ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4711, 1 August 1893, Page 2

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

[FEOM OUR LONDON COBREBPONDENT.] London, June 9. rEOFESBOB ULBICH. Professor Ulricb, of Duaedin, is siill " hung" sb a candidate in the great hall of the Royal Society. He has been up several years, and considering the amount of useful scientific work he has done, ha ought to be safe tor election sooner or later. His certificate of recommendation is largely signed, among the name 3 being Sir J. Hector, Sir G. Verdon, Sir W. Buller, Sir F. M'Coy, Baron von Mueller ahd the late Sir Julius von Haast. But the Royal Society is a very exclusive one, the Charter permitting of only fifteen additional fellows every year out of an average of 175 candidates. Last year the names of half a dozen prominent scientists were taken down after hanging about five years. The late Frank Buckland was up twelve yearß, and then not elected. The curious part of it is that, as moßt of those who can write F.R.S. after their names are a long time past middle age, the number of deatliß every year outnumber the elections, and as vacancies are not filled, this important body is a gradually . diminishing one. Among the fifteen new i Fellows elected at the la&t meeting of the Council was Professor Alfred Russell Wallace, the well-known evolutionist. NBW ZEALAND AT THE FOBESTEIES. Sir Walter Buller completed, on Friday last, his New Zealand timber trophy at the Forestries Exhibition at Earl's Court, by adding some beautifully polished slabs of | kauri, puriri, totara, matai and other woods. It is quite one of the features of the show, and a~> admirably placed that visitors cannot help noticing and talking about it. Coupled with the splendid exhibit of the same kind at the Imperial Institute, it affords tangible evidence of New Zealand's wealth, in this respect. ' The Colony, by the way, has to thank the Hon E. J. Seddon and the Bail way Commissioners for making arrangements by which the double exhibition' of New Zealand timbers was rendered possible. A PBETTY BIGHT. Tne trooping of the colours on the Queen's Birthday U, perhaps, the prettiest sight of the London season, but one that only a select few are permitted to comfortably enjoy. The colonists favoured with tickets for the Commander-in-Chief's stand last Saturday were the AgentGenerals and their wives, and some dozen leading lights of the Institute, such as Sir E. T. and Lady Smith, Sir W. and Miss Buller, and Sir F. and Miss Abel. A good few antipodeans, however, mingled with the heaving crowd on the fringe of the Horse Guards' parade, and in return for a good crushing got an occasional glimpse of a red coat. IMPKBIAL FEDERATION. The Agent-General's paper on Imperial Federation, which he read before the Society of Artg, has been very favourably reviewed and criticised by the provincial Press, though in the strees of Home Bute the metropolitan papers have passed it over in comparative silence. The Westminster Gazette, however, has a brief paragraph thereon, and seems to agree with Mr Perceval in most of his points. There is one matter on which the Westminster differs from the Agent-General, and that is the representation of New Zealand and the other colonieß in the Imperial Parliament. " How many men," asks the critic " are there in his Colony rich enough, like himself, to afford residence in England, and, like himself, of recognised political ability ? Would New Zealand have spared Mr Ballance, Sir Henry Atkinson, Sir George Grey, and Sir Bobert Stout to the Imperial Parliament, if these gentlemen would have consented to goP Last of all, if half a dozsn gentlemen as able a 8 those we have mentioned agreed to tax New Zealand, or pledged it in war in Europe, would the Colony endorse their action ? The difficulty in these matters is shown by the fact that New Zealand, as Mr Perceval admits, has stood aloof from Australian federation. She was influenced by two feelings— that her representatives might be outvoted on matters affecting important interests, and that she could get all she wanted without federation. Australia, for instance, would be bound for its own sake to help in defending New Zealand againßt a foreign attack." MAINLY ORNITHOLOGICAL. Dr Bowdler Sharpe, one of the leading lights of the British Museum, is giving a serieß of lectures before the Boyal Institution of Great Britain. The second of the series, delivered on Thursday last, had reference to the distribution of land and sea in mezozoio and tertiary periods and the division of the world into zoogeographical regions. He had much to cay concerning the discovery by Mr H. O. Forbes of aphanapteryx at the Chatham Islands, and about the struthious birds (the moa and its allies) in New Zealand. He dissented sharply from Professor Hutton's conclusions, given in a recent paper, on the roclaEsification of the moas, and paid a high tribute to the author of " The Birds of New Zealand " for his researches into ornithography. Sir Walter, by the way, has just received the thanka of Cambridge University for his "numerous and valuable giftß to the Museum of Zoology during the past twenty ye»rs." I believe that these "thanks" include being prayed for at Commemoration. At a meeting of the British Ornithological Club held last December, Mr H. O. Forbes stated that he had recently rescued from the Chatham Islands a specimen of the flightless rail, cdbalus modestus, of Hutton's, and that he had co hesitation in declaring it to be the young of cabalus DieffenbacMi. Mr Forbes should have been more cautious. Further specimens received in thiß country have eßtab* lished beyond all doubt the validity of Professor Hutton's specie?, and Mr Forbes has had to " climb down." He would have saved himself this unpleasant feat if he had fctudied the recent papers on the subject in the "Tram actions of the | New Zealand Institute." i LADY GEOGRAPHERS. 1 Mr Henry 0. Forbeß, the late Curator of the Canterbury Museum, has not had long to wait for recognition cf his services to science. At the annual general meeting of the Boyal Geographical Society last week he was the proud recipient of the Gill Memorial Medal of the Society. At the same meeting, by the way, the question of continuing to admit lady Fellows again came to the front: The male creatures of the learned body have been at sixes and seven 6 for some time over this question, and at the laßt meeting a motion in favour of closing the door to lady geographers was carried by a considerable majority. This resolution the Council placed on record, andcho3e to consider the election of lady fellows, a thing of the paßt. Lord Mayo, Sir Frederick Young, and other prominent members of the Society, however, are strongly in favour of admitting the gentler geographers, and at the | . anniversary meeting motioaed to rescind j ! tha resolution debarring ladies. After a ; j heated discussion the motion was with- j ; drawn, but ib will fco considered by a . ' special general meeting to be convened ; ! with all speed. At present only twenty- ! two women claim to put F.E.G.S. after : their names, aad all these were elected last year. In Ibe eauie period one hundred ,

