ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11197, 20 August 1898, Page 3

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

(Feom Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, July 8. From time to time I have been able to keep you informed us to the progress of negotiations between Mr J. H. Witheford and the Admiralty respecting the fquipmeDt o£ the . Calliope dock. By this time you should have received my letter which contained the information that the naval authorities would grant an annual subsidy sufficient to cover interest on the capital charge of, and provide a smiting fund for, a complete set of plant and machinery. ' In London, however, the secret was »o well kept of the Admiralty* intentions that the first ; public announcement of the fscb was that made ; by Lord Onslow at the New Zealand banquet ' on Monday evening last. Lord Onslow both i publicly and privately congratulated Mr Witheford on the succesß which had ultimately crowned his four years' effort. All the Londou papers give considerable prominence to the intelligence. Mr Thomas Mackenzie's desk, when I called upon him, was strewn with a large collection of ' photographs showing the stages through which coloum! mutton passes from the time ib is sheep at grans until it reaches Islington, Bflfasfc, and Smithfield. With these photograph* it is intended to illustrate nn article in & leading London review. The pictures are remarkably fine, all those of colonial origin coming from Canterbury. Mr Mackenzie wrote to the other chief centres, and promises to tend on photographs have been received ; the realisation of these promises is not yet, however. Showing, as the pictures do, the delightful cleauliness of tha whole procesp, the nice way in. which the carcases are taken to the ship's side and handled, and the neatneas of storage in the hold of vessels and in the cold stores, they should go a long way toward' breaking down any prejudice that may yet remain against eating frozen meat. . ■ It really was amusing, as well as satisfactory, to notice the zest shown at the New Zealand banquet, at the Hotel Cecil, for the'produce from the colony. Mutton, lamb, and beef were so much " rushed " that at the far ends of the tables it was difficult to get a second helping— } and that is what most of' those present c&iled ! for; —so they had to put up with ju»t th» ' common and ordinary items on the menu ' which, as- a iu!i', go to make up a fir^t-elaus j bunqiifct. In conversation wir.h JMr Thomas Mackenzie I learned that never was New Zealand lamb more popular than at present, as is evidenced by the marked increase iv consumption. Prejudice may now.be looked upon almost a.B a thing of the pasti.■'■' "New Zealaud., ifc\is true, has a large surplus ; but her Premier is contemplating an old a&e pension scheme, which, of course, will j absorb any superfluous-funriß in his hands." j This is one of the reasons assigned by the Daily j News why Australasian colonies will not go in ; for lowering the postal rates. - ■' So greatly has the Colonial and American meat trade increased within the past few years that the City Corporation, proposes to make special' provision '.for its accommodation atj Sniithfleld by adaptirig.at an outlay of £10,000, the old fish market for (be purpose. .■■■■■•■ Great regret was expresubd when it became known that Captain Fairehild'bad met with a fatal "accident, for ,the genial old skipper was well known »nd liked, at Hqooe. . On receipt of the telegram Mr M»koii, 'of the Agent-general* ! staff, weut to the Dental Institute to convey .'i the news to Mr Fairchild, jun., Hk, howevi-r, j had already received a message from bis sistsr j in New Zealand, . ' ' j Letters by every mail arrive from Mr Thomas i Mackenzie's oldi constituents at Ctntha. Thny i evidently take it as a foregone cnucluoion th*t ! he will return and stand for that seat at the j next general election. -. ! ; ] Mr Tbomns Mackenzie is now able to return ] to business. He was couflnad to bis house for j sometime, and on' Monday last'he found the duties of vice-chairman at the New Zealanders' bmiquet tried him very much. •• Dr'M'Donald, son of, Mr Simon M'Donald, j. of Dunediu, has completed his studies at HSdia- i burgh, and will probably leav« during the • present, month for Cape Colony, going thence j on a -visit, to' Johannesburg.. He was very j successful, I am given to understand, at Edin-■! burgh. -..-■•. • .'