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New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLIII, Issue 6, 11 August 1909, Page 9

Three nieces of the late Sir Andrew Lusk, ex-Lord Mayor of London, who died in England recently at the great age of 99, reside in Auckland. They are Mrs. Smailes, wife of the acting-vicar of St. Sepulchre’s Church, Mrs. E. Mackellar, and Mrs. York, mistress of the infant classes at the Edendale school. Mr Fredrick Moore, A.R.A.M., one of the examiners appointed by the Associated Board of the Royal Academy of Music and Royal College of Music, has arived in Sydney. He will commence adjudicating upon the practical work in Queensland. The second examiner, Herr Ludwig, is now examining the Northern Queensland centres. The third examiner, Mr Frederic Cliffe, is due to arrive at Fremantle on August 2nd. Three weeks will be spent in West Australia, conducting the practical examinations, after which he will proceed to New Zealand. At the Mt. Eden Baptist Church last week a welcome social was tendered to Miss Gainsborough, an Indian Missionary, by the Auckland branch of the New Zealand Baptist Missionary Society. Miss Gainsborough has just returned from India, where she has been engaged in mission work for some years. The social was well attended and a success in every way, and the welcome accorded to Miss Gainsborough was a most cordial one. Addresses were delivered during the evening by Miss Gainsford, and the Revs. H. Knowles Kempton and H. Everett.

A private cable, received in Auckland yesterday from England, conveyed the news of the death of Mr. Henry Isaacs, which occurred on August 3rd. The late Mr. Isaacs was born in London about 1824, and, accompanied by kis brother George, left England in 1852, coming to Auckland via Melbourne. The brothers entered into business here, the firm afterwards developing to a large extent. During the Taranaki and Waikato wars the firm carried out a number of big contracts in provisioning the troops. Mr. Henry Isaacs was also, for a time, iu business in Melbourne, with his brother Edward. During his residence in Auckland, he took a keen interest in municipal affairs, and was for many years a member of the Auckland Harbour Board, and of the City Council, being Mayor of Auckland from July 6, 1874; to December 16 of the same year, The late Mr. Isaacs was one of the promoters of the Auckland Shipping Company, which was afterwards merged into the New Zealand Shipping Company. Mr. Isaacs had, for many years post, lived in retirement in London. The deceased had several relatives in New Zealand, being the uncle of Mr. R. E. Isaacs, of Auckland, Mrs. Humphrey Haines and the Misses Isaacs (2), also of Auckland.

The resignation has been accepted by the Board of Governors of the Rev. C. W. Scott-Moncrieff, who has been warden of St. John’s College since January 1, 1908. The retiring warden was the chosen of a large number of applicants for the position after the resignation of the Rev. H. Anson in 1907. Mr Scott-Moncrieff had a distinguished university career, and was first chaplain of Queen’s College, Birmingham, and later vice-principal of the Dorchester Missionary College, which appointment he resigned to accept the wardenship of St. John’s. Until the appointment of another warden the present sub-warden, the Rev. E. H. Strong, will be in charge of the College. Mr Strong, who is a New Zealander, graduated M.A. at the New Zealand University in 1900, and then went to Oxford, where he was senior colonial student and won the Cosberd Exhibition, graduating with the B.A. and B.Litt. degrees. In 1907 he was appointed to the parish of St. Barnabas, Balsall Heath, Birmingham, and at the beginning of the present year came out from England with the Bishop of Auckland (Dr. Neligan). News has been received of the death in Hamburg of Mr. W. Dittmer, a German artist who not long ago spent about two years in New Zealand, studying the Maoris as subjects for paintings and producing some very successful portraits of leading warriors and wahinee. He lived principally at Wanganui and Taupo. After returning to Germany, where he was recently married at Hamburg, he published an interesting work on Maori myths and legends, which were illustrated by very forceful sketches intended to reproduce the Maori spirit. The latest work in which he was engaged was a series of one hundred views of the port of Hamburg, whieh he was commissioned to paint for the Government or local authorities. —v- - — -•» —

Mr. Donald Robertson, Secretary to the Post and Telegraph Department, received advice last week to the effect that his son, Mr. P. W. Robertson (the first Rhodes Scholar to go to Oxford from Wellington) had taken his degree as Doctor of Philosophy at Leipsic with distinction. For his thesis in connection with the examination, he received the highest marks of distinction (Egregius), and in his oral test the highest marks (“Summus Cum Landa”). The name of the thesis submitted by Mr. Robertson waa “Optical Studies in Copper, Ammonia, Complexes for Red and Yellow Oxyazabenzene Salts.” It is controversial as to which educational centre confers the greatest distinction on one gaining his Ph.D. Degree, but Leipsic has been most in favour since the chemistry division of the University there has been controlled by Professor Hantsych. Mr. Robertson, who takes up an appointment as lecturer to the Rangoon branch of the Calcutta University in October, may now append the following letters to his name:—'M.A., M.Sc. (N.Z.), B.A. (Honours), Oxon., Ph.D., Leipsic—a fact whieh reflects credit in a very great degree on such a young man, and honours on his alma mater, Victoria College, Wellington.