PERSONAL NOTES FROM LONDON.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1775, 14 March 1906, Page 15

PERSONAL NOTES FROM LONDON.

(From Our Special Correspondent.) LONDON, January 26.

Mr John E. Hanson, of Canterbury, and Mr Harry Franks, his son-in-law, who arrived by the Ruapehu a few weeks back, have been spending a pleasant holiday in this country. Mr Franks came to England in charge' of the racehome Noctuifor n, sold by Mr G. G. Stead to Mr Buchanan, of this country, while Mr Hanson is renewing acquaintance with his native land after an absence of forty-four years in New Zealand. After spending a week in London, in the course of which Mr Franks visited the training establishment of Major Ed ward es at Marlborough, they went north to Wood ho use, Leeds, and have since been visiting relatives and friends in Leeds, Bradford, Halifax, and other Yorkshire towns. After leaving Yorkshire they will probably visit Scot land, and then return to London, where they have an invitation to see over the training establishment of Mr Buchanan. A run across to Paris will complete their programme, and the return journey will be made via the Cape of Good Hope.

Miss Violet Wlllmott, second daughter of the late H. F. Willmott, of Otago, and Madame Willmott, of Normauhurst College, Leytonstonc, was married on tho 17th inst. to Mr Paul Henry Stavenhagen, German Vice-Con-sul at Calais. The wedding took place at Leytonstonc. Among the Consular appointments of which the King has signified his approval through the London “ Gazette ” this week is that of Mr C. Johnston as Consul-General for Belgium at Wellington, with jurisdiction over the provinces of Hawke’s Bay, Taranaki, and Wellington.

I understand that Captain W. H. Kidler, the veteran commander of the Shaw-Savill steamer Gothic, has made his last voyage in that vessel, which arrived from New Zealand on Monday last. Captain Kidloy has decided to retire from the sea. Mr A. J. Ohrystall, of Christchurch, who arrived by tho Orient liner Omrah on Now Year’s Day, has come Home to gain further experience in dentistry, and to that end has entered on a post-graduate course of twelve months at the National Dental Hosna-A At the end of his year Mr Chrystall will visit the United States ana take courses there with various specialists. After-about three or four months in the States and Canada he proposes to return to England, and leave soon afterwards by the Orient line for New Zealand. Mr Philip Myers, of Wellington, arrived by the Gothic this week, having com to London on a brief business visit. Mr Myers expects to return to the colony *b •; the lonic, sailing on March Bth.

Callers at the High Commissioner’s office this week:—Mr Thomas Dalrymple (Gisborne), Mr H. Paterson Oeney (Christ church), Rev. Harold Anson (Auckland), Mr Joseph Power (Wellington), Mr R. O’Connor, Mr A. C. O’Connor (Wellington), Mr A. J. Chrystall (Christchurch), Miss F. C. Nairn. Tho R.M.S. Ruapehu, Commander Francis Mayoss, R.N.R., of the New Zealand Shipping Company’s line, left London on Thursday, and sails from Plymouth to-morrow for New Zealand, via Capetown and Hobart. She takes the following passengers for New Zealand ports: —Miss P. Baines, Mr E. Bayley, Mrs H. Butt, Miss Butt, Mrs G. W. Edwards, Mr W. Gladwyn, Mns L. R. Macdonald, Miss I. Macdonald, Mr G. G. Moor, Mr D. Nathan, Mrs Nathan and maid, Miss N. Nathan, Mr R. D. Renwick, Miss G. X erney, Miss K. \ Gluey, Mr W. Alexander, Miss V. Banks, Mr O. M. Bartlett, Mr J. E. Beard, Mr J. A. Betts, Mr S. J. Carman, Miss M. L. Colchester, Mr H. G. Crisp, Miss A. Davenport, Mr G. E. Drake, Mrs Drury, Mr W. N. Duggan, .Mrs A. Finch, Mr and Mrs G. P. Ford and two sons, Mr J. Idiens, Mr 0. C. Jennings, Mr G. Laimbie, Mr J. G. Livingstone, Mr and Mrs O. H. Pickering, Rev. A. De H. Robinson, Miss S. Ryan, Mi* T. Southern, Mrs S. P. Thomas, Miss M. H. Thomas, Miss K. D. Thomas, Mr A. Thomas, Mr J. L. Watson, Mr L A Whitfield, . Mr W. H. Whittell-Webb’ and about sixty in the third-class.

