ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES FROM OUR LONDON CORRESPONDENT.) London, January 11.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 347, 2 March 1889, Page 3

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES FROM OUR LONDON CORRESPONDENT.) London, January 11.

Lord Caknakvon has accepted the dedicacation of Vogel's novel in a cordial note, in bho course of which he .«ays ho's always glad to connecb his name in any friendly munnor with tho Australian colonies.

MR THOMAS RUSSELL. A veiy erroneous impression appears fco prevail in INtnv Zealand a& bo Mr Thomas Russell's pies-enb iinancial position. 1 received a letter trom Auckland on Monday, in which the writer, after stating that Sir Fredk. Win taker and Mr Mitchelson liad suite red heavy monetary losses, added : " J am sorry to learn Tom Russell is all but penniless."' My correspondent and Mr Russell's li lends generally may console themselves, ile can still keep the woll troin the door. Only bho other day, lor example, he took Loid Knutsfoid J & country house lor llnee months, at tne insignilicant rental of 100 guineas a month. He has, besides, a house in Eaton Square, lor which he gave £9,000, and on winch ho tells people lie has expended £3,000 ; and horses and carriages galore. Mr liussell'tt oilices in the City give evidence of plentiful business, and he is known to be a heavy operator on the Stock Exchange, but whether successful orunsuccesoful deponent sayeth hod. To tell the tiuth, Mr Russell's piospeuty is one of the things which make uiuoitunate thai "holders in the Bank of Ix'ew Zealand bitter. &ume little time ago it was given out that he had lost fabulous sums, and would have to retiench rigut and lett. Carriage*, and horses weie to be sold,* hio town house let. and other drastic domestic refomiT earned out. The taking of a Secretary ot State family mansion at 3uO guineas a (jiuutei does not, however, look quite hko si. n vation, does it? » Sir John 11 11 untes that Miss Hall continue-) to be benefited by their stay at Bournemouth, lie will be back in New Zealand lor the opening ol l'ailmment. Sir Walter and Lady Buller have been spending a week at Bnghton and Lewes.

LORD ONSLOW'S PRIVATE SECKKTAUY. Mr Riveredale Waliond, who has been appointed Lord Onslow's pm ate s.ecietaiy, is one of the best leadeis of a cotillon in London society, and a gte.it hand at private theatueals. Under tne new rejime Go^emmeiib Hoube, Wellington, will almost ceitainly entertain a good deal. Lady Onslow is hoi^pitality itseir, and never so happy as when " gotting-up '' something. Siurey is (as the French would say) desolated at her departuie fioin Clandon. Loid Onslow is to be banquetted at Guiidfoia eatly, next month. He bade "Good-bye" to the Boaid ot Tiade last Fiiday, when mutual e\ icssions of good feeling were exchanged between the late Political Secietaiy and tlie civil ser\ants ot the Depaitment. Jt speaks well lor his'ioidship tliab cleik-s, pinate secre taiies, etc., all liked him. Building Orient' lintis raii't be " s r ood business, 1 Sir William J'eaice left over £1,200,000 |>ci sonally. ' Some \ery quaint rumouis are alloab anent. the Chinch Missionaiy bociety, and a seal oiling inquiry will piobably bo insti-l tutecl. The income ot the Society \\asi last year ii l z22, 000, and ot this laige sunvib is' alleged nearly a fouith, m., XoO.OOO, wat> ( spent {and has annually been spent tori yeat&O before any of the money was paid outi for" mission woi^k.^ The.,cj[uc*tion is — whatj ije"comes of it ? . , Lady Browne (better known bo you as Ladyßaikei) has ooncluded her editoual labouis, and poor Lady Brassey'o " Labt Voyage " will be published next week. It it, a sumptuous volume, cob up quite tetraidlcss ot expense, and the guinea asked will not leconp the cost of iosue unless the sale pioves unusually large.

