MARK HAMBOURGHS IMPRESSIONS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 10222, 3 December 1904, Page 4

MARK HAMBOURGHS IMPRESSIONS.

♦ Mr Mark Hambourg has returned to London from lias world tour, and lias been giving the Daily News hils impressions, musical and otherwise. "Australia and New Zealand," he says, "liave a great musical future. Tliey will produce fine musioians, lam sure. The beautiful, sunny surroundings are doing it. New Zealand is largely populated by Scotch people, and Scotch people are mostly fair. But the inliabitants of New Zealand are becoming dark. Their speaking voices are really beautiful. In a word, the people of Australasia are becoming musical, artistic, Italian. I went there in 1895, and e\;en then tliere was genuine appreciation of classical music; going again in 1898, I found tremendous progress ; and on my third viisit I formed the opinion tliat there is as much admiration for and understanding of music in Australia as tin any country in the world." The pianist had a couple of narrow escapes during, his American tour. Once the train he was travelling by just got across a bridge wlien the flooded river carried the structure away. On another occasion some'body's mismanagement caused the party to miss a train, and Mr Hambourg was deeply annoyed. However, the train ran over an embankment, and killed or injured! every one of the passengers. Traveling between San Francisco and Denver, Mr Hambourg found himself left behind! at a wayside station, in a car tliat had been unhitched from the train. Arrangements were hurriedly made to take on tlie car by a special locomotive, but somp superstitious traveller discovered that there were just 13 passengers. Here was the cause of the misfortune, and the other passengers flatly refused 1 to be jolted along over a rough road at 60 miles an hour in an unlucky car. Tlie only soul about was an old nigger, and before" he knew where he was he was bundled into the car and kidnapped. The passengers had to pay for their superstition, but they got to the journey's end safely.