and forty-four male members were added to the roll. PERSONAL AND GENERAL. Mies Kate Marsden is amongtit the twenty-two ladies whom the Council of the Geographical Society recently made Fellows of the Boyal Geographical Society, and whose election a number of ungallant masculine Fellows are endeavouring to annul. Mies Marnden has also been to the fore this last week in Truth, the editor of which expresses tbe aame curiosity with regard to the expenditure of the funds collected for "my lepers," which I have so often given voice to. "Labby"isapt to be pertinacious when his suspicions are aroused anent the genuine character of a philanthropic enterprise. We may, consequently, expect to hetr more from him concerning the Lepers' friend. He speaks of her, I notice, as "aN6w Zealand A fair sprinkling of Australians and New Zealaodera were, as usual, amongst the guests of the Boyat Society on the occasion of its second annual soir6e at Burlington House, last Wedae«day evening. Generally, too, there are Borne specUl Colonial exhibits amongst the scientific toys and curios spread about for the visitors delectation, but I noticed none this time. The Agents-Generals and their Udu-B were all invited, but I only saw Sir Saul and Lady Samuel. Sr W. F. D. Jervoia, however, was there, and *o were Sir Julius and Lady Yogel, Dr Stirling, Mr and Mrs | Garrett- Anderson, S<r W.and Miss Buller, Sit Henry and Lady Barkly, &.G., &c. Lord and Lady Keivin received Che company. Amongst the severest sufferers by the recent Bank failures is Sir George Bowen, whose confidence ia tbe stability of financial institutions in Victoria has received a rude shock. The blow comes specially hard on the ex-Viceroy, as he was also severely hit by the depreciation in Bank of New Zealand shares a few years back. The well-known tap of exuberaat enthusiasm which Sir George was won erstwhile Co turn on at the mere mention of the Australias is now " off— very much off," aa Arthur Boberts would say. Mr E. Wake Cook, who spent some time painting in New Zealand, is exhibiting BDine pictures of tha hot and middle i island lakes at the Vokins' galleries in Great Portland street. The Times contains a capital notice of "The Early History of New Zealand," published by Mr Brett, of Auckland. It describes the volume as " imposing, copiously illustrated and edifying." The reviewer could wish teat the historians "had not incorporated narratives and documents quite so freely," but agrees with them the time for a critical hietory of the Colony haa not come yet. The new 7000-ton P. and 0. liner for the Australian service, which is to lick creation in the matter of spued, will be called the Caledonia, and be ready for delivery next year. It is pretty openly Btated that the exPermanent Under-Secretary of tbe Colonial Office, Sir Bobert Herbert, has joined the Council of the Colonial Institute with no other object than to promote, by hiß influence, an amalgamation with the Imperial Institute. On dit the Prince of Wales begged him to bring about this. The split at the Tabernacle is not now so much between the followers of the Rev Thomas Spurgeon and those of Dr Pierßon as between old Dr Spurgeon's clique and his nephew's following. The retiring pastor's friends are very bitter against Mr Tom's supporters, and have, made it impossible for the latter to join in the testimonials to Dr Spurgeon and Dr Piereon, to be presented to them on their retirement shortly. At the annual mooting of the Federated Institute of Engineera held on Friday last, the Secretary announced that the President's prize had been awarded to Mr G. Binna for his paper on "Goldmining in New Zealand." Amongst the papers discussed by members during the Bubse- ! quent proceedings was a very exhaustive essay on oca! and kauri gum mining in the Colony by Mr Binna, who by the way, is now giving a aeries of Jectureß on all branches of mining ia New Zealand before the Association of Engineers at Newcaßtle-npon-Tyne. Mr Benjamin Wayte, of the Cloma Bridge Factory, who arrived in England about a year ago, is now completing his course of theoret cal and practical studies in farming and dairying under Mr F. J. Lloyd, F.C.S., erstwhile of the Boyal Agricultural Society. That Mr Wayte has studied to some purpose is proved by tbe fact that in May last he obtained the diploma and silver medal of the British Dairy Farmers' Association. To complete his education, he is wisely enquiring into the methods of treating produce in transit, and though the time remaining at his disposal is short, he hopes to be able to glean some valuable information. To thiß end heia taking frequent trips to the docks, the only place where really practical knowledge can be picked up. Though the attendance at the levee on May 29 was unusually large, very few Colonists were presented. Sir W. Buller was there, and on the following day lunohed with His Highness the Maharajah of Bhavnagar, who is living in princely style at 46, Prince's Gate, which has been specially fitted up for his occupation. This Indian prince came over to be present at; the opening of the Imperial. Institute, and has shown a practical interest therein by presenting giftß amounting to £350,000. He proceeds shortly to Paris, but returns in time for the Boyal wedding.