A POPULAR BOOKMAKER. Poor Bob Howett, (.lie Nottingham bookmakei and bieeder, who died suddenly the other day tiom an attack of bronchitis, wiio well known by most sportsmen in your part ot the world, which he visited this tune two \eais back. As piofessional lacing men go, he was a "good sort," a kind, husband, an aikctionato lather, and "stiaight as a die" with his "pala" For gentry like Ben/on (whom he aptly designated a " Fly ilat ') ilowctt teitained the piofoundest contempt, and cc him booking a " nice bet" (from his point oi view) with the Jubilee Juggins was. a lich tieat. He lent him (so the .stoiy goes) £10,000 for a month on one occasion, taking caie to ha\o Al security, and getting tiro thousand for the accommodation. To uo Bob ju&tice, it was Bcnzon proposed the terms., which aio&e out ot n seiies of "double or quitt> " wageis. Howett's biggest iunp'> were achieved when Activity won the Li\erpool Uup and JJawthornden the Legci. He was the best judge ot hoisesin miming on the tuif, and occupied a perch ot hi& own on the nng railings at mo>>t ol the j)iincipal meeting?. Kioni this height he would commence to make oflers on the ic^ult directly the horses approached the di&t.ince, and the mistakes he made were m-n > ellously tew^. Many a time (especially at Ascot) have 1 stood below poor Bob in oulei to heai his quaint lemarks on the lace being run. He delighted in the overtluow of a hot favourite, and it was almost nnaiiably his stentorian voice which first proclaimed disaster. Many a plunger will lemember to his dying day the yell of " A gu.nca to a gooseberry Friar's Balsam,' with which Howett pioclaimed to incredulous ga/eis the upsetting ot the certainty for this yeai'o Two Thousand. Howett died well off, and leaves his family iully provided for.

MR W. L. REES. ' The action of the (ioveinment vi de nouncing ]\Jr \V. L. Reess iigurefe and statements as inaccurate hat> (so fai as I can loam) completely cooked that gentleman's goose. Loid George Campbell told a well-known Anglo-Colonist that Loid Lome had not the smallest intention ol associating himself with Mr Rces's schemes., and olher noblemen, whom it wa& thought might give practical help, have repudiated such intention equally explicitly. A gentleman who was present at Mr Reess meeting at Exeter Hall on the Friday evening befoie Christmas, says it was an almost painfully miserable atlair. The influential people invited sent excuses to a man. A Mr Cromby occupied the chair, and speeches weie made by Mr Reed and his secretary, and by Mr Larkins (late of Auckland). Uees himself was as usual eloquent, but vague. Several delinite questions were asked him by members of the sparse audience, such as, what would be the price of Jand and the nature of tho settlement ? but he seemed quite unable to answer them, and shelved the querists by saying he should bo glad to give information to individuals after the meeting. " I should," ended up my friend, "have been ashamed to be the figurehead of such a sorry business," but Rees seemed quite satisfied, and Mr Rees dumbfounded me by lemarking, "how nicely the meeting had all gone of}." Sir Somers Vine, who sco off on a touting expedition to India and the colonies on behalf of the Temple Inptituto last Friday, was given a valedictory dinner at the Savage Club prior to his departure, at

which Sir Saul Samuel and" Sir Freder ck Abel assisted. Two officers who distinguished themselves in the New Zealuncl war died within the Japfc fortnight, viz., Lieut. Gen. JVlorant and Lieut. Gen. Samuel Blyth. f Williamson and Co. paid £600 for the Australian rights of " The Silver Falls." i The Tich borne Claimant may after all end his days in the workhouse He has pome down very low in the show world. Penny " gaffs " and •' giatis " concert halls can now alone make use of him. A large section of the shareholders of the New Zealand Antimony Company aro in lavour of working tho gold mine at Jackson's Mead themselves, and not accepting the £135,000 offered by a special syndicate. The question will be decided next Wednesday at the annual meeting, when the Chairman (Sir W. Buller) is &ure to be in great form. The appointment of jVlr Howard Jackson as local inspector of the Blue Spur and Gabriel's Gully Goldmining Company has restored confidence, and given much eati&faction to the London shareholders.

PARIS EXHIBITION. If, as seems quifce likely, New Zealand is the only Australian colony represented at Paris Exhibition thih summer, the court really should be a first-rate one. Now New South Wales and South Australia realise that the Exhibition will be far the grandest show of the tort in the wo)ld's history, they aro gnashing' their teeth at having applied for space two late. Sir Saul Samuel, indeed, has been trying to persuade Sir F. 1). Bell to go in for a united Austtalian mineral couit only. Victoria divides with New Zealand the 1,500 feet of space granted to Australia, but it is quite likely&he will notuseit. For one thing, sheis sulky at having been put ofl with 750 U feet; tor another, SirCriaham Beirydoes not believe in exhibitions. The New Zealand Commission at present appointed is, with the exception of Bell himself, purely orna mental and useless. If the thing is to be done properly- somo gentlemen of a very riilleient stamp will have to be added. Sir F. L). Bell has naturally asked Sir Walter Buller to help him, and that gentleman lias piomi«fd to do k> provided the enterprise be creditably cairicdout. He does not want to be connected with a failure. Sir Walter will not even ask for his expenses, but go ovei to Paris with Sir F. D. Bell and a&sist him in the production of a thoroughly representative New Zealand Com t. How many of the so called Commissioners possess the experience and the public spirit to do as much ?