ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES. (FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT).

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 363, 27 April 1889, Page 6

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES. (FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT).

London, March 7. \ The sensation of the week, from an Anglo- j Colonial point of view, has been tuo collapse | of the Quayle Goldnrining Company, atter : being nominally subsciibed three times j over. This sort of mock subscription is, it j seems, a favourite dodge in the city, and , really answered admirably till the public ( began Co get behind the scenes. The i brokers underwrite a promising venture in s the hope of tempting the public, by the , statement that " all the shares have beeu ] taken up and are at a premium," to come t in. If the public rise to the bait and buy, < all goes well ; if not, the biokers calmly ( repudiato their bargains. Some respectable ] way of doing this can generally be found, in j the Quaylo case, for example, the brokers , complained that their names had been pre- j maturely divulged, and that the success of j the Com pany was in consequence imperilled. The real fact, I understand, is that the paragraph in the '• Star " (which I fancy I mentioned last week) practically put the whole concern "up a tree." Mr Fitzgerald ' Moore, I am told, oilered to cable to the two best known experts in New Zealand, J and to get them to verify all thesta-ements ' in the prospectus. Even this, however, J did not satisfy the brokers, and the public ; money subscribed is to be returned. The ' promoters will, of course, be let in for a stiffish sum in advertising, etc. WHAT THE "FINANCIAL NEWS" : SAY'S. The " Financial News " yesteriay quotes the Hon. Mr Grosvenor's speech at the New , Zealand Mortgage and Investment Company's meeting, aod thinks that there may be just a little to be said for that gentleman's plf>a that the heavy fall in prices in . New Zealand was due to the "detestably bad Government of tho country." It will not, however, accept that as an explana- ; tion in full, and goes on broadly to \ accuse the directors of gross mis- ; management. " Allowing," it winds up, : "for the official mismanagement of New Zealand affairs, theie remains a further question, which can only be answered by admitting that there has been grave mis- ■, management of the Company's business, i Other New Zealand land companies have experienaed much the same kind of thing, . and it becomes essential that the shareholders in such undertakings should let it ] be very clearly understood chat the careless spirit and the over- sanguine spirit will not be tolerated any longer ; other v. isethere will be worse in stoic for them. In regard to the Company over which Mr Grosvenor presides, io is to be feared that the greatest difficulty will be experienced in steering clear of the rocks which lie ahead. People will look more coldly than e\er on New Zealand enterprises, and the prospect of extensive sales of land is only too remote. Mr Grosvenor plainly intimated that, though the expenses of the current year may be some £1,500 or £1,700 lower than before, unless some sales could be made and the Company's liabilities diminished, the directors would reach the end of their tether before ver-, long." THE COUTTS-CRAWFORD MINE. Mr Coutts-Crawfords Caledonian Company will in all probability be placed on the market next week. Mr Bell, of Wellington, has cabled that all the titles are cleared and vested in Mr CrawEord as trustee, so there is now nothing to delay the floating:. The moment, of course (thanks to the Quayle and 0.P.Q.) is most unpropitious, bui> the directors hope to get a large part of the issue taken up in Paris. The Hon. Mr Richardson has accepted the post of Resident Director at v\ ellington.

PARIS EXHIBITION. Sir F. D. Bell returned from Paris on Wednesday, having completed the arrangements for the New Zealand Court at the great exhibition. Though small, your colony's show should be fairly interesting. The exhibits (minerals, cereals and wool) are being selected by Sir James Hectoi from the New Zealand Court at Melbourne. The Exhibition authorities have yie ded so far to the further importunities of Victoria as to admit of the erectiou of an artistic kiosk in the Trocadero Gardens for the sale of Australian wines. This is really a great stroke and one that may yield important r.sults. Frenchmen are of all nations most likely to favour Australian wines, indeed I am convinced that a market once opened would grow by leaps and bounds. Sir Saul Samuel, who had also been over to Pai-is on a voyage of intercession, returns dissatisfied. The cry is, "Too late, too late, ye cannot enter now. 1 '

THE IMPERIAL AND COLONIAL TRADING COMPANY. The news of the large scale upon which thjis enterprise for extending the frozen meat trade in the North is being undertaken has startled, not to say alarmed, Nelson Bros, and other importers likely to be affected. A provisional board has this week been arranged, but will not be finally confirmed till Thursday next. It consists of the following :—: — Sir Joseph Lee, Manchester, Chairman ; Mr David Mclver (of the Cunard Company), Mr Charles Mciver, managing directors (Liverpool) ; Sir Chares Palmer. M.P., Sir Walter Buller, London directors ; Mr Fra-er (manager North -Western Bank), 6. C. Bowring (merchant), Liverpool directors; Mr Graham, Glasgow director ; Mr Henry Kussell, resident director in New Zealand. The last-named post, with a salary of £1,500 a year, was offered to Sir Jno Hall (who takes a great interest in the enterprise), but declined on the ground that his political engagements would prevent his doing the Company justice. There will be agents (sort of Ljcal buyers ) in both North and South Islands of New Zealand, but no attempt will be made to open up the Australian agencies till the New Zealand business has been set satisfactorily going The plans for the Company's steamers ate drawn and the boats can be built in a few months. Meanwhile some of the smaller steamers of the Cunard Company may be adapted for the carriage of frozen meat.