■'■■■' - Mr N. Y. A. Wales is much improved in' health. He and Miss Wales are now back in j London. = ! The marriage is announced of Miss Ella E. Stockwell, daughter of Dr Stockwell, of Wyodham, Otago, to the Rev. William S. Eiddelsdell. The wedding took place at Colombo on tbe 4fch inst; *Jn yesterday's Scotsman there appears a long article on Mr John1 Holmes and his commercial mission, which is explained »»ith great'fulnes*. The Scotsman saya : ."Mr Holm«s is not only an enthusiast but a master of his subject, charged' with statistical' information Ho the fingertips." '■ ' ' ■ ■ '- ■;;' . ; Miss • Tberese .Sievwri'ght scored another success by:ber admirable singing at the musical reception Tpeld'by tbe,LadyM,ayorfe*6rof;L'ondon at the Mansion House last Tui^diy. Madame Bertha Rossqw, woo is also well known in New Zealand, was' another of the most ■'. effective artists on . fcjiat occasion. 1 1 may, remark, that, both these ladies appear,-to me to ,have iih-.. proved immensely in regard to power, and fulness of vocar tone since they have been under the guidance of Signor Panzani. in London; Judging from the results, his teaching method' must be peculiarly effective. Mr V. O. Fergussoo, son of the l»te Dr Fergusson, fif Dunedin, culled on me a day or two ago, Mr Fergusson left New Zealand in 1894, and studied, medicine for some'year* n-t t.h*Edinburgh University. He then v/entto British Columbia, as oue of a party. He intended to go to Klondike, but ultimately decided to j abandon the plan. After spending some time. in Vancouver and travelling through the' United States, Mr Fergusaon returned to England, and goes in for a London examination in October, after which he purposes starting with an expedition either to Thibet or Peru. Clearly he possesses what Bulwer termed the planeiicose instinct, ' I Captain John Stuart* of the s.s. Arawa, has j many friends in New Zealand who will, I am ' certain, be glad to hear that he is not in the midst' of the present Spanish-American war, though his splendid ship, now sailing under a Spanish name, is in the thick of it, carrying coal for the warships. 'When war was declared Captain Stuart wrr relieved of his charge, and he is now residing with hia fumily in Aberdeen. The s.s. Tsinui is also - running under the j Spanish flag as a coal tender. i Mr Newtoa Jones, the Sunday school evangslist, who has just returned from New Zea- i land, has been duly interviewed-. He disclaims the ability or the wish to speak dogmatically about New Zealand or its people; bu'j he has certainly formed impressions. He was asked if he had the opportunity cif noting any effects . of the exclusion of the Bible from the elemenvary school*. Mr Jones replied emphatically : •'Yes, I had ; and there is no mistaking its rfsult::'. A loosening of moral rtßtraint in tb« life of young people >n<3 'a persistent in-, di'fE?.rence to religion kce effects of theseculariHjiiy of education which one cannot help no'icing. The looseriing of moral restraint is chown in the fitrae(jß. at nijjht. For example, it .is simply appalling to soe the number of girls and boys who parade the streets to a late hour, and many for .'immoral purposes To such' an exfcent has this evil grown that, as you may j ; have noticed, a bill has been introduced making 1 ; it a misdemeanour for girls and boya under 14- ---: to be on the streets aftfr 9 o'clock at night." '; I Snnirthow one can feel from tho tone of the ; i report that this utterance was received with a ! i great thrill, of horror. ■ Aeked if any attempt I i were being made to revert to the use «>f the j j Bible in the schools, Mr Jones said: "Not.so | ] far as I coulrl gather. Even among those who j ; deplore the effects of the seculariHation of the j i sct'ook ib appears to be accepted as final. ■ i There is no general revolt against ib on the | part of the. people or the prese." Mr Jones's impression of Sunday school work j in New Zealand was that " they are ready for ; greater things than they have neen yet." A* to "Chrietinn endeavour," Mr Jones stated that "Christian endeavour in New Zealand is progressive,, nob aggressive." The feature of j i New Zealand life, as contrasted with the life at : home, which struck Mr Jones most was "the. , love of pleasure." When »aked how this showed , itself he replied, "In everything and in every way. There is not that rußhing-out in bminesn, for example, that you see here, because life is not taken so seriously. A great cricket match will absorb the attention of a whole town as an j ! event of the first importance, and all Uinda of Rmuoements have a proportionately important place in the national life." ■ As to how this sort of thing told on churches , and religious life, Mr Jones said : "So far as I ; could gather, it forms the chief difficulty that they have to contend with. People are so much occupied with sport of nil kinds and pleasures that it is difficult to arouse iv them a sense of the vital importance of religion. Indifference, not unbelief, is the great foe of religion in New Zealand."