph F. 'Munnings (Christchurch), Muss E. Perry and Miss L. Peri-y (Wairarapa), Mrs Spencer, F. Bears (Masterton), All's and Miss Graham (“Kuranui,” Symonds street, Auckland), Mr David L. Cardno (Oaversham, Dunedin), Airs S. E. Shr inski (Oamaru), Air John M. Jefferson (Auckland). ' ’ , Air and Mrs John S. F. Holmes, who were married at Hororata, Canterbury on December 11th, 1878, celebrate their silver wedding to-day. * Lieutenant William S. Pillans, R.F.A., only son of Mr. W. S. Pillans, formerly of Manuka Island station, Otago, was married last Wednesday at Bt. Alary’s, Greenhithe, Kent, to Miss Rose Hilda She well, youngest daughter, of the late Rev Frank Shewell, of the Terrace, Greenhithe. The ceremony was performed by the Rev Canon Murray, assited by the Rev C. T. Whitmell, rector of the. parish. M. Inarudi, the lightning calculator, who visithd Australia and New -Zealand earlier in; the year, gave a performance before -the King last evening at Elvedon Hall, the seat of Lord iveagh. As M. Inaudi cannot speak English, it was necessary for Mr F. Tr.usseli, the acting-manager of the Hippodrome, to accompany him, and also his lhauager, M. G. do Thorcey, as interpreter. His Majesty personally set M. Inaudi various problems to solve, some of them very intricate. One in particular, to find the cube root of 389017, was worked out by Inaiudi, who gave the answer, 73, almost instantly,' notwithstanding the fact that ho was bombairied on all sides

*>y other members of the party, who tried to confuse him by setting other questions. His Majesty then asked if Inaiudi would tell him the number Af farthings there are in 613 guineas. Inaudi answered correctly, again almost immediately. His.Alajesty. at the conclusion, thanked AI. Inaudi. Mr F. Trussed and M. do Thorcey. Two Aucklanders who are studying architecture in London have acquitted themselves well. Air A. P. H. Pierce, son 1 of the late Mr G. P. Pierce, and puptl of A. P. Wilson, Esq., architect of Auckland, has j'ust passed the intermediate examination of t lie Royal Institute of Architects Air H. A. Battley, son of Air Frederick Bali ley, and pupil of E. .Mahoney and fcen, architects, of Auckland, has been elected an Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects. He passed 1 the final qualifying examination last June, • H. D. Gillies, a New . Zealander at Caius College, Cambridge, appears to stand a good chance of being included this year in the University boat crew, in which there are likely to be five vacancies. He rowed No. 7 in. the winning boat in the triab elights last Saturday, and showed good form. The.death is announced of Mr Villeneure Smith, barrister, formerly of Dunedin. Deceased, who was the second ■eon of the late Air Francis Smith, of

Campania, Tasmania, was residing at 23, Down street.. Piccadilly, at the time of Fls death, which occurred on Satur-

day last. The following -passengers sailed for the colony by the Kaipara:—Messrs J. H. Burrows, C. D. Dunlbar and valet. A. B. Gracie, R. C. Hyde, Mrs J. J. Hurst -and maid, Messrs E. Layton. S. Luoas, g; J. Pyfbuis, A. J. Snowden, Y. Stacey, iG. iR. Story, Mr and Airs J. Taylor, Dr J. Tees, Miss C: M. Wheeley, Mr E. J. iWilson, Rev G. Wust. A All’ E. J. Wilson, of Manakau, in the

; Manawatu district, left for New Zealand by the s.s. Kaipara last Saturday. '-..Mir Wilson’s stay in this country was very short; he spent only three weeks In England, remaining most of the time in London. He arrived by the s.s. /. Turakina, via Cape Horn,, and as the ,/sea Yoyage was • undertaken for his >- health, and he had previously been through tho Old Country, there was no great inducement for him to remain here and face an English winter. While in England Mr Wilson found time to

go through' ICeut and Romney Marsh, to see .some of the old stud flocks, in which he, as a breeder of that class of sheep. in the'Manawatu, was naturally interested. .Mr Wilson thinks the New Zealand flocks will compare very favour- - ably with those of the CWd Country. • On his from Romney Marsh he paid a visit to the secretary of the English Sheepbreeders 1 Association.

