OUR LONDON LETTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2209, 2 July 1896, Page 54

OUR LONDON LETTER.

(Fbom Odb Own Ooeeesponbent.) London, May 16. THE SHAW, SAYiLL, AND ALBION COMPANY. On the 7th inst. the .thirteenth annual general meeting of the Shaw/Savill, and Albion Company was held; Mr E. Pembroke presiding. The directors' report' showed that after paying all expenses and providing £39,400 13a for depreciation there was a profit on the year's working of £22,529 11s 2d. This enabled the directors to recommend a dividend ab the rate of 5 per cent., which absorbs £19,537 10s. An interim dividend amounting to £9768 15s has already been paid, and after the payment oF the additional sum now voted, there is a balance of £2992 Is 2d to carry forward. The directors state that the company's steamers and sailing ships have performed their work during the past year with t£e usual regularity and efficiency. They also report that by arrangements made with Messrs Ismay, Imrie, and Co., of Liverpool, one-half oE the steamer Aotea, recently built for the company, has been transferred to the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company. The company will own one-half of a new twin-tcrew Btea,mer, of large oarrying capacity, which the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company has ordered to be built by Messrs Harland and Wolff, of Belfast, and which will be fitted out for employment in th 9 New Zsaland trade. The sailing ship Langstone was sold during the year. -An arrangement for the division of shares of the company into preference and ordinary shares has been- before the shareholderf, and, it is hoped, will be shortly concluded. The directors believe that this will undoubtedly have a favourable effect upon the value of the shares. Owing to his appointment as president of the Board of Trade, the Rigbt Hon. C. T. Ritchie, M.P., felt it Incumbent upon him to resign his seat at the board. The directors and shareholders, while congratulating Mr Ritchie upon the honourable position conferred upon ' him, regret that his valuable services should be lost to the company. In Mr Ritchie's place the directors have appointed Mr Edward Pembroke to be chairman of the company, and Mr Edmund Theodore Dozat as director. These appointments were formally confirmed by the shareholders. The Chairman, in moving the adoption of the report, expressed his opinion that the company were fortunate in being able to obtain Mr Doxat as a director, for his large knowledge of the colonial trade and long and extensive business experience would prove of great value to the company. Mr Pembroke added: "The world is the poorer by the lamented death, last year, of one of our original directors — Dr Peter Denny, of Dumbarton. His high character, ability, »nd large-heartedness were much appreciated and esteemed, in New Zealand as here, and far and wide." Mr Pembroke also stated that the provision made for depreciation was in excess of that made last year, while the debts due by the company were £ll,ooo*leßs and the profits were increased by about £2400. On the other hand, the cost of the fleafc had b^en increased by nearly £5000. Mr Pembroke concluded by observing that he was very glad indeed to have the opportunity of saying how unremitting had beem the attention of the managing director, Mr Temple, to the great volume of business of the company, and' also to acknowledge the very able and conscientious way in which the company's interest) had bean served by Mr Potter, the London manager, and by the whole staff. t The meeting passed the reports, re-elected the retiring directors and auditors, and carried a cot dial vote of thanks to the directors, chairman, and officers. SIR 'GEORGE GHEY. Calling on Sir George Grey yesterday afternoon, I was more painfully struck than I ever have been with the great change for the worse that has recently taken place in his physique. He seems to have aged 10 years in as many weeks, and his extreme feebleness is at times most distressing to witness. lam very sorry to say also that a new and most unfortunate trouble has lately been added to his other infirmities of age. His eight is failing fast, and he has already become unable to amuse himielf by reading. To anyone who knows how keen a joy be has always felt in the pursuit of literal ture and in personally following all the events of the day, it will at once be manifest how I grievous a deprivation this entails upon him. It adds another most sad feature to what must strike Anyone as the pathetio loneliness of his position in London ; for he ii i lonely in the great city, notwithstanding the kindness and attention of his numerous friends. He emphatically needs the cosiness of a domestic hearth and domestic surroundings. Yet through all hid increasing years and growing infirmities, the vigour of his intellect and the nobility of his personal character- Btill shine forth, and a chat ■with him is always an intellectual treat. He ■poke a good deal yegterday about his old friends the South African Boers, with whom be feels the keenest sympathy. He was not at all surprised at the state of affairs revealed by the telegrams which had been exchanged between the Chartered Company's officials and Dr Jameson in reference to the raid. He was convinced from the first that the whole thing had been deliberately i planned. " You may remember," he said, " I told you a year ago I felt certain that serious trouble was pending in South Africa, owing to the course of action taken by the Chartered Company under the excessive powers which had been so wrongly granted to them." What seems to provoke Sir George Grey almost more than Jameson's raid does— although he does denounce that as "one of the wickedest* things ever done" — is the assertion that the raid was necessary for the defence of. Eoglish women and children against expected brutality on the part of the Boers. "There never was," he said, "the slightest danger of any women or children being ill-treated by the Boers. The Boers, as a whole, are virtuous and chivalrous, and would not dream of injuring women and children ; at least that was their character when I knew them, and I do not believe they have degenerated. The Boers are primitive, simple, pastoral folk, the men- are good husbands and good fathers (in fact they have all the domestic virtues), and the women are vittuous, clean, and hard-working, although I admit that they arc not well educated ; buttheyarethe lastsortof people to be wantonly cruel or brutal. " A rumour was afloat yesterday that Sir George Grey had had a very important interview with Mr Chamberlain in reference to South African matters, and that the counsel of the veteran ex-Governor had been sought by thi Secretary of State for the Colonies, or, at all events, that Mr Chamberlain had sought to utilise the vasb source of information available as the result of Sir George Grey's past experiences in that quarter of the world. There was only a slight substratum of foundation for all this. It is true that Sir George Grey did call on Mr Chamberlain a day or two ago, but Sir George assures me that the visit was of a purely private nature. He simply called on Mr Chamberlain because several members of that gentleman's family were old friends of bis own, and tb§

