PERSONAL NOTES FROM LONDON

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1756, 1 November 1905, Page 2

PERSONAL NOTES FROM LONDON

LONDON, September 15. Fleet street is in mourning for the loss of ono of the most genial of themany gonial Irishmen ■who nave contributed to its mirth and to the gaiety of nations generally. I refer to Air Robert Jasper Martin, who was known throughout- the English-speaking world as the writer of those lughiy-popuiar ditties “Bal Iv ho oly,” “.Ivillaloe.’' ■’Mulvanev’s Dog,” and other humorous Irish songs which have found places in the programmes of music-halls and smokingconcerts all over the world during the j>ast twenty years. “Ballyhooly ’ Martin was a regular contributor of verse, comic and otherwise, to that shameless sporting journal ‘'The Pink 'L'n,” and to its columns he contributed a variety of those excellent storyettes which, are a feature of that sportive sheet. Maybe, “Ballyhooly’s” tales were not always “quite the proper thing,"’ but tney were invariably well spiced with genuine humour. Mis death, at the age of sixty—ho looked a good _ ten years younger—removes one of the bestknown personalities connected with Fleet street. Tall, finely built, and handsome, with all the wit and humour of his race, and an unusual share of high spirits, he had the knack of making and keeping friends among all sorts and conditions of men. And lie was one of the best story-tellers to be found in the length and breadth of the Kingdom. Peace to his ashes. / Dr Walter Thomas, lion. - secretary of /-.the Christchurch Bowling Club, arriv--1 ed in London last Monday after a short tour in the North of England, and is now hard at work, endeavouring to interest metropolitan bowlers in the little mission he is endeavouring to carry out as a member of the Sports Committee of the forthcoming Exhibition at Christchurch. Following close upon the heels of Mr L. Alexander, of the W.A.8.A., Dr Thomas will no doubt find as warm a welcome from Southern bowlers as the West Australian, who, like him, desired to get together a team of bowlers to undertake an Antipodean tour. The seed sown by Mr Alexander may prove very useful to Dr Thomas, who will, however, I fancy L experience some difficulty in getting together a really representative British team to undertake the journey to New Zealand, in spite of the glowing pictures of colonial hospitality painted by your recent Visitor Mr Stephen Fortescue, and who will, I am sure, render Dr Thomas every assistance in his power. Hr 0. S. Poidevin, the Anglo-Austra-lian cricketer, is at present on a visit to Chateau d’Oex, in Switzerland, where he won tile lawn tennis challenge cup on Saturday with the greatest of ease, defeating C. Gouldesborough in the final by 6—l, 6—2. and 6—2. He came through an entry of fifteen players without the loss of a single set. He had no intention of playing at all on his .arrival, and when asked how he ought to be handicapped, replied : T have no idea how to do it; I'may say that practically I haven’t played the game for over four years.” He then borrowed a racquet from the nearest bystander, went in, and won the cup. Mr Frederic Harrison, now sole director of the Hay market Theatre, travelled extensively in early and amongst the most striking mementos of his are some fragments of tiie famous pink and white terraces, destroyed in the great Tarawera eruption. These relics of a, vanished wonder are carefully preserved in a richly-inlaid cabinet, surmounted by a lino specimen of the New Zealand kea, which fell to Mr Harrison’s gun during his sojourn at the Antipodes.

A graceful tribute to the memory of '“the late Mr C. E. S. Gillies appears in “Niblick’s” golfing notes in the current “Sporting and Dramatic .News.” "It is with infinite regret,” says the writer, “that I notice the death of-that wellknown golfer, Mr C. E. S. ’Gillies. He was one of the pioneers of golf in Now Zealand, and in course of time became champion of Australasia. Educated at Cains College, Cambridge, ha proved clearly that he was by no means a onegame man by making his mark both in a boat and on the football field. Although not endowed with any great physique, Mr Gillies was a most capable golfer, having a beautifully true and easy swing, aucl lie had a wonderful knack of rising to the occasion. He was “never done with,” and, no matter how badly things might be going, Air Gillies never dreamt of giving up a match until his opponent had actually passed the post. His tenacity of purpose, indeed, always made him iv dangerous opponent.” Mr I*. W. Robertson, of Wellington, tric New Zealand Rhodes scholar of i 1900, arrived by the Suez route on Monday bud , m company with two of the Australian i’iiodos Tv!r R. Hal se E ogees (New South "Wales) and Mr Norman Le.-lio (Quom'gUuiu). Mr Robertson Ciilr-W at Triuigy College. Oxford, at the end of vac.nii/so. Mr Spencer Han cox, of VMM; -m has just completed a tout- through ft,. South of England and 1 lie Cons inem. Mr Ha ncox intends to reside in Loudon. Mrs 11. R. Richmond and dai.ghß or of Wellington, have just returned to Loudon from spending a summer in

