ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2230, 26 November 1896, Page 53

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

(Fbom Oob Own Cobbespondbnt.) ™ London, September 18. ] E That controversy about the finances of New n Zealand is nob dead yet. In last Saturday's ° Economist the Agent-general and the editor " each " came up smiling " for another " round." j Mr Reeves, in a brief letter, pointed out that tl as £850,000 had been paid in cash toward the n public works fund out of the revenue surpluses — *J as shown by the statement of accounts which he forwarded to the Economist, and which he j , again published — at anyrate so much of the Burplus must have been genuine, or else how n could it have been paid away? Tho editor f' xeplied that he. never disputed the fact that the S £850,000 had been paid to the public works a fund. What he maintained was that it did fi not come out of the revenue ; and he followed g this up by publishing the amounts of the deben- j tures issued against the sinking fund during %] the past five years, which together maJe up a very nearly the sum paid to public works, his a inference, of course, being that this £850,000, v instead of coming from surplus revenue, was t; really borrowed from ths accrued sinking b fund. c 1 understand that the Agent-general will c have a rejoinder in to-morrow's Economist, in h which he will make clear the ex&ot' nature of fc the sinking fund operations. g In a recent number of the Field there is a long c account oE the famous, or perhaps I should | c rather 6ay notorious, New Zealand parrot— the ' 2 kea,— whose penchant tor the kidneys of living J t sheep has brought it into such evil odour mmong i •tookowners of the South Island The origin of a the kea's carnivorous propensities is treated as B being still «n open one — whether, that is to say, the birds accidentally became aware of the t superiority of this class of food through ( casually testing a dead sheep; or whether c they took to the sheep, as many think, from c their similarity t& the vegetable growth which it is supposed used to form the kea'a staple ] article ot diet. t Mr T. A. Hunter has just returned to town a after a prolonged tour in Scotland. He stayed for some time in Edinburgh, with whose beauty <? he was charmed ; and then proceeded to " do" c the nsual Scottish lions, including the various j lakes and passes, Ben Nevis, thri Caledonian t canal, West Higulands, &c. Ho sails to-morrow t from Liverpool in" the s.s. Etruria for New York, and intt-nds to spend about a month in j the United States, when he will return to Bug- j land before taking his dep*rture. for New Zea- i land. He is looking very well, and tells me he , has enjoyed hiß tour in the mother country , immensely. The many New Zealand f needs and admirers , of Mr A. H. Gee will be interested to learn that j he has been specially engaged to sing tt c b*ri- : tone part of Lucifer iv Sir Arthur Sullivan's • cantata "Thu Golden Leges.d," wbich is to be , given on a largo scale shortly at one of the Crystal Paluce concerts uuder the direction of the veteran August Manns. ; Miss Bertha R ssow, who is an old favourite 1 vtith New Zealand audiences, has also received | \ an engagement to eing at the Crystal Palace ' ] concerts. j I Sir George Gtey seems in bcttsr health just ! ; now and somewhat stronger. At anyrate, he j < gives one the impression ot beiog less feeble and j ] infirm than he appeared a few 'weeks ago. Pos- ' , sibly she cooler, nudster weather m&y suit him ; in preference to the heat and drought. He has \ been a good deal pebtered by press representa- ( tives desirouu to leatn his views en the j Armenian question. But the wonldbe inter- ] viewers were "sent empty away." They J entirely failed to draw the wily veteran. ( It will probably surprise my New Zealand readers to learn that Sir Westby-Perceval is Agent-general once more. Such, however, is the fact. But not of New Zealand From the l»t ] prox. he will represent in London the Govern- | meat and colony of Tasmania. Sir Robert ( Herbert, his\predecesßor, has been compelled to j retire by failing health, and doubtless it appeared to Sir Edward Braddon that Tasmania could hardly be better represented in London th»n by the ez-Agent-gener«l for Naw Zealand. It is well koown that Sir Edward Braddon has alwa\s entertained a very high opinion of Sir Westby Perceval, indeed, I might say, has always felt a very warm admiration for him in addition to strong personal liking and friendship. Therefore the news of Sir Westbj's appointment as successor to Sir Eobert Herbert has not come with the same surprise to those behind the scenes in London as it may have done to people in New Zealand. Sir Westby Perceval has been appointed for one year definitely, and will enter oa his new duties at No. 5 Victoria street on the Ist October. I understand he does not anticipate finding any difficulty in fitting in tbese new duties with those' to which be is already committed on behalf of the various mining companies, including the Consolidated GoWfields of New Zealand, Kauri Freehold, and others. . By the death of Captain Edmund Hooke "Wilson Bellaira another " old New Zealander " is removed from (his world. Captain Bellairs went ont to New Zealand in the small sailing vessel the Tasmania in 1852. He was a perfect enthusiast with regard to colonisation, and it was some disappointment to his parents and friends that he insisted on leaving the army, in which he had every prospect of a brilliant career, and throwing himself bodily heart and soul into the personal work of colonisation. He was a son of Sir William