ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11797, 28 July 1900, Page 10

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

(From Oub Own Cokkespoxdent.) GENERAL.

LONDON, June 15.

A special correspondent of a London paper, writing from Bcira, gives some interesting particulars as to the New Zealanders now with Carrington's force. He says: "The Yeomanry have arrived, and have fraternised with the New Zealanders, whose transport lies within call of the Galeka. Does a party ■of the New Zealanders go ashore, the Yeomanry line the side of their ship and cheer till they are hoarse. To this the New Zealanders respond, not with a cheer, but with a. weird Maori chant, finishing up with a fiendish aboriginal yell, calculated to put the fear of the Empire into every 'by woner's' heart. This amuses the Yeomen mightily, and they never lose a chance of eliciting this recognition of what is really, a genuine admiration. The Queenslanders-ha,ve also a war cry of sortsit is really a. football cry, and was borrowed from a visiting New Zealand team, New Zealand being presumably the home of weird noises—which consists of the word ' Woollangabler! ' roard lustily, with a final ending which may be described as three expressive grunts. They have very kindly feeling, one for the other, these sons of Greater Britain. I met a corporal of the Yeomanry at Beira, who anxiously inquired the price of Main Reefs, because he had a few thousands invested in them. He was the manager of a city house before the Yeomen came to bar T racks, now he is a, full corporal, and it is doubtful which he is proudest of—his stripes or his eyeglass."

Last Tuesday, at the company's offices, King William street, E.C., a formal meeting of shareholders and debenture-holders in the New Zealand Trust and Loan Company was held, Mr L. J. W. Fletcher in the chair. The meeting was called for the purpose of confirming a resolution passed at a meeting on the 22nd ult. for reducing the capital from £1,500,000, in 20,000 preference shares of £25 each and 40,000 ordinary shares of £5 each, the reduction to be effected by paying off the whole of the preference share capital and by extinguishing the liability of £20 a share on the ordinary shares. In proposing the resolution of confirmation, the Chairman said that' if it were passed, they would have taken the first step to carrying out their wishes—to get rid of the preference shares on terms agreeable to the holders, and also to abolish the burden of the uncalled capital, so that the ordinary shareholders would in future have fully-paid shares of £5 each. Mr James Campbell seconded the motion, which was unanimously carried.

Great credit is due to Mr H. C. Cameron for the trouble he "again took, as far as possible, to group together at the New Zealand dinner on Tuesday, old friends. As a result the evening was a much more pleasant one than would otherwise have been the case. The reunion was certainly a signal success. " Hands and Arms Across the Sea " is the heading given by one of the illustrated papers to Now Zealand subjects. Pictures of the New Zealand girls' contingent of the fourth detachment for South Africa parading at Dunedin and portraits of Colonel Penton and Major Cradoek are given.

A correspondent of the Ottawa Citizen narrates a war story .which will be interesting to New Zealand readers. He writes from Carnarvon on April 7: —"The morning we marched out of Van Wyck's Vlei, a New Zealand mounted rifleman died at reveille, He had been suffering from dysentery. They got permission from Major Hindman {of Ottawa) to bury him beside Trooper Bradley in the little cemetery we constructed on the side of a kopje. 'We do not want to bury the boy among a lot of Dutchmen and Kaffirs,' said the New Zealand officer; 'we would rather think of him beside his Canadian comrade on the karoo.' " Thi3, continues the writer, was a " suggestive and inspiring sentiment."

In view of the fact that New Zealand is now serding frozen eels to England, a humorous writer suggests that the colony should now be called " News-Eeland." As to the opening here for New Zealand eels, one Billingsgate merchant is reported to have said that he did not think there would be a chance for them so long as there was mud in the canals of Holland. Another authority, however, thinks they would be just th 6 thing for Germany, where smoked eels are esteemed a great deiicacy.

A member of the Organising Committee of the New Zealand Eough Riders sends to The Times an account of the constitution of men and horses furnished by Otago and Southland.

On Wednesday a party- of New Zealanders, including Mr Rolleston, Mr Fergus, Mr Oliver, Mr W. E. Clarkson, Mr Olarkson,- urn., Mr R. M. Turnbull, and others, with Mr H. C. Cameron (the New Zealand produce commissioner), visited the O.C. and D. Company's premises at Smithfield, to see some of the carcases of mutton sent Home by the Gear Company, several times described by me. As the mutton had been sent here more for the purpose of testing the brand than for. sale, some of the carcases have been kept in store. So far as the branding was concerned, it was agreed that it could hardly be better, and prolonged cold storage had not materially affected it. The opinion expressed was that if branding became compulsory in this country, then the brand left little to be desired. But those present were evidently impressed with the risks attaching to branding under present conditions.

