The Colonies and India from London, Greater London, England • Page 15

OCT 6,1894 THE COLONIES AND INDIA 13 departure in further exploiting South Australian produce here will soon be in thorough working order. I hear, indeed, that a quantity of wine is just about arriving. There is an immense boom just now in Western Australian affairs generally. The Agency has become quite a focus of inquiries, and a glance at the financial London papers will show how much is now being done to develop the material resources of the Colony. All that is wanted is that honest and prcmpt critical watchfulness to guard against advantage being taken by greedy speculators of the genuine gold finds to run bogus claims.

I do not myself think there is any fear of the English investor suffering, as those who are responsible for the credit of the Colony are far too vigilant to permit anything running unchallenged that ought not to be on the market. There can, I believe, be no room now for doubt as to the reality of the great gold discoveries, and these are sure to result in giving an enormous and permanent impetus for good to all the still latent industrial forces of the Colony. The full effect will probably far exceed the most sanguine expectations that have yet been formed on the subject. I notice that for the present the Western Australian Government has suspended free female emigration into the Colony. The dredger Fremantle, which had to put into Batavia for repairs on her troublesome voyage out, has gone to sea again.

I hope she will make her voyage to her destination without any further hindrance. As a very remarkable instance of the progress the Austral Colonies are making, and notably New Zealand, I may mention that some really excellent cigars from Fiji were sent the Agent-General the other day, at 13 Victoria Street. This industry, as well as that of tea-planting on a pretty big scale, has been undertaken by New Zealandeis, and is surely another example of the energy and activity that are everywhere so apparent in the Britain of the South. The tea and the tobacco eught to succeed admirably, as the climate is similar to that of Ceylon. The tea is said to possess fine qualities, and these will no doubt commend themselves and command in the issue a good market.

I hear frcm Mr. Freyberg, who has given me this interesting information, that tobacco similar to that grown ki Turkey is now to be planted in Fiji. Many of my readers have, no doubt, heard of Miss Purnell, some of whose beautiful flower paintings were exhibited at the Indian and Colonial Exhibition. This lady, it is well known, i has resided long in Western Australia. I hear that some of her delineations of the wild flowers of the Colony have been just placed in the Imperial Institute.

As works of art they are exquisite. The annual meeting of the London Australasian Social and Athletic Club will be held at the Westminster Palace Hotel on October 31, when Sir Saul Samuel, the president, will fill the chair. 1 believe the club is still making good progress, and it fulfils an important office in forming a rallying ground for the officers of the various Austral Agencies. It is long, indeed, since I referred to Miss Margaret Thomas, the well-known Australian sculptor, artist, and authoress. I now learn that this lady's two years' tour in the South-east of Athens, Palermo, Syracuse, Pompeii, has fcorne much valuable fruit in the shape of a more than well- filled portfolio, containing a great number of varied and, in all cases, most interesting sketches.

When recently I had the pleasure of inspecting them, the dull and gloomy atmosphere of an eaily autumnal day greatly accentuated their glowing Italian colouring, which was rendered all the more vivid by force of contrast. While Bhowing these clear, pleasant, and life-like descriptions of the many scenes depicted on the canvas, Miss Thomas informed me of an interesting fact in connection with the colours of the Pompeian frescoes, now, alas fast fading away. It seems that Professor Kelsey of the University of Michigan, U.S.A., was very desirous of possessing a reproduction of all the colours therein made use of, and Miss Thomas reproduced them accordingly for him on small blocks of wood. It had been thought that there might be about thirty or forty, but