ANGLO COLONIAL NOTES [FROM THE AUCKLAND " STAR'S " LONDON CORRESPONDENT.]

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 89, 14 February 1885, Page 3

ANGLO COLONIAL NOTES [FROM THE AUCKLAND " STAR'S " LONDON CORRESPONDENT.]

London, January 1, Annexation. The news of the German annexation in New Guinea has raised a storm of indignation throughout the length and breadth of England, and the papers have been flooded with letters from all sorts of people donouncing the action of the Government in no measured terms. Even papers which usually support the Government have turned against the Ministry, and the policy of Lord Derby in stopping English annexation and then allowing Germany to plant her flag where ours should be has been, to say the least of il., very severely criticised. Directly the country had ceased to pour out the vials of its wrath upon the devoted head of the Government, it was rumoured that Lord Derby would soon resign his office as Colonial Secretary, Whether this report is true or not, L cannot say, but I know this much — that nothing would give more satisfaction to a very large party of politicians than to see Lord Derby superseded by a man of power, ability, and judgment. Lord Derby's whole tenure of office has been one long repetition of glaring errors, and his policy with regard to eacli of our colonies may be described as slow, imbecile, and weak. As soon as Earl Derby's retirement was spoken of the name of his successor was freely given. It is said that Lord Uosebery is desirous of filling the post, and we cannot wish to see a better man to succeed Lord Derby.

Confiding Colonists. A recent number of " Truth " gave some extracts from a Melbourne paper of the "impressions" of Thompson, the bookmaker, who visited England last racing season. Thompson seems to have been drawing the long bow considerably during his interview, for he says that the leading bookmakers in England "are gentlemen, and are treated like gentlemen," and that "jockeys are swells, and keep their valets." If Australians believe this, they will believe anything.

Tho Frozen Meat Trade-Arrival of the Elderslie from Oamarn. On tho 19th of December the steamer Elderslie, from Oamaru, arrived safely at the Victoria Docks with a cargo of 22,9Gl sheep, 6(50 half carcases, and l! carcases of lamb, all of which are repotted to be in excellent order. On the following Monday a number connected with Lloyd's and the owners and < hai terers of the vessel inspected the steamer and her cargo. The sheep are consigned to tho Australian Company ( Limited), bo that no Mew Zea'and importers were present ; but Mr Martin (of Turnbull, Martin, and Co., of Glasgow), ono of the owners of the vessel, Mr n. Langbridge, Mr J. Wotherspoon, under whose inspection the Kldorslic was built, and several other Australian merchants, looked over the shit), and afterwards lunched together on board her. The arrival of the Elderslie vas noticed in all the papers, and several of the dailies had leadeiv on the frozen meat trade th day alter she at rived. The "Morning Post" aayb: — " The arrival'of the Elderslie with its unprecedented consignment may be said to maika new departure in the frozen meat trade. Hitherto ships have been fitted only partially with refrigerating chambers, and only a comparatively small cargo of sheep taken on board. Neither shippers nor bleeders were paiticularly sanguine of their ability to carry tho new enterprise through ; hence tho export of what will now be regarded as very small consignments of frozen mutton. Butatlast the experiment has been tiied on a really gigantic scale, and complete success has attended it. We may expect now the anival of a regular series of cargoes of New Zealand and Australian mutton equal in size to that which nowlios in tho Victoria Docks ready for consumption " Tho " St. James's Gazette " says : " The arrival in this country in one caigo of nearly 25,000 Irozen carcases of New Zealand sheep is a fact of considerable significance. It shows to what enormous pro poitions the frozen meat trade is likely to attain, though cenain ri«ks and difficulties will stand stand in its way. The ordinary danger of long voyages will, of course, always have to be met, but there are other diiliculties to be gob over. Until quite recently the refrigerating machines had a habit ot getting out of order on very slight provocation, and directly their icy breath was withheld unpleasant consequences ensued. Tho prejudice in this country against imported meat is largely due to the occasional distribution ot cargoes of ' chilled ' beef or mutton, tho textures and flavour of which are abominable. Even now that the apparatus for refrigerating has been brought so much nearer perfe> tion, there is always a chance of its breaking down during tho voyage, and thus spoiling every carcase on board. It is this consideration which made the Elderslie venture so courageous a one. tlad her cargo gone wrong, the loss would have been serious indeed." Tho writer then goes into figures to prove that at present the shipper can hardly make any profit, and concludes by saying, " One important matter needs attention. Many butchers pass off the best imported mutton as English, and sell only the inferior consignments for what they are. And now that New Zealand is getting so good a name for the meat, it is extremely likely that a variation of this device will be resorted to, and its name given to the less fat and juicy products of Australia and the River Plate."