Bellairs, of Mulbarton, Norfolk, and entered the army in 1841. He was a great friend of the late Mr Edward Gibbon Wakefield, to whose theories of colonisation he became an entire convert. Otago ■was the original objective point of Captain Bellairs'g intentions. The special reason of this preference was that Otago had (on the map) " suoh a splendid harbour " Throughout the whole voyage from England Captain Bellairs was never weary of pointing out the remarkable beauty, enormous advantages, and surprising facilities of this wonderful harbour. A fellow-passenger, who ventured to point out to him that it had a " bar " which usually forms rather a nasty obstacle to entrance or exit, was most severely snapped by the enthusiast, who utterly pooh-poohed the possibility of the Otago Harbour having any feature which could be other than advantageous. He Was rudely awakened. On arriving off the Otago Heads the captain of the Tasmania rashly essayed to take his vessel in without a .pilot, the consequence being she first bumped heavily on the ban and subsequently went aground. Those who remember the Otago Heads in former days will not be surprised to bear that the redoubtable Pilot Driver wfts speedily seen approaching in hie famous whaleboat, pulled by that splendid crew of Maoris, or that on boarding the ship he promptly assailed the unfortunate skipper with stentorian inquiries as fco where the — - he was going, aud whether he wanted to wreck his ship, and if he did pot think he was & fool. Of courae the pilot got the ship «nb of her mess, us he did on So many other occasions, bub be did not shrink from »tatin« ia the most earnest fortissimo the

ertainty that had a gale sprung up before the tc eseel was got off she would most infallibly fi .aye been smashed into matchwood. Every- r< hing passed oft peaceably in the end, and 'sptain Bellairs almost immediately after A ending was appointed a magistrate and a h lember of the Legislative Council. As a it latter of fact the New Zealand Constitution, ai y virtue of which the council was founded, it rent out by the Tasmania. In these times of b; 4 to 35 days' passages, it seems curious to v: hink that that momentous trip of the Tas- T a»nia occupied no less than 150. Indeed, she Z ook three solid weeks to get from London to ii 'lymouth. *' Some of Captain Bellairs's friends used to ii ancy that his second Christian name, Hooke, ?as dictated by the remarkable shape of his P iose, even as a baby. But I believe this is a h allacy. That he worked very hard and with F ;reat energy in promoting the work of colonisa- si ion, according to his lignts, there ia no doubt £ ,t all. He thoroughly believed in the Wake- o ield theory that colonial life should, from the E Irst, reproduce all the salient features or ti English society in its various divisions, from a he highest to the lowest. N*turally, he IV ,Bsumed his position to be distinctly upstairs, 0 .nd I believe he manifested intense disgust tl irhen it was suggested to him before landing v hat his firsb step would, as a matter of course, h is to secure a small cottage and a pig and a tl ow. He left the colony many years ago and b ntered the consular service At the tima of » lis death, irbich was caused through laryngitis, ti ;e was British vice-conßul of Baniiz. While [ranting him as nn excellent and enterprising n iarly colonist, I am afraid one cannot quite s' ■ndorse the statement of the Standard : — "New t' 5-aland has only become what she is through d he labours of these two men — namely, Captain h iellairs and Mr Gibbou Wakefield." I am a .fraid that is " piling it up rather too p nouTittneouß," as Mr Wellec once observed. n The London Ang'o-Oolonial papers refer in I erms of deep regret, to the death of Mr Peter v Cunningham, and publish very appreciative and t iomplimentary notices as to his able and useful v sareer. c Mr A Clark Begg ca'led on me yesterday, ii 3e has ju«t returned from » very enjoyable a ;our in Switzerland, and leaves immediately ii igain for Rdinburgh. Mr Fergus Hume is trying his hand again at Jramatic literature. He has written a farcical jomedy called " Teddy's Wives," which is to be iroduced at the Strand Theatre on Saturday, ;he 26th inst. I hope he will have better luck jhan last time. Mr Edward Wakefield seems to have settled in London onco more. He and his family are at 0 present residing at Beckcnham, in Kent. Mr VVskefield himself is often to be seen in the city, f where he i« concerned in several business enter- i prises. t Mrs H. Widenbam Maunsell and her family, s who have been staving for some little time in { bbc neighbourhood of Cromnr, in Nor.' oik, have t returned to Loudoo for the winter. ( •Mr A S. Pnterflon leave* almost immediately , on his return to New Zealand. c October 3. 8 Mr Fergus Hume 1 is making another try for , London theatrical sncce«. A farce from his ( per, e.ntitled " Teddy's Wives," has just been j taken in hand at the Strand Theatre. It is ft ] novelty in the metropolis, but has previously j b?en performed in the s'nburbs and .provinces. , In this instance it has the great advantage of a ( very excellent cast, and especially of the , beauty, grace, and charm of Maud MiJlett in , one of the principal roles. Tbe fair Maud, , Emily Thorne, aud Fred Thome all threw , thpmselves with the utmost zest into the spirit , of the play, and succeeded in evoking much , fun oub of a rather overworked joke — a tern- ( porary exchange of husbands. \ Naturally, I should like to record an un- i qualified success as having been fcored by a ] New Zealand dramatist. But just at present , this seems hanging in the balance. Certainly