LONDON.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1871, 17 February 1892, Page 6

LONDON.

(From the Dunedin ' Evening Star's' London Correspondent. ) ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES. London, New "X ear's Day, 1892. The Anglo-colonists who spent Christmas week in London describe the six days' black fog as a never-to-be-forgotten experience. Fog affects a great many people physically — produces headache, lassitude, and profound depression ; and Australians seem specially sensitive in this respect. On the other hand, they don't suffer from cold as one would expect them to. If (being a shivery man yourself) you say to young Cornstalk " Dreadfully cold ; don't you feel it ?" expecting cordial corroboration, the chances are he replies indifferently "Not much." The K.C.M.G.S somewhat tardily bestowed on Mr Colton, of South Australia, and Mr Wrixon, of Victoria, call for no special comment, and have been passed by the Home Press without remark. Captain Arthur Moore, R.N., who receives a. O.M.G. for services rendered in connection with the defences of Australasia, is a cousin of Lord Charles Scott, the commodore of your station, and of the present Duke of Buccleuch. Captain Moore ha& two brothers settled in New Zealand — Mr Walter Moore, of Wierton (Canterbury), and Mr Charles Moore, who for some time had a station on the Chathams. The peerage conferred on General Roberts comes — when one remembera the time General Wolseley has been a I'ird — not a moment too early. Public opinion cordially approves and warmly congratulates the Indian Commander-iu-Chief. The Shaw, Savill and Albion Company issued a notice some time ago stating that the Tainui, which in ordinary course would h^ve left London on December 24 and Plymouth at midday on the 26th, would be delayed at the latter port till Saturday evening, so that passengers desiring to do so might enjoy their Christmas dinner in the Old Country. But "man proposes," etc. The vessel was blocked in London by the dense fogs which prevailed at the time, and did not quit Plymouth till late on Tuesday last. Dr R. Stevens, who has been Home holiday making for the past twelve months, has decided to return home as early as possible, and will probably sail with his wife in the Kaikoura next week, Dr SteveDS says he has enjoyed himself immensely at Home, but he ia very severe in his strictures on our climatic variations, and says he would not permanently live in England even if he were offered a country mansion to do so. The fogs of last week somewhat hastened his departure. Mr James M'Kay and Mr Henry B. M'Nab (the manager of the Bank of New Zealand) have been elected Fellows of the Colonial Institute. The Ruahine, the new passenger-cum-cargo steamer of the New Zealand Shipping Company, is loading for Adelaide and other Australian ports. This departure is not, I understand, an initiation of a new route to New Zealand for the company's steamers, but has been resorted to on account of the lack of freight for New Zealand. The Ruahine will of course. go to New Zealand as well as Australia. She sails from London on the 14th inst. The trial trip of the Union Steam Ship Company's new passenger and fruit boat for their service betwixt New Zealand and Fiji, the s.s. Upolu, took place on the Clyde last week, to the satisfaction of all concerned with her. The Upolu was built at Paisley by Messrs Fleming and Fergusson. Her dimensions are 220 ft x 30ft x 24ft ; and she is fitted with a set of patent quadruple expansion engines of 900 indicated horse-power. The construction of the vessel was carried out under the superintendence of Mr John Dirling, the Union S.S. Company's resident director. Hsr mean speed on the measured mile was 11.6 knots an hour. Mr J. R. Cox, M.P., has arrived back. He expresses himself warmly indebted to Dr Reynolds, of Adelaide, and Dr Redwood, of Wellington, for the assistance they afforded him in hia mission. Mr Cox waa particularly gratified by his reception in New Zealand. Poor old Toole is laid up at Home with a sharp attack of bronchitis. Sir Richard Quain and Dr A. Cooper Key are in attend ance and express considerable anxiety. In any cage, some time must elapse before the veteran comedian can reappear, and rehearsals of 'The Houseboat' aie suspended. Ths Countess of Clancarty, who is not the sort of person to do anything in perfunctory fa&hion, on Sunday last presented her gratified lord with twins, both boys. Delicate references to the fair belle's achievement have been introduced at the music halls, Nearly three and a-quarter million carcasses of frozen mutton were landed in England this year from New Zealand, River Plate, and Australia. Of thia prodigious quantity your colony is responsible for 1,896,70G, the Plate contributing over 1,000,000, and Australia only 334,000. The following passengers return to the colony by the_ P. and O. steamer Oceana, whicb leaves London on the Bth January :—: — Mr H. Garrick, Mrs and Miss Garrick and Mrs S. K. Garrick. From Brindisi— Dr and Mrs Downea, Mr Cunningham, Mr J. G. S. Clarke, Mr C. B. Hilton, Misses Pike, Mr T. Patterson, Mr Richardson, Mr T. Woodroffe, Mr and Mrs Scott, and Miss Wisney. The ordinary general meeting of the reconstructed Ravenscliff Mining Company was held on Wednesday, Mr F. P. Ward presiding. The chairman had little to tell hi 3 proprietors save that the properties the company had acquired since reconstruction were very "promising" ones, but would require more working capital to develop them, which would be raised by a call amounting to about L 2.000. Having told the shareholders that Mr Logan, the vendor, had not received any cash for his properties, but only 4,000 in shares, and that his interests were therefore identical with their own, Mr Ward paid a rjretty compliment to the manager in New Zealand, Mr C. H. Turner, to whom the company were indebted for the zeal and ability displayed by him, fiist of all in recommending the properties to us and in assisting Mr Logan to develop them. Mr Mackay, the auditor, having refused to accept remuneration for his services till the company were paying dividends, the proceedings terminated with with the usual compliments to the chair. The retirement of Sir Robert Herbert, who has for twenty-one years past been the permanent Under-Secretary at the Colonial Office, is really a more important^ matter even than the resignation of his superior, Lord Knutsford, would be. Sir Robert, in 'addition to possessing ripe judgment, singular tact, and charming manners, had an extensive knowledge of colonial notables little short of phenomenal. Whether the twopennyhalfpenny celebrity calling self-importantly upon Lord Knutsford came from Tasmania or Timbuctoo, Melbourne or Mashonaland, Sir Robert was sure to know all his antecedents, what he wanted from the Colonial Office, and exactly how far it was desirable or worth while to conciliate him. Sir Robert's loss would be simply irreparable bat for the fact that he will be succeeded by an official (the Hon. R. Meade) who has been Senior Assistant Under-Secrotary for years, and is saturated with Sic Robert's traditions. Whether 'twas the fog or the absence of their " own Nellie," or the innate rottenness of what truth compels me to Btate is at present a specially wretched specimen of its

