PERSONAL NOTES FROM LONDON.

Otago Witness, Issue 2823, 22 April 1908, Page 53

PERSONAL NOTES FROM LONDON.

(From Our Ows Correspondent.) LONDON, January 24. Miss Nora Armstrong (Dunedin) has ei:tered upon a further course of nursing which she has for sometime practised as a profession. She is now studying at Queen Charlotte's Hospital, Alarylebone road, London, with ihe view of going Up for examination -early m the coming _ur:J ier. The Premiers of the Commonwealth, the Dominion of New Zealand, Cape Colony, and Nata! have been elected vice-presidents of the British Science Guild. The object of this body is to demonstrate to the public "how the application of science may be conducive to -the public welfare." "The Ancborase— tho Story of a New Zealand Sheep Farm," the latest, book from the pen of Mr W. H. Koebel, has just been published. The reviewer of The Times describes it as "a pleasant wholesome narrative, with the picture of New Zoabind life and Mildred Barry's love story woven into it." The reviewer thinks I that the book would ba better described as "the. story of a moral reformation, fo* Ronald Caverton tells how he was shipped eft' as a. steerage passenger, a degraded outcast, to New Zealand, and how the simple,, natural '.ife and a woman's inspiration raised and restored him to self-respect. Last .Tuesday evening Mr H. C. Cameron gave a lrintern-illustrated lecture on "New Zealand,- the Britain of the South," before* members of St. Mark's Literary and Debating Society, Battereea Rise, and their friends. Mr Cameron was cordially thanked for having given those present a ' pleasant evening. Most musical New Zeaianders of mature years will remember the exceptionally gifted Danish soprano who resided m the Dominion for some years and occasionally sang at concerts, then known as Madame Bahnson, formerly Court singer of Denmark. As they will also recollect, she is now Mrs Albert Mallinson, wife of the talented song-writer whose songs are placed even by the leading German critics on a level with those of Schubert. It will be welcome news to such readers that they will ere long have the privilege and pleasure of listening to Mrs Mallinson's unequalled interpretation of her husband's beautiful compositions. Mr and Mrs Mallinson have been engaged by Messrs Meynell and Gunn, of Sydney, for a tour ! of 50 song-recitals, and they will sail from ; England m March. Tbe opening recital will ;be at Melbourne ; Sydney and the larger ; Australian towns will foliow, and then Mr a,nd Mrs Mallinson will go on to New , Zealand, where the latter hopes to meet I many of her old friends. These gifted I musicians have had a very successful sea- ' son on the Continent. They will be m • London at an early date, and it is pro- : bable thafc they w.ll give a farewell song- ! recital before sailing for Australia and New | Zealand. ! Latest callers at the London office of I the New Zealand Government have in- [ eluded Mrs M. Jefferies (Inglewood), Miss ! Stoddart (Wellington), Miss R. Fergusson (Christchurch), Mrs W. Wilson, B.E. (Ohrist- ; church), Mr H. M. Smyth (Hokitika), Mr !E. A. Mayrie (Wanganui), Mr W. J. | Tonkin (Dunedin). j Yesterday the s.s. Rimutaka, commanded ' by Capiain Greenstreet, sailed from the '■ Thames for New Zealand ; she will leave Plymouth to-morrow. Dr Campbell Duncan is the medical officer on board. The taloon ' passengers by this steamer include Pro- , fessor D. K/Picken and Mr 3 Picken, who 1 are bound for Wellington, where the former will enter upon his new duties as professor of mathematics at Victoria College ; the Rev. G. T. Johnston and Mrs Johnston, j Professor M. M. M'Hardy, Mrs Madocks ! and three children. LONDON, February 14. I Mr W. Murray (Gore), Mr A. J. Boord ' (Palmerston North), and Mr W. G. Macdonald (Gore), who came to England about i 15 months ago under engagement to the j Ashanti Goldfields Auxiliary Company, m I connection with* gold dredging m West ; Africa, have completed the first year of ' that engagement, and have been spending • a holiday m England ; they leave again for Dankwa to-morrow. I learn that all three ! are m good health, despite the trying I climate of the Gold Coast, but that all i felt its ill effects for a month or two until they had grown acclimatised. ; Lord Ranfurly is l.n his way to Canada. ! He was a passenger' from Liverpool a few I days ago by the s.s. Empress of Britain. j Referring to his departure for Canada, I M.A.P. eay3 that New Zealand's former j Governor "has been described as 'one of i those men who can plough a field one day : and act as Lord-in-Waiting to his Sovereign the next.' " Whilo m New Zealand "he made himself so popular i thafc his term of office was prolonged by the f unanimous wish of the people; and^ he behaved so kindly to the Maoris that thier ; chiefs elected him to be one of themselves. } Lord Ranfurly is a great authority on the ; flora and fauna of New Zealand, and, thanks to him, the National History I Museum at South Kensington has been I enriched with many beautiful specimens of j antipodean birds." Mr A. E. M. Rowland, the walking ! champion from New Zealand, was one of ! 33. competitors who took part m the cross- ! country championship of the Heme Kill j Harriers; Rowland finished seventh m the ' race, but with 7min 20sec allowance he | carried off the prize m the sealed handicap iin connection with the championship. It ; is stated that his actual time for the full distance was 69min 55 l-sseo, as against I 64min 17sec of Deakin. tho winner. It ' is remarked that the New Zealanders success m the sealed handicap w;as, it Geems, a considerable surprise to his clubmates, and he is now looked upon as a useful coming man for the Heme Hill Harriers. Mrs George Thomson (formerly of Gore) i has recently arrived m London from Mexico, where her husband holds the position of engineer to one of the important mining companies. Mr Murdoch M'Lean, C.E., with his wife and daughter, wiU remain at the Russell Hotel— where they have been staying for j some little time past — until the 25th inst., I when they leave for Paris, on their way | to Marseilles, where they will join the i P. and O. steamer Mongolia on their way back to New Zealand, sailing from Marseilles on the 6th prox. "We have had a most pleasant time," remarked Mr M'Lean to me yesterday. "The only drawback has been that owing to my con- . stant business engagements my wife and | daughter have not been able to extract

