ANGLO-COLONIAL ITEMS. A "WINDFALL.

Otago Witness, Issue 1890, 10 February 1888, Page 22

ANGLO-COLONIAL ITEMS. A "WINDFALL.

Lord Augustus Loftus has had a stroke of luck. A relative o£ Lady Loftus has died and left her £30,000, with reversion to her children. At the last meeting of his creditors Lord Loftua threw out hints of being able to offer some settlement, and this legacy is perhaps where the money will come from. If, however, the children have a reversionary interest in the money, it can only be the interest that can be applied towards the satisfaction of the noble lord's creditors. REFORMED CRIMINALS. In connection with the subject of French recidivistes and convictism in the Pacific generally, there is one point upon which it would be well for, the colonial Governments to keeD their eyes open — namely, the despatch of so-called "reformed "English criminals to the colonies: In a recent report of one of the benevolent societies which concerns itself with discharged prisoners. It is stated that in the course of one year some hundred or so liberated prisoners have been assisted to reach the colonies. There are several Discharged Prisoners' Aid Societies in the Kingdom, and if all of them are in the habit of assisting their proteges to the colonies whenever they can get them to go there, the chances are that some hundreds of the criminals of these islands are landed in the colonies, possibly under the guise of respectable handicraftsmen. Perhaps to this cause may be traced the outbreak of crime that has lately been noted both in Melbourne and Sydney. DEATH OF A NEW ZEALAND "WAR MEDALLIST. One who had earned his laurels ia the New Zealand campaign passed away last Saturday in the person of Lieut.-colonelJohn HobartCulmeSeyraour. Oolonel, then Captain Seymour took part in the New Zealand war of 1864-66, including the latter part of the operations against the Gate Pah and the engagement at Te Ranga, obtaining honourable mention in despatches. He was also actively employed in the West Coast campaign, in the action at Kakaramea, and garved in the field force in 1866 which cooperated in the Mount Egmont region in support of General Chute's army. For these services he received the- New Zealand medal. PERSONAL. Mr William Montgomery, of Canterbury, has been spending the earlier part of the winter at Eastbourne. But his health, though improving, is still delicate, and he finds it advisable to winter in the Riviera, whither he will start immediately in company with his eldest son. Mr Maxwell, general manager of railways, left London yesterday on his way back to the colony via the United States. He intends to inspect the system of railway management in that country in Ihe hope of picking up information that will be of utility. Mr Frankland, the leading actuary of the New Zealand Government Life Assurauce Association, will leave London early in January, probably by the Austral, on his way back to the ecleny via Australia. Tho bankruptcy is announced of Viscount Canterbury, son of a former governor of Victoria. Nothing is known as to debts or assets. During his visit to Rome Dr Grimes, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Christchurch, had an Interview with the Pope, who talked very freely with him on the subject not of New Zealand but of Ireland. THE STANDARD AND NEW ZEALAND. The arrival in this country of the report and balance sheet of the Bank of New Zealand furnishes the Standard with another opportunity of carping at the colony. It declares that " no information whatever is given to the shareholders and depositors to enable them to form a sound opinion," and otherwise criticises the report in an unfavourable spirit. A RABBIT DISEASE. A gentleman resident at Winnipeg has informed the Agent-general that a destructive epidemic has attacked the rabbits in Canada, killing them by thousands. The cause is not known. .He wrote asking if assistance could be given him in sending out diseased specimens for examination. SirFraneis.replied certainly not— his object being to prevent, not to facilitate the introduction of any disease into the colony, — but if the gentleman chose to employ a competent expert to determine the cause of death he would help to defray the expense. Sir Francis has written out to his Government strongly disapproving of M. Pasteur's remedy. London, December 28. FRANCE'S COLONISING POLICY. A telegram reached us from Sydney at the end of last week stating that instructions had been given to the French troops to evacuate the New Hebrides at the end of January. It is considered fortunate that the arrangement with respect to the New Hebrides was completed beforo the advent to office of M. de Mahy, the new French Minister of Marine and the Colonies. This gentlemen is already giving evidence of his antipathy to England. He is a pronounced Anglophobe, and has a keen sympathy with the adventurous, or rather venturesome, colonial policy which brought M. Ferry to grief. Perhaps we may venture to hope that this circumstance will not tend to ! prolong M. de Mahy's stay in office, for the Ferry policy was not in accsrd with the feelings of the French people ; in fact, at the present moment Le Tonquinois is the most unpopular of French politicians. M. de Many is just now in conflict to some degree with his colleagues, because he is endeavouring to get into his own handsthethreadsoftheadministrationofboththe departmentswith whichheisconnected. Hitherto the conduct of colonial affairs in their detail has been left very much' under the control of the Undersecretary of State for the Colonies, but M. de Mahy is demanding the suppression of this office, in order that he may be able to give effect to his policy without interference. His colleagues in the Ministry are objecting to this, not so much on the ground of opposition to him and his policy, as because it would be too much for oue man to properly superintend the work of two such departments. M. de Mahy is aiming at a very bold policy in the Indian Ocean. His object is to incorporate the Mauritius, Madagascar, Bourbon, and Reunion into one French colony. This ought to be a warning to colonial statesmen, for if M. de Mahy is laying plans to get possession of an English colony like Hauritip, it is clear that he will nob be over-scrupulous iv the freer grounds of the Pacific. He has a great hatred to the English missionaries, whom he classes under the nwne of Methodists, aud it is probably through his influence that the Rev. Mr Jones was expelled from the Loyalty Islands. One of the Paris Opportunist papers which-

always supported the colonial policy of M. Ferry has atready btgun to sound i, note of approval of the resumption of a vigorous policy abroad, and is suggesting the annexation of Wallis Island and one or two other neighbouring islands as being favourable points of vantage from which a dash might be made for the f ature occupation of the New Hebrides. It .would therefore be well for Australasians to k6ep on the gui vive, because there is at the head of colonial affairs in Prance a man who is not only a pronounced Anglophobe, but who is in favour of a vigorous colonial policy, and has been stumping the country to endeavour to influence public opinion in the direction of his views.