PERSONAL NOTES FROM LONDON.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11779, 7 July 1900, Page 10

PERSONAL NOTES FROM LONDON.

(Feom Our Own- Ooeees.i'ondent.) ' . LONDON; June 2

The wedding of Miss Ei-a Lsvm to Mr H. B.Vogel is to. take placo. m. July next. After the marriage of her daughter, Mrs W. E. Levin will pay a- visit-to New Zealand with her younger daughter, remaining in the colony until the English winter as over, and returning to this.country. in', the following! spring. .. , Mr and Mrs Rc-Ueston have recurnea to London and are now' staying at 52 Stanhope Gardens. , They have recently been, visiting old friends in the country. . Mr Sandford.Sine!air, til Dunedm,'arrived in' London about a-week ago. ; He-travelled from Australia, by the s.s. Omrah. MrSm-l clair'is leaving this-week on--a-visit to Herefordshire, after which'he intends returning for a- time to tlie metropolis. Before leaving on his way back to New Zealand, which ho expects to xlo'towards the end of the current year, Mr Sinclair hopes to visit Scotland and Ireland, and, of' course;-' Paris, to see the. exhibition. , ...-•- '• ' ■ . ■ • Mrs Baker ("Alien") is at present at Bournemouth on a' visit Jto her sister novelist; ••Rita," with whom, she. ha« collaborated once or twice, and who has. a. pleasant residence at that very' charming .watering place. "Alien" has just completed another novel, whioh is to appear in. the iirst..instance as a serial story. Her itflle, <" Dija's _ Difficulties," now appearing in :.the Girls' ' Realm, has won. first place, in a •■■vote-by the readers of the magazine as their'" first favourite " among current stories." Moreover/ Mrs Baker's works have been-sent. to the Paris Exhibition as the representative novels of New Zealand.. So her remarkable success in-this country manifestly--continues" in full force. She tells me.she has a year's hard work already before her. ~'. :.. ■■ - - Did I mention before that her daughter,. Miss Ethel Baker,. was -married in April, 1893, to Mr Cecil ; Victor Skertchley,. neiphew of. Professor Skertchley., president .of;- the Royal Society of Queensland? "Such, at any rate, is the case. -Professor .Skertchley, by the way, is second- cousin of the Duke of Rutland, and great-grandson of; the late Earl Danby. Mr .Cecil Skertchley comes of a distinctly' historical family; .the Skcrtchleys were the sheriffs from whose. charge Lady Jane Grey was taken to, be beheaded. His great-uncle was. the . Lord- Monteagle, who frustrated the attempt of Guy. Fa-wkes, and on his mother's (the Da-nby.'s). side he is a descendant, of Charles Sto-.yart.. I hear that possibly when Professor . Skertchley t returns to Queensland his daughter-in-law may go with him on a,.,visit.. >■■•.- ..,: - -. :.. Mr, Mrs, and Miss. Oatway were.. present by invitation at th.o -Royal Institutipn'-meet-ing last Friday, evenings when; the May automatic fire annunciators Which Mr Oatway, is •", running " in tibiiiidri, tvaSi exhibited before the distinguished, company of savants assembled. The invention: was most favourably received. The audience was a very eminent one scientifically, and Mr May maywell regard' it as a high compliment that < a body so distinguished should ask for the exhibition of his-••invention.. There were several well-known scientists there, including Sir W. Preece, Sir A:. Biuney, Sir F. Bramwell, and Professor W. Crooks. A bishop or two and. several. duchesses and other titled- ladies were among the audience. I see it announced that Mies Vera French, the young New: Zealand. violinists, aged 11 years, secured senior honours at the recent examination in Brighton in' connection with the. Associate^! Boards of the Royal' Academy of-Music and the Royal College- of Music, gaining the highest-:.p.ossible-number of marks —namely, 150. This is- a very' remarkable success for one co young* and promises well for the future of "tlie clever little''New Zenlauder. .■-■•• ■ ■ . 0 A London Anglo-colonial paper says: — "Is Mr Seddon' going to retire,,-and leave the troubled sea of colonial polities for the calm waters of the; Agent:genera,lship?.'Such a hint reaches me from. Auckland.. It is. suggested that at the close of. next parliamentary session Mr Seddon v/ill. r^liquish tho Premiership, and leave tho colony for London. . Bad health lias- induced:him to take a holiday in the Islands, and leave Mr. Ward r.fc the helm. But I must'confess, assuming that the New Zealand Premier has. the... vigour which he had when' I last saw ..him. in London, that the idea of his giving. up the reins so soon after piloting, his party to another period of political 'supremacy, is not easy to accept. Certainly, -if .Mr Seddon. really wishes to give up, arid bend his.steps Homewards, the way in which he has.taken the lead in New Zealand in organising tho war forces and funds would msjke him a persona grafcissima, in this quarter, of the. world." " A highly, honourable story " is told in the June "Puritan." The story is that of the payment, in full, of his creditors by the Hon. J. G. Ward. This is referred to in the Globe, tho paragraph 'being > headed '." Commercial Integrity." Reminiscences, of Mr Ward's career are given in the Echo, in which paper the lion, gentleman is referred to as "the heir presumptive to.-.the .Premiership'and the leadership of the Liberal party in-the most progressive of our colonies." I learn that Professor Herko.mer has tuidertaken' tho painting of the portrait of the late Sir George f Grey, which witt. be placed in the [National Gallery:. while Mr OnsJow Ford is at work on the bust of the ■'Great Pro-Consul,"'which is to be placed St. Paul's Cathedral. Mr' Sidney. Nathan, 'of Auckland, and Mr' Thomson '.Leys, after consultation with .tho Agent-general, are in communication with several sculptors, in reference to the statue, of Sir George which it is intended, to ereelMti. Auckland. Mr Rdlleston was, a-guest at the mercers' dinner on Wednesday. The. hqn. gentleman intenets staying in town until tho New • Zealand dinner takes place at -tho' Cafe Monico on the 12th inst,, on which occasion he will probably speak. Then -he intertds. going north. Mr Rolleston ,is still suffering from a severe cold, but'saems rather better than" lie was. Recent callers -at the Agency-general include Mr Walter G:'Bolt, of Dunedin,. v/liose address is care' bfMessi'n Bolt Brothers, Victoria^ street, Bristol; Mr and Mrs J., Hay, of Timaru, who are -slaying at" 93-. Lexham Gardens,. Kensington; -Mr and Mrs Emery and tho Misses Emery, of Dunedin, who are at-Bailey'p .Hotel, South Kensington; JVfr W. Sutter, of, Timaru; Mr J. W. ■ Wood, of Timaru;'.Mr J. A. Ha-nan,-of Invercargill.