all the pleasure out of our trip that might have been enjoyed. Still, we have done pretty well m that respect. Everywhere we have been received with the greatest possible kindness and hospitality. Peoplo have gone out of their way to do things for us and to make our visit pleasant., In Scotland we were invited simply td everything that was going on — private and* public. We shall spend a week m Paris on our way to Marseilles, and while we are there we shall be free to enjow ourselves. "By the bye," added Mr M^'Leanls. " there is one thing that I should like tfjt say. Everywhere I have been I have been making notes and comparisons as regard.^ railway travelling, and I do not hesitate/ to say that New Zealand gives tho cheapest m the world. You can travel first class m New Zealand as cheaply aa third class m England. I admit that, on] the other hand, you can travel as comfort-^ ably third class m Britain as first class iii New Zealand ; and, of course, the speed and the personal comfort and convenience:? are incomparably greater m the Mothetf Country. But m point of cheapness, neither England nor any European country! is 'm it ' with New Zealand, where, as- a have said, you can travel by railway morei cheaply than you can anywhere else m the t entire world. That .is a fact ! And, on th^ whole, I consider the New Zealand ra-iU way management most excellent all round." •■•: At yesterday's ordinary meeting of tha. council of the Royal College of Surgeon* (England) a large number of candidate^ who had passed the required examinations and conformed to the by-laws, were admitted members of the college. One o£ these gentlemen was Mr Alexander Tod*; M'Caw, of New Zealand University and! London Hospital. Another was Hr Harold Delf Gillies, 8.A., Cantab., Cambridge University, and St. Bartholomew's Hes. pital. i*. Recent callers at the London office ofr the New Zealand Government have included: Mr W. Murray (Gore), Mr W. G. Macdonald (Gore), the Right Rev. -th* Bishop of Auckland and Mrs Nehgan. ;