ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES. (From " Auckland Star " London correspondent.) London, June 17.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 163, 31 July 1886, Page 9

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES. (From " Auckland Star " London correspondent.) London, June 17.

*Mr MhiLS, of the Union Company, has arrived in London, and is staying at the Grand Hotel in Trafalgar Square. He has come over, as probably you know, to arrange for the building of a new steamer for the 'Frisco service, which both as regards epeed and comfort, is to be the crack liner ©{ the Pacific. Lord Bantry, whose marvellous recovery o£health and strength through a protracted residence in New Zealand {i.c , at Akaroa -and the Hot Springs) was so much talked mbout some months ago, has returned to bis estates in Ireland, bringing with him a charming bride. The Earl got married in Borne very quietly last February. His wife Is a member of the Fetre family, a granddaughter of the late and niece of the present Lord Petre, and has relatives in New Zealand. I fancy Mr Frank Petre, of Dunedin, must be her cousin or second cousin. Mr Edwin Hesketh, of Auckland, who, I *m sorry to say, continues far from ~well,hae gone to the famous Matlock Baths In Derbyshire. A more delightful residence could hardly be imagined, as it is within «asy reach of Buxton, Chatsworth, Bowsley, Dovedale, and Haddon Hall. Mr Gisborne is also staying in Derbyshire, at Allestree Hall. Major and Mrs George, of Auckland, iave taken up their residence at Courtfield Gardens, South Kensington, and are "do4ng" the shows. Messrs H. R. and J. L. •Bloomfield, of Auckland, are at the Grown Hotel, W.C., and Mr R. P. Con way, of 'Wellington, at Cornwall Road, W. The Rev. Neil McCullum, cf Canterbury, Zealand, was married on the 3rd inst. to Mies Janet Anderson Dods, daughter of the kite Mr J. T. Dods, of Dunedin. The -ceremony took place at the beautiful Presbyterian Church in Regent's Square, Dr. Oswald Dykes officiating. Mr Clisaold goes out to Lyttelton by the P. and O. Sutlej on the 2nd prox., and Mr J. Thomson is bouked for the Bluff by the Ganges on the 30th July. The following are the New Zealanders who were honoured with invitations to the -Princess Louise's reception at Kensington last week, and who may be said to be going •everywhere just now ;— Sir John Hall, Lady flail, and the Misses Hall, Mr, Mrs, and Tdfea Gisborne, Mr and Mrs W. P. CowliDhaw, Mr and Mrs Gr. M. Waterhouse, Mr and Mrs H. A. Scott, Mr and Mrs L. Stowe, Mr and Mrs R. C. Reid, Mr T. Rus--*ell, C.M.G., Mr G. Clifford, Mr F. W. Pennefather, Dr. and Mrs Buller *nd Miss Buller, Mr and Mrs Oliver, Mr -J. C. Richmond and the Misses Richmond, Mr and Mrs Pharazyn, Mr J. M. Ritchie, and Mr and Mrs Arkwright. Occasionally the Agent-General may Bend in a new name to the Reception Committee, but the above -receive invitations for all fetes, parties, 'balls, picnics, &c, arranged either at "South Kensington, or by the Corporation of London. I fancy Sir F. D. Bell was Teetricted to introducing not more than a given number of visitors. Already the Exbibition list is rather unwieldy, It numbers. I am told, nearly 3,000. The case of apples forwarded by Mr J, Bowman, of Auckland, and exhibited in the New Zealand Court this and last week, attracts considerable attention. The fruit is in capital condition, and quite as fine as the South Australian. The sudden death of Sir Alexander •Stuart, from typhoid fever, has thrown a sad gloom over the New South Wales visitors and Anglo- colonists. He was attending to his duties as usual on Saturday week, and till Monday last very few people 'bad any idea much was the matter. The death is also announced of MajorGeneral Thomas Rawlinge, who served in New Zealand in 1855-6. " New Zealand at South Kensington " is the title of a descriptive report of the New Zealand section of the Exhibition, in yesterday's " Telegraph." Owing to short supplies, the rates for frozen mutton, this last fortnight have been steady, and may remain so if the cargo arrived per Rimutaka is only judiciously 'bandied. Current rates: New Zealand Tnutton, 3s 7d to 3s lOd ; New Zealand Hamb, 4s 4d to 4s lOd ; Melbourne mutton, r 3s 3d to 3a 6d ; Melbourne merino, 2s lOd 'to 3s ; River Plate, 2s lOd to 3s ; Scotch, 6s to 6s 4d ; English, 4s to 6s j German, 4s to 5s ; Butch, 4s 8d to ss.