i the public seem to like the piece and to be amused , by it, but the critics are inclined tobeua«ty. ( The leading idea of the farce is decidedly droll, j There is a widow (Emily Thorne) anxious to J . marry; a perplexed bride (Maud Millett) who ! , is implored by her bridegroom to adopt the name of a friend for a few hours (for financial reasons), and a kilted Highlander (Fred Thorne) who is in all respects the ideal stage (and stagey) Scotchman. Those three provoke immense merriment and are well supported. Really I cannot see that " Teddy's Wives " is inferior to " Charley's Aunt," which has had such a paenoax-n^l "run," and I heartily hope — aB will Mr Hume's many New Zealand friends — that it may prove as rich a gold mine to him a? the other play has done bo the lucky people who have an interest in it. Sir George Grey seems to be in remarkably brisk h- alth just now, and manages to get out a good deal. - Mr John Baillie, of Wellington, had two of his pictures accepted for the Liverpool Art Exhibition, wbich opened the other day, and which is recognised as a representative show of modern art. Most of the bfißt of the Royal Academy and New Gallery pictures generally find their way thither. Mr Baillio's pictures are thought very highly of by those who had the pleasure of seeing them. He had to face plenty of active competition, no fewer than 2000 other pictures having been rejected by the committee, while 500 of those which were accepted are still unhung owing to lack of space. By-the-bye, a friend who was at the Liverpool Exhibition tells me that there are only two views of New Zealand ewnery in the whole show— one being Lnke Wakatipu and the other the Hot Lakes of the North Island. Mr C F. Goldie, of Auckland, is still studying in Paris, where he has been successful in winning several artistic prizes. He is now painting a large picture for the Paris Salon. ' As copious clippings are always supplied to the Agency-general of any press references to the anti-toxin treatment of diphtheria, T presume that subject must possess special interest in New Zealand. I may mention, therefore, that Sir Joseph Lister, the renowned physician, has now pronounced definitely in favour of the antitoxin method, and that his pronouncement is warmly supported by a large number of the leading medical practitioners in Great Britain, who express their conviction that by persistence ia the anti-toxin treatment the mortality in dif/htheria can be reduced to only 5 per cent, of the cases attacked. The Agent-general has finally closed his controversy with the Economist touching the inclusion of the debentnres issued against sinking fund accretions in the revenue credit balances which go to make up the annual surpluses, as shown in the Budgets. No object was to be gained by continuing a controversy in which the attacking side changed the ground of attack as often as the defeuca on eaoh poiut assailed was made complete. Accordingly Mr Reeves, having established his contention, lets the matter rest. What helps to mislead English opinion and to exacerbate the prejudice, is the absence of clearness in that part of the public account which deals with the sinking fund transactions. The accounts show that the debentnres issued against the sinking fund accretion are credited to revenue, but they do not show specifically any per contra entry— I mean the expenditure side fa too much lumped

jgether, and does not make plaiu the true i nancial operation which is performed in this f aspect. f During the recent meeting of the British i iflsociation Mr A. E. Fi< zgerald read a pap6r on ! is ascent of the New Zsaland Alps, depicting j i glowing terms the tcrriflc&lity of his feats i nd the hair's-breathiness of his escapes. The 1 iteresting feature was a subsequent reference 1 y the chairman (Major Darwin) to his own t isit to New Zealand in 1874 to observe the 1 "ransit of Venus, when, he remarked, the New ( iealand alpine country was virtually terra t xcegnita. Major Darwin paid a tribute to the i übsequent explorations of the Rev. Mr Green j i the same locality. ] The Financial Times, referring to the New ' 'lymouth Harbour Board debentures, says it i as reason to beli -ve that the Council of ] 'oreign Bondholders intend to act on the < oggestion of the New Plymouth Harbour i toard bondholders, and oppose the quotation ' i any frtwh New Zealand loan on the Stock | kchinge. The paper proceeds to describe the i reatment of ths bondholders as a gross scandal, < nd brackets it with tbe confiscation of the ; lidland railway and the practical confiscation < f the Bank of New Zealand. The fact that | he interest on the bonda has been paid in full i pto date is ignored. The whole agitation is a i .umbug. What is most important, however, is 1 hat I have it on authority that no decision to ] lock future New Zealand loans has been '. rrived at, and I doubt if any such step will be < akeD. ] The dispute between the London Docks Com- : oittee and the various shipping companies is i till unsettled. But the comiog into force of he proposed increased dock charges has been ; leferred until November, by which time ib is loped that some modus vivendi will have been .rrived at. Meanwhile the shipping comtanies assert positively that they cannot < ,ud will not pay the extra charges, and the '. and O. Company are prepared to erect the vharves and other accommodation to which I lave referred iv former letters, in which case it yill be largely supported by other shipping ompanieo. It is generally believed, however, n (jhipuiog circles that the Docks Committee, .It hough holding oat to the last, will give way n the end.