ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES. (From Our Special Correspondnet.) London, February 2.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 352, 20 March 1889, Page 5

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES. (From Our Special Correspondnet.) London, February 2.

LORD ONSLOW. The more one sees of your new Governor, the moie certain one becomes that, despite his personal insignificance, he is a man of considerable parts. In the first place, as you will easily gather from the interview I send herewith, Lord Onslow has> done most things in his time. He has fought through a compaign and financed a theatre, can fence, box, frivol, drive four hoises, draw up a treaty, make a good postprandial speech, and lead a cotillon. It ha^ never been necessary for him to conceal his convictions on any subject, and he is therefore perfectly natural. Henry Irving, who does not care for titled folk as a rule, thoroughly likes and respects Lord Onslow. The little man honestly admires histrionic geniusand makes no attempt fco patronise it. Lady OnsJow is of course herself an amateur of note, indeed I think I may promise you it will not be long before you see her in one of her favourite parts. Lord Onslow seemed curious to know whether it would be consideied infra diy. for the Governor's lady to take pait in private theatricals. I said 1 thought not, but with a mental reservation that everything would depend on how, wheie, and in what way the performance happened to be given. Lord Onslow is taking out the scenery and proscenium used at Clandon on the chanco that they may come in useful.

ATTEMPTED SUICIDE OF THE CRICKETER BATES. The numerous colonial friends of poor Bates, the professional cricketer, will be shocked to read ot his attempted suicide. Since he was struck by a cricket ball while bowling in practice onthe Richmond Cricket Ground, Melbourne, and received injuries which cost him the fight of an eye and gave a shock to the brain, Bates has been falling into a very low state. The Melbourne Club laised a handsome subscription for him and started him in the cricket) outfitting business, but he didn't do well. He had set his mind on getting Yorkshire to give him a benent t'iis summer, but his application went in too late. Altogether things went wiong, and Bates grew mentally unable to cope with them. In the middle of last week Bates tried to kill himself, but fortunately failed, as he has failed in most of his enterprises lately. An a f tempt is now being made to hearten him up a bit.

MR. W. L. REES. The condition of affairs as regards ISJr W. L. Rees can be besb judged from the fact that even his own sanguine hopes are beginning to be a bit dashed. He has, however, issued a sort of preliminary prospectus or circular, which Wednesday's " Star " noticed as follows :—: — "Mr Rees proposes," says the London "Star," "to form into a partnership the capitalist, the producer, and the consumer, to enable persons resident in the United Kingdom to invest their savings in colonial lands, and to pro vide markets for tiie produce of their own colonial estates. After this delightful but vaguestatementcomesanappeal for support to trade unions, co-operative bodies, churches, tempei'ance brigades, and to the charitable. The promoter has found that shrewd people regard it as impractiable, for he says :—: — " ' The peculiar nature of the association which I am trying to form renders the undertaking more difficult. If Igo to the i Stcck Exchange I am met by the objection 1 Oh, that is philanthropy : we can't have anything to do with philanthropy.' When I appeal to the churches and philanthropists 1 , they exclaim, ' This is a business or commercial undertaking ; we can't touch business.' " Some few people aie to be sent out next month, we are told. What will become of those unfortunates if the whole thing falls to tho ground ? There is no money in New Zealand to help them. An old Anglo-New Zealander sends us the following communication concerning this matter : — " It will be their own fault if English investors burn their fingers through mixing themselves up with the enterprises of Mr W. L. Rees, the New Zealand solicitor, who has been stumping the country for tho last few months endeavouring to obtain support for a so-called ' Coopeiative Colonisation' scheme, as the , Colonial Government have (through the mouth of Baron de Worms in the House of Commons) distinctly stated that the man's .statistics are not to be depended upon. " If further proof of this were wanted it is to be found in the fact that the London Anglo-New Zealanders of really solid social and financial status have to a man stood aloof from him. How is it colonists who have known Rees in New Zealand (Sir D. F. Bell, Sir W alter Buller, Mr Thomas Russell, and others), and who could tell people all about him, have not appeared on his platform? The truth is, of course, that the man is a

WELL-MEANING BUT HOMELESS VISIONARY. "Atthecommencement of his campaign he successfully button-holed Lord Lome, Lord Lothian, and oneor two other notabilities interested in the crofter exportation question, but now they have politely shelved Mr Rees. He still talks as if they were his ardent supporters (Lord Lome especially), but the noble marquis has, I am assured, no more intention of associating himself with Mr Reess company than he has of painting his pants pea green. Wi Pere, the Maori chief who accompanied Mr Rees home as representative of the tribe who are finding that gentleman the sinews of war, returned to New Zealand last month. The fogs, we are told, drove him from our inhospitable shores. More probably the ' frosts ' at poor Rees'a meetings have disheartened him. ' Lady Brasseys " Last Voyage " Wcis published on Wednesday. I have just glanced through the Australian portions and that is all. The illustrations are beautiful, and the letterpress seems quite as interesting as that of the famous first " Voyage of the Sunbeam." Lady Broome contributes an explanatory preface, and Lord Bras?ey a brief memoir addressed to liis children of their mother. Tho price (one guinea) is purposely cheap. Alfred Cellier will not, after all, return to i your part of the world. He has been ongaged at a bier salary to conduct the orchestra (40 strong) at the new Manchester Alhambra.

Fred Leslie has made as great a hit in New York as he did in vouv part of the world. Pie lasb Friday "refused £200 a week for a season of six months at Aronson's Casino Theatre. Your old fiiend Walter Reynolds is touring in the provinces with that remarkable production "Church and .Stage." It's very oddity makes it draw. Mr Wilmot Eyro sails for Australia today to fulfil a twelve months' touring engagement with Williamson, darner and Company in their production of '• The Union Jack." He pla.) 's Terris&'s part. Poor Mrs Bandmann gave a recital at Richmond on Tuesday before Princess Mary of Teck. Mr Frank M. Clark, who dosciibes himself as "the leading variety manager in Australia," is over here beating up talent for a company whk'h sails next month. Mr Clark has meantime accepted an engagement at the Pavilion music hall, where he appears nightly with considerable success. John Dillon starts on his Antipcdean tour by the Ormuz to-day. Mr Paul Blouet (better known as " Max O'Rell ") sails for your parl of the world on a lecturing and prospecting tour early next month. Mr Sims Reeves has given up all idea of viaiting Australia. He will finally bid farewell to the provinces and subsequently to London at the end of the piesent year. j Sir Walter Buller gets gieat fauloi \ from the financial picfcs for the way in which he managed the meeting of the New Zealand Antimony Company on Wednesday week. The " Financial World " says : " His delivery is clear and emphatic, his manner earnest and animated, and he never loses his giasp of the business in hand. The meeting was one which in less able hands might have had its discordant notes, but it is clear the Board posiec&es the entire confidence of the shareholder, and the ciuses of the unfortunatedelay in the operations at thermne&were thoroughly understood and appreciated." The directors of the Caledonian Gold Mining Company havo had their first meeting, and e\erylbing is leady for floating, but there are certain defective points in the title, and the directors insist on these being rectified before they go to the public for subscriptions. MrCrawfordhasaccordingly telegraphed to his friends, and hopes to have everything en rec/le in about a fortnight. At the meeting of the New Zealand Trust and Loan Company Sir. C. Cliflord, in apologising for the comparatively small and yet by no means despicable dividend of 10 I per cent., eaid a much better t-cne prevailed jn New Zealand, and he thought they might sifely look forward to better times.