u > Miss Hilda Hitchmgs, won - a prize' at Covent tSarden. fancy dress -ball last </yyeek, in the costume of a ■Maori ehieftainesß. - Dr J. F. Duncan, of Christchurch, t left.Londoh to-day by the s.s. Moldavia, for Now Zealand via Australia, j: Mr John. M. Jefferson, who oh ao- : -X'oo'iint of ill-health sold his pharmacy in- Auckland 1 last February, and camo; to England with-his wfe and ... faniily, is now living at Torquay. On ■. the voyage to England in the Orizaba

Mr Jefferson took ill after leaving Naples, and on landing at Plymouth was laid up there for a month. He then came up to London to consult a specialist, and for another month was confined to his bed 'in the metropolis. He remained more or less an invalid until about two months ago, but was able to visit old friends in Brighton, Hastings and the North of England. By the doctor’s advice, Mr Jefferson went down to Torquay, and. finding his health greatly improved, he lias purchased a business there. His eldest son has become apprenticed to a firm of engineers and shipbuilders at Dartmouth, and Air Jefferson hopes to return to the colony with his family when the lad is “ out of his time.” The many colonial readers of that famous monthly, “The Nineteenth Century.” will have read with 'interest that the King has bestowed a knighthood upon Mr James Knowles, its founder, proprietor and editor. Few people in the literary world are better known than Mr Knowles, who can probably claim personal acquaintance with more distinguished men and wwnen than anyone living, except the King. As the “Westminster Gazette”" reminds uis, Air Knowles has enjoyed many triumphs as an editor, but perhaps there is none in respect of which lie finds more satisfaction than the manner in which he outwitted certain clever folk when it became necessary to change the name of his periodical. “The Twentieth Century” and all other likely titles had been registered in anticipation that lie would be compelled to purchase one or other of them. The “ Nineteenth Century and After\” was the solution Hvliich the shrewdest had not foreseen. Mr Chamberlain ; in, these days of fiscal strife, has developed into an object cf juvenile hero-worship. The “Liverpool Post” cites an amuting instance. A- little boy, aged four and a half years, attends a kindergarten. The other morning his class-mates were laughing at him on account of his inability to pronounce his “r’s” correctly. His teacher, taking compassion on him, and thinking to be sympathetic, said: “Never mind, my little man, take no notice of them.” He, planting his hands deep in his pockets, retorted: “I don’t care. They make fun of Joey Chamberlain in the paper every morning, and he doesn’t mind!”

A. characteristic story is told of Air A. J. Balfour, who, as he himself has said, is indeed “a child” in some matters of the world.. Recently the Premier paid his first visit to the Bank of England, to lunch and enjoy a friendly gossip with the directors. The wonders of the “Old Lady of Threadneedle street” were revealed to him during a tour through the many corridors, and at the conclusion of his inspection the Premier let fall the ingenuous remark, “Dear me! I had no idea that it was such a large place!” LONDON, December 19. A meeting of A gen ts-Genera 1 convened by Lord Jersey, acting “A.G.” for New South Wales, was held on Thursday last, to consider the advisability of urging the Government to increase the facilities for the importation of colonial frozen meat into Malta. At present colonial meat is tailloiwed in free of duty only when intended for the garrison, and the proposal is that the same privilege should be granted in the case of the meat intended for consumption by civilians. A memorandum was agreed upon by the Agents-General present, and this is being signed and will 'be forwarded to-day to the Colonial Office. Mr Reeves attended the conference on behalf of New Zealand.

