ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES. London, September 21.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 316, 14 November 1888, Page 3

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES. London, September 21.

NEW ZEALAND OYSTERS FOR ENGLAND.In view of the coming oyster famine, the discovery made during a recent voyage of the Fifeslure, that New Zealand bivalvos can bo successfully preservod in refrigerators and landed in London "as fresh and luscious as on the day they left the colony, becomes of considerable importance. Mr (ioo. Iv. Wost, oi" Dunedin, who was a passenger by the vessel, assures me that on tho la»t day of the voyage they had fresh oysters opened and served on their sholLs which were in overy way delicious, and would rank here as " AngloDutch." Whitstablo natives are at piesent fetching 3s 6d " a dozen, and Anglo-Dutch 2s 6d a dozen, whilst even common cooking oysters cost Is 6d. As your oysters could. Mr West tells me, bo puichased wholesale ab about 4d a do/.on, there should be money (and a good deal oi money too) in importing them. 1 fully expect before long to see '"Fine New Zealand Oysters," not to mention the unequalled "Sydney Rocks, "' advortibed at ail tho West End bars.

NEW ZEALAND CHEESE. Mr West also brought over dome ot the Edondale Company's cheese, and the Green Island Dairy Company's butter. New Zealand cudry farmeis and exporters who wish Lo know tho sort of butter that will sell, and soil well, in London (equal in iuct to "Prime Normandy '') have only <o sample the (1 LI). Company's. J\Jr submitted his parcel to the market experts, who pronounced it fii&tclass both as regards colour and salting, and excollent in quality-. The Edendale Company's cheese was not submitted to an}' free/.ing 01 chilling piocess, bub simply kept on deck, where at times (no doubtjthesungottoit. Theeheese nevertheless proved excellent; "in f.ict," as a deplorably dishonest cheesemonger observed regretfully, *' but for the colour being a wee bit too dark we could put it as the primest Cheddar." Mr West has t.iken a large order lor regular consignments of this cheese, which is veiy diticrent in quality to the so-called New Zealand cheese sold at tho stores at 7d per lb. No doubt exporters ot iiist class pro\ is-ions (whether meat or dairy produce) suffer somewhat at present from being confounded with their less successful or less scrupulousbiethren. The principle ot demanding special brands, is, however, gaining giound, and' will in time help the meritorious to the surface.

MB W. L. REES. Mr V\ . L. Ree& has given up his Scottish trip. Lord Lothian, it &eems, though so very much inteiested in his colonisation plans, thinks the uolfcers would be more suitably and easily settled in Canada than in New Zealand,, and without his backing a Scotch campaign might prove abortive. The crofters themselves (Mr Rees says) do not shai e their Minister's views. They dislike the idea of Canada and like that of New Zealand. Mr Reet is now in communication with the leaders of the V.M.C.A., w ho are much interested in the co-operative colonisation idea. An invitation to lectuie will probably lebiilt. Bishop JNJoot hoii~e is «il&o much interested, and has. invited Mr Rec- to attend the Church Conejresb at Manchester. I might mention many other influential people whom Mr Rees considers "much inteiested. " He is a sanguine man, and a little encomagement seems to go a long way. I fear. huue\er, he will lind that, between getting big people to confess themselves "much inteiested" in his scheme and inducing frhen to back the said scheme wilh>monej and mUuence there is ,a good difference. Two oorious diawbacks handicap Mr Rees — (1) the -witness and vagueness of his scheme ; (2) the lack of colonial backing. What 1 teai is Lliat Mr Rees may get lost in the mazes of his own scheme*. If he conlincd himself to proposing to the Crofter Commission and to Parliament a ti icd settlement of crofters on his block, something might come of it, bnbthe House oi Commons will not listen to anything vast and vision arv.

BISHOP COWIE'S BOOKS. Two highly-flattering reviews of Bishop Cowie's books, one in the " Athenian m " and one in the " Pall Mall Gazette,'' have appeared during the present week. The P. M.C4. considers his lordship's \ iews as to the future of New Zealand " rather too optimist," but otherwise is most laudatory. The " Athen.vum " sums up a long appreciative notice as follows: -'"The everyday life of the clergy and ot the laity who are not wholly devoted to mammon is pleasantly lelated in these pages, a vein of mild episcopal humour runs thiough the narrative, and for once we have a book on New Zealand in which we have neither statistics nor politics, unless a pa&sing reference to the public debt may be so consideied. Neither gold mines, sheep, nor even rabbits are alluded to, while the intellectual and higher aspirations of human nature are prominently bi'ought forwaicl. We thoroughly commend the book to all such readers as feel an interest in this phase of colonial life."

DUNE DIN ALE. The sample casks of New Zealand pale ale, troin the brewery of Messrs Speight and Co., of Dunedin, which Mr West brought over (just by way of experiment to see if the beer would bear the voyage), arrived in capital condition. One cask has been tapped in London, and the other has been sent to Glasgow Exhibition, where it wiU be something of a curiosity.

MISCELLANEOUS. Captain Ashby tells me the Aoraugi takes out her full complement of passengers, and that judging by the bookings in advance, trade to New Zealand seems to be recovering somewhat. ' - A long and interesting biography of Titokowaru was copied from the "Lyttelton Times'' into the " Globe." Biehop PeiTy has been seriously ill ; j suffering:, in fact, from a slight attack of paralysis. The collection of New Zealand ferns sent over through Mr West, of Dunedin, by Mr Reid, florist, of that city, will bo fhoAvn, it is hoped, at Glasgow Exhibition, next month.