ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 434, 4 January 1890, Page 3

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

(FROM C „R LONDON CORRESPONDENT.) London, November,B. PARRs EXHIBITION HONOURS. There has been a lavish distribution of “ honours” at the Paris Exhibition, but, as is usual on such occasions, there is much dissatisfaction. Everyoneis aba loss to know oi what principle the selection of recipients h*s been made. The Executive Commissioner for New Zealand (Sir F. D. Bell) has properly received the Commander’s Cross of the Legion of Honor ; bub why ha 3 Sir Graham Berry gob the same distinction, whilst his colleague, the Hon. Mr Walker, who is Executive Commissioner for Victoria, receives the lower rank of officer ? Then again, in the case of the number of the Executive Council of the British section selected for decoration, some are made commanders, whilst others are only che\ aliers. Others again have the intermediate rank of officer, whilst one prominent member, the late Lord Mayor Whitehead, gets npthing at all. Bub in other directions th 6 incongruities are even greater. Sir James Hector has received the gold palm of the Academy, Mr Walter Kennaway the silver palm of the same order. The two secretaries in the Victorian Court and Mr Malfroy, who has remained in charge of the New Zealand Court ever since Sir Francis Bell left Paris, have each received the Chevalier’s Cross. Whatever may be said, however, there has been a lavish distribution of honours so far as the colonies are concerned. The Hon. Mr Hislop, of New Zealand, who took a prominent part in organising the New Zealand Court, comes in for the rank of officer, a mark of ' great distinction, but inferior to that obtained by the AgentGeneral. Sir Walter Buffer also receives the Commander’s Cross of the Legion of Honor, bub this is not on account of services rendered to the Exhibition. He gets it at the instance of the Minister of Public Instruction on the specific grounds of “ public services as a scientist and author,” whereas all the Exhibition honours are granted at tho instance of the Minister of Commerce. Of the whole crowd of English recipients only one, Sir Win. Thomson, F.R.S., gets the highest distinction of Grand Officer of the Order. Lord Brassey receives the Commander’s Cross, as do Sir Colville Barclay and Sir Polydor do Keyser.

NEW INCUMBENT FOR ST. MARY’S. Bishop Selwyn writes me this morning that ho has not selected the clergyman to fill the Auckland diocese of St Mary’s yet. PASSENGERS FOR NEW ZEALAND. The following bookings for New Zealand are reported by Messrs W. Ashby and Go. : S.B. Ballarat from London, November 28th ; from Brindisi, December 9bh—For Auckland, Mr A. Corner, Mr A. McKillop. For the Bluff: Mr J. Christie. For Now Zealand, Mrs Miller. S.s. Parramatta, from London, December 12th—For Auckland : Rev. E. C. Isaacs. For Nelson : Mr and Mrs Renwick. Per s.s. Shannon, from London, December 26; from Brindisi, January 6—For Dunedin : Bishop Selwyn, Mrs Selwyn. For Auckland (from Colombo): Miss Walbhew, Miss Newton. Per s.s. Oceana, from London, January 10; from Brindisi, January 20—For Auckland : Mr Jessop, Mr Hollick. From Brindisi: Mrs and three Misses McMillan. LORD PORCHESTER. The reason why Lord Porchester’s name does not appear iu any of the Australian passenger .lists is that he goes as far as the Cape in one of Donald Curries’ liners; and sailed from Dartmouth last Friday. Lord Carnarvon’s heir will spend some time in South Africa and then proceed bo Australia via Hobart in one of the New Zealand boat®. The expedition is a purely healthy tour, and nob undertaken (as suggested by some hyper-acute provincial journals) with a view to purchasing property in the colonies. Lord Porchester has been in an unsatisfactory condition for some time, and was ordered a long sea voyage by Dr. Robson Roose. He expects to bo away a year altogether. MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. Nelson Bros. (Limited) have had a good year. At their meeting last Friday a dividend of 7 per cent, was declared, which, with the interim dividend of 3 per cent., makes 10 per cent, for the twelvemonth. The frozen meat business begins to look up a bit.