Mr Hooper, the Acting-Produce Commissioner of the New Zealand Government in London, was invited to lecture on Tuesday last at the South Eastern Agricultural College at Wye, Kent, on farming in New Zealand. This college, which has its habitat in a picturesque old monastery, is a first-class school of agriculture. It possesses about 250 acres of land, and accommodates about seventy pupils, most of whom have capital, and are 'receiving training in farming with a view to emigrating. A lecture before students of this stamp on the prospects of farming in Now Zeas land should therefore be a good advertisement for the colony. .Mr Hooper gave a favourable description of the conditions prevailing in Alaoriiand, taking care, however, not to over-colour the picture wlith exaggerated eulogy. He had a very attentive and appreciative audience, and altogether the lecture >vas a gratifying success. On Wednesday last the acting Produce Commissioner witnessed a trial of the Ivel agricultural motor, which he describes as “ a wonderful little allround machine.” The motor engine, it seems, will draw a plough or harrow or any implement for which horses are at present used, or it may be used as a stationary engine to drive threshingmachines or chaff-cutters. Its trial on Wednesday with a three-furrow plough was perfectly successful. The engine is a petrol motor, very simple in construction and easy to work. The first one to be shipped-to the colonies went out to Tasmania a few weeks ago.

. When the statue of Victoria erected in Christchurch was unveiled a few months ago the pedestal was incomplete, several.of the panels being still in the hands of the sculotor. These

panels, I learn, are now ready, and will be shipped 1 to New Zealand by the s.s. Turakina, which leaves London on December 31st. So far the only colonial representative chosen to act on Mr Chamber la in’s proposed Tariff Commission is Sir Walter Peace, the well-known Agent-Gene-ral, for Natal. It is intended, however, says “The Times,” to secure the full representation upon the Commission of India and the great colonies, and if only the preliminary difficulty of getting colonial representatives to give their services in London can bo surmounted, there ought not to be the least trouble in securing men whose opinions carry authorised weight on these indispensable questions of Imperial trade. The Commission means to invite evidence from members of all industries, irrespective of their views on tariff reform, an,d it will utilise in all possible ways the co-operation or trade organisations and institutions as a means of getting hold of those whose opinions are worth having, lo supplement the regular oral inquiry, which is to begin about the middle ox January, the Commission intends to send out inquiry forms to men engaged in commerce 1 whom distance renders otherwise inaccessible, and it hopes to glean a large amount of important information thereby. The intricate questions of technical detail that must inevitably arise during the investigation Will, where it is necessary, be dea.t with by representative sub-committees, which the commission may invite experts from outside its own list of members to join. There is nothing new—not even tiie servant problem. In “ Colonial Memories,” a New Zealand paper in the current number of the “ Cornhill Magazine, the writer talks of the difficulties she had wfitli her maids in the early days. “Once,” she says, “I came into the kitchen on a bright winter’s morning to find them seated on a sort 'of sofa (made of chintz-covered boxes) clasped in each others’ arms, and weeping bitterly. With difficulty I got out of them that their whole grievance was the sound of the bleating” of the sheep, a mob of which were feeding on the nearest hillside. It was ‘lonesome like,’ and they must return to town immediately.” One Frederick T. Reynolds, writing to the “Manchester Guardian,” suggests that the semi-tropical climate of the districts north of Auckland should render the worked-out gum-lands suitable for cotton-growing. Mr Reynolds disclaims any technical knowledge of cotton-growing, and his knowledge of the country he writes about is also open to question. At any rate, there are plenty of places in the Empire more suitable for cotton-growing than the north of Auckland.

