PERSONAL NOTES FROM LONDON.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXIX, Issue XXII, 29 November 1902, Page 1386

PERSONAL NOTES FROM LONDON.

(From Our Special Correspondent.) LONDON, October 24. Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Brett (Auckland), who have lately been touring on the Continent, visiting Cologne, Frankfort, Dusseldorf, Brussels, and other towns on business and pleasure combined, leave at the end l of next week for a few days in Paris prior to joining the Himalaya at Marseilles on November 7.

Mrs. Mark Cohen and her daughters (Dunedin) arrived on the 17th after a pleasant voyage in the Afric, in the course of which, when off Capetown, they experienced the gale that led to so many shipwrecks at Port Elizabeth. They are at present staying with Mrs. Cohen’s sister, Mrs. Jacob, at 41, Maxilla Gardens, North Kensington, and witnessed the Royal progress to-day.

Albert Trott, the ex-Australian, Middlesex and M.C.C. cricketer, left London a few days ago by the Sophocles for the colony to fulfill his coaching engagement with the Hawke’s Bay Cricket Club. “Albatrott” took part in the new game “vigoro” at an exhibition given thereof at Lords last week end, and will therefore be able to initiate the club members and their friends into the mysteries of the new pastime if they desire a variant on cricket. Whether he has with him a set of the instruments necessary for the game deponent knoweth not, but from the description given of “vigoro” utensils I should think local manufacturers of sporting outfits should easily be able to produce the required items.

Veterans of the Maori wars are fast passing away. The latest to answer to the last call was Colonel Clarke of Achareidh, Nairn, who, before serving in New Zealand, fought in the battles of Alma and Inkerman, was severely wounded and taken prisoner in a sortie on the trenches before Sebastopol and remained in the hands of the Russians for ten months. He was Depute-Lieutenant and J.P. of the County of Nairn, and played no inconsiderable part in the local government and philanthropic schemes of the county. He was 69, and died from a heart complaint.

The Agent-General has returned from the recent Congress of Hydrology, Climatology and Balnerology at Gernoble, at which there were assembled some 100 experts from the various thermal and bathing resorts on the Continent. The only other Colonial representative was Mr Todd, of the South African Office. Dr. Robin presided over the Congress. A large number of papers were read and discussed, and various visits paid to the baths in the district.

The Agent-General was much struck with the thorough way in which everything relating to thermal springe has been systematised, and the depth and minuteness of the mastery of all details. He has sent out a report on the Congress to his Government, which should be useful to the Government balneologist. It goes without saying that Mr Reeves distributed among the members of the Congress various papers dealing with New Zealand’s resources as a Kur-ort.

Miss Ada Theresa Sievwright’s marriage to Mr John H. Davis, banker, of New York, and father of the present Marchioness of Dufferin, last week was a very quiet affair owing to the recent death of the bride’s father. The bride wore a travelling dress of pale grey, a white hat and fox muff and boa, the gifts of her sister. After the wedding Lady Dufferin entertained a few friends at breakfast, including the Marquise de Talleyrand and Princess Raspoli. The first days of the honeymoon were spent at Eastbourne. The bride received' a number of handsome presents, including a diamond and pearl dog collar, and a diamond crescent from the bridegroom.