BULLER'S BIRDS. Sir Walter Buller has at length completed his "Birds of New Zealand," ' which now comprise two Imp&iial quarto volumes of 350 pages each, and is illustrated with fifty admirable p!ato j . With the second volume is issued a full list of subscribers, etc., showing the disposal of the entire edition of the ■ thousand copies, a good many of them " having been taken by the leading publishers, probably as a speculation. But the disposal in this prompt fashion of so large an edition of a, costly scientific work is regarded among publishers here as something quite phenomenal. Messrs Sotherans and Co., who are specialists for this class of literature, say that they have never known a similar case in the whole of their experience. They have invited Sir Walter Buller to bring out at their risk a new edition of Guild's great work on "The Birds of Australia " (of which they have the copyright) on the same lines as "The Birds of New Zealand," but I fancy Sir Walter is now too much immersed in company affairs and other city business to render such an undertaking possible. The stones from which the plates have been

produced have been erased so as fco prevent any further issue, and ib is conlidonfcly seated that (as in the case of the first edition published in 1873) the market value of the work will increase very rapidly. Mr Walter Chamberlain, of Birmingham, a brother of the political leader, writing of this work, .-ays : "I find in the- letterpress not only an admirable history of 'The Birds of New Zealand,' bub an inexhaustible fund of information on all their connections past and preseno, and on almost every other some pregnant paragraph or suggestion which with the theory ot natural selection in one's mind gives ample food for reflection. 1 rank this work with Captain Ligge's on the ' Birds of Ceylon 'as the two best books on local ornithology outside of the British Islands ever produced, and Sir Walter Buller has this in his favour, although ib must have greatly increased his difficulty, that the fauna of which he treats is at once the most unique, the most interesting, and the most puzzling in the world." SUICIDE OF CHAS. DU VAL. There are, I imagine, very few parts of the world where the death of that protean entertainer and all-round good fellow, Chas. Uu Val, will not be mourned. In Australia and New Zealand he was of course — though not so well known as Maccabe — a great favourite, and had he kept well a few months longer, ib was his intention (as indeed I heard him say myself in the Savage Club before he sailed for the Cape) to "do the South African colonies again," and then to "reap another rich harvest in the Australias."' Unfortunately, the poor fellow tell ill on the way to join the P. and 0. steamer at Col urn bo, and it was then considered desirable to bring him home. He had exhibited queer symptoms for some libble time past, and ab Colombo gave Mrs Da Val bhe slip, and was (literally) lost for several days. On board bhe Oceana an attendant watched Dv Val night and day with the utmost closeness. He seemed more dazed and stupid than mad, and knew none of his old friends. Mrs Dv Val and the attendant never lefb the sick man, bub he manpged notwithstanding to commit suicide. Starting out of his bunk one dark, gusty night, he rushed to che door of the cabin. Carter, the attendant, caught his wrist, but it was wrenched away, and the maniac bolting up the companion, leapt overboard. The Oceana was going 16 knots at the time, and considering the heavy sea there was on, it seemed useless to make a prolonged search. The body must, indeed, have Deen miles behind before the vessel could be stopped and engines reversed. Dv Val was one of the best ot the Maccabe school of monologists, and for many years travelled about ttie world highly prosperously with his " Odds and Ends." fie was ab bhe Cape ab the time of the Transvaal War, and, happening to be shut up in Pretoria, joined the colonial forces, and proved himself as <rood a soldier as showman. His book about this period ot his life, " With a Show Through Africa," is an exceedingly bright, bustling, and clever volume of travel, and gives as a description of the Boer campaign as anyone need wish to read. It achieved a distinct success, and ran through several editions. Subsequently he did journalistic work both in England and the colonies. Like most versabile geniuses, Dv Val wa^ a thoroughpaced Bohemian, living hard every hour of hi- lire. Had the poor old boy taken things just a wee bib easier, we might have had him with us still. Mr Dillon, who lefb England yesterday to join the s s. Orient ab Naples, formally nobiried his intention to the Commission Court on Tuesday. He will not be more than two months in the colonies altogether, bub hopes to achieve great things in bhab time. When the Redmonds vit^ted Australia and New Zealanu theio was, bhe "'Star" says, a strong piejudicc against the Home Rulers. Now, however, thanks to the Cladstonian allianco, all that has changed, and colonists may be expected on the whole to be friendly. Personally, I shall predict, you will like Mr Dillon. Unlike the vain posturing OBrien and blathering Healey, he is a solid, earnest patriot who loves his country and would if the necessity arose die for " the cause." THE SAMOAN QUESTION. The Samoan question cropped up in the House of Commons on Monday evening, when in answer to Mr H. Vincent, Sir J. Ferguson said proposals lor a British annexation of Samoa were made by chiefs of that group in 1877, 1883, 1884, and 1888, and were declined ab bhose various periods on the ground that their acceptance would be impolitic, and in the latter instances that foreign interests in the islands and our relations with other Powers Uiecluded Her Majesty's Government trom annexing the group. The Governments of Australia and New Zealand have in 1? 73 and 1884 advocated annexation. I must add bhab bherc has been no time ab which Her Majesty's Govemmenb have failed to secure the independence of these islands. Recipiocal a&su ranees to bhab effect were given by Her Majesty's Government and the German Government, and the islands have nob, in fact, been seized by any foreign Power.

PERSONAL AND GENERAL. Sir John, L-idy Hall, and Miss Hall embarked for New Zealand by the Aorangi yesterday. One of the first papers read at the ensuing session of the Colonial Institute will be one by Sir F. D. Bell on "Australasian Progress." No sign as yet of Vogel's book. I hear Sir Jjlius is furious at the delay: Meanwhile, Mr Menneil's " In Australian Wilds " has passed into a second edition, and the demand for "Robbery Under Arms" in three volumes has suddenly and inexplicably been renewed. Mr David Hean has arrived from New Zealand and is at the Hotel Metropole. " Anglo-New Zealander," in a cogent letter to the "European Mail, 'says : North New Zealand is not ripe yet for settlements like that proposed by Mr Rees, and it is obvious that very few if any of hi? directors know the country, otherwise his unpractical and nn practicable scheme would never have seen light. Henry George contemplates a visit to New Zealand.