Rugby Football.

Free Lance, Volume III, Issue 138, 21 February 1903, Page 19

Rugby Football.

" Tom " Gray, late mine host of the Shamrock Hotel, ancUn his day a rattling Athletic Club forward, was a swimming enthusiast during his later years in Wellington. Tom has lately gone to Auckland—licensee of the Queen's Ferry Hotel there in fact — and has assisted in engineering a new swimming club into existence there, the inaugural meeting held last week, being very successful. Generally Gray's presence in Auckland has given a " boost " forward to swimming. That was a graceful motion passed at the meeting of the Management Committee of the Rugby Union last week. Mr. R. G. Hallamore, or " Halley" as he is known to his friends, was a popular member of the Wellington Football Club when resident here and he has been a leading light in Rugby football since he went to the squatters 1 country — Hawke's Bay. That he came scatheless out of the Elingamite disaster was pleasing to many of his friends in Wellington, and the Rugby Union did the correct thing in marking its satisfaction thereat. The editor has handed me a further letter from Mr. Alfred M. De Costa which has come to hand. It deals, of course, with my comments last week on his previous letter. Mr. De Costa now states that when he used the word " our " he was " speaking as a New Zealander and not on behalf of the N.Z.R.F.U." He also asserts that his interview with the Hon. Sec. of the English Rugby Union was a private one. As for the delegates of the N.Z.R.F.U. being surprised when they read his letter as published by Mr. Garrard, Mr. De Costa remarks " I must say that I do not possess magic power and consequently could not prevent them being surprised, but at all events I sincerely trust that their sleep was not marred in any way." The letter calls for no further remark on my part, and so I let it pass.

Cleoige Musgrove has secuied the Austidhan rights ot The Seicnade," a new Anieucan opera. * *■ * During her perf 01 mance in Zaza," Nellie Stewart changes her diess se\ en times, and weans foui different pans of shoes. Maud Beattie has added an 'c" to her front name since she caught on at Home. Shei is also billed now a.s "Madame Beattie." • * * Marcus Superbus Julius Knight has been telling a press rntei viewer, in London, that he has repeaitedly leceivecl tempting offers to return to Australia, but' so far has refused them. • * * It is just possible we may, after all, hear the adorable Patti in the colonies before her voace cracks up. A London j.aper says she may tour Australasia at the close of her next American trip. • • « "The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News," in its notice of "Mother Goose," produced at Drury Lane on Boxing Night,, says that "There was some good vocahsm by Miss Maud Beatty." As Miss Beatty was the principal boy, the critic evidently was not completely satisfied with her acting. * * * Miss Maud Latimer (here with Wilson Barrett's Company), who recently died in London from mnuenza. came from Inverell (New South Wales), as did her slister Edyth aJso a member of Wilson Barrett's Company. Their mother kee^s the Grand Pier Hotel, Manly. Edyth joined the company m England, while Maud a very fine younis; woman, joined later in Australia. She was only twenty-one years of age. * * * Amy and Dolly Castles gave the first of their two f arew ell concerts in Sydney in the Town. Hall, on Wednesday, the 4th instant. The "Sunday Times" says of Dolly : "It would be unfair to subject her to minute criticism. Admittedly immature, the little lady possesses a voice certainly worthy of cultivation, and if, at times, her interpretation was faulty, that drawback can easily be overcome with study. While she may not, perhaps reach the topmost rung of the professional ladder, she should ero sufficiently near it to compensatei her for the closest application she might make to her art."

Mr Lionel B rough is pieparmg his lemmiscences fm publication. The book is to be anecdotal as well as biograplucaJ. If Mr. Biough can include but a tithe of his stone of funny yams, the book should ha\e an enormous sale. * * • At Trieste recently, Herr Bocia, a Tneste musician, in the presence of a jury of musicians and journalists, Dlayed on the pianoforte, with two interruptions of ten minutes, for twenty-six hours in succession. All kinds of musio ueie peifoimed. * * * Rawei, the Maori gentleman, who toured the colony some years ago with ? pictonal entertainment, "The Land of the Maori," is now in Sydney. He was to start at the Queen's Hall, Pittstreet on Monday last, with "a series of humorous and pathetic recitals, illustrated with native music, song, and scenery." • » * Miss Ada Crossley made her last appearance in London prior to her departure for America at the Albert Hall early last month, when she sang m the Royal Choral Society's production of The Messiah." As a lucky souvenir, Madame Patti sent the Australian contralto a little cluster of eidelweiss and her latest photograph, inscribed with warmest wishes. Miss Inez Bensusan, who was here flu.. Chas. Arnold and his company iatheir more than two years ago, is now ir. Uncle Sam's Land, and has been sending the "Ontic" her impressions thereof. She sums up the New York musical comedy (now the vogue) thusly "Take a popular singing soubrette a manly-looking tenor, and a comedian, let them sing any songs they choose , the tenor, of course, amorously, the soubrette doublevmeaningly, the comedian/ topically sprinkle therein a chorused coon song, a sand dance, a patriotic ensemble*, dealing with the army or the mavy all some song about an insect or a reptile, and tihere is your piece. It does not matter in the least about the story." • ♦ ♦ Of the encore nuisance, Miss Ben r susan says — "When an air catches on, the demand for encores is positively Gargantuan. It is quite a common thing for the* singer to come back tw elve times, sing eibht extra verses, repeat the eighth four times, then request thei aiudience to do instead, a<nd

the audience, being veiy obliging, obeys in lusty tomes, while the performer stands silently smiling in the centre of the stage*. When the public is quite satisfied, the piece proceeds." • • « Mr. Fred. Graham gives it as his opinion that the production of "The Circus Girl" by Mr. Williamsons Musical Comedy Company hasi been "a gigantic success" in New Zealand. "It goes like wildfire." He considers that to produce it and play the principal part has been the hardest task of his life.