ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES. London, November 18.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 236, 7 January 1888, Page 5

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES. London, November 18.

The Hughes Hallett SeaudaL Friends of the Selwyn family in New Zealand will rejoice to hear that the criminal action for libel, which Captain Selwyn felfc himself most reluctantly compelled to bring against the "Society Herald," has been brought to a satisfactory termination without any further " painful disclosures " or washing of private dirty linen in public. The deiendant, in point of fact, pleaded guilty and begged the magistrate to deal summarily with tho case. This His Worship at tiist declined to do. He said the offence was a very serious one, nothing less than an incitement to Captain Selwyn to tight a duel, or, in plain words, to commit murder. If the Captain had acted as the "Herald" suggested lie ought to have acted, he would have rendered himself liable to be cashiered out of the army. His Worship eventually inflicted a £50 tine, with costs— a great letoff for the defendant, as had the case gone before a higher court he would certainly have been obliged both to pay a line and go to gaol for some months.

Mr James Service. There will be a great Anglo-Colonial function on December' 7th, when Hon. James Service is to be banquetted by his friends and brother colonists. Lord Kosebeny takes tho chair, and the Committee consists of a most imposing list of celebx-i-ties.

N.S.W. Butter. The New South Welsh butter recently placed on the London market proved quite ft success, and realised very different prices to the unlucky New Zealand consignments. The experiment answered so well that it is to be repeated.

An Auckland Millioiiaire< Who is Mr Samuel Burke Loan, millionaire, late of Auckland, New Zealand ? Had. he any existence in reality, or is the *' Evening News '" solely responsible for his creation ? I cannot find any Aucklander who remembers the gentleman, nor apparently can lt Ontis " (a new and entertaining contributor to the "Anglo-New JZealander") who writes as follows on the subject in a recent issue :—": — " With many apologies to the widow Burke, of Kingaskiddy, in the county of Cork, may I suggest to her that there is a fund of ■woiidly wisdom in tho warning not to count your chickens before tlxey are hatched. The unfor tunate lady, itseems,isin doubt whether she is a bankrupt or a millionaire. A certain London evening journal, more remarkable for sensationalism than accuracy, has stated that an Irishman named Samuel Burke Loan, who emigrated to the Antipodes seven- and-thirty years ago, died last November in Auckland the possessor of a fortune of £2,000,000. It is, of course, excessively kind to credit Australasia with the possession of innumerable millionaires. I only hope they exist, but, if so, they conceal their identity with the greatest cleverness. So far as my experience of the colonies goes, and it is a pretty wid« one, the number of genuine millionaires can be counted un the fingers of one hand. Certainly Mr Samuel Burke Loan was not known to be of the number. Auckland is a brisk city» and its inhabitants know a thing or two j but if you ask an Auck> lander about the alleged fortune and its possessor, he will be as incredulous as 'Betsy Prig* was of the existence of the übiquitous ' Mrs Harris,' I am surprised that the astute Judge Boyd should have directed inquiries to be made by the official assignees of the widow's estate. It would be more consonant with Irish readiness of resource had he stopped tho fluent story of the counsel for the assignees by the ejaculation of the mystic word ' moryal,' which, I am given to understand, is the Celtic rendering of " Tell that to the maiines."

Kew Zealamlers at the Lord Mayors Show. Several New Zealanders availed themselves of the windows of the Royal Colonial Institute to witness the Lord Mayor's Show From the crowd of curious sightseers there I picked out Mr H. A. Russell, Mr Geo. Vesey Stewart (whom we all supposed to bo three-paits on the way out to the colony), Mr and Mrs W. McLaughlin, Mr Owen Jones, Mr A. Deane and his blooming daughters,, and Mr and Mrs R. Walker. There were also a good few colonists at the Hotel Metropole opposite. Unfortunately it poured with rain, and the show was the dullest, dreariest, drippingest, and most depressing civic function I ever remember to have witnessed. We were all delighted to turn our backs on Trafalgar Square and get back to comfortable fires and afternoon tea.

Miscellaneous Notes. The tour of Lord and Lady Carnarvon in the colonies will, it is feared, be cub short by the sad and sudden death of their young eon-in-law, Captain Byns, who was only married to Lady Winifred Herbert a?few months ago. The contingent of the Gaiety Company, ■which visits your part of the world next spring, will be a very strong one. Miss Connie Gilchrisb has agreed to take her old place for the tour, and in Lefcty Liud you will see one of the best danseuses of Kate Vaughan's school. An English football team collated from the strongest Northern Twenties will visit Australia and New Zealand next May. Sir Walter Buller's Antimony Company is (despite the suspicion with which every enterprise ■ connected with your colony is viewed at present) doing fairly well. The directorate is a very strong one, and the fact that the Company has already the offer of some very valuable contracts should prove seductive. The directors of the New Zealand Land Mortgage Company advise a dividend of 8 per cent), per annum. At the annual meeting of the Edinburgh Australasian Club, several new members, including Mr C. E. Maude, of New Zealand, were elected. MrW. N. Blair, C.E., is contributing a series of descriptive articles on the "Cold Lakes of New Zealand to " The AngloNew Zealander." The new Australian mail contracts will be signed next week. . > Mr- J. M. Ritchie was banquetted, or rather.dined, at the Holburn Viaduct Hotel on Tuesday by the officers and underwriters of the National Fire and Marine Insurance Company of Now Zealand.