OUR LONDON LETTER.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 8076, 11 January 1888, Page 4

OUR LONDON LETTER.

(Fhom Oub Own- Corbespondknt.)

London, November 18.

MB ALFBED DOMETT.

The'funeral of Mr Alfred Domett, who died at his London residence, in Kensington, on the 2nd of this month, took place at Kensal Green Cemetery on the following Saturday, the stb. It was strictly private, the only persons present besides relatives being Mr William Gisborne and Air Frederick Baker. The funeral service was performed by the Rev. Spencer Nairne, a nephew of Mr Domett.

Apart from his colonial career, the deceased statesman enjoyed a considerable literery reputation at Home. In poetic circles ho was best known as the " Waring " of Robert Browuiug's poem beginning:—

What's become of Waring, Since he gave us all the slip, Chose land-travel or seafaring, Boats and chest or staff aud scrip, Jtather than pace up mid down Any longer London town ?

Mr Domett received his education at St. John's College, Cambridge, but left without taking a degree. At 21 he published n volume of poems, and when a year older went to the United States, where he remained several years. Then lie came home again, and published a " Christmas hymn " in " Blackwood's Magazine," which is very popular in America, though it seems to have dropped out of sight in Eugland. Two years were spent in travelling about the Continent, during which time he made the ! friendship of Browning, and on his return to England in 1841 he was called to the bar at the Middle Temple. In the following year he went out to New Zealand, and his career in the colony is well known to your readers. Ho retired from public life in the colony in IS7I, aud in the following year published " Kanolf and Amohia: A South Sea Day Dream," which attained a good deal of popularity in England. It was descriptive of the scenery of New Zealand, and of the habits, legends, aud character of the Maori inhabitants. Amongst the many private expressions of admiration of the poem, the one which would be most grateful to the poet's heart would he that from his old friend Browning, who had such faith in him that after his disappearance in 1542 he had declared—

Oil, never star Was lost here but it rose afar.

In his letter to Mr DonieU dated from Fontaiuebleau, October 18,1572, Browning confesses tbnt " I am no more surprised at the achievement than is consistent with my always having held to the belief that whenever ' Waring' reappeared some such effect would follow the phenomenon." In the same letter Browning declares " Kanolf and Amohia" to be " a great and astonishing performance of very varied power and beauty," aud " worth the 30 years' experience, and even absence from home," whichjhad been essential to its production. Lord Tennyson also wrote to Mr Domett in praise of the poem, but his letter was penned under a rather comic misapprehension. Browning had written to him about it, describing it as a " remarkable poem "; but Browning's writing is almost as difficult to rend as his poetry is to understand, and Tennyson read the word poem as " palm." Thinking that Urowning was by a figure of speech comparing " Kanolf and Amohia " to a palm tree or branch, he wrote to Mr Domett in the following terms:—"l have read a great part of your poem, and agree with your and my friend (Browning) that it is s remarkable palm, whether his tigure mean a branch carried in your baud or a tree grown on your ground. Intellectual subtlety, great power of delineating delicious scenery, imaginative fire—all these are there; nevertheless 1 find in it an embarrass dcs rirhessen which makes it a little difficult to read—to mo at least." Letters in praise of tho work were also received from Dr Arnold, of Rugby, Sir George Grey, Sir George Bowen, Sir Henry Purkes—who wrote quitu spontaneously, being a stranger to Mr Domett, and not having had a presentation copyof the book sent him,—the Hon. Mr l?ox, Sir Jaiues Hector, Bishop Cowie, thu Hon. Edward Twisleton, Lord Chief Justice Coleridge, Mr Bell (head master of Christ's Hospital), Governor Gore Browne, Sir J. L. Richardson, Sir Henry Taylor, and Richard Home (author of " Orion "). The book was also reviewed in the Spectator, tho Examiner, the Illustrated London News, the Civil Servico Gazette, the Sunday Times, tho Literary Churchman, the Guardian, aud many other newspapers. In 1877 Mr Domett published a volume of poems entitled "Flotsam aud Jetsam: Rhymes, Old ami Now." His other works are "Venice," a poem which was published in 1830; " A Narrative of tho Wairau Massacre," published by the Now Zealand Company in 18-13; "Petition to the House of Commons for the Recall of Governor Fitzroy," presented when Mr Gladstone was Secretary of State for the Colonies; anil "Ordinances of New Zealand," published by the New Zealand Company in 1850. In his later years Mr Domett was a vice-president of the Browning Society, so that there was no longer nny doubt as to what had become of » Waring."