class, I don't know, but the Gaiety boys would not have • Cinder Ellen ' at any price on Christmas Eve, and it has not done very good business since. The house began the night in excellent spirits, and welcomed each old favorite uproariously, but the piece soon dragged dolefully, and towards the end open expressions of dissatisfaction could be heard. This at the Gaiety, and on such an occasion, means much. No doubt equally foggy burlesques have been worked up into successes here before now by clever low comedians, and, with Lonnen and Arthur Williams to back up the tricky Leslie, " all (as the melodramatic villain observes) may yet be well." It is, however, very much of a toss-up, especially should the volatile Nellie not return soon. Much surprise was expressed on Christmas Eve during the entr'actes that this piece should have satisfied Australian audiences, Haddon Chambers has wisely taken a hint from the critics and strengthened the final scene to 'The Honorable Herbert' The piece does not seem to be " catching on " well, but it is hoped with the New Year the houses may improve. The truth is the Vaudeville is not the popular theatre it was in the days of 'Our Boys.' 11l fortune seems to pursue it. ' Woodbarrow Farm ' was a capital play, which should have run a twelvemonth — and probably would have done so at the Garriok or Criterion — but Thome couldn't make it pay. In the same way • The Honorable Herbert ' may fail, though for Chambers's sake we'll hope not. In his lecture to the Playgoers' Club the other day Mr Beerbohm Tree omitted to acknowledge that hia references to the Belgian Shakespeare, Maeterlinck, were taken holus bolus from "Tasma's" article on the new celebrity in a reGent ' Literary Opinion.' Considering that an Australian (Mr Haddon Chambers) drew Mr Tree's attention to the article, which was written by an Australian in a paper edited by an Australian (Mr Martin), Mr Tree ought in common fairness to have pointed out that Antipodeans were rather before than behind the old folks at Home in their knowledge of literary and dramatic novelties. The January 'Contemporary' contains some interesting reminiscences of Carlyle by Sir Charles Gavan Duffy. Apparently there are to be several instalments, as this one winds up with "To be continued." The ' Pall Mall ' of yesterday gives extracts, if you are sufficiently interested to use them. After fifteen weary months in England Mr Frank Cornwall is at length at liberty to leave for Samoa, having in his possession the precious document which gives him possession, beyond dispute, of the plantations in Samoa over which he and the M 'Arthurs have fought so long and bitterly. On the 14th of November Lord Hobhouse delivered the judgment of himself and his confreres of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council en the "Appeal of M'Arthur and Co. v. Cornwall and another, and cross appeal of Cornwall and another v. M'Arthur and Co., from the Supreme Court of Fiji." The etfst of that deliverance you know. But Cornwall had to wait for the approval of Her Most Gracious Majesty before he could proceed to Samoa to take possession of his lands without danger of dispute. At the Court of Windsor Castle, so long ago as November 24, Her Majesty, on the advice of the Lord President, the Earl of Limerick, Lord Lennox, Sir James Ferguson, and Mr A. J. Balfour, signified her satisfaction with the finding of the Privy Council, but Cornwall had no proof of that until last Saturday, when he received a copy of Her Majesty s fiat whereby the decree of the Supreme Court of Fiji, of March 13, 1890, is affirmed. It will be observed by their Lordships' judgment that they are very severe on both parties with regard to certain actions, but -it must be also allowed that their lack of intimate local knowledge has led them to be severer on Cornwall than they otherwise would have been. Mr Cornwall intends to go by this week's Cunard boat to America. On landing at New York he will at once proceed to California, where his son has been living since Cornwall came Home iD September, 1890. • From thence he intends to go straight .to Samoa, but may stop at Auckland for a short time en route.