Belgium. Mrs Richmond and Miss R.. Richmond saii for New Zealand on October 19th by the lonic, Miss B. Richmond remaining in England for the present to continue her musical studies. A visitor to London last week was the Rev J. _E- Honey will, vicar of Leigh-on-Mendip, Coleford, near Bath, and formerly in charge of the Grey Valley, in New Zealand, from Reef ion to the Tercmakau river. Mr Honnywill came Homo in 1891, after spending eleven years and a half in New Zealand, and became vicar of Leigh-on-Mendip in 1896. He called in at the New Zealand Government Office last week, on his way home from a holiday in Belgium and Germany. i Mr and Mrs A. M. Georgetti, of Warn ganui, are in London this week. They arrived recently by the Mongolia, and proceeded to- Keswick to join their son, who is spending his .school holidays there. Taking up their headquarters near Birmingham, they purpose visiting various parts of Great Britain and the Continent in the course of the next twelve months, before returning to New Zealand. Callers at the High Commissioner’s offices this week :—Mr Cliarles E. Wallis, Wellington; Mr G. C. Glenn, Hawera ; Mr Charles McGrath, Wellington ; Miss Frances E. G. Homerton, New Plymouth; Mi* Davis Nield, Wellington ; Mr W. Seymour, Christchurch; Mr G. TI. Dixon, Wellington ; Mr Hector A. d’Anquier, Bunnythorpe; Rev J. E. Honnywill, Grey m outh ; Mr James Mahon, Dunedin; Mr Thomas Pepper, Hastings; Mr William Cheer, Els thorp©; Mr and Mrs M. Kreissig, Wellington; Mr Neville George, Auckland; Mr E. A. Thomson, Dunedin; Mr Samuel I. Puckridge, Wanganui; Mr Thomas Price, Wanganui; Mr W. R. Hunsthouse, Nelson; Mr J. F. Hufsthouse, Christchurch; Mr L. P. Hursthouse, Wellington ; Miss Jessie C. McKellar, New Plymouth; Mr P. W. Robertson, Wellington; Miss Beatrice Richmond, Wellington; Messrs J. E. and A. E. Crawford, Christchurch ; Mr Charles Hal-se, Pet-one; Mr William Davidge, Hamilton ; Mr and Mrs A. Ge org e 11- i, Wa nga n ui. -I—-Mr C. W. Halse. of Pet-one, arrived here on August 21st, after spending some time in America. After a stay of several weeks in some of the Pacific Coast cities, travelling as far north as British Columbia, Mr Halse went on to New York by way of Chicago, Canada, and Niagara. The heat in New York soon drove him out, and he took ship for Plymouth by the Kaiser Wilhelm 11. The Pacific Coast struck him as being even more prosperous than New Zealand, but in political, commercial, and social Life he considers the colony to be far ahead. Since arriving here, Mr Halse - has been visiting relatives round about London, and he proposes to visit Scotland, the Continent, and the English manufacturing districts, and to take a cycling tour through the Southern counties. He expects to join the North German liner Grosser Kurfurst at Genoa on November 14th, to spend Christmas with friends in Sydney. and to arrive back in New Zealand early in the New Year. t | -Mr R.- Sandilands, of Dunediti, has returned to London, after having spent a most enjoyable fortnight on the Continent, 'principally in Paris and its environs. He intends staying for ten days in London, then travelling by the Midland route to Scotland, visiting Sheffield and the “ Burns Chun try ” on his way to Iris native town of Musselburgh, where he is engaged to speak before the Liberal Association on New Zealand and its legislation. He has tdso been asked to speak at Edinburgh, Glasgow, and some other towns on temperance reform. Mr Sandilands was present one day tins week at an interesting religious service held in an old chapel in. Crane Court, a by-way off Fleet street, by the Scottish Corporation, a body which for the past three hundred years has been supporting needy and deserving Scots in London. Pensions are paid monthly, ranging irotn 12a-(id to £2 10s per month, and the society distributes about £7OOO a year in this way amongst some three hundred aged pensioners. The religious service in the chapel takes place on pensum day, mice a month, and is attended by all the jam.sinners. Apparently this Oid-esfabli'-hied society, thanks to various endowments and. subscriptions from all. ever the world, is doing on a small scale what * 11m Old Age Pensions Act eocomn.h'siies on a larger scale in New Zealand. Mr Sandilands was interested to learn that some of the subscriptions to the funds came all the way from New Zealand.