OUR LONDON LETTER.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5503, 2 March 1896, Page 4

OUR LONDON LETTER.

♦ ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES. [from our own correspondent.] London, Jan. 26. WAR SCARES. The discovery that these exciting war scares, "which form such excellent material for newspaper "copy" and music hall songs, have touched our pockets severely, is helping very significantly to mitigate popular worship of the great god Jingo. We now (even in conversation) mingle caution with patriotism. "We don't want to fight, and, by Jingo, if we do," it's going to be exceedingly unpleasant and expensive for everybody. Jones quite understood Brown and Robinson would suffer in event of war, and his sentiments on the necessity of the honour of the nation being considered before the welfare of the individual were elevated in the extreme. The discovery that his own business was suffering came, however, as a distinct shock. Who could have supposed that threatened war would affect the sale of, say, bicycles ? As a matter of fact, luxuries of all descriptions were the first things to suffer. The number of pianos, bicycles and typewriters advertised for sale just now with the intimation' "no reasonable offer refused "is phenomenal. At the annual dinner of the Musical Instrument Trades Protection Association the other evening, it was stated that only secondhand pianofortes by reputable makers were saleable at all just now, and that a very fair instrument could easily be picked up as low as thirty shillings.! • ■[ - DEATH OF PRINCE HENBT OF BATTENBERG. The death of Prince Henry of Battenberg came as a terrible shock both to^the Queen and . the, ..bereaved widow, who has always been devotedly attached to her husband. Their union was, as all the world knows, a love match. The Royal family frantically opposed it, but the Queen's sentimental side overcame her German prejudices, and she decided that "Darling Bee " should have her way. At first the marriage did not seem to answer at all. Her Majesty made her son-in-law a Royal Highness and a K.G., and championed him in public on every possible occasion. But in private it was said she snubbed him not a little. Like most Germans the Prince seldom had a cigarette out of his mouth. The Queen hates tobacco, and the Eoyal nose curled heavenward whenever " Heinrich" entered the room. Princess Bea- 1 trice did not like this, nor many other things, and on dit there were frequently what less exalted personages call "ructions " between mother and daughter. Fortunately, Prince Henry possessed (as do all the Battenbergs) consummate tact, plenty of brains, and a kindly nature. By degrees these, and the advent of children, won on the Queen till she became, if not devoted to her son-in-law, at least very fond of him. It is a great pity the Prince was allowed to go to Ashantee. A facetious remark by the Prince of Wales started the idea, and Lord Wolseley did not sit upon it as he ought to have done. As a matter of fact, Prince Henry, being of plethoric habit, was an excellent subject for malarial fever, and so indeed he proved. MR W. P. REEVES. The notices which have appeared about the new Agent-General in the London papers would doubtless have been fuller had the news of his appointment reached ,us at a less exciting moment. The South African colonies naturally monopolise attention, both in official and commercial circles at present. Sir Westby Perceval has, however, been inundated with inquiries, as to the record, and capacity of his successor. To both I hear in the city he has borne highly complimentary testimony ; in fact, whatever can be done to smooth Mr Eeeves's path the present Agent-General may . be relied upon to do. Fortunately there is a disposition east of the Bank of England to look favourably en. New Zealand politicians. The prejudice aroused in influential quarters by Sir Julms Vogel's eccentric finance and the Hon Thomas Eussell's — well— surprising sagacity has been erased by the staraighforward dealing and .shrewd, capable common-sense of Sir W. Perceval and, Mr Ward. Mr Eeeves will have fair play and a polite welcome, though the resurrection of Sir P. Julyan's successor has, it would be useless to deny, caused a good deal of uneasiness. With Sir Westby Perceval firmly in thesaddle, Sir Julius could at worst have been but "a thorn in the flesh." To Mr Reeves he may prove infinitely worse. SIR GEORGE GRET. Sir George Grey continues in excellent health and spirits, the mild weather allowing him to take a certain amount of outdoor exercise nearly every day. When I saw him on Wednesday morning the first topic he touched upon was, naturally, the change in the representation of the colony in London. " I am very, very sorry Sir Westby is going," the veteran remarked, and then he reiterated his good opinions of the present occupant of the chief chair at 13, Victoria Street. Asked what he thought of Mr Eeeves's appointment, Sir George Baid he knew little of the gentleman in question, except by hearsay. He intimated, however, that he did not think any change could be made for the better. Then Sir George startled me. He expressed in no doubtful manner his opinion that the colony had no real need for an Agent-General at all. At first I thought that he was simply opposed to the plan of making the headship of the department a political plum. But no ; Sir George meant that the whole affair was an extravagance : that the business of the colony did not necessitate its existence, and that when any financial operations were in process a man could be sent from New Zealand to arrange matters. . THE LIVE STOCK TRADE. • Mr J. A. Gilruth returned to London from Scotland early in the week, and has now gone to Paris to pursue his studies at the Pasteur Institute. Whilst in town he interviewed the chiefs of the Board of Agriculture, with a view to persuading them, if possible, into taking a more friendly view of the importation of live stock from New Zealand, and more particularly to break down the department's prejudice against landing live sheep from the colony at Thames Haven. When Sir Westby Perceval approached the Board upon this matter the Board was apparently prepared to "think about it" in a sweetly reasonable sjirit, but with the advent of the Tories to power the department took up a decidedly antagonistic attitude toward the live cattle trade, and when Mr Gilruth visited the Board of Agriculture offices he very soon discovered that, so far from beinginclined to concede apoint to New Zealand, the department was more inclined to foster any attempt made to stop the live cattle importation altogether. He learnt that a Bill was likely to be introduced shortly* placing further restrictions on the trade. Such a measure, of course, will command the support of our farmers, and will at the same time afford much gratification to Mr John Colam and his friends of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. It would indeed be a measure of protection not likely to find very serious opposition on this side of the water, and I think the 'New Zealanders interested in the trade would do well to make up their minds that

