ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES. [FROM THE AUCKLAND "STAR'S" LONDON CORRESPONDENT. ] London, August 22. Colonials Out of Town.

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 71, 11 October 1884, Page 3

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES. [FROM THE AUCKLAND "STAR'S" LONDON CORRESPONDENT. ] London, August 22. Colonials Out of Town.

Tiie Anglo-Colonial community are out of town almost to a man. Tho Agent-Gonoral and Lady Bell have gono to Scarborough for a fow weeks. Siv Charles and Miss Clifford aro staying with Lord Denbigh at Llandudno. Sir John Hall sailed for New York on Wednesday, and sundry lesser lights, such as Captain Colbeck, Mr Uardner, Bishop lladlield. and Mr Thomas Spurgeon, aro also enjoying themselves in the provinces. Sir William Fox has arrived in London, and is staying at tho Salisbury Hotel, in Fleet-streot. He looks exceedingly well indeed. When Sir John Hall met him, he laughingly observed that ho seemed moro like 50 than 72.

Opinions on Ministerial Changes. Tho news of the change of Government in New Zealand was followed so quickly by tho cablegram announcing your Assembly's voto of want of confidence in tho now Executive) that people scarcely know what to think. Sir Julius Vogol was not popular in London, and such observations as have- appeared in the papers about his coup d'etat have been the reverse of complimentary. Tho "Daily News" openly expresses pro found distrust of tho policy of " this stockjobbing knight," and considers New Zealand folk must bo delightfully simple and confiding to rely on tho guidance of such a notorious speculator. Shares in Vogcl's Agricultural Company were in demand till tho news of tho vote of want of confidence came, a vague but general idea prevailing that the ventuie would beneh't by his being in ollico.

Personal and Gonci*al. Atthc annual meeting of tho Philosophical Society of Great Britain (tho venerable Earl ot Shaftesbury presiding), New Zealand members wero repro&ented by tho Rev. F. Flavoll, M.A., of Christchurch, and Mr C. Rous Marten, F.R.G.S., of Wellington. Mr Sheldon has just completed a capital bust of Tawhino. It will be exhibited at the Royal Academy next summer. Mr R. 11. Halliburton, Q.C., oldest son of tho famous author of "Sam Slick," intends very shortly to visit Fiji, New Zealand, and Australia, for the purpose of completing ethnological inquiries upon which he has been engaged for many years past. Judgolfadiield has beneiitted considerably by his visit to Europe,but will not prolong his stay beyond the date originally iixed. He is still residing in the I&lc ot Wight. The Rev. James Leighton, incumbent of Christchurch, Nelson, New Zealand, has, tho "Church Times "states, been appointed to tho living of Harpurhey, near Manchester. Mr Edgar George Lee, at present a resident of Timaru, New Zealand, hasbcen sending Home some nice accounts of life in that locality. A letter of his published in the '-Newcastle Chronicle" (a paper with an enormous circulation), states, amongst other things, that "Now Zealand is a delusion," that "everything is overstocked," that "farming out there is carried out on a very rotten system," that the banks are "greedy and charge 10 to 15 per cent, for money borrowed," and that "tho majority of settlers aro bound body and soul either to a bank or to one of tho companies which profess to assist immigrants." A pleasant picture of tho colony,^isn't it ? Enormous refrigerators for the storage of Now Zealand mutton are being constructed under the Central Poult ry Market in London, The "Echo" has given Vesey Stewarts No. 5 party a fillip by the publication of some tempting excerpts from his new pamphlet. The Marquis of Normanby, addressing his tenants at Hythe last week, advised young men of the right sort to try their luck in one or other of the Australasian colonies. They wanted no loafers thore, but sober, industrious men, not afraid of honest Avork. Wages in the colonies were enormous, and the difficulty of getting good labour was retarding improvements that would other w ise be made. At a meeting of tho Meteorological Society, held recently at the Health Exhibition, Now Zealand was represented by Mr C. Rous Marton, of Wellington, F.R. Meteorological Society. " An Internal View of New Zealand by a Canterbury Settler is the title of a long and critical descriptive article contributed to a recent issue of the "Mark Lane Express." The writer warns intending emigrants to accept the statements of such special pleaders as Arthur Claydon, Judge Bathgato, and the Rev. Thomas Berry cum yrano satis, and to apply rather to practical judges like Grant and For&ter, whose counsels he considers pound. The new arrangements by which the Im perial Post-oflice authorities are to select month by month tho best boat to convey tho San Francisco mails across tho Atlantic will, it is hoped, materially expedito the service. Before long we shall probably hear of letters being conveyed from London to 'Frisco within eleven or twelvo days. Yorkshiromen are complaining through the press of the semi-r<sgal airs which Lord Normanby assumes. At Whitby the other day he absolutely had the railway station cleared so that he might alight from the Saltburn train in peace and gentleness. Some of the local folk were very wroth, and broke through the barriers. Mr Putso, who has been on tho verge of sailing for IN cw Zealand to carry through certain railway schemes ever since November last, seems still uncertain as to the procisc date of his departure, but ho wishes his iriends "Good-bye" uhen ho meets them with the same fervour as ever. Captain Colbeck, tho late M.H.R. for Marsden, has been enjoying some capital "•rouse-shooting in Yorkshire. ° Mr Joliflb, who came to Portsmouth a few years ago fiom New Zealand, has succeeded in establishing a very successful waggon factory in King-street, one of the principal thoroughfares of that thriving township. Mr Tennyson Cole, a young artist residing at Demeter House, has completed a capital water-colour portrait of Tawhiao. It was tendered on sale to the King, but His Majesty intimated that when he wished to gaze at himself he liked a looking-glass. Miss Weale, who hadlongprayer meetings with the Maoris whenever she could catch them, returns home to-morrow re-invigora-ted by " good works." I don't think these chiefs pleased her as well as the saintly " Sydney Taiwhanga," of whom she speaks with infinite respect and affection.