The Courts on Saturday last assented to the compulsory winding up of the Dunedin Gas Company. Mr BramweH Davis,for the latter, did not oppose the petition, explain ing that a scheme of reconstruction was contemplated which would be facilitated by a winding-up order. The Cavendish-Bentincks have at last taken up their residence at Clandon, which they leased some months ago from your new viceroy. The Coptic’s mails were transferred to the Royal* Mail Steamer just leaving Rio when the former returned there broken down, and got to London on Tuesday last. Mr and Mrs S. Jepp, of Tunbridge Wells, go out to New Zealand by the Aorangi on a prospecting tour. If they find the colony the same sort of earthly paradise described by Captain Ashby in his ev6r-to-be-remem-bered little book, they will settle in one province or the other. Mr Edward D. Paul, sole surviving son of the late Sir John Dean Paul, writes to the papers to explain that the soi disard “Frederick Dean Paul,recently charged with swindling in New Zealand, is uo relation or connection of his family’s.” Rear-Admiral Fairfax has presented two very fine specimens of the Tuatara lizard which ho brought over from New Zealand to the Zoological Society. SirJohnGorst, whose hopes of getting N<i# Zealand or some other first class Vice-royalty were so severely dashed last year, is now; talked of as Lord Reay’s succession at Bombay. No doubt either ho or another old acquaintance of yours (Lord Harris) will get the berth. Messrs W. Waddell, George Cowie, G. W. Rusden, S. B. Browning, Geo. Beethara, M.H.R., Alex Sclanders, C. J. Taylor and other New Zealanders were at the opening meeting of the new session of the Colonial Institute on Tuesday, when Lord Lorne presided, and the veteran Sir Frederick Young read a paper on his recent “ Winter Tour in South Africa." When the Coptic broke down and returned to Rio not only her mails but her passengers, including Sir E. A. and Lady Dnshwood and Mr and Mrs Wisharb, were transferred to the Rimutaka, which arrived on the 10th insfc. Mr Brett writes me from Milan that his party had a real good time at Lucerne. The weather was superb and they went up the Righi by train, and altogether spent a most enjoyable two days there. Mr Reader Wood, of Auckland, has been appointed an Honorary Corresponding Secretary of the Royal Colonial Institute. SIR SOMERS VINE AND THE IMPERIAL INSTITUTE. 1 A good Btory is curren t in Anglo-Colonial touching the way in which Sir Somers Vine

“nobbled ” the Australian Premiers during his recent mission. It seems on his first reception by (let us say for example) the Victorian Prime Minister, Sir Somers received no encouragement whatever. Mr Gillies, who was frigidity itself, told the knight the Australians didn’t care a dump about the Imperial Institute, and hinted with unfriendly candour that he had come out there on a fool’s errand. Vine listened attentively and presently withdrew. In a few days he re-appeared with a MS. in his hand. “I thought it only right, Mr Gillies,” he said, “ to let you hear the account of our interview the other day,which I am forwarding to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. He particularly wished me to tell him everything that was said in the colonies about hie pet project. You’ve no idea how much he has its success at heart. Princes, you know,have long memories,and there can’t be a doubt His Royal Highness will find a means of acknowledgingtlie kindness of all who help the Imperial institute.” Then he commenced reading: esterday interviewed; the • Vicfcoriarr.yPfemior. ‘He said he : took no interest ivhatevey in tho Imperial Institute—” V. “Oh! come,” interrupted Mr Gillies, “ I don’t think I said quite that.” j “Ah !” smiled Sir Somers blandly, “I thought I might ha' e misapprehended your meaning the other day. Suppose we say,‘Mr Gillie? said he feared Victorians did not take much interest i.i the Imperial Institute,’ would that be more correct?” “ Distinctly,” said the Premier. Then Sir Somers went on reading : “As for colony subscribing towards such a project it was out of the question. Mr Gillies wouldn’t ask the Assembly for a sixpence—” “Oh, come, you took me too literally altogether, Sir Somers,” again intervened the Premier. “ I shouldn’t like the Prince to think wo’d rejected his request without even considering it.” “Well,” said Vine, “suppose wo say, ‘Mr Gillies feared there might be difficulty in persuadiug the Victorian Parliament to authorise a subscription towards the project ?’” And so the interview went on. The unfortunate Premier couldn’t bear the idea of his discourteous speeches to Vine being repeated to the Princo, and the artful Knight took advantage of the alterations to convert his victim into a partisan. This interview dodge was successful in every colony where it was tried. No colonial statesman Vine tackled liked to be represented to the Prince of Wales as a personal opponent of his pet project. The Knight dwelt artfully on tho fact of H.R.H. having the success of the Institute tremendously at heart ; talked impressively about autograph letters of thanks, and generally played on the vanity of the person he happened to be addressing, The colonists didn’t mind being rude to Vine, but none of them fancied the idea of affronting their future King. Moreover Sir Somers was as good as his word with regard to the autograph letters. Last week I derided the idea of the Princo of Wales having written to thank Julian Thomas for the assistance he gave Vine in the colonies. I now learn the story is perfect true. The Prince did write to the “Vagabond” just such an epistle.