The preference granted under the amended New Zealand tariff to British -grown tea, which may now be imported duty free, has naturally been received with satisfaction in India and Ceylon. The “Times of India,” a Bombay journal, observes that the admission of British-grown tea free of duty will render the position of the Indian and Ceylon growers unassailable. The acfiual direct benefit may not at first he very great, however, for they hold practically a monopoly of the market already. New Zealand is invited to send maps, photographs, lantern slides and publications dealing with the natural features of the colony to an exhibition which is to be opened an London next month by the Geographical Association in furtherance of its aim of improving the teaching of geography and increasing the knowledge of British lands. The exhibition is to he held in collaboration with the Technical ’ Education Board and subsequently with the School Board, and after remaining open in London for some time is to be transferred in turn to Leeds, Newcastle, Edinburgh and other towns in the Kingdom. The trade orders from New Zealand which come to hand by every mail give satisfactory corroboration of tine reported prosperity of the colony. Some of the leading distributing houses report.according to the “Financial Times,” that they have never had more satisfactory orders or more regular remittances from the colony than they are now receiving. Attention is called, also, to the high standard of goods required by New Zealand customers. “Our customers in New Zealand want the very best,” said a merchant the other day, and the most progressive houses at the present time are those which are prepared to supply good articles.

Comments, more or less illuminative, on the finding of the Special Committee appointed to consider the New Zealand Government’s meat scheme are still appearing in the Home papers. One daily journal observes sententiously: “The mutton will sooner or later be forthcoming, and in the meantime it will be necessary for the New Zealand fanners to improve the breeds of their sheep (sic) an,d give them better treatment. .. . . Canterbury mutton stands highest in the market; but as so much of it is sold as English, and few know the difference, the meat from this district is little talked about. Most of the second-class mutton is what is known as good New Zealand; and as for tne third-class its character is based upon its low price, which certainly, when exposed (upon the shop slab, is attractive.

to ultra-economists.” It is added that all the mutton used in the Royal household comes from a great sheep-run in Wales.

The Hon. W. L. Allardyce, of Fiji, gave a very interesting lecture at the Colonial Institute this week on “the Fijians and their Fire-walking;” Sir N. Bowden-Smiih, who formerly bold the command of the Australian naval station, occupied the chair, and there was an excellent attendance. Mr Allardyce, who during the past twentyfive years has held every office in Fiji, from junior clerk to Acting-Governor, spoke ■from an intimate knowledge of his subject, hut even*he was fain to confess that the secret of the fire-walk-ing at Al’benga was beyond him. He was inclined to think that the great faith of the fire-walkers in their “gift,” and the callousness of their feet, caused by walking all their lives over coral strands heated by a blazing sun, were two important factors in the mystery; but beyond that he would not go. The chief of the fire-walkers had offered to conduct Air Allardyce across the white-hot stones, hut Mr Ailardye naturally objected. Rear - Admiral Beaumont, the present Commander of the Australian squadron, who was present at the lecture, supplemented Mr Allardyce’s description with an interesting personal account of a v.sit he himself had recently paid to Al’benga, where he saw the whole performance. He also was unable'to offer any sati£ factory explanation of the mystery. Sir William Des-Voeux recently published, through Alessrs John Murray, an excellent work in two volumes entitled “My Colonial Service.” The price'of the work (245) is not conducive to its popularity, but it is really a hook worth anyone’s perusal, being full or interesting anecdote, and “good things well told,” throwing sidelights on colonial life in all quarters of the globe. In. his preface, Sir William ventures the opinion tnat too little is generally known of the manner in which the cololiies, and especially the Crown colon.es, are governed. The difference between the Crown colonies and the self-governing colonies is, of course, a vital one, and nothing illustrates the distinction better than the difference observable in the functions performed by the Governors of the one and the other. A conversation between Mr Gladstone and Sir William Gregory, Governor of Ceylon, - explains Sir William’s point of view. “Mr Gregory,” said Mr Gladstone, “when are you going to publish your Aristophanes ?” To which the reply was, “I have of late years been so occupied with public business that 1 have little progress.’’ Air Gladstone: “How can you say that? You have only charge of a little island, whereas I, in my present condition, always manage to give one or two hours a <~uy to classical work.” This reflection, observes Sir William, “I venture to think unjust, and I have a confident belief that had even Ivir Gladstone been Governor cf Ceylon, he would not have been able to fulfil tlie duties creditably without more tune than he ordinarily gave to the work of governing Great Britain.” The conclusion arrived at by Sir William is that the duties ot a Governor of a Crown colonj are infinitely more arduous and exacting than those of the Constitutional Governor of a self-governing colony. Sir W illiam’s official experience began in British Guiana, and was continued in St. Lucia and Trim dad. Thence he was transferred to Fiji. An ’interesting character sketch of Tliakombau jis an entertaining feature of this portion of the hook. Up to the age of fifty this chief was a cannibal, and a moderate estimate of Sir William’s credits him with having eaten portions of more than a thousand human bodies. But Sir William “always found him wise in counsel, just in .deeisfcou, and 1 loyal in speech and action. His bearing toward children was such as to immediately win their hearts. When he died I mourned for him as, a valued friend.” D was during Sir William s regime in Fiji that the game of cricket was introduced into the ’island, wVmo© it spread throughout the Sca»t£a attaining so a popuianty in 1 ongi that it became necessary to pass a law forbidding play except on certain days of the week. Part of the Fijian section deals with the Australasian Convention of 1883, whioh the author attended. “I strongly sympathised,” he writes, with the desire of Australasians; to obtain control of New Guinea andtthq. Western Pacific Islands, so as to preclude tho establishment there by foreign nations of depots for-convicts or purposes of war.” The impression Sir William carried away from the conference was one of the very great ability of the majority of its members. Every sentence uttered, he observes, was directly to the point at issue, and not a word seemed thrown away. ' Some of the Rhodes scholars have taken up residence at Oxford, although the majority of them do not g p until next term. Those at present at Oxford hail from South Africa, they have been in residence since September, and appear well pleased with them, prospects The “Daily Mail,” which one nbed not take too seriously, writes aa ‘ follows regarding the Rhodes scholars:— “ Perched high up nx the 'quad’ of his college, the 'rooms of one of the men fromfthe veldt "have nothing in the way