The State of the Market. Christmas time always has a depressing effect on the prico of mutton, for every Englishman thinks it his duty to consume an enormous amount of roast beef at this season of the year. Frozen mutton is now fetching about 5d a lb, some as much as s^d. Messrs "Ward and Stimppon give the following quotations :— New Zealand mutton, 3s t<» 3s 4d per 81 b3 ; Melbourne, 3s to 3s 4d ; Sydney, 2s 6d to 2s lOd ; River Plate, 2s 6d to 2s lOd ; Dutch, 3a to 4s ; English (middling), 3s to 4s. Some of the Elderslie's cargo has been sold, and reached s£d» The liuapehu and the Victory are due in about a weekend a fortnight respectively, and as each brings a large cargo of mutton, we may expect prices to be somewhat low.

The English Mastership of the fOtago High School. Sir F. Dillon Bell and Dr. Macdonald have at last selected a new Engliah master for the Otago Boys' High School. One hundred and twenty applications were sent in for the post, and the sifting of these took a long time. The gentleman chosen is a Mr Edward Morrison, M.A., who comes from Merchiston Castle School, Edinburgh. Mr Morrison is 26 years of age, and has had a good deal of experience in teaching, having been ai the Madras College before going to Merchiston. The date of Mv Morrisons departure for New Zealand is not yet fixed, but he will probably leave in the Tainui on January 28th,

Tawhiao's Welcome Home. The report of Tawhiao's speech at the Blue Ribbon meeting in Auckland on October 22nd has caused a good deal of amusement in London. The " Daily News" of December 23rd contained a paragraph, evidently from the pen of Mr F. W. Chesson, describing the reception of the chiefs in Auckland, in which Tawhiao is said to have stated that he did not see a single drunken man during his stay in England. If Tawhiao did really say this, either his memory or his eyesight ncust be very deficient ; for I remember well how, on Whit Monday last, when I had the pleasure of escorting the chiefs from the Sorata to the city, Tawhiao at one station formed the centre of a circle of drunken stokers who danced round the King with great glee, until the arrival of a policeman on the scene made them sheer off, after giving his majesty three very drunken cheers.

