ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 452, 8 March 1890, Page 4

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

(From Our Special Correspondent.) London, January 25. NEW ZEALAND EXHIBITION IN LONDON. M r Twopeny’s project for transplanting he Dunedin and South Sea*? Exhibition holus bolus to Earlscourt in 1891 appears to tint! considerable favour over here. The Agent-General, I understand, misdoubts the wisdom of the scheme, but if it were decided, on both he and Sir Walter Bullet might safely be trusted to give most valuable assistance. The great thing to, be remembered is that the area of the buildings at Earlscourt is enormous, and that owing to the wretched displays of Italy and Spain in ’BB and ’B9, the reputation of the place has sunk to a very low ebb. Owing to this, 1 hear Colonel North lias withdrawn his moral and linancial support from the Belgian Show next summer. The person to get huld of to assist in working and financing the New Zealand Exhibition in England would be Sir Somers Vine. Though not as enthusiastic ar, admirer as some folks of that lusty knight, I am very far from underrating his shrewdness, business aptitude, and exhibition experience. In a venture like Mr Twopeny’s lie would be simply invaluable. Sir William Jervois has returned to town, and occupied the chair at the United Service Institution la.-t Friday, when Lieut.-Colonel Elias read a mo-t interesting paper on the “ Land Forces of Australia.” Sir William looks very well, though I hour he has not escaped a touch of the popular epidemic. SIR WALTER BULLER. Sir tv at ter Bailor is sick of company management, and means to cut the city a 3 soon as he decently can. This, he considers, will be when the New Zealand Antimony Company have paid tt dividend anti the Blue Spur Company are in fairly smooth waters. Sir Waler seems siill^undecided whether he will stay in New Zealand when he gets there or enter the arena of colonial politics, or return to England and give rein to his literary inclinations. He has received a very flattering offer from Messrs Sotheran, who appear to think that a carefully and ariistica ly-illustrated history of the Maori race (such as Sir Walter Buller could, with tinn at his disposal, compile) would be eagerly bought up by ethnologists. DUCROZ V. THE CROWN.

The case of Stokes v. Dueroz, which Mr Justice North decided in favour of the Crown on Tuesday, is of considerable interest and importance to colonists residing at Home 'with property in Australia and New Zealand. The late Mr John Melbourne Stoke 3 , of Napier, who died in London in 1880, left some shares which he owned in his brother’s station at Melbourne to trustees, who were ordered to realise them and distribute the outcome amongst certain English hospitals. On this outcome the Crown claimed legacy duty. The hospitals resisted on i he ground that these shares in New Zealand land were governed by the lex loci and not by the lex dom<ciiii. Mr Justice North, -.however, hold that the interest in the New Zealand partnership was personal estate, and therefore governed by the precedent of “Forbes v. Steven ” (Law Reports, 10 Eq., 178). He found for the Crown A HEROIC GIRL. Miss Amy Fowler, the heroic girl who goes out to the Sandwich Islands to assume control of the Leper Hospital at Molokai, sailed from Liverpool by the Bothnia on Saturday last. She is a quiet, resolved person who lias walked the hospitals of both London and Baris, and has been preparing for some months for her new work. The publicity given to Miss Fowler’s mission through the Prince of Wales’ speech annoyed her a good deal, as the last role she desired lo play was that - f theatrical martyr. The time and place of her departure were, therefore, keptseoret. Miss Fowlertravelled to Liverpool by herself, and a local clergyman saw her off. There is not, I understand, much danger of the young lady catching the dread disease if she observes certain simple precautions. Father Damien really took none, or he might have been ali-e to-day. There are several European nurses and priests now' at Molokai, and none of them are infected. Miss Fowler will not v'ant. for fairly congenial companionship, and friends in England have promised to keep her supplied with books. SIR CHARLES DILKE. Sir Charles Dilke warmly approves the views of Sir Harry Atkinson on Imperial federation as set forth in a recent int* rview which appeared in one of your New Zealand papers, and which has been widely quoted over here. Dilke reacts the New Zealand papers regularly. FRANK SLAVIN. Frank Slavin ha-- not accepted the Californian Athletic Club’s invitation to visit ’Frisco and box McAuliffe for a purse of £I,OOO. He says ho does not care to go in for any more minor Hatches. lie will meet either Sullivan or Jackson anywhere, anyhow, and for any sum up to £2,500 a-.yicle. If the projected light between the black and Sudivan comes to anything (which at present seems doubtful), it is Slavic's firm intention to force a match with the victor. Notwithstanding recent experiences, the Australian would prefer fighting Sullivan on the Continent rather than in the United States. If, however, the great John L. can’t bo gob at any other way, Slavin is willing to meet him in America. All the latter stipulates for is fair play. Slavin’s engagement in the Aquarium came to an end on Saturday. He is now in training for his wedding, which will take place at Margate shortly. ARREST OF BENZON. Although Mr Jubilee Benzon is known to have lost a pot of money at Nice races, and to have been in sore straits to pay some of his debts of honour lately, it is scarcely credible that the charge of forgery on which he was arrested on Wednesday can be well founded. It seems that one day last week Mr Benzon presented a cheque for £I,OOO, drawn on an English bank, and purporting to bo signed by Captain Hargreaves, the well-known yachting man, to the Credit Lyonnais for payment-. It was cashed, and forwarded to the English batik, who now pronounce Hargreaves’ signature a forgery. The Nice police at once arrested Benzon. He was found playing baccarat at the Mediterranean Club. MISCELLANEOUS. The news of Philip Beck’s sad end caused much concern at the Savage Club, where he was well known, and some years ago very popular. It seems Beck blew out his brains on board. the 8.1. Company’s steamer Punda, on Christmas Eve, just as that vessel was entering Colombo harbour. He had been, very unfortunate in his recent enterprises, and this fact had no doubt affected his mind, for he seemed to me to have quite lost heart. It was Philip Beck who introduced the New Zealand novelist, Fergus Hume, to London literary and Bohemian society. He had at. one

time a remarkably advantageous partr ership with Hume, who had indeed, ultimately, to pay a stilfish sum to get out of it. Very little has been seen of Hume since his severe illness some six or seven weeks ago. He has been living quietly in the country, and must have been working hard, as another new shocker of his, “ Miss Mephistopheles,” is out to-dav. Mr Bancroft has consented to decide the amount of compensation Mrs Langtry must pay Iladdon Chambers for changing he/ mind about his play. If the sum is sup posed to be commensurate with the author’s disappointment it should be stiff. A station from which it is possible to work the new Brennan controllable torpedo (For ihc sole rights in which the sum of £IIO,OOO was paid to the inventor by the British Government) is now being estab lished at Malta, and wi.l materially imnrove the defences of Valet ta Harbour.