The Crisis in the Frozen Meat Trade. i It -would be idle to deny that a serious r crisis in the history of the frozen meat ■ trade is at hand, and that unless important j modifications can be made in the_ present i systems of shipping, discharging and T storage, failure must" ensue. During the - past week I have interviewed most of the 3 leading importers, and discussed the ques- , tion thoroughly with them. On some i points they are unanimous, but on others tfeey differ curiously. In the first place

they all or nearly all agree that a great mistake has been made in timing so many meat ships to arrive during our hot months, and that in futore years shippers must arrange so that a minimum quantity of frozen mutton only shall be available on the lionclon market botween June and September. Shippers are also advised to bargain, by clause on bill of lading, that delivery be ship in London shall be by night only during the English summer, as at present thero is the anomaly of ships delivering all day with the thermometer at 90 deg. Fahr., and closing hatches for refrigorating purposes at night. This was particularly noticeable in the case of the Victory, s. A consignee by her visited the docks one sweltering; day last week, and found her discharging frozen mutton with a positively tropical noonday sun .shining full into the hold, and on to the meat. Most of the carcases were already thawed, and the stonch round about spoke volumes. Remonstrances were vain. The importer had no power to interfere, and yet those proceedings turned tho mutton black, and absolutely took off ljd lb. from tho valuo of the consignment. A difference of opinion oxists between importers as to tho freight rates charged by tho shipping companies. Some think the latter could and ought to afford _to accept hd a lb less, bub the majority opine that no" immediate reduction is likoly, or even possible If the warehousing charges for frozen mutton are to bo materially lowered, ships will have to arrivo at regular intervals, so as to koop tho storage chambers fairly full. On several occasion" thero have not beon more than 2,000 or 3,000 carcases in the vast depots at tho Victoria Docks for days together, and yet the Company have had to keep their refrigerating engines at work and large staff of hands on duty just as usual. Tho opening of tho new refrigerating chambers under tho Central Poultry Market is hopefully looked forward to by importers. The competition can, they think, haidly fail to oxcrcise a beneficial influence on storage rates. At present New Zealand ' carcases are brought up from the docks to the market on drays. This is a very expensive mode of tran&it, and some importers aro trying to persuade the railway companies to run a special frozen meat train -which will discharge at tho Great Western Company's depot at Smithiield. The thing would, I think, be done if all interested wore unanimous, but unfortunately they are uot. Whilst the vnvm weather lasts no improvement in tho price of frozen meat is possible. The mutton simply won't keep, and has to bo .sold off for what it will realise. At the Health Exhibition the Australasian grill still does fine business, though not as great as during the earlier and cooler months. A call of £5 a-piece has been made on the guarantors, so 1 conclude that the exhibits will not quite pay oxpenscs.

Rev. Thomas Spurgcon. On Sunday last the Rev. Thos. Spurgeon preached at his brother's church, at Greenwich, in aid of the Auckland Tabomacle Fund. There was a large congregation. MrSpurgeon's health has improved somewhat, but ho is still in need of rest, which his family find it very difficult to persuade him to take, as his whole soul seems bent on collecting monoy for tho new church. Mr Spurgcon returns to Auckland at Christmas, in time for the opening ceremony.

Hanlan's Defeat. The defeat of Hanlan by the Australian sculler Beach is considered to have no real significance by the English sporting press. It was, they think, an accident not a bona de victory. A great rowing expert, who stood Triokett for an immense sum in ISSI, remarked, on reading the cablegram, that he wished he could see a chance of laying "four to one in thousands" on Hanlan against Beach over the Thames championship cour&e. Many other betting men would like to do the same. The " Sportsman," commenting on tho statement that Hanlan will return to Englat d shortly, remarks that this would be a capital opportunity for Beach, Hanlan, Ross, and Teemer to settle their differences once for all on the Thames. The "Bird o' Freedom "observes that the anxiety displayed by Wallace Ross to make a match with Beach whilst the latter's laurels are fresh, looks as if he thought he'd got a "soft thing " on.