PERSONAL NOTES FROM HOME.

Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 85, 18 December 1906, Page 3

PERSONAL NOTES FROM HOME.

LONDON, November 3. A New Zealand wedding took place m London a few days ago, the bridegroom being Mr O. H. Cleland, son of the late Mr j J. M. Cleland, of Tinakori road, Wellington, and the bride Miss Ivy Ethel Gibbs, daughter of Mr Arthur E. Gibbs, late manager of the Wellington office of the Colonial Mutual Life Insurance Company, and now manager of the London Office. Mr Cleland, who was over here last year m company with the New Zealand football team, and who returned to the colony with them, arrived back m London some three weeks ago. The marriage took place at the Compton Road Congregational Church, Winchmore Hill, the Rev. H. Jarvis performing the ceremony. It was a quiet wedding, and only near relatives were present. Ihe bride, who was given aAvay by her father, wore a white silk dress striped with green ribbon, and a veil and orange blossoms, and carried a shower bouquet. Miss Beatrice Gibbs, her sister, who acted as bridesmaid, wore a cream cloth costume, with a white felt hat, and. carried a bouquet of pink roses. Mr P. Gibbs, uncle of rhe bride, acted as best man. Later m the afternoon Mr and Mrs Cleland left for Brighton where the honeymoon was spent. The bride's going-away dress was a grey cloth costume, with black hat. The young couple will leave London by the Mongolia on December 7 on their return to Wellington. One of the most promising students at the Guildhall School of Music is Miss Audrey Richardson, of New Zealand, a girl of thirteen,, whose remarkable talent as a violinist was discovered by the principal of the school (Dr Cummings). Miss Richardson, whose teaching is m the capable hands of Mr Johannes Wolff, the well-known violin virtuoso, has this year taken the school prize for her instrument. At the annual prize presentation on Saturday afternpon Miss Richardson took part m the musical programme, and her performance is described by the ' Daily Telegraph ' as " quite the most outstanding feature of the afternoon." Her playing of the Introduction and Rondo Capriccioeo by Saint-Saens, of which violinists are so fond, earned her a great reception and a recall, and gave promise of a brilliant future. Miss Barnett (of Dunedin). who arrived by the Athenic on August 30, is at present staying at Windermere, m the Lake district. With the exception of three weeks given up to doing the sights of London, her time has been wholly spent m Warwickshire, visiting such places of note as Strat-ford-on-Avon, Kenilworth, Coventry, Warwick, Leamington, aaid Birmingham. Miss Barnett has spent a considerable amount of time visiting numerous schools, and 6peaks m high praise of the courtesy shown by the teachers m exhibiting specimens of work done, and of their willingness to explain ; their systems of school management. After a tour m the Lake district she will visit Scotland, when she proceeds to Paris. The date of her return' to the colony is not yet fixed. Mr Harry Meyenberg (Ashburton) has arrived m London after two years spent m travelling m Australia, China, Japan, and the United States. He spent eleven months m America, visiting most of the States, and he found himself m San Francisco at the time of the earthqiuake. Before returning to New Zealand, which he hopes to do m the near future, Mr Meyenberg purposes paying a visit to his relations m Germany. Mr Francis M'Gowan, soil of Mr John M'Gowan, Chief Commissioner of Taxes m New Zealand, is at present m hospital at Cardiff, where he has been through a long and severe illness. At one time, indeed, it was feared he might not pull through, but I am glad to say that he is now convalescent. Mr M'Gowan hopes to be well enough to leave for , New Zealand early m December. Mrs Barrington Waters the New Zealand pianist, lias gone to Dresden to study under Emil Paver. Mrs Waters will make her debut m Dresden shortly, at a concert which she is arranging. Dr and Mrs Crooke (Christcliurch) will bo leaving England on their return to Christchurch about the end of November. At present they are staying at Hadleigh, m Suffolk. Dr Crooke has received news of the accidental death by drowning of his brother, Lieutenant Chas. Wm. Uantwell Crooke, m Kissi Country, West Africa. The sad fatality occurred on October 16. Lieutenant Crooke was a subaltern of the, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, and at the time, of his death was serving with the West African Frontier Force. Mr J. A. Amiand (Waipawa), who is a cousin of Dr T. W. Parkinson (late of Christchurch and now residing m London), arrived m, England at tho beginning of September. Mr Annand has entered the works of the Linotype Company, with a view to enlarging his mechanical experience. According to present plans, he will leave on his return to the colony m January next, travelling via South Africa and Australia. Recent callers at the High Commissioner's Office : Mr John and Mr A. Fitzgerald (Temuka), Mr W. Cronin (Temuka), Mr Neale Jackson (Wanganui), Mr and Mrs David F. Hutton and Miss Hutton (Dunedin), Mr H. N. Meyenberg (Ashburton), Mr' Montague Laing (Wellington), Mr Keith H. Izard (Wellington), Mrs Robert Hope (Wellington), Mr Arnold Weston (Pahiatua). M. Albert Metin, of Paris, who some time ago visited New Zealand and Australia to study their Labor legislation, has been appointed " Chef de Cabinet " to the newly-formed French Ministry, of Labor. M. Metin owes his selection, he says, to the special knowledge he acquired during his tour round the British Empire. M. Metin is the author of 'Le Socialism en Angleterre,' and a frequent contributor to the ' Clarion,' the organ of the Socialists m England. It has beei decided that Mr Bertling, the head keeper of the London " Zoo," will go out to New Zealand m charge of the batch of Tyrolese chamois which the Emperor of Austria is presenting to the New Zealand Government. Mr Bertling has been ten years with the Zoological Society, first as assistant; to tbe superintendent, and then, for tho past three years, as head keeper. The chamois have not yet come over to England from Austria. When they are landed here their quarters will be declared a quarantine station, and they will be under the surveillance of a. Customs official until their res-hipnient on a New Zealand-bound steamer. I Mrs W. P. Reeves took the chair last J Friday night at a woman's suffrage debate at. the 'Tribune's' Rendezvous. Mrs Reeves introduced herself to a crowded gathering, m which women largely predominated, as "one of the not very men women m England who had already voted. She had often been asked since she came to England what good can the politicallyenfranchised women do. If any person who wanted to know would take the trouble of going to the country where the women had got the parliamentary franchise, they would never again ask such a question." Continuing his notes m ' The Times ' on the chess problem composers of New Zealand, Mr Alain C. White deals this week with some of the lesser composers, and gives specimens of their work. "The considerable body of New Zealand composers