there will be no relaxation of the restrictions under which they now work so W as the Tories are in power— ratnerttat the conditions will be less favourable than heretofore. The Bill now under consideration wilL I understand, call for the slaughter on board or at the port lairs of all the cattle and sheep arriving from abroad. It is the thin end of the Protection wedge without doubt, for no man in his senses would argue that sheep coming from a disease-immune colony like New Zealand could endanger the flocks of this land because the vessel carrying them had coaled at Las Palmas, where there are no sheep and where the vessel anchored a couple of miles off the land. Yet this was j the only obstacle to the landing at Thames Haven of the Buteshire consignment so far as I am aware. T3E INSCRIPTION OF STOCK. The solicitors to the Bank of England have, I am given to understand on good authority, reported to the Governor and that whatever New Zealand may choose to do in the matter 1 of floating future loans, she cannot take away from them any of those already in existence^ It seems Sir Julius Yogel, when entering into relations with the bank years ago, gave a deed whereby he guaranteed not only that the interest of loans floated in Threadneedle Street should be distributed by them, but that the principal should be repaid there. Of course If this proves to be so, the question of the removal of the inscription of stock is at an end. No colonial Act of .Parliament can override a definite contract!, and the Imperial Parliament would not interfere in such a matter. Since learning the foregoing I have seen the Agent-General, and find that he does not appear to think the legal difficulty insurmountable. Apparently ;he ,has •no great faith in the obittr dicta of the Bank of r England* solicitors 1 , The. whole thing appears to me to contain all' the elements; necessary to a protracted lawsuit which, will only end in the Privy Council. Win or lose, this means a heavy legal bill for the colony, and it seems questionable whether the game is worth the candle. . . PERSONAL. The Rev Ernest Crombie, a stepson of Captain Ashby, leaves London shortly for a health trip to New Zealand. He will go as far as Egypt in the P. and O. steamer Malta, and, after spending a couple of weeks in the land of the Sphinx, will continue his journey towards your colony in the Himalaya. I understand that Lord Hampden has written Home expressing approval of Australia in general and his own surroundings in particular. The Misses Brand, however, are not at all pleased with the amount and nature of the attention their cycling has attracted. The refined humour of the Sydney comic papers does not meet with their approval at all. English people see little fun in unkindly caricaturing inoffensive private ladies • Mr Henniker Heaton tells me that Mr Chamberlain has written him expressing his anxious desire to establish Imperial penny postage. If this signifies that the Secretary for the Colonies really means to support the member for Canterbury's proposals energetically the latter is in luck's way. The backing of " Moatlhodi " will be worth having next session. What is the particular influence of Maori women in New Zealand politics? I ask the question because the following somewhat nebulous paragraph appeared in the Chronicle a few days ago:— "At a draw-ing-room meeting held in Bedford Gardens yesterday. Mr 3 Alexander gave an amusing account of the bygone battle for women suffrage in New Zealand, and she drew a suggestive picture of the present influence of women, and especially of Maori women, in the politics of the coiony." Mr George Beetham, of Wellington, who played a-strong hand in the flotation of the Taitapn Gold Estate Company, tells me that the prospects of that concern are very rosy, according to the news received from Mr Low, the colonial manager. There was a smart Anglo-Colonial wedding at the Alford parish church on Wednesday, Jan. 15, when Mr Stewart Shirley Blackburne, of Christchurch, took unto himself a wife in the person of Miss Mabel Lizzie Lanphier, second daughter of Dr Richard Lanphier, of Alford. The ceremony was performed by the bridgegroom's father, the Rev S. Blackburne, assisted by his son, the Rev A. P. S. Blackburne, and the vicar of Alford, who gave the fashionablecongratulatory-cum-admonitory address — a piece of verbiage most people deem nothing more than a nuisance. A very full congregation was present. Mr and Mrs Blackburne leave England for New Zealand in May. I hear that Mr F. I. Williamson, of Esher, has been commissioned to execute the marble life-size recumbent statue of the late Bishop Harper, which it has been decided to erect in Christchurch Cathedral. Another of the veterans of the New Zealand war has gone to his last rest, namely, Dr George Cunningham Meikleham, who died at Southsea last week. The doctor's career since he entered the army medical service fiye-and-fifty years ago had been a very active one. Forty years ago he served in Burniah, being present at the storming of the White House redoubt, and also at the historic capture of Rangoon. Then came the Crimean war, and Dr Meikleham had a full share in the exploits of that most exciting time, gaining two medals for his humanity and heroism. In 1863 he served in the New Zealand war^ and he also took part in the Abyssinian campaign. Mr R. R. Hunt, of Auckland, left London by the Orient liner Cuzco last week for New Zealand, where he will represent a strong syndicate of capitalists, who propose to put money into approved New Zealand gold properties, without reference to locality. Mr Spencer H. Gollan, of Mangatarata, who is now living at 6, Porchester Gate, Hyde Park, has informed the world at large, through the medium of the Times, that his wife presented him with a son on Saturday last, Jan. 19. Inquiries elicit the news that both mother and child are progressing favourably. May the boy.be as good a sportsman as his father. Mr Philip Mennell, accompanied by his wife; left Charing Cross at eleven yesterday morning for Naples, where they will catch the outgoing Orient liner en route for West Australia. The editor of the British Australasian's mission is understood to be associated "vrith some of the many mining pies in which he has inserted a judiciously hooked finger, and to have no connection with the Press. Mr and Mrs j Mennell expect to be away six months, and may visit Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and even New Zealand before returning. During the editor's absence Mr Marriott Watson, the eminent New Zealand novelist, will conduct the British Austra--7 *