PERSONAL NOTES FROM LONDON.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11923, 22 December 1900, Page 4

PERSONAL NOTES FROM LONDON.

(FnoH One Own CorbespondentJ

LONDON, November 10.: Recently I mentioned that Lady Dorothy Gathorne-Hardy, youngest daughter of Lord and Lady Glasgow, was about to visit New Zealand. I now learn that tho reason of tho step is the somewhat health of her husband, who has now been definitely ordered by his medical attendants to spend tho coming winter in a milder climate than flint of Great Britain. His .wife's pleasant mpmories of New Zealand caused ihnt colony to be selected as the place of residence. Mr and Mrs Thomas Fergus took their departure from London on their return voyage to New Zealand last Wednesday morning, leaving Charing Cross by the 11 a.m. Continental express. Their intention was to make their journey uninterruptedly to Marseilles, changing at Paris from the Nord to tho P.L.M. 'line, and travelling through the night in the sleeping train do'uxo, which reaches Marseilles next morning. lam afraid they must have had a very rough crossing over the Channel, for just before their train started un official telegram was received at Charing Cross to the effect that the sea was too rough for the Dover-Calais service to bo performed, so that the Dover express had to be diverted to Follcstcne Harbour, whence the steamer was to cross to Boulogne instead of to Calais, a longer but less rough crossing. Mr and Mrs Fergus were to sail from Marseilles on Thursday in tfie P. and O. steamer Victoria. On arrival in Australia Mr Fergus purposes deciding, according to the business telegrams which he may receive, whether he will proceed at once to New Zealand and return to Australia in time for tho Commonwealth inauguration, or whether he will remain in Australia until these shall have passed. Mrs Fergus, in any case, will stay in Australia over the time of the celebration, j Both leave England in excellent health, and | looking all the better for their trip. Several j New Zealand friends were at Charing Cross j to see them off, amontr whom I noticed Mr and Mrs John Ross and air T. R. Burt. C.E. Mr H. F. Grey, of Christchurch. who has returned to Englaud after a long visit of exploration to South Africa, is about to make a trip to the Argentine Republic, with tho object of observing for himself its capabilities and prospects in connection with agricultural and pastoral pursuits. Mr Grey tells me he formed a very poor opinion of the potentiality of South A frica in these respects. Mrs Dalzell, of Oamuru, will leave for Paris with her four daughters very shortly. They intend to spend some weeks in Paris. It is formally announced that the engagement between Lord Kelhurne, eldest son of tho Earl of Glasgow. formcilv Governor of New Zealand, and Miss Sybil Mure, of Edinburgh, has been broken off. or, to quote the intimation moro exactly, it is that " the marriage arranged " between tho young lady and gentleman " will not now take place."

It is announced that Madame Anna Steinhauer| better known in New Zealand as Madame Bahnson, will give two vocal recitals in London on the 3rd and 14lh of next month at the Stoinway Hall. T!>o first recital will consist mainly of songs by Mozart. Schumann, Rubinstein, and Grieg. At the second concert every item on the programme will be the composition of Afadame Stoinhauer's husband, Mr Albert Mallinson, formerly of Melbourne.

I hear that Mr H. 13. Marriott Watson is bringing out a new novel this week. It is entitled " Chloris nf the Wand." and is published by Messrs Harper Brothers.

After consultation between Mr John Duthie and Mr W. V. Rnovs. tho commission for the bust of tho late Sir .Harry Atkinson, to bo placed in Parliament Buildings, Wellington, hns been placed vith Mr Pecram. a rising young sculptor, already highly thought of in his profession.

Mr W. P. "Reeves is # the " Celebrity at Home." in last week's issue of The World, the writer of the article describing Kew Zealand's Agent-general as "par excellence the litterateur " among colonists in London. Mr Reeves is ."aid to have "much of bis time r.ilcei up in dinin? out and in public engagements of one sort and another, which are norc the Ip.ss nnr~cron« hecnusp ho is a fir=trale speilcer. and t'^at lie is pre-eminently identified with the advanced progressive movement i» Anstvnlin." Afi-r referring to Mr Reeves'a political work, tho article concludes by saying- " them is one piece of work by the Agent-general about which no one can have two opinions—that is. his excellent volume on New Zealand, " The Great White Cloud."

Mrs Reoves's taste displayed in the adornment of her new home at Cornwall Gardens struck the writer of The World's article on tho occasion of his visit.

Recent callers at tho Agonc.y-gene.rnl inrludc: .Mr T. Brown, of Diinedin:' Mr Ralph F.wing, of Dimedin; Mr F. Theo Bays, of Invercargill.