is doubtless due," he says, "to the encouragement of the native* Press. The excellent column m the ' Canterbury Times ' is by no means the only one on which local problemists are dependent. (Mr White goes on to enumerate the New Zealand papers m which he has found chess columns . as a regular feature, amongst them being I the Dunedin ' Star ' and the Wellington 'Mail. 7 ) But while such a stock of columns popularise the chess problem everywhere, it also serves to develop the easier forms of composition at the expense of study of the more complex -types. The result is, naturally enough, solvers of fine calibre rather than composers of very profound merit. Mr F. C. Leggett disclaims any title to being called a composer at all, though liis problem quoted to-day has a clever point. J. L. Power, another gocd solver, is also clever at the handling of two-move themes, such as knight threats. E. Samuel is one of the older composers, having acted as tourney adjudicator many years ago, when he was regarded as one of the local authorities on problem matters." Well earned, indeed, was the reward which the King personally presented to Mr Leslie Urquhart, H.M.s Vice-consul at Baku, on Thursday last, at Buckingham Palace. The Albert medal for gallantry is to civilians what the Victoria Cross is to members of the fighting forces of the King, and that Mr Urquhart richly deserved the civilian's V.C. a brief narrative of his brave deeds will tesrtify : — "During tlie disturbances at Baku m September, 1905, four Englishmen were surrounded by insurgents at Zabrat, the headquarters of the Baku Russian Company, and were m imminent danger of losing their lives. The Englishmen had already been isolated for some time when news of their perilous position reached the British Embassy at St. Petersburg, and Mr Urquhart, accompanied 4 by two Cossacks and several Tartars from the village of Mushtagee, started to relieve the ; beleaguered men. The district was full of armed Tartars, and m such a state of unrest that when Mr Urquhart started upon his expedition it was' not expected by the remainder of the British colony m Baku that he would live to return. On the night of his departure Mr Urquhart proceeded to a farm which he possessed m the neighborhood, where he hoped to get help from his own farm hands, who were Tartars, and also to collect supplies, and, notwithstanding that the party was stopped and fired on from time to time, the supplies were collected, and a start was made early the next morning for: Balachani. Mr Urquhart's courageous action was rewarded with ' success. He got through, and found tho four Englishmen m a dreadful condition, especially on account of want of w r ater, and after feeding them he persuaded them to go with him m carts which he had brought, with as many Armenians as they could take with them. Immediately afterwards the whole of the buildings were carried by storm, and everyone found therein put to death."