ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1874, 21 October 1887, Page 15

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

(Fjjom Ocr London Correspondent.) London, September 7. Mr Bonnor, the cricketer, is residing jaat vow with Mr Scott, captair of the Australian team of 1886. He has not decided whether he will return to New South Wales or remain permanently in England. The Hon. James Campbell, late Postmasteroeneral of Victoria, who has been travelling through Siberia, starting at Viadivostock, has given an account of his experiences to an interviewer o f the Pall Mall Gazette. Mr Campbell wa s not afc all impressed with the great Russian port of the Pacific, and thinks that the Victorian Government were unnecessarily fearful aS to what was to be apprehended from it in the time of the Russian war scare two years ago. If is, he says, anything but a Russian Gibraltar ; on the contrary, he regards it as a place singularly fitted for capture or destruction by an enemy's fleet. It stands on a small bay, the entrance to which could no doubt be forbidden by the Russians. But winding to the south lies Victoria Bay, separated from Vladivostock by a mile of territory. In this bay a fleet could anchor with perfect safety and bombard the Russian stronghold at their leisure. Not only so, but an island lies about three miles off the mouth of the bay, indented with a deep, tranquil fjord, which seems as if it were created for the purpose of sheltering an attacking fleet. It should, however, be borne in mind that' the resisting power of a place cannot always be estimated by a cursory inspection. During the Crimean war the English fleet under Admiral Price thought they were going to capture Petropanlovski, in Kamscatka, id a very easy fashion, but, nevertheless, they were repulsed with great loss. Mr Campbell, it may be added, thinks very highly of Siberia, and 'considers it not impossible that a trade might be opened between Australasia and that portion of the Russian empire. The Russian Government, he says, allows absolute free trade from Lake Baikal to the Pacific. The Son. H. O. Bromby, son of Bishop Bromby, of Tasmania, who on the strength of his father's position was made Attorney-general of that colony for a short time, has been rendering himself ridiculous by talcing part in an abortive demonstration of working men and Socialists in Trafalgar square against the proclamation of the National League. On Sunday, August 28fch, the festival of St. Louis, the patron saiut of France, the Right Eev. Dr Grimes, Bishop of Ohristchureh, New Zealand, solemnised Pontifical High Mass and preached at the Church of Notre Dame de France, in Liecester square. It was mentioned in a previous letter that four members of the House of Commons — Sir Robert Fowler, Commander Bethell, Mr A. Bl' Arthur, and Mr George Baden Powell— had waited upon Sir Heury Holland to call his attention to the oonduct of the Rev. Shirley Baker, of Tonga, and that the Colonial Secretary informed them that, though he did not intend to disregard Sit Charles Mitchell's advice to allow Mr Baker to remain in Tonga, he purposed to keep a close watch upon his actions in the future. It has now further transpired thafc Sir Henry Holland has written officially to Mr Baker informing him "that her Majesty's Government strongly disapprove of his conduot; that he must remember that as a British subject he is under the jurisdiction of her Majesty's High Commissioner, and that he will be liable to be deported if any ill-! re atraent of the people of Tonga is traced to his influence." The colonial dioce^m contributions to the church house fund huvo begun by the payment of £50 by the Bishop of Wellington. The site of the church house will probably be announced next month. The attention of our Foreign Office has been called to this proposal recently laid before the Congress of the Argentine Republic to give a bounty of 20dol on every ton of beef exported, a bounty of 6dol on every ton of mutton exported, and of 3dol on each head of cattle exported alive. Communications are passing between the Foreign Office and the Argentine Republic on the subject. The death is announced in the London newspapers of Mr Wilfrid E. Roger, chief officer of the Jessie Readman, who was washed over* board between New Zealand and Cape Horn about midnight on June 12. The Taiuui reached Plymouth on Saturday last, and landt'd the captain and crew of an Italian barque which had been burnt at sea. The will has beeu proved of Mr John Pearson, J.P., of Golborn Park, Newton-le-Willows, who died on June 2 last. Mr Pearson possessed property iv New Zealand, which he leaves to be divided amongst his two sons, who are resident there. Mr Musgrove, the well-known Melbourne theatrical manager, has secured the Australian copyright of " The Pointsman," i\ new play which has just been produced -it the Olympic Theatre, in London. Father Kclleher, who ha.s been making a tour of the colonies to rollocfc fund?* for the O'Connell Memorial Church, states that he has received upwards of £5500, so that he has nnb done very badly. The fate of the antipodean " bunny " appears to be sealed. An offor baa bct>n made to the Australasian Governments by an English baronet, Sir Hereward Wake, of Courteun Hall, Northamptonshire, to annihilate tho rabbits of Australia and New Zealand. The plan by which he proposes to do this h:is not been divulged, but he is so confideut of tjiieeess that he is understood to be prepared to take payment by results, and supposing he does not quite destroy the plague he is willing to forego payment. He has made experiments on rabbit warrens at Home on a small scale, but desires to carry out further tests before seudiDg in his final proposal. It has been anuounced in London thafc in consequence of the recent persecutions in Tonga, the French have yielded to the entreaties of the Marist Fathers and Queen Lavelua, and taken Wallis Island under thtir 'protection. The Bole importance of Wallis island consists in the fact that it lies midway between Samoa and Fiji. There are also rumours that further annexations in the Western Pacific are not improbable. Mr John Kenaaway, secretary to the New Zealand office, is spending his vacation at Brighton,