MR AI.DERXON'S ARRIVAL. 1 was much pleased to receive a call on Satur"Aaylaßt from Mr G. E. Alderton, of Auckland •and Whangarei, who had just arrived in London after a stay of four months in the United •States. Mr Alderton, you are probably aware, "was specially commissioned to visit America by New Zealand Government, who authorised liim to make careful inquiries into fruit culture, viticulture, etc. This he has done most comprehensively, and he speaks with confidence of the benefit likely to accrue to the colony from hia discoveries. It had alw&ys been a contention of his apparently that only the American native grape would succeed in New Zealand, es the European varieties never could withstand the humidity of the climate unless under glass, jn the eastern states, where the rainfalj arid temperature are precisely similar to than/ parts of New Zealand, thousands of acres of American grapes are cultivated, but the European vine is notably discarded. Mr Alderton is now absolutely convinced of the suitability" of the American .vine to New Zealand, and says in a few years, if Government take prppgr meosures,the colony will be a. large producer, of wine. He is naturally much elated with -what he considers the success of his research. Mr Alderton has also collected a mass of valuable information with regard to the class, uses, and popularity of the wines made from this ' American grape. If his views are correct I shall not be surprised to hear a few years hence that New Zealand wines are in a fair way to rival Australian. One thing seems certain— the clarets made from this American grape far more nearly resemble genuine Bordeaux than any of colonial red wines do. I tasted a number of samples of the latter at the Exhibition the other day, and I am bound to say I do not think any of them (red wines, mind) will ever achieve a very large sale in England. The South Australian White wines are different and much superior, though apparently of variable quality, but the red vintages (sweet, silky and heavy) partake tar too much of the nature of immature port to »c either pleasant or wholesome. Fruit Exhibits at the Exhibition. Apropos of the Exhibition, Mr Alderton writes me:— •How is it that, whereas every other •colonial section has a superb fruit exhibit, New Zealand is represented solely by a case of apples .sent over by Mr Bowman, of Epsom, Auckland? Why, even Canada, the colony that has the worst of all climates, has a magniflccnt show of fruit preserved in every conceivable manner. So have the Australian Colonies. But New Zealand, with the finest climate in the world for fruit culture, has apparently only a few apples to show. Where are the fine lemons, the 21b. apoles, the Waikato gooseberries, guavas, strawberries, peaches, melons, squashes, and passion fruit, which find such a congenial home In Brighter Britain 1 A series of samples pro* served would at least have brought home to the visitor that we can grow fruit." Like almost every other colonist, Mr Alderton remarked on the absence of the pictures and photos (which form such attractive exhibits in HxQ New South W»leB and Victarinji Courts) in

the New Zealand seofcion. He, however, was properly nraoh Btruok.witirDr.'BUller'a iraagnia-: cent collection of native curios. Dr Buller, by ttie way, has presented>*one of the Maori.ifortraits (I fancy Tawhiao) to H,R H. the prince of Wales. « _■ - • <-' *.....•,-,*. Both DrßuUer and Dr Yon Haast will shortly be created K.C.M.G.a. - - Mr, Froude and Sir George Grey. A "NewEealandor," writing to the "Church Tirnea apropos of some romarks warning people against emigrating to the Colony, and quoting trom Fronde's , tr Oceana " by way of justifying its words, thus protosts: "In the first place, as you yourself sxiggest, Mr Froude only saw the North, and was thus unable to judge of the condition of the South and more prosperous island. But even in regard to the Northjsland many of his remarks are' not only injudicious but even totally misleading. The public indebtedness of Now Zealand is, indeed as he says, between thirty and forty millions, and in addition to this thero is about as large an aggregate municipal debt. So far the facts seem startling; but, in justice to New Zealand.it must be borne in mind that she is not, like Victoria or Tasmania, fa compact colony, but is of an elongatod and straggling nature. From tho peculiarity of her oolonizatiqn she consists of several provinces, each contaming a capital town. Instead of the concentration of population and energy into one largo town, she has her energies diffused into four or five towns of equal magnitude. " The result of this is that the expenses of Government, as well as of all other business, e.g., banking, is tripled, and oven quadrupled. Not only so, but the quadri-partition of the metropolis, and its distribution into four separate places, necessitates a largely increased outlay on railways and roads. Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, are alLcentres of large agricultural and pastoral districts, and require separate lines of railway And separate roads. Railways and roads are the first essentials of a now country. The making of them involves borrowing, and it is largely owing to expenditure of this sort that tho publics debt of New Zealand is due. No doubt there have been cases of jobbery, and mistakes have not rarely occurred, e.g., tho building of a useless bridge, the laying of a useless line, but. on the whole, the money has been expended profitably, and in such a way as to obviate tho necessity Of spond, ing more for the same purpose. " It would encroach too much on your valuable space to point out the various ways in which the debt has been sunk, eg., Maori wars, necossary and unprofitable. It will, perhaps, suffice if I add that the dobts contracted by municipal councils, harbour boards, and so forth, have generally been employed for satisfactory purposes; in many cases a large profit is being realized on the capital thus sunk in public works. Nothing could be more unjust than to talk of bankruptcy. Mr Froude has, unfortunately, given strength to his 'false report' by quoting tho conversation of a New Zealander who spoke lightly of repudiation. As one who has lived most of his lifo in New Zealand, I unhesitatingly affirm that I never have heard anyone breathe tho word. Tho utmost disgust is always expressed for those American States which have repudiated. " In conclusion, lot mo add that as Mr Froude seems to have obtained most of his information from Sir George Grey, so he is indebted to the same gentleman for most of his mistakes, If Mr Froude had gono South, lie would not only have S3en tho more prosperous island, ho would also have learned what the typical New Zealander thinks of Sir George. He is placed by him in the same category as Mr Gladstone, and. labelled— dangerous. Mr Froude has been beguiled by ' the old man eloquent,' knowing nothing of his political bias."