LONDON JOTTINGS-

Waikato Argus, Volume IV, Issue 297, 4 June 1898, Page 4

LONDON JOTTINGS-

(TEOM OUR LADY CORRESPONDENT). CONCERTS, ETC. I have been to a few gcod concerts since my last letter ; one, a vocal recital by ' Mr and Mrs Henchel, was very nice, Mrs Henchel lias a very sweet flexible soprano voice, onil Mr Henchel has an equally gooil baritone. Their duet singing was most pleasing, but I thought it a pity he played all the accompaniments himself, for however good a singer may be, he is never heard to such advantage as when standing up. A musical and dramatic recital at the Stienway Hall by the Rev. J. J. Nesbitt was also good. Mr Nesbitt is quite a young looking man and is thought a good deal of as a reciter, but what I liked best was the harp playing of a young lady. Miss Puroell, who assisted in the musical portion. She played exquisitely, better than anyone I have heard, and was loudly encored. Mr Cowen has likewise been giving good concerts, one of which I attended, at which he was assisted by Santley, Lloyd, Clara Butt, and other good singerß. I did not care much for Madame Medora Henson, or for Mabel Berry and Fanny Da vies, who is considered Al among pianistes, has far too much action I think. All the lady pianistes appear to put on so much more display than gentlemen instrumentalists, which —though of course I may be wrong —seems to me to take away from the grace of their performances. Hrxl it not been for this I would have enjoyed Fanny Davies in her pieces so much more. Nearly all the songs were new compositions of Cowen's, and he played all the accompaniments himself in a most •harming and unassuming manner. Needless to say, Santley and Lloyd were greeted vociferously before they sang a note. The latter begins to look aged, but sings as vigorously ns ever. The concert I have enjoyed the most was " Rosenthal's " the Austrian pianist, and his audience—a veiy large one—was most enthusiastic; gentlemen rose to their feet and called out " encore " again and again, and nearly everyone remained till the very last note was struck, which is very unusual, as there is always a number of people who leave before the concert is halt over, which is often very annoying. Rosenthal plays in such a refined quiet manner, quite equalling Liebling in delicacy of touch and expression, but in rapid " forte " passages he shows tremendous power. The piano he used, one of Bluthner's, was one of the sweetest toned I ever heard. One afternoon I went to the Moore and Burgess Ministrel, and that was a decided change from grave to gay, a great contrast to the high-class, decorous concerts with which London abounds. They sang very well indeed, especially in the choruses, which consisted of twenty ' voices—equal men and boys. The orchestra, too, of ten instruments played well, while the eight' corner men made the jokes fly fast and furious, from the one who got eo hopelessly mixed in his singular and plural he couldn't extricate himself, to the man who, having swallowed an egg whole, shell and all, in evading his wife's chastisement, had been in great distress ever since, both bodily and mentally, for as he said : " He dare not move in case the egg broke, and he dare not sit still for fear of hatching a Shanghai rooster.'' A MONSTER BENEFIT. Though I caDnot give a personal account of the great theatrical event of last month —the Nellie Farren benefit—l can relate my experience as an outsider. The demand for tickets at high prices was enormous, and only a few of the very privileged ones could ottain "orders"; however, the day before I and another New Zealand lady agreed to make a valiant effort to gain admittance to the unreserved seats, for *' nothing venture, nothing have." Though numbers of ardent admirers of Nellie were willing to wait all night, we thought a couple of hours quite long enough to exercise our patience on the morning of the event before the doors opened. What we cared to see was not particularly Nellie Farren, but the " tout ensemble " of all the chief actors and actresses of the present day who took part in the performance. Well, "we took up our stand in a very fair position, and we, as well as others near us, congratulated ourselves on being so fortunate, but as time crept on we noticed a most unusual thing; which was the absence of police, who are generally so vigilant and insist on fair play in making people keep their proper places, the last comers always going to the back. Gradually new arrivals slipt in front, notwithstanding cres of " take your proper place, please." In the meantime a crowd had assembled on the opposite side of the street, apparently only to watch, and though some police arrived at last they did not form the usual barricade, so when the doors were opened these people with shouts and laughter, dashed across and got inside in front of our patiently