PERSONAL NOTES FROM LONDON.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXVI, Issue I, 5 January 1901, Page 15

PERSONAL NOTES FROM LONDON.

(From Our London I'or respondent.) LONDON. November 15. The “World” has now numbered the Agent-General among ita celebrities at home. Tin* chiel that takes notes for that journal found Celebrity No. 1169 at 20. Cornwall Gardens, in a quiet plane tree shaded square, not far from the Imperial Institute. As, however, the Agent-General rents a furnished house and does not disturb “the details of the domestic milieu” the interviewer discovered “little specially characteristic of him in the lofty, comfortable rooms." However, the eye of the observer fell upon a Maori petticoat, some tasteful china, and some yellow flowers tastefully arranged by Mrs Reeves. The books werethe feature most characteristic of the AgentGeneral, who “has much of his time taken up in dining out and in public engagements, none the less numerous because he is a first-class speaker,” and who has “many New Zealand friends to be entertained, to say nothing of a wide circle of English acquaintances and relatives.” After referring to the ardour of both Mr and Mrs Reeves for cycling and describing what he saw at the Agent-General’s office, the interviewer gives a concise biography of Mr Reeves and of his progressive programme, not omitting the correct version of the famous “social pest” speech, and concluding. “Generally it may be said that the squatters, merchants and professional classes regarded Mr Reeves’ parliamentary achievements with the fiercest hostility. On the strength of them he was. however, in 1896, soon after his arrival in London, eatertained by the Eighty Club with Mr Asquith in the chair.

The Agent-General was present as a colonial representative at the dinner of the Imperial Liberal' Council last Monday, when he responded to the toast of the “United Empire,”’ and at the livery dinner of-the Salters’ Company on Wednesday, when he proposed the toast of “The Master.” He is one of the guests at the banquet to Lord Ampthill next week.

Mr Justice Denniston and his family returned to London last night from Berwick-on-Tweed, and will leave for the colony about 10th December.

Among the passengers by the Gothic, leaving next week, will be Mr “Len” Lloyd, of Christchurch, and his wife. Of late they have been doing the sights of London and environs in energetic fashion, and may fairly claim to have seen all that is worth seeing in the hub of the universe. On his return to New Zealand “Len” proposes to take steps to get himself reinstated in the ranks of amateur cyclists, a proceeding which appears to be somewhat in the fashion with your wheelers who have strayed into the eash prize ’fold. I have little doubt that Mr Lloyd will be welcomed back to the amateur ranks, and I am very glad to hear that your cycling authorities are making the way easy for those riders who, having tasted the joys (?) of professionalism, are anxious to return to the amateur state once more'.

Lieut.-Colonel Francis, who has been staying- at the Hotel? Metropole, Brighton, came up befiore the Medical Board for examination yesterday.

Dr. and Mrs Chilton and their little son left Southampton last Monday on their way back to the colony in the Norddeutscher-Llbyd Company’s Grosser Kurfurst. This steamer, by the way, is not only the largest vessel plying between Europe and Australia, but is about 2000 tons superior to any of the mail boats now running between England and Australia. She is , 13,182 tons gross register, has a dis- , placement of 22,000 tons, is 581 feet i long, 62 feet broad and 39 feet deep, has two sets of quadruple expansion engines of 8000 horse power, and has accommodation for 350 first-class passengers, 150 second and 250 third. Her speed is expected to average 15 or more knots an hour. She is splendidly fitted, even down to such de>

tails as electric lamps in the ladies* cabins to heat curling tonga, and in the gentlemen's to heat shaving water.

The “Bateman” records the death at the ripe old age of 83 of Mr James Macintosh, tormerly of Marton, New Zealand, which took place at 17, Ar* gyle Terrace, Rothesay, on November 9th.

The Fleetwood barque Woodville, Captain Trinick, arrived in the Cable Dene Dock from New Zealand laden with wheat last week after a voyage occupying nearly 150 days.

Mr Walter Weston. Christchurch, left London at the end of last week on his return to the colony. He travels via Nice. Rome and Cairo, and joins the Rome at Ismalia.

Mr Henry B. Pegram, who has undertaken the bust of Sir Harry Atkinson, is a pupil of the’bminent sculptor Mr Hamo Thorneycroft, R.A.. and has for 17 years past exhibited without intermission at the Royal Academy sculptures of all kinds—groups, figures. bas-reliefs, busts, and medallions. Some of his best-known works are “Death and the Prisoner,” a life-size group exhibited in 1888; “Hie Sybil.” 1891; “Ignis Fatuis,” a high relief in bronze exhibited in 1889, which was purchased by the Royal Academy, and is now in the Tate Gallery; and “Fortune," a single figure sculpture in heroic size, which attracted considerable attention at this year’s R.A. show. Mr Pegram achieved a bronze medal at the 1889 Paris Exhibition, and was among the silver medallists of the great show just closed. At the Dresden Exhibition in 1897 his work gained for him a gold token. Mr Pegram has done a large amount of architectural sculpture, including that on the main entrance of the Imperial Institute. but the individual work on which he prides himself most is perhaps the new candelabra recently placed in the main entrance to St. Paul’s Cathedral. They are of bronze, about 15 feet high, and the subjects are taken from the various objects of creation. Mr Pegram has done but little work on a small scale, but a charming little statuette, in silver, of the Queen, which belongs to the Mess of the Bodyguard of Gentlemen-at-Arms, is sufficient evidence of his powers in t.he execution of miniature work.