LOUD AUGUSTUS LOFTUS'S lIANKBUPTCY. The statement of account in thn affairs of Hie lato Governor of New South Wales, against whom it will be remembered a receiving order iv bankruptcy was granted on the petition of Mr Samuel Eugel, a money-lender, has now been made. Tho gross liabilities arc £02,200 lo's lid, of which £42,41)1 Sj 3d is unsecured. The debts fully secured are £392-1 Us 9d, tie value, of the securities lining estimated at £UU Us SJ, and there are other liabilities which are partially secured. Tho assets are practically nil, with the exception of the noble lord's pension of £1700 a year from the Imperial Government, over which t-hi' liquidator of the Oriental Bank Corporation h>M- (ii!fid.-.-imri;orl !.•);,■ to ■jh:»r; i v ;i to (hot-x^ut of i'OCSi!, hat he i« sidvUed that these deals ;uvb.v.l in l«nv; p^lv-ios of life sssurmice to (!;.-■ amount of £3O,l!'O, tilt surrender value of which is estimated at £12,090; the income arising out of a marriage- settlement of some £11,000, and 6000 fully paid-up £1 shares ie Parnell's Pyrites

Patent Compauy (Limited). Amongst the urr~ secured creditors are the City Bank, New South Wales, to which the noble lord appears to owe £1171 12s 4d; Mr F. Somers,. of Sydney, £900; Messrs Bradley, Newton, and Lamb (Sydney), £74; and Mr EngeJ, tho petitioning creditor, who is set down for £738. The principal creditors partly secured are:— The Marquis of Ely, whose claim is £10,000;. Messrs Coutls and Co., brokers, £21,457; the. Oriental Bank Corporation (in liquidation),. £6086; and Mr Mills, of Sydney, £1300. The creditors fully secured are:—Lady Ann H. Loftus, au elder sister of the debtor, whose claim is for £2246, and Mr<3. N. Palmer, £1678. In reply to the statutoiUsaamiiiation Lord Augustus stated that he had resided at Twickenham and Queen's Gate Place, and also at Sydney, New South Wales, of which colony he was Governor-general from 1879 to the end oi 1885, and that he had retired from the service of the Foreign Office on a pension of £1700 a year after 50 years' service. Hio ouly free asset was his pension of £1700 a year. He had a .-aantity of furniture warehoused, but there 'were claims against it for warehouse rent to the extent of £250. During his Governorship of New South Wales he received a salary of £7000 a year, but regularly spent from £2000 to £3000 per annum in excess of that sum in order to keep up Lis position and do his duty as Governor. Since his return from Sydney theejtpenses of himself aud his family had been kept well within his. income. The original cause of his misfortunes, he said, was the expenses attached to the diplomatic posts he had held since ISSB, the allowance for them being totally inadequate for the duties to bo performed. He entertained hopes of retrieving his pecuniary position from the success of a compauy about to bo floated in England, and he did not become awaro of tha extent of hia insolvency until certain creditors took proceedings against him. The further consideration of the noble lord's affairs has been adjourned for some little time. MISINB. The New Zealand Antimony Company has been formed, aud the prospectus has appeared at full length in all the principal London newspapers. The project has been well received by the press generally, not a single unfavourable comment having appeared in any of the newspapers. The Financial World says that the new company " is started under the most favourable auspices, the personal stamiiug and character of the directors being in itself a guarantee of good faith." At the close of a long critical review of the prospectus the paper adds : " We feel that we can safely recommend it to the favourable consideration of Ml who are looking out Eor genuine mming ventures as a means of investment." Even the Financial News says " it is introduced to the public under exceptionally influential auspices," and considers that " with a board of directors including such names as those of Sir John Stokes, X.C.8., Sir Walter Buller, KCM.G., and Sir William Fitzherbert, i-V; i ' tlle com Pany is assured of a. slnltul and trustworthy management." The Daily Recorder remarks that " the members of the board are gentlemen likely to inspire confidence in any investor"; whilst the Whitehall Review speaks of the board as an " eminently powerful and representative one." The comments in Money, the Financier, the Financial Gazette, and most of the commercial papers are equally satisfactory. It is understood that the ishare list will be closed on Mouday, at noon.