waiting phalanx. And now the serious part began. As long as wc went forward we were all right, but when there was a backward push it was a case of " scrunch," and if ever anyone felt like a live trussed fowl in a state of suffocation I was that unhappy being. I somehow got half sideways ; my arms were pinioned, so were my legs, and my head buried in the back of a gentleman in front. When I did mauage to get a morsel of breath by raising my face to his shirt collar, I murmured in dulcet tones, " Where are you Mrs M., are you there ?" but: Alas ! My voice was lost in (h)air, And echo only answered "Where," " Not there, my child, not there !" At last we arrived at the doors, got inside, and actually half-way up the «tairs, when there was a dead stop and the ominous cry came from above, "No more room." For a moment silence deep and profound reigned, and when the police benignantly, but peremptorily called out: "Now move on, p'case; steady there, don't be in a hurry," it was too much for o.ir already harrowed feelings. Move on, indeed ! Where were we to move to! THE PARKS. I have been " doing" some of the parks lately, wishing to see them in their spring garb, but the beauty of the flow, ers has been spoilt by the cold of the last fortnight. In St. James' I'ark the crocusses, of which there are large squares on the grass, have been lovelyall colouis, and the beds of hyacinths, daffodils and primroses quite a picture. This is a very pretty place for people to resort to, arid it is very pleasant to sit by the edge of the large artificial lake (Charles the Second's idea) and,watch the numerous beautiful ducks of every hue and variety swimming about. I believe Heniy VIII. first formed and enclosed this park, and Charles 11. replanted and beautified it. It was through these grounds that the ill-fated Charles L, attended by Bishop Juscon, walked from tit. Jair.cs' Palace to the scaffold at Whitehall with a regiment of foot before and behind him. Of course Regent's Park excels others in extent of grassy pastures, beautifully planted avenues of trees ami carriage drives, but the flowers there are not so plentiful this year. Here, too, are the Botanic Gardens and the ever favourite Zoological Gardens, so that a visitor can see a good deal in one day without much trouble ; but Battersea Park, opposite Chelsea Hospital, is by far the prettiest and most picturesque. It has not been in existence so long as others, as it only dates from lSf>2 uS, before this being a waste of marshy fields, on one of which a famous duel was fought by the Dake of Wellington and Lord Winohelsea, The flower beds are beautifully laid out and kept in admirable order. It is twice the size of St. James', and so entirely away from the noise and busy traffic of the streets, it is like.spending a day in the country. The lillies of the valley and snowdrops are ust over, but hyacinths abouud iu pro-

fusion, such fine varieties and such lonely colours. Unlike some artificially-made pleasure grounds, tliis park, instead of being flat with eymetrically raised beds abounds in the picturesque ; nooks under trees, where flowers are growing any- ' how, making a mass of colour, wild Bowers creepers running over tree stumps and stonework, parterres of dis tinctive blooms prettily laid out, and as you turn out of one walk and another you constantly come to the water, on which stately swans and ducks are floating. By the side of the large lake are about fifty pleasure boats moored for hire—a shilling an hour—and the day t was there several gentlemen were enjoying a row. Then there are cricket and football grounds at the extremities, refreshment rooms and tea gardens, and in the centre is a large circular place fenced off with wire netting, and a flower bed all round, where are kept rare fowlsbeautiful Malay pheasants with their lone sweeping tails; Jacobin p : geons, which are of huge size, with glossy greenish, black plumage, which rises'ike a ruff round the neck, and white underneath the stomach and tail : al-o little brown squirrels, and the ever saucy magpie which, as usual, was poking its nose into everyone else's business, ar>d racing a squirrel to get a nut from it as I stood watching. Yes ! I think Battersea Park a most charming place and well worth a visit. FASHION NOTES. As to fashion, I think milliners and dress modistes miut be at their wit's end as to what change they can make in style. Hats continue the same shape, with every variety of trimming according to the taste of the wearer, but the beef-eater crowns in soft material seem to have pre-eminence. In the Regentstreet shop 3 the last displays of blouses show a tendency to trimming lengthways instead of across, which looks much prettier, and very few are made with those close tucks. I noticed a very pretty pale blue satin blouse with three folds on each side of the