Mrs Kilgour, of Auckland, has returned to London after an extensive and most enjoyable tour on the Continent and in Ireland atid Scotland, and now proposes to stay in the Old Country over the winter, if she finds our climate is not too trying. Whilst in Europe she visited Brussels, did the Rhine Valley, visited Oberammergau and saw the Passion Play, and thence went to Switzerland, and spent a night on Pilatus for the sake of seeing sunset and sunrise from that famous mountain top. Mrs Kilgour came back to England via Paris, and soon after her arrival in London went on to Ireland, where she stayed for some time with friends in Dan O'Connell’s old home at Derrynane Abbey,

■nd sampled life in Convent at Tralee for four days. Thence she went on to Scotland, and after visiting friend* in that land and the North of England. returned to towu well ready for a period of rest from travel. She does not expect to return to New Zealand for some months to come, but her movements will depend to a great extent on the nature of the coming winter.

Mr Thomas Brown, the genial head of Brown. Ewing and Co., of Dunedin, who came Home in June last with his wife, for purposes of pleasure ami profit, leaves the Old Country next week by the Gothic, having had a very enjoyable spell here. He was. you will remember, one of the representatives of Dunedin at the Conference of Chambers of Commerce (his colleague being the Hon. T. Fergus), held at Fishmongers' Hall in July, and that over he and Mrs Brown repaired to Scotland, and thence on to Erin, touring those countries during August and September. Then they made an excursion to Paris, but they do not appear to have been overwhelmed with admiration for the “Exposition Internationale,” indeed, Mr Brown thanks that it was an inferior show to the World’s Fair at Chicago, which he saw in *93. Though pleasure was the primary object of the trip Home, a good deal of Mr Brown’s time appears to have been spent in doing business onq)>ehalf of his firm.

Mr H. S. Morrin, of Auckland, who after a pleasant trip by the Oruba to Marseilles, came overland to Loudon, and spending a week in Paris en route arrived in the Metropolis late in August, lias come to England with a view to pursuing his studies in Architectural Association, and has articled himself to a descendant of Sir Christopher Wren, who holds a high position among the fraternity here. Mr Morrin will probably remain on this side of the water for three or four years, and then, after a tour round the world, will return to Auckland, where be proposes to commence practice.

Miss Celia Dampier was amongst the performers at the Northern Polytechnic in Holloway Road, and played very attractively to a large audience.

At the annual general meeting ot the Melanesian Mission, which toi k place last Tuesday at Church House, Westminster, under the presidency of the Bishop of Newcastle, the chairman opened the ball with an “odjrs comparison.” He remarked that Australasia had taught England how enthusiasm for foreign mission work could be maintained. In Sydney recently the greatest enthus’asm hail been manifested in foreign mi.-sions, and it was a source of great gratification to them to know that about £3OOO of the total sum of £BOOO c 1lected during the mission week there, would go to the benefit of the Melanejsian Mission, and that about £2OOO of the sum would be devoted to the new ship fund. Altogether in Australia about £SOOO bad bren collected for the mission. A real effort

was now about to be made to raise the necessary funds to provide the mission with a new and thoroughly suitable ship. The Bishop of Ba h and Wells s;>oke of the Bishop of Tasmania's work in connection with the Board of Missions in Australia, and Baid that, as a result of the work of the mission, there were now son e 12,000 baptised Christians in the isv lauds wherein it laboured. There ■were 42 islands which the mission claimed ns its special sphere, but l<i of these islands it had at present been unable to touch because it had not enough iweu nor a swift enough vessel. It was understood that the 42 islands were to be worked by the Church of England, and the fact that their work was now threatened with interference, by others liehoved them all to work with renewed energy to strengthen the influence of the mission. Admiral Sir N. Bowden-Smith, who was formerly in command of the Australian Station, when he personally visited many of the islands, testified to the excellence of the work carried on by the mission, and commended it to the support of the English people. Viscount Hampden said that both Eady Hnmpden and himself when in Australia were struck by the excellence of the methods adopted by the mission, ami held Bishop Wilson in the greatest esteem. He did not thiMk that hostile criticism of any kind could be directed with justice against the mission. which took the young of the islands when they could be moulded sind turned them into Godfearing men and women. Thu Rev. J. .1. Hornby, Provost of Eton, the Rev. R. P. Wilson, and others also addressed the meeting, and the Rev. L. R. Robin, the organising secretary, announced the receipt of a communication from Mr. Henry Goselien, the 1 reasurer of the ship fund, to the effect that £3225 had now been collected in this country, which, with the amount collected in Australia, made about ha f the. total amount required for the new ship, the Southern Cross.

Picked up in the Colonial Office:— We timid wights, who greatly fear To go on fast with Pushful Jo, Are much delighted now to hear He's got a mate who'll go Onslow. The talented author of these facetious lines was more concerned with the exigencies of rhyme than of veracity. Lord Onslow has not the reputation of lacking “pushfulness;” indeed considering the manner in which he offended his party by pre* maturely throwing up the Vice-roy-alty of New Zealand he has got on surprisingly well. Whether he will agree with Mr Chamberlain is another matter. He knows far more about the colonies than his chief does, and holds decided views on most of the vital Antipodean questions. Also he and T.ady Onslow are not proud, but reserved, and their means will forbid their entertaining globe-trotting colonists, etc., as generously as they ■would doubtless like to do.