Personal and General. It may interest you to know that your colony stands high in tho rolls of the Salvation Army. This body has now 910 corps, namely :—ln: — In the United Kingdom, 637 ; Canada", 71 ,• United States, 50 ; South Australia, 35 ; and New Zealand, 23. Thus JNew Zealand occupies the fifth place. The "Pali Mall Gazette" of December 22, 1884, contained a clever article on New Guinea and the Pacific, from the able pen of Mr F. P. Labilliere, This was supplemented on the following day by a letter on the same subject from Mr Frederick Young (Hon. Sec. of the Royal Colonial Institute). Mr W. Fillingham Parr contributed to the "Morning Post" of December 24th a long and interesting letter on the native population of ITiji. The "World" gives a curious case of " virtue rewarded " which has occurred lately in Dublin, and been given publicity through the law courts. Some forty years ago, it seems, a servant was enabled, by the bounty of her master, to emigrate to Australia. Ih 15 to 20 years she saved nearly £2,000, and on her death left the money to her only son, and in the event of his death without issue, to her late master's heirs, who havo made good their title to ifc. Mrs Lingard is playing Pauline in "Called Back " Avith immense success. On Boxing Day the piece was transferred from the Theatre to the Olympic, where it is now drawing splendid houses nightly. Mr and Lady Constance Combe are about to make a voyage to the antipodes in order to recruit Mr Combe's health, which has not recovered the attack of typhoid fever, from which he suffered about a year ago. They will sail on January Ist, and expect to be back by the end of April. That estimable gentleman, Mr Levy, the cornet-blower, has, I learn from an American paper, just entered the holy state of matrimony for the third time. The lady chosen Ly this eminent musician is Miss Stella Costa, the leading soprano of the Levy Concert Company. Levy has only just been divorced from his second wife Minnie Con way, who is now the wife of a Mr Osmond Tearle. The "Daily News" of December 29th contained a very interesting account of a visit to New Britain and New Ireland by Mr J. E. Maddock. The •' British Australasian " is publishing weekly a description of the various harbours of Aubtralasia and their peculiarities. Last week's issue contained an accurate account of Port Chalmers, Dunedin, "with a description of the various railway piers, quays, docks, and jetties of the port. Mr S. C Farr, Honorary Secretary of the Canterbury Acclimatisation Society, is now in London. Mr Farr intends shortly to take out some more salmon ova to New Zealand. I am afraid he will have some difiicuty in this, for winter is not the proper season of the year to get the spawn. A recent number of the " Daily Telegraph " contained an article by " Seafarer," entitled " Kidnapping in the Western Pacific," describing the case of McMurdo and Davies, who were recently sentenced to imprisonment for burning natives' huts in the Laujzhlan Islands, but were soon after released by Sir William Dcs Vceux. The victory gained by the English Eleven in Australia over Murdoch's Anglo-Austra-lian team has given great satisfaction over here, and the " Sport&man " goes so far as to say that it will recover the lost prestige of English cricket, which most of us were not aware was lost. Mr William Courtney, of Taranaki, who is trying to get emigrants for his district, has taken offices at 79, Fenchurch-street. He has published a circular setting forth all the advantages, climatic and otherwise, of Taranaki. The Rev. F. H. Spencer (interpreter to King Tawhiao), who was married about two months ago to a daughter of General Hutchinson, is on his way back to the colony with his wife in the Iberia, which left Plymouth on the 26th December. Mr Spencer is booked through to Nelson. t Tho " Wigan Examiner" of December 27th contained a description of a journey to Lake Taupo from Mr J. H. Burnet, of Auckland. At the last meeting of theHeckmorduiite Naturalists' Society, Mr J. M. Barber exhibited a variety of beautiful New Zealand ferns. The Prince of Wales has recently granted warrants to seven new lodges of Freemasons in the Australasian colonies ; two of these are in New Zealand, No. 2,072, The Zealandia Lodge, Whangaroa, Auckland, and No. 2,073, The Duke of Albany Lodge, Helens ville, Auckland.

Postscript. Ist January, 1585.— The papers of to-day contain emphatic denials of the rumoured retirement of Lord Derby, but notwithstanding this, I do not think he is likely to remain much longer at the Colonial Office. His action over the annexation question has made him particularly unpopular.

Shipping and Passenger Notes. The following through passengers for Auckland left London in the Orient liner Iberia on December 24 : Mr and Mrs M. C. Yaxley, Mrs Handyside, and Colonel McEwen. The following passengers are already booked for Shaw-Savill's Doric from London, January 8 :— lst Saloon : Rev. C. W. Garrard, Miss E. Garrard, Mr James Wolfinston, Lieut. -Colonel Gamble, Miss Gamble, Miss Sanderson, Mr John Haddock, Mr W. E. Griffin, Miss M. E. Davis, Mrs E. Jackson, Dr. and Mrs J. H. Allen, and child, Mr L. W. Bates, Capt. Philip Bennett, Mr J. Bruce Ismay, Mr W. H. Hacking, Mr Arthur Gamble, Mr Wolff, Mr and Mrs John Rucker. Second Saloon : Messrs Walter and Arthur Potts, Mr and Mrs L. Booth and infant,Mr F. J. Lightoller, Mr A. E. Tomlin, Mr and Mrs L. Bond, MiFS Paton, Mr Alex. Mclntosh, Miss Emily A. Carr, Mr and Mrs R. Tullis, Mr and Mrs Wilson and six children, Miss Lucy Darbishire, Mr Francis F. Reynolds, Mr Thomas Coy, Mr John L. Patterson, Mr T J. Davis.

Rev W. Lawes, lecturing at Melbourne on New Guinea, said the climate would prevent the country ever becoming suitable for Europeans. The natural productions of New Guinea were much exaggerated. Only some parts were suitable for cattle-rearing. The Duke of Connaught is said to be desirous of getting the Governorship of New South Wales, but v Mr Gladstone is opposed to the idea