PERSONAL NOTES FROM LONDON.

Otago Witness, Issue 2728, 27 June 1906, Page 56

PERSONAL NOTES FROM LONDON.

i (Fsoit OrR Own Correspondent.) ! LONDON, March 23. Mr George W. Thomson, A.0.5.M., Assoc. Ins. M. and M., of the Otago University School of Mines, is at present in London. Since leaving New Zealand, Mr Thomson has been in Bohemia with Mr J. H. Curb, as assistant in the latter's assaysurvey and report of the Ronding Mine, near Prague, and he has also been with the Duff Development Company, in Kelantan, one of the little-known Siamese MalayStates, his position there being " assistant mining engineer in charge of the mining fitarion, whoso inhabitants included 400 Chinese coolies, and from 100 to 200 Malays, Japanese, and Tamils, etc. Mr Thomson was obliged to relinquish his appointment in Kelantan on account of an attack of malarial fever, from which, however, I am glad ,to be able *o state, he has now entirely recovered. At the present time Mr Thomson is in London busily renewing his acquaintance with some of the mining engineering firms with a view to obtaining another appointment either at Home or abroad. He has recently been admitted as an Associate of tho Institution of Mines and Metallurgy. Mr J. Kcmpston, who lived for four years in Dunedin, occupying there the position of assistant manager to Messrs Robert Isaac and Co., rabbit exporters in Otago an.d Southland, until that ' firm gave up business last year, is at present manager of the Tettenhall Steam Fishing Company, Lancashire. Mr Kcmpston tells me that he would like to take a fleet of trawlers out to New Zealand, where there are big possibilities, provided there is an efficient railway service. He considers that something more will be heard of the idea when the country becomes more opened up and developed. Mr A. Kinder, who. has been resident in Greymouth for the past two years, but who belongs to Balclutha, Otago, was a homeward passenger by the most recent trip of the Now Zealand Shipping Company's s.s. Wakanui. Mr Kinder tells me that he intends to go in for hard work at the hospitals in London, and he will in all probability remain for some time-in the Mother Country in order to specialise in same branch of surgery. Dr J. S. Purdy, who is now in the Egyptian Quarantine Service, writes to a friend in London that " New Zealanders who pass through the Suez Canal will always get a warm welcome at Port Said," where he is stationed. Dr W. L. Christie, of New Zealand, has recently been delivering a lecture at Bristol, taking the colony as his subject. . ' • | I hear that prior to his departure for New Zealand next August, Dr A. N. Fell will spend some little time at the wellknown Rotunda Hospital in Dublin, going there from Edinburgh. Alfred Domett is now a distant memory of tho past in New Zealand. Yet he still is remembered in England. less on account of his great poem " Ranolf and Amohia ' r thanx through his close association and friendship with Robert Browning. A new book, -whose subject is these two poetic friends, has just come out under the editorship of Dr F. G. Kenyon. It eeems that in the summer of ISO* Messrs Sotheby sold by auction a scrap-album containing Browning's letters to his dearest early friend, Alfred Domett— the " Waring " of his poem 5 . Iv this album were two letters written in 18+0 about " Sordello '"' ; 14 written from May, 1842, to July. 1846, to Domett in New Zealand ; and seven — several of which are not worth reprinting— written from 1872 to 1877, after Domett's leturn from New Zealand, where he had nsen to be Prime Minister. The album al-o contained throe excello-nt letters, witb extracts from others, written to Domett by another early friend of Browning, Joseph Aniould, afterward Chief Justice at Bombay. The hammer foil at £150. The album wa.s purchased for Mr Reginald J. Smith, of Me«vs .Smith. Elder, and Co.. by whom Hie 26 letters and the fraprment-s aro now published. The most valuable of Browning' t» letters aro those addressed to New Zealand. Browning loved his friend — Meantime, how much I loved him, I find out now I've lost him, ho wrote. He thinks and talks of his absent friend: ho longs for a letter; he is jubilant wlie-a it comes, and longs for another. Ho I bynipathibos with his friend's misfortunes; i he invites him to share his home. He sends books, papers, and reviews; lie retaiJs liln-ary go^ip. and indulges iv impromptu criticism. On page 35 Browning, in speak- 1 ing of Im's friend's ultimate return from ! New Zealand, remarks: I don't expect to do any real thing till then ; the littlo I or I anybody can do as it is comes of them going to New Zealand, partial retirement, and stopping the ear%." The correct copy nins: "The little I or anybody can do as it is comes of sham goings lo New Zealand, partial retirement, and stopping the <-ar=s," which makes sense; the other does not. Mr Ranginia. the Maori tenor singer, told j me tins morning that ho is doing very well, and lias engagements fully booked j right up to the end of the current year. [ He sing-, preferably at private "At homes " rather than at concerts, but has had many gratifying expeiiences at entertainments of the latter class. Rpcently. when performine at the London Lyceum Theatre, he arranged a series of very effective tableaux in illustration of his Maori songs, the result being ino-,t enthusiastic applause and nearly a <)ozrn recalls. In addition to his hard work in performing. Mr Raneiuia has done a, great deal of earnest study during his stay in this country, and contemplates yet more. I thought him looking very well and " fit " in spite of the severity of the weather ju->t at present. His most recent engagement was afc Bath, from which intore.sfing old eitv be has just returned to London +o fulfil engagements. The New Zealand Shiopine: Company's steamer Tongariro left London yesterday on her outward voyage to *?«w Zealand, commanded by Captain Sutoliffe and with Dr N. Leonard as the medical officer on board. Plymouth will be left to-morrow. The Tonciariro carries the following nassencers in the saloon:— The Rev. W. Robinson. Mr and Mrs G. Hardy-Harris, Mr and Mrs E. A. Tfionia-?. Mrs V. Luttrell and Miss T.uHrpll. Mrs E. C. Wilford and Mis 3 | W Wilford. Mrs K. Harnine and the | Mitres Harding' >?.\. Miss L. Twiner, Miss D. Swe'c. Mrs J Trick Miss .T Gillpspift. Mewr* J. W Hardliner. F. R TT,,,1«0n H. J. Capper. F. J. Chambers, G. Clark. E. C. I Cullen, J. Daniel, J. A. Dohnt, L. H. 1