With a view to better advertising the resources of New South Wales and the

scope it offers to settlers going there, tho Agent-General for New South Wales has just sent ail excellent travelling exhibit of products, in the charge -of Mr W. H. Clarke, to the chief market towns in the country districts of tho West of England. Mr Clarke engages a stall on market day, and makes a suitable display of typical products of the colony, distributes pamphlets descriptive of the country, and answers the numerous inquiries made by farmers who visit the towns on market day. Mr Coghlan’s idea seems to have caught oil, and considerable interest is taken in the exhibits.

Thus the Rev. A. E. David, sometime Archdeacon of Brisbane, at the Church Congress the other day:—“ The Colonial Clergy Act is not a pleasant form of relationship for those ordained abroad to contemplate. Its practical value is very small, whereas it casts an undeserved slur upon the orders of the daughter churches, and in some instances it operates very harshly. It should be repealed. In this connection, let me add, that, if in England we fear the introduction of imperfectly-trained clergy from abroad, the colonial churches are even more apprehensive of the pressure sometimes put upon their Bishops to give undesirable clergy from England a new start in life. In some cases this pressure may have been justified, but, on the whole, such action neither promotes the self-respect nor the well-being of the daughter churches.” Among the sixty-three entries for the Grand National Steeplechase, to be decided at the end of March, the only horse with Australian associations is Kiora, who has twice previously essayed’ to win the race, but fell in both instances. This year Kiora has 16.4 to carry—a pound less than last year and a pound more than in 1904. As the Antipodean gelding has been showing good form under heavy-weights over fences this season, he may “do the trick ” at the third time of asking, but at eleven years of age one can hardly expect to see much improvement in Kiora’s form as regards the negotiation of the stiff Aintree course.

The match of 16,000 up Oevel) between Fred Weiss and the veteran, “Billy” Mitchell, at Thurston’s,. ended in “a draw” last Saturday—quite unnecessarily, I think. The closure was put in force at 11 p.m., in spite of the fact that Mitchell, who was then in play, required only 117 to win, and Weiss was only 51 behind him. Another twenty minutes’ play would certainly have enabled a definite issue to be arrived at, and if ever a man deserved to be given a chance to win Mitchell did. When play commenced for tlie day, Weiss held an advantage of no less than 897, and the veteran’s chance seemed hopeless. He, however, stuck to his work as though victory was in sight, and scoring 940 points to Weiss’s 490, improved his outlook materially. Still he was 447 points to tho bad when the evening session commenced, the scores being 15,157 to 14,710 in the Australian’s favour, both men being behind their proper points. With the balls running anything but kindly for him, Weiss found Mitchell gradually creeping up, and presently the game was called—“W<bss 15,404, Mitchell 15,384.” Then “Billy” had his bad streak, and the Australian drew away again with a fine 180 and a useful 96, the latter being made from a double baulk. Again Mitchell spurted, and once more got to within 20 of his man, and at his next essay made a fine 117, which took him in front. With 83 Weiss drew up to 15,832 to Mitchell’s 15,846, but this was his last chance, and the veteran was in play with 37 unfinished when the game was abandoned at 11 o’clock. It was a disappointing ending to as grand a struggle as we have seen this season. Each man in turn had assumed a commanding lead, only to bo deprived of it by his rival, and both gave exhibitions worthy of Stevenson or Roberts. Weiss’s two breaks, 425 and 439, were beyond question among the best, efforts we have seen for a long time, and showed conclusively that if he would make himself master of the top of the table game he would make the best of the big guns of the game “gallop” all the way in a level' match.