front, edged with narrow valencienues lace downwards from nede to waist; full satin front, all hanging rather loosely over a belt of the same, which, like the col'ar, was in folds, rows of lace to correspond down the half-tight sleeves from shoulder to wiist, terminating with a frill of satin and lace Folded belts and collars look very nice in soft material, not having l such a stiff appearance as plain ones. Narrow silk braid is coming in very much, all kinds of devices being em broidered with it on skirts and jacket bodies with loose shirt front, and is not nearly so expensive as the sequin and bead trimming. The dcw shade violine or parma violet is lovely, but I fear perishable. There was a charming costume in this colour in rich soft silk with cream silk braid embroidered in leaves and flowers on the skirt, short open jacket with leaf embroidery round it and cream silk loose front, sleeves trimmed same round cuffs, and cream lace frill at wrist, folded collar. There is a new material iu camels hair covered with silky threads, and Venetian cloths of light texture in medium browns and greys are likely to be much worn for early summer. The fashionable skirt requires great nicety to make it hang properly. If it is long any slight flaw is not so apparent, but when rather short the least discrepancy is noticeable, and there is scarcely one in twenty you see in the streets which hangs really well, so young ladies who make their own dresses must pay particular attention to this, for it is a fault which so often spoils what would otherwise be a really pretty well-made costume. PANTOMIME. The Drury Lane pautomime, "The Babes in the Woods," which has been such a source of attraction ever since Christmas, was the last of its kind to close. The most amusing characters in it were Herbert Campbell and Dan Leno, who represented the unfortunate babes. The former being a very big tall stout man looked most absurd dressed in a child's pink sateen frock and sash, with light flaxen curls, as the little girl " Chrissie." Dau Leno as " Reggie" is a slight fellow and made a capital little boy ; but after their supposed death, which had only been a long sleep, for several years when they re-appeared in the same clothes, which they had outgrown, they locked more ridiculous than ever. Herbert Campbell's dress just reached to his knees, showing a great display of white drawers with broad work on, and the back view of him was most outrageous. Dan Lcno's trousers were up to his knees, his sleeves nearly to his elbows ; his moustache had sprouted, which he thought must be a door mat growing on his face, and one of his boyish treasures, a half-dead mouse, which he was in the habit of pulling out of his pocket to fondle, had grown as big as a rat. Leno —Mr W. S. Gilbert sarcastically calls him—the " Great Dan Leno," is an immense favourite with the London people, and I never heard such a laugh as he can make; not one of the noisy "ha ha" laughs, but a silent, indescribable, speechless convulsion which ends in a sobbing, gasping squeak that sels everyone else off. The great spectacular parts of the pantomime were the two transformation scenes—one in the middle and the other at the end. They were really a marvel of loveliness, and the serial ballet done by girl fairies suspended and drawn up and down by wires was a wonderful exhibition of ingenuity and beauty. They seemed to fly through the air, soaring amongst the trets, and every now and then alighting on some flowery tuft on which they appeared to rest poised on one foot. The rest of the artistes occupying the floor were dressed in the nondescript ballet costume of the present day, and, though the girls look pretty enough, I for one don't admire either the dress or the dancing half as much as the ballet of old days. As a lady remarked: "It isn't dancing, it's kicking now-a-days," and what costume there is is indescribable, PERSONAL. I have had the pleasure of seeing Mr Henry Reynolds, who has just arrived again in London, after a prolonged absence of over a year. He looks remarkably well and seems to have enjoyed the peep he has had of foreign lands. Mr Richard Reynolds also has returned from visiting Cumberland and other places and shows no trace of illness now, indeed he looks the picture of health. We formed quite a little colonial coterie the other afternoon, and I was heartily pleaded to shake hands again with both Mr Henry and Mr Richard Reynolds. Though the latter finds much to interest bin' in England, his thoughts seem turning strongly to the colonies again, and he begins to talk about his return voyage, He has not hitherto seen London at its bc3t, but I hope, if we have a spell of real summer weather, he will carry back with him a brighter impression of foggy London, and confess that, after all, there may be worse places in the world than Old Knglaod.