Thank you for correcting the text in this article. Your corrections improve Papers Past searches for everyone. See the latest corrections.

This article contains searchable text which was automatically generated and may contain errors. Join the community and correct any errors you spot to help us improve Papers Past.

Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image

OUR LONDON LETTER.

(from our own correspondent.) August 15. The grouse are having a hot time of it on the Highland hills, and thfere are streets and squares in London where the graSfc is making already desperate efforts to show itself. The whitebait dinner was eaten yesterday by her Majesty’s Ministers in the absence of their chief. A few days more and the Appropriation Act will have closed the weary session. Lord Beaconsfield for the first time in his life has allowed fatigue to master him before the actual prorogation, and on Monday quietly slipped down to Hughenden, bent on a long repose at home. It- will not be denied that he has earned it. Since the war commenced be has hardly allowed himself a holiday, and has for now two years spent the usual periods of vacation almost constantly in London. He has declined to be, —at all events he has not become, —Duke, whether of Cyprus or of St. Stephens ; but he outshines all other Knights the Garter by the splendor of his star, which belonged to tbe late Lord Hertford, and was given to him by Sir Richard Wallace. Yon are already aware, I assume, of the proposal made since last mail by the Imperial Government to terminate tho arrangement in force since 1873 for the transmission of postal matters, at tbe end of this year. The proposal I believe emanates absolutely from the Treasury, and is not very favorably regarded either at the Post Office or the Colonial Office. If the colonies act together, as they have every interest and disposition to do, I venture to predict that their case will he sustained by Sir M. Hicks-Beach and Lord John Manners, and that the Treasury will give in. It is much wondered at on this side of the world by politicians of a speculative turn, of mind that the Australasian colonies do not make up their minds to enter the General Postal Union established by the Berne Convention. When one reads the list of countries that have adhered to it, it would seem as if you wished to class yourselves among the “ outer barbarians” by not entering that magic sphere over which 2£d. will carry a letter and a penny a newspaper. Turkey and Persia, Russia and Canada, the Danish, French, Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese colonies (the latter, I admit, at a somewhat higher rate) partake of its privileges. Australia, New Zealand, and China are in fact the only great communities in the world who are outside its pale. Even from your little neighbor, Tahiti, you can send a letter for 2Jd. to Teheran or Orenburg. The Agents-General are now acting in cordial concert on the subject of the Treasury proposal. There was, it seems, some little dubiety at first about tbe action of the New South Wales Government; but now joint representations have gone forward from all the agencies, and it is to be hoped they will have good effect.. All the same, Ido not expect the good effect will be apparent much before the November fogs recall the heads of departments to Downing-street. It is hardly an advantage to the existence of perfect political relations between the Imperial Government and the Colonial, that at the time when with reawakened energies you commence your political life, everyone here is getting awfully tired of his. Just now your Parliaments are iu full swing, and the wrath of the outs with the ins is no doubt considerable. Here both outs and ins are shooting, yachting, or simply dosing all day and all night long to make up for the lost sleep of the session. This day week there will not be a Minister,' nor perhaps an Under-Secretary, within 100 miles of London, and accordingly before this day month more blunders will be made in her Majesty’s name than in all the other eleven months of the year added together. It is understood, therefore, that no decision will be taken iu the great Australasian postal service question until time has been given for the despatches sent to the various colonies to reach their respective Governments and for the representations made •on their behalf to be duly considered by the Cabinet, meaning, as beforesaid, next November. Though we are all puzzled by the contradictory reports about the climate and resources of Cyprus, and startled at the resistance to Austrian occupation in Bosnia, there is a general belief that peace is assured, and that the Treaty of Berlin will be in all its parts punctually There is far more real uneasiness, but after all it is not very much, ,at the Foreign Office, at the recently discovered Russian negotiations with the Ameer of Affghamsfcan, No doubt these negotiations were undertaken in view of the eventuality of a war with England. It is believed, indeed, that General Tchernaieff is in. Central Asia with orders given six months ago to organise an expeditionary army to attack Northern India. But the moving of the Sepoys to Malta was an effectual answer to that demonstration, and all the Ameer will now have to do will be to receive the Russian and the English missions with equal politeness. There is at this moment a universal downward tendency in the money market, consequent upon the somewhat unexpected rise of the bank i*ate at a special court, and an apprehended still further rise to-morrow. The New Zealand 5 per cent, consols, which were at 103 J during the last month have fallen to 101 J ; the 4£ per cent. 5-3 Os, which were 99 cum. div., are now 95£ ex div.; tbe 5 per cent. 5-30 s have fallen from 101 J to 101 ; the 5 per cent. 10-40 s from 101 Jto 100£. The same fall is common to all securities, foreign, domestic, and colonial, in their degree. The following vessels are announced to sail from the 15th to the 2.3 th August:—For Auckland—Gadlys, to-day, and the Clan Ferguson, on the 25th August. For Canterbury —Mallowdale, to-day; Opawa, on the 17th August; Hurunui,- on the 26th August; Pleiades, on the 30th August. For Otago— Dunedin, Waipa, and Canterbury, on tho 20th August; Auckland, on the 30th August; Wanganui, on the 10th September. For Wellington—Alexa and Gorina, to-day ; Hermione and Otaki, on the 25th August ; Adamant, on the sth September. For the Bluff— Waitara, on the 16 th August; Hudson, on' the 30th August. For Napier—Chile, on the 30th August.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZTIM18780927.2.16

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5461, 27 September 1878, Page 2

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,073

OUR LONDON LETTER. New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5461, 27 September 1878, Page 2

OUR LONDON LETTER. New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5461, 27 September 1878, Page 2

Help

Log in or create a Papers Past website account

Use your Papers Past website account to correct newspaper text.

By creating and using this account you agree to our terms of use.

Log in with RealMe®

If you’ve used a RealMe login somewhere else, you can use it here too. If you don’t already have a username and password, just click Log in and you can choose to create one.


Log in again to continue your work

Your session has expired.

Log in again with RealMe®


Alert