f E***^ H. L. Fenn, A. Furney, H. O. Hibbs, J. J. Jewell, R. Johnston, F. Landau, T. M'Cleland, D. M'Diarnrid, P* Moonoy, A. R. Morris, E. W. Mostya, J« Mulkearns, H. E. Pearn, A. F. Pennington, and M. Ryan. In the third class th» Tongariro carries about 165 passengers. ' A wedding of interest to readers in thai colony took place in England on the 22nd inst. The bridegroom was Mr Herman Milford- Wayne,- second son of the late Mjt Frederick Wayne, of Milton, New Zealand; the T>ride was Miss Helen Fanny Burridge, third daughter of the late Bey. Edward Burridge, formerly rector of Wesfbjr Waterless, Cambridgeshire. The ceremony took place at St. John's Church, Buxton, . Derbyshire, and was- performed by the Rev. Conrad Green, incumbent of Holy Trinity Church. Mrs Wilkinson and her daughter,- Mis 4 Laura Wilkinson (Mornington, Dunedim~ New Zealand), have been spending t'ho past* seven months very pleasantly in the United Kingdom, staying with relatives and! friends. Immediately on reaching London tKoy went north to Scotland, * and «tayedt there for some time, also in the vicinity* of" the English lakes. Mrs Wilkinson is now staying with Mrs W. Vincent, at Nottingham, -but she intends to leave on her return/ to the colony by the s.s. Turakina. which is to sail from London on April 19. After the departure of her mother. Miss Laura Wilkinson -will remain for about three months 'as tho guest of Mrs Percy Dpbson (formerly of Dunedin), at Hampstead. a.n«k then fehe will return t<* Xew Zealand, vfsr^ America.