POSTAL MATTEE3. It seems to be understood that the czperi--ment will be tried of a cheap, slow, direct service to Australia. But there are some who think that the money expended in this would bebetter applied towards reducing the rates on theBrindisi service. There is expected to be a reduction of about £22,000 in the Continental transit rates, and the idea is expressed that this should be devoted to reducing the Brindisi rates. Instead of this, however, it is likely 'to be spent on the slow, cheap, service. Whether such a service will be patronised by the public remains to be seen. If the cost is not lower than 4d, it certainly will not compete with the Brindisi route.

Mr Henniker Heatou, M.P., is net likely to carry his Imperial penny postage scheme into effect while Mr Goschen remains Chancellor of tho Exchequer. In a speech at Bath on November 5, Mr Goschen said: "There is one little item which 1 intend, I tell the country frankly, to defend with my life, and that is the surplus of two millions and a-half which the post office gives at present. That means something like a penny iv the income tas or more, and we kuow there is a cry that the whole of the surplus should be spent in postal improvements—in other words, that taxation should be imposed in order to cover that deficit which would arise if we were to apply that surplus in the way which is demanded. I hold that surplus to be a valuable asset iv the national exchequer. I admit that it is a tax. It is a certain tax that those who send their letters for Id supply the State with. Ido not object to that: but Ido object that tho surplus, which is produced mainly by those who write letters for Id, should be entirely consumed or even chiefly in giving additional' postal advantages to those who correspond wifh; the colonies, with India, or with foreign cbun- • tries." The British taxpayer will certainly say ■ that Mr Goschen is quite right. MHS CAUDLE. The editor of the Army and Navy Gazette; seems to be troubled with a slight bilious attack,. and to be venting his spleen in reading the colonies a curtain lecture of the Mrs Caudle; type upon their alleged unwillingness to assumea proper 6hare of responsibility for their own. defence. Commenting upon the proposal now being mooted in Australia to establish a federal Australian army mid oxpreuemg disapproval of the founding. of a military college, thatpaper goes on to congratulate the Austra--lians. upon "showing a disposition to re^cognise their duty" iv the matter of pro--viding for their own armaments. " There is no getting 'out of the fact," it says, " that« Australian politicians have in the past shown ar»incliuntion to throw all the financial responsibi--lity of their defence on the mother country,. One half of their defence—namely, that secured' by offensive operations in the open sea —the' mother country cheerfully undertakes, but locali defensive arrangements are clearly the duty of the colonists theinselvjs." The Army and1 Navy Gazette has the grace to admit that this principle has now become clearly recognised in Australia, but apparently dates the recognition only so recently as the holding of the Colonial Conference. It is clearly ignorant of the fact that the Australasian colonies have altogether spent over £14,000,000 of money ir»their own defence, the apportionment being asl follows:—New Zealand, £7,152,938; Victoria, £4,057,978; New South Wales, £1,917,596;; South Australia, £515,604; Queensland, £490,169; Tasmania, £80,000; Western Australia, £16,470; —total, £14,231,145. Neither can the Army and Navy Gazette know that there is already iv Australasia a force of 34,000 men and an armament of COO guns; and it certainly has forgotten that Eome of these men were thought worthy of fighting side by side with English troops in tha Soudan. Whatever faults the colonies may bo blamed with, they cannot be accused of " sponging" on the mother country for their own defence.