PERSONAL NOTES FROM LONDON.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXIII, Issue XVI, 15 October 1904, Page 46

PERSONAL NOTES FROM LONDON.

(From Our Special Correspondent.) LONDON. September 2. Mr IL Cranwell, of Auckland, and Miss Cranwell, are shortly leaving England for the United States, on tire way to New Zealand, after a very pleasant holiday in the Old Country, part of which they spent motoring in tile South of England. • On August 17, St. Michael’s, Smarden, Kent, was the scene of an Anglo-New Zealand wedding, the principals in which were Miss Annie M. Banchop, daughter of the late Mr Robert M. Banehop, of Port Chalmers, and Dr. Herbert Austen Hinds, M.R.C.8., L.R.G.P., of ( aiiterbury, and son of Mr William Hinds, of Chessenden, Smarden. Lord Raiifurlv, who arrived in London a few days ago from the colonies, via the States, is staying with Lady Raiifurly at their town house, 44, Wilton Crescent. but leaves for the country in a day or two. He is in excellent health. Miss Hilda Hitching, of Napier, who. in partnership with Mr Margolioutb, also a New Zealander, recently won the Mixed Doubles Handicap at the West Kensington Championship Meeting, has achieved the distinction of having her portrait produced by the “Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News,” which, in the course of a brief biography, says: — ‘ In spite of her physical infirmity Miss Hitching* ... is clever in many ways, especially with her needle. She stands . r >f l . 1 im, and is a splendid speci■men of young womanhood, colonialborn.” Miss L. Ccttle, of Auckland, who came Home by way of Suez last April, and has been tccupying the interv n:ng period by visiJng friends in various parts of England, is now spending a month "doing” the sights of the Metropolis. The advent of winter will drive her to the- Isle. <f Wight, and she will remain there till spring comes onee more, when a visit to Paris will re-open her sight seeing campaign. Thereafter her plans are indefinite, but during next summer Miss Cottle hopes to explore the English-Lake district, and does not

expect to sail for New Zealand again till next September. The Rev. J. T. Pinfold, of Hamilton, who is having an interesting' time in England, recently did a couple of weeks’ duty at Woolwich, where he was particularly interested in looking over the great arsenals.

The marble statue of the late Sir George Grey, which Mr.J. Williamson, of Esher (“the Queen’s sculptor” he was known as during the life-time of Queen Victoria), has fashioned for Auckland is being shipped by the Wakanui next week. The statue is double life size, and stands eleven feet high. Mr Williamson, 1 hear, has achieved a speaking likeness of “the great Pro-Consul,” but owing to the exigencies of the holiday, season-1 was not able to pay a visit to Esher in time to see the completed work before the packers had taken it in hand.

Messrs. H. Rountree and C. Holland (Auckland), who have been travelling in Holland, Belgium and Germany, had the unpleasant experience of being temporarily placed in the lock-up at Tirelemont till the chief of police was available. He found their papers in order, and saw that they were immediately released with apologies. Their tour was in other respects wholly- delightful.

Lord Onslow, your ex-Governor, was one of the party of nine guns which, on Mr IL 11. Rimington - Wilson’s grouse moor at Broomhead, not many miles from the busy cutlery centre. Sheffield, broke all records on August 24th by killing no fewer than 274.3 grouse, an average of 304 birds per gun. This bag surpasses by fifty brace of grouse the previous record for one day's shooting by a party, which was made as far back as 1893 on the same moor by Mr Riniing-ton-Wilson and his guests, when 2648 grouse were accounted for. This re-cord-making shooting party consisted, in addition to Air Wilson, of the Earl of Onslow, the Earl of Powis, Lord Charles Manners, Lord Savile, The Mackintosh, Major Aeland-Hood, Mr Heat ley Noble, arid Mr 11. R. Wilson, and thus embraced many of the finest grouse shots living.

Mr Morrison, of Napier, who came Home by the Tyser liner Hawke’s Bay, and arrived in the Old Country last month, has conceived a vast respect for the light-fingered fraternity of London. One of the brotherhood relieved him the other day of a purse containing twelve sovereigns, a pocket book, and a pair of gold-mounted spectacles in a case. The New Zealander knew nothing of his loss till he entered a restaurant in search of liquid sustenance. Mr Morrison, whose trip is chiefly one of pleasure, expects to remain in England some twelve months'.