Mr Park's work on the cyanide process of gold extraction which, having, seen its third edition in New Zealand, has now its first in England, is reviewed in the Engineer. It is hoped that the volume " will be as successful here as it has been in the antipodes. Both in text and illustration, it is an excellent example of what a practical manual ■on a technical subject should be."

I do not know whether attention has been attracted in New Zealand to the fact that one of the aide-de-camps to Lord Ranfurly (the present Governor of New Zealand) is now heir to the Dukedom of Wellington through the accession of his father to the title.

At a meeting of the Council of the Royal Colonial Institute, !held last Tuesday, Sir Charles Stirling in the chair, Mr Thomas Wood, 8.L., and Mr William Wood, both of New Zealand, were duly elected Fellows of iha Institute.

The Misses Reynolds, of Dunedin, who have been away in the country, have returned to town, and have taken a flat .at Ashley "Gardens, No. 146, where they intend remaining for about six weeks. They spent a very pleasant week at Maidenhead and another at Winchester, and were charmed with the beauty 'of the country in its fresh spring foliage. Mrs Reynolds is expected to arrive from America next week.

The Rev. W. H. Browne, vicar of. Clyde, Otago, who arrived in England some time back, called on me yesterday. He was staying for some time at Durham, intending to take a degree in that university, but unfortunately lie was struck down with influenza and had to abandon his studies for a while. He has been residing for some time in London, and now intends to leave shortly for Germany, where he will live in. the house of a professor of the Marberg University, where Professor Tyndal took his degree. Mr Browne hopes to derive much benefit to his health from his residence in that part of Germany, while he also- purposes becoming a graduate of the University of Marberg. He does not intend to return to New Zealand for about 18 months.

Mr H. O. Fenton, son of Archdeacon Fenton, of Dunedin, came Home in the s.s. Gothic. He tells me he .edited the newspaper published on board, which he is about to have printed for the convenience of his fellowpassengers. I. am rather curious to see this publication, for, judging from what several of the Gothic's passengers on this trip have told me of their experiences, I should think it would prove somewhat lively reading. Mr Fenton has come Home to study for holy orders. He intends retiring to some quiet village to read hard for a month before entering upon residence at the Theological College attached to Ely Cathedral.

On Tuesday last the honorary degree of Doctor of Science was conferred by the University of Cambridge upon Sir Walter L. Buller, K.C.M.G.. of New Zealand. The public orator of the university. (Dr Sandys), in delivering the usual eulogium upon recipients of the distinction, described Sir Walter as one of the ornaments of England's remotest colony of New Zealand, as one whose mastery of the Maori language

had enabled him to do signal services, for which he had repeatedly received the thanks of the colonial Government, and as one? who had been honoured by the Queen, and had received distinctions in France, Germany, and Italy, and who would now be decorated with the degree of Doctor of Science by a grateful university. Dr Sandys further mentioned that Sir Walter Buller ha,d also pro--duced'a splendid volume on the birds 'of New Zealand, and had generously presented the university with the remains of birds arid ■ animals (such as the" moa,1 and, morunga;respectively), which were either absolutely 61 nearly extincti In the evening Sir Walter Buller was entertained by the professors of the university.- In consequence of this prior engagement he was unable to be present at the New Zealand dinner.

The Hon. Thomas Fergus and Mrs Fergus, who arrived in the s.s. Gothic, are residing at Horrex's Hotel, in the Strand, for the present. They purpose remaining ,in"'London until the end of the month, going subsequently on visits to-Cornwall, the Scilly Islands, and Ireland. •' : .

The' marriage of Mr Harry B. Vogel to Miss Elsa Jessie Geraldine Levin, daughter of the late Mr W. H. Levin and Mrs-Levin, will take place on Tuesday, 10th prox.

, Recent callers at the Agency-general include : —Mr Si Stewart, of Balclutha; Mr Robert F. Smith, Mrs Smith, and the Misses Smith, of Dunedin, who .are at 22 Upper Bedford place; Mr I. W. Raymond, Wyndham, who is at the Inns of Court Hotel, Holborn; Mrs P. C. Neill, of Chingford, Dunedin,- who is at 37 Queen's- Gate Gardens, S.W.; the Hon. T. Fergus and Mrs Fergus,, of Dunedin; and Mr W. C. Mill, of Dunedin. •'•■''

One of the New Zealand contingent, Mr D'Arcy Chaytor, of Marlborough, arrived in London from South Africa, having been invalided home in consequence of an attack of enteric fever. I am glad to hear that hi health greatly improved on the voyage. Hi is now staying with his brother at Ladjbroki square, W. ■ ■