OUR LONDON LETTER.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 10415, 30 March 1910, Page 1

OUR LONDON LETTER.

(From Our Own Correspondent:) February. 18. Miss Olive Harrison, of- -Tunbridge Wells, left London last Friday .by. the P. and O. liner Marmora, for Sydney. She will stay, there some months,, and will, afterwards visit friends in New Zealand. The Hon. William Hall-Jones, and Sir Charles Elliott, K.C.5.1.,: have, become Vice-Presidents of the League of the Empire. The following have joined the General Council: —Ladv Fairbairn, the Hon. E. A. „ Harney, "and Mr R. C. Brown, of Rhodesia. Heku K. Ngawaka, the young chieftain of the Ngapuhi tribe, Ohaeawai, Bay of Islands, who has been over,here some months, is returning to the Dominion by the New, Zealand Shipping Company's s.s. Turakina, which left Tilbury this week. At a Masonic banquet, held "recently, at Frascati's, Bro. Chieftain Ngawaka, in response to the toast of the visitors, spoke in the Maori tongue, and then translated his words into English.' .Afterwards he rendered the solo ''Arm, arm, ye brave." The chieftain, who is an accomplished vocalist, has appeared on several concert platforms in England. This young man's grand-uncle, the famous Hone lieke, led the assault on Kororaka, Bay of Islands, in the early forties, and subsequently raided the North Island-at the head of a taua, or war party, armed with muskets, the gift of King George IV., and now we find his descendant obtaining a peaceful victory by holding, a cultured white audience with a masterpiece of Handel's.

Mr Raymond F. M. M'lntyre, of Christchurch, came to London to pursue his studies in art. He has a studio at Chelsea, and lias already made a successful beginning. He has sudied under Nicholson at the London School of Art, and his work, which is chiefly portrait painting, has attracted a great deal of notice. It is understood that Madame Sarah Bernhardt will visit Australia this year under contract with Mr Williamson. It is almost certain that the visit will be extended to the Dominion. Mr J. S. Graham, formerly in the employ of the Kaiapoi Woollen _ Company 'in-Christchurch. left this city on Friday for the Far East, after a two years' stay here. He has entered into a three year's engagement with a wellknown firm in Shanghai.

Miss Nora D'Argel, so often referred to in former letters, is just now playing in the Opera at Nice. Owing to the baritone in "Eigoletto" being indisposed, she has just had a fortnight's holiday. Her mother, Mrs Long, hopes .to join her at Nice. Mr E. H. Andrews, of the New Zealand Railway Department at Petone, -is on a visit to the Old Country. He expects to spend about ten months here before returning to the Dominion. Part of the lime will be spent in Scotland and Ireland. Your late High Commissioner and present Director of the London School of Economics, the Hon. W. P. Reeves, will deliver at the school a course of lectures commencing next week on "Colonial State Tribunals for the Regulation of the Conditions of Labor." Mr Reeves will bring up to date the matter relating to the" subject in his book, "State Experiments in Australia and ~Sew Zealand."

Dr S. T. Champtaloup, tlio newlyappointed lecturer on pathology at Otago University, and medical officer of health fur Dunedin, referred to in my last, will leave, with Mrs Champtaloup, for the Dominion by the Orvieto on March 23rd, joining, the boat at Marseilles. . Mi.ss Marv Egerton Warren, the daughter of the late Mr William Henry Warren, of Wellington, has. just married Mr Percy George, the youngest son of the late Mr 0. J- Braithwaite, at the Catholic Apostolic Church, Highgate. Captain John Joseph Dunne, well known as sportsman, artist, author, and traveller, has just died. In his young days he fought in the Maori war of 1863-1865, and was severely wounded. The Dowager Lady Fergnsson, widow of Sir James Fergusson, of Kilkerran, sixth Baronet, has died at her residence m ! Eaton-square, aged 79. Isabella Elizabeth Lady Fergusson was the third wife of the late Baronet, to whom she was married in 1893. Sir James had been successively Under-Secretary for India and for the Home Department, Governor of South Australia, New Zenland and Bombay, Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, and Postmaster-Gene-ral. He met his death in the earthquake of Jamaica in January, 1907. Mr John Mackrell, of High Tress, Clapham-common, S.W., retired solicitor, late of the firm of.Messrs Mackrell, Maton, and Goodlee, formerly solicitor in England to the Governments of New Zealand and New South Wales, and solicitor to the Honorable the Irish Society, left estate valued at £153,357 gross/of which the net personalty has been sworn at £124,440. Subject to numerous bequests, including one of £7500 to his cousin, Jessie Maria Maton, he left the residue of his property to his godson, Mr Frederick Stephen Maton, of Colomendy, Thirlmere-road, Streatham-common, S.W. .