- of -•luxury. In the demeanour of tlie '4trioaiis there is very little that - betrays a colonial up-bringing'. The bine sulit, upturned trousers and brown boots—almost-the hall-mark of Oxford—? - have already/.been assumed, : with the suspicion of a condescending .. ’ dfavdij The; -whole thing is,,jlioweve pronoun be d .-Jby one of rippin*/ in, spite of ‘the labyrinth • of. . * formalities’ V; to be punctiliously lob-; Yferved, Their declare to. be ‘ splendid.’ On first taking

up 1 residence they were given a few ‘ - kindly hints on college etiquette, so that the enormity cf leaving cards on a ~ senior man was avoided. Of proctors .and • bulldogs,’ little have they seen, though they entertain nothing but disrespect for the rules and regulations which Unduly restrict liberty. The greatest problem to face is that of paying fees and all expenses out of £3OO a year, saving ‘something for the ‘‘vac.” ’ * A rather difficult thing,’ said one; ‘stilly-there-is ho doubt that the allowance is handsome enough, and enables us to- live comfortably ’ On the whole the verdict is ‘We wouldn’t have missed -- the experience for anything.’ The life is to them very happy, though at first rather difficult in its many counterattractions to study.” - The Alhambra music-hall in London is - giving, object-lessons in the work of Greater Britain by means of a seites of . biograph pictures. ' At present the scenes depicted relate only to l Canada. We are shown how salmon are caught in the Far West, and can follow J: he work of the fishermen with our own eyes. ' So, too, in the great forest® of the Dominion we can see the lumbermen at ' work, felling the. huge trees, cutting them up and floating them in mile-long rafts down the river towards the sea for shipment to England. Why should not the Now Zealand Government follow the example of Canada and arrange to have life-like pictures of . everyday scenes at the Antipodes brought vividly before the eyes of the millions of “stayr. at-homes” in the Mother Country?