Colonial Seoretary happens to be the only prominent member of the family with whom Sir George had no acquaintance. This acquaintance he has, however, made at last, and he tells me he had a very agreeable interview and an interesting chat. He is watching with much anxiety to see how Mr Chamberlain will acquit hini3eif in the grave crisis with whioh ho has been so unexpectedly called to deal.

MBLANESIAN MISSION.

The annual general meeting of the Molanesian Mission was held in St. Martin's Town Hall, Trafalgar square, on tho 7th inst. As usual there was a large attendance. Bishop Selwyn (who presided) said tha.t his dear friencf, the Bishop of Bath and Wells, had very kindly left Convocation for a short time, in order to emphasise his practical sympathy in the work which the church was doing throughout the diocese of Melanesia. He should therefore call upon him to address them at the outset of the meeting. The Bishop of Bith and Wells said that ib was a source of great delight to him to be present that afternoon and to do whatever he could to enlist, if possible, an extended sym- j pathy with the work which was being done for the church in that distant diocese. For his own part he considered that the Melanesian Mission stood out above all the rest of mission" ary organisations. One's eye rested upon it with feelings of particular satisfaction. The firat point that struck them about the Melanesian mission was the marked heroism of every one of the leaders of the mission. In saying that their thoughts went back at oac9 to the great bishop who started it, their chairman's- father, the first B'shop Selwyn, who bad done so much for the church throughout the world. Tho work of the church had b^en done thoroughly, and the development of its synodical organisation in New Zealand was at once a memorable and most beneficial fact. Then, again, there was something about the very name of Bishop Pdtfceeoa which ever stimulated and raised in them the idea of what a truly spiritual-minded man should be. It spd"ke to them of great selfsicrifice and zeal for the glory of the Master, •and heartily did he wish thit such high and honouieci name 3 could in some way be inserted in the calendar. His dear friend their chairman ] had aleo done a truly noble work in the diocese. | Bishop John Selwyn had not only manifested much wibdom and zsal in the prosecution of that work, but, as was admitted on all hands, he bad ever possessed the power of inspiring other men to engage in it. Afccr paying a tribute to Bishop Montgomery, of Tasmania, for much valuable assistance during the vacancy in the see, the speaker said that it was his great pleasure to be among the first to accord a welcome to Bishop Wilson, who during the voyage out earned the affection of the men, women, and children on the ship. By God's blessing the work was proving itself to be extremely satisfactory. What had been done told, and would gq on spreading', it attracted attention, and thoroughly deserved it. He urged them never to cease to pray, help, and work for ifc by every means in their power. Sir ; Edmund R. Freraantk spoke of his personal knowledge of those two very noble men— j Bishops Selwyn and Patteson. The largehearted generosity of the late Bishop of Liclifleld had materially raised his ide* of the profession to which he belonged,- that personal knowledge had been an influence with htm in striving- after the high ideal which the good bishop had ever set bafore them, • The Rer. Dr Codrington said he frequently received letters which contained many interesting and satisfactory records of the work which was being carried on. That work, he trusted, would evsr receive their earnest prayers, and a ready, practical response. C*aon Joy spoko of tho persistent practical aid which should ever be forthcoming as the reimlt of our realisation of the force of high idoals. They did not want mere subscription interests in their parochial missionary organisations, but a manifestation of deep personal Interest as well. Tae work must be helped, and results iefc to God. After expressing his indebtedness to those who had spoken, Bishop Selwyn said that his own dear colleagues really deserved the praises. Muoh encouragement had been given in the work of the paßt year ; and Bishop Wilson's energy demanded, and would, he trusted, receive au increase in and an extension of home activities. Bishop Selwyn then gave! the benediction, and the meeting ended. NEW ZEALAND IRONSAND. The reading befora the Iroa and Steel Institute of Mr E. M. Smith's paper on "New Z°aland Magnetic Ironsands" duly came off on v Thursday. There was a large and influential attendance of members, and Sir -Lothian Bell presided. It is unnecessary that I should give a synopsis of the paper, which simply sets forth facts which Mr E. M. Smith has often been instrumental in bringing before the New Zealand public. At the conclusion of the paper the author stated that he felt it to be a very great honour to be permitted to read his paper before the institute. He believed that he was the first from New Zealand who had ever been permitted to read a paper. The object -he had in comiDg before the institute was to show that they had overcome every practical, theoretical, and scientific difficulty in this matter. He had in the room samples of all the materials used — bar iron, steel plates, tubs, and buckets. They were all on view, and he hoped that members of the institute would take an opportunity of looking at th?m, and, if they could find any fault with them, he hoped they would do so. What they said was that these manufactured products were unsurpassed for quality anywhere ia the world. Tho quantity of the material that is used in the manufacture of iron and steel was unlimited. They had 400 miles of coal land waiting for development, and an unlimited supply of charcoal in their virgin forests, with natural ga9 burning to waste, petroleum, and every possible fuel to be found on the face of the globe; there it was, all waiting for English chemißts and English scientists to develop. The Chairman asked if the quantity of ironsand was not somewhat limited. Mr Smith, in reply, said that it was practioally inexhaustible. " There is more sand on the beach now than all the blast furnaces in England could use in the next century. We can prove that we have an unlimited supply for all time. I have lived in New Zealand and have devoted over 26 years of my life to this, and I can take any gentleman over the beach there and chow him ia this IQ£ miles of beach that we possess practically an unlimited supply." The Chairman : " You speak of this slag being a fertiliser ; has it been tried ? " Mr Smith : " Yes ; we have evidence of that in the correspondence with manufacturers, which I shall be able to proiuce. We have the greatest testimonials of its value a? a fertiliser from English manufacturers. The price of the slag as a fertiliser in New Zealand id 155 per ton ; but the English firm who are now selling the slag as a fertiliser— l hove gob the quotation this morning— are putting down their prices at £2. Such being the case it is evident to any Ironmaster and steel manufacturer that were bis works located out in New Zealand, with all these by-products of slag bricks, slag blocks, and slag cemont to be disposed of for a good profit, that would be the place for him to look to.' The Chairman :" If anyone were to ask me for my opinion m to this

■ slag being a fertiliser I should be rather icep* tioal ; but you say it is done ?" Mr Smith : " Yes, - it is done in very large quantities. I have tried small experiments myself." Mr Bernard Diwson asked Mr Smith if he could give them any particulars as to the height and diameter of the blast furnace that was successful in melting the ironsand. He remembered Mr Chambers coming over from New Zealand, and he went over the small blast f urnacea in this country to get someone to lend one of their furnacei to try this sand in. As far as he could remember, about 200 tons' of ~ this black ironsand were tried— so tons in each four furnaces. As far as the furnaces went and the working of them, both at the time and foe some time after, the effect was simply disastrous. The black sand came down into the fore part, it was practically untouched ; the tuyeres blew it from one side to the other, nothing could be done with it, and it could not be smelted. - He persuaded Mr Chambers to incorporate Boma of this ore with tar and pitoh and refute soil, and get it melted in an open-hearth stoel furnace in New South Wales. It was melted there, and as far as he could remember",' the analyses which Mr Smith gave now were practically very much the same as the analyses that were furnished then. He should like to know the angle of the bosh, the height of the furnace, and somo more particulars of any furnace which had satisfactorily ' melted this iron ore. Mr Smith said that Mr Chamber*, when smelting ironsand, was trying to produca bar iron by the deoxidising process without the aid of a blast furnace at all. He had always told Mr Chambers that as long as he attempted to make iron like that he would fail. In New Zealand they were watchers of the, debutes of the Iron and Steel Institute, although they lived 16,000 miles away, and he could tell them that the dtbales of the institute hid been their guiding star. They dimply took the iron* sand as it laid on the beach, unwashed and without preparation ; they took the two subsoils of the districts, two common clays, and mixed them together and fashioned them into bricks. They simply pub back that iron- • sand to what it was millions of years before it was thrown out of Mount Egmont. That had been submitted to some of' the leading scientists inj;he wo Id, and they said that the compound was all that could be desired— that it was sufficiently hard to stand the heating of the furnace, that it was porous, aud that it was surrounded with silica and alumina, which prevented its being burnt. Tried in a blast furnace, it would melt as easily as the clay baud of Staffordshire or the black band of Scotland, There was no difficulty in working it. It must be evident to the members of the institute that in New Zealand they had now gone a little beyond anything that had ever been produced in iron and steel before. He only asked them to bok at the samples which he produced, and he felt convinced that they would aid them by some of the Eoglish iron* masters shipping their wocks out to New Zealand. Mr Duwson'said Mr Metoalf Smith had not made it quite clear to him whether the sand was charged into the blast furnace or whether he charged the briquettes. Mr Smith said they charged the furnace exactly tha same at they do iv Eaglaud ; having made it a compound they put- a layer of limestone and a layer of the compound ore, and carried it on under the same 1 circumstances as in Bogland. Mr Ellis (Sheffield), referring to the author's statement that in New Zealand they were able to make a wrought irou which would - stand 52 tons to' the square inch, and which was stated to be equal to 8.8. H., said thab that was a very remarkable fact, and one which must bo attributed to tha use of this magnetic sand, He should be very mush obliged if Mr Smith would give thpm tha elongation and reduction oi aiea of these bars which were tested, and which ehotved 52 tons tensile strain. Mr Smith said he had at his offica some samples of pig iron which he should ba very glad to hand over to tho institute to be puddled in the usual way, and then &übmifcted to tensile strain. Mr Ellis said that the extraordinary sfcraiu of 52 tons to the square inch was a degree of^ tensile strain which hitherto had been (more or less) confined to tool steel made in Sheffield ; it had hitherto been altogether dissociated with the quality of iron 8.8. H. Tha Chairman: "Mr Ellis askei for. the elongation. Are you acquainted with the elongation ?" Mr Smith: "Yes; 33£ per cent." The Chairman then expressed the gratification of the institute at Mr Metoalf Smith having come a distance of over 16,000 miles to tell them what could be done iv New Zealand. He was not, hotrever, sufficiently sanguine/to think that all the ironworks in this country would have to be taken over there in his lifetime, bub he was sure thab they were very much obliged to Mr Smith for his very interesting paper. "the fortunate isles." La*t Tuesday evening the beautiful Whitehall room of the Hotel Meoropole was crowded in-every part by an audience eager to hear Mr W. P. ' Reeves's descriptive lecture upon picturesque New Zealand, delivered under the auspices of the Royal Colonial Institute. It if very long while sinca there was so numerous an attendance^ any of the institute meetiags. Nearly all the Now Zealanders or ex -colonists of New Zealand in London were present. The Earl of Jersey presided, and briefly introduced the lectnrer. Mr Rseves, who met with an exceptionally cordial reception, explained to his audience at starting that he had determined to depart from the ordinary praofcice of Buch occasions and to have simply a friendly chat with his hearers about the beauties and charms of New Zealand, instead of inflicting on them a cut and dried lecture. This announcement was 'greeted with very hearty applause.. At the same time I

may be allowed to express my doubt whether it is quite judicious on the part of a lecturer who contemplates with method of procedure to tommit himself in advanca by having his intended "chat" definitely printed in the form of a,"raper" for publication in tho society's "Transaction?."' I could not halp thinking mo?e than oace that Mr Reeveß found himself hampered in his oratorical flights by iutrusive recollections of the rigid course he had laid down for himself by having his paper printed in advance. Another drawback involved in this dual mode of p.rcjedure was tbat it compelled Mr Reeves to 6pin out his lecture a little too muoh. It is a high compliment to Mr Reeve3's power of interesting and attracting listeners that very few people indeed, and only those v?ho.had previously mide arrangements for tbe later, part of tho evening, left the hall before the cjnclus r on of the leetura. The great majority of the crowded audience remained to the Jasl; word. Ha gave an exceedingly accurate, interesting, and eloquent descript : on of New Zealand from its picturesque viewpoint. He also sketched out a programme 0; a delightful summer tour through New Zsuland. His suggested plan was as follows :—" Keep October for Auckland, November for Canterbury, December and January for Obago with its lakes and soundi; give February to the Alps, Wee Hand, and Nelson; and March and April to the North Island, especially to the hob lake 3 and Tarauski." His lecture was full of happy lit'.lo touches of description or humour, and, as he cxptesily seated thafc it was his maiden effort as a lecturer, Mr Reeves may fairly be congratulated on having, scored a disti' ci success. .He concluded smid applause. Some excellent liintfligh l : view 3 were shown. Owing to the lute hour (9 45) at which tbe lealure coded no time was available for dwu-sbn, tven had any been pn b bie.

THE MIDLAND HAIITVAT.

Under the heading '-Colonial Iniquity" the Railway Times of kst Wick goes for New Zealand rtthor lieavily on the Midland railway qufcs ion. It assoits that the promised bud grant " the cornerstone of the compsny's funnce, bas proved & delusion and a snare,' 1 and that " the Government, haviigknrcked the company down, proeie'ed to Ictus it for falling," but nevertheless admits tint " an appeal ta arbitration proved that whatever the equities of the caec, the New Zealand authorities were within the htricft letter of their If gal "right in insis'inff upon the receipt of their full pound of fldnh." Ib is complained, however, " without waiting for tbe umpire to pronounce his award, the Governor se : zed the railway last May." The writer endcnpcs the allegation by Mr Salt thit thfi company have been "outrageously cheated" by the New Zealand Government, and gjcs on to say: — "That impresMoa is heightened, not diminished, by tho tvt-nts thab have sinca occurred. The trettment meted out to' the shareholders of the New Zealand Midland Railway Company is nothing more nor less than confi-cation, and wo trust tint the Biuk of Eogland will decline to act ns spoDscr fo- Biiy further New Zealand loans •while Ibis black mark stands against the credit of the colouy." In- eouciuf-iou, the v. rlter remark* : •' In view of the recent arbitf^ti m, we shtewdiy suspect that the New Zeal&ud Government hae,.in vulgar parlau»e, the r'gh!- end of the stick, ,*p far as leg»l nutters are concerned, The only hope tbat we can discern for the uafortunate shaft-holders — a precar ous one, as we must fa>n'admii?— lira in the possibility that thu Legislature and the/public of the colony may r ome to see the irreparable injury which tbe onfsiation of .this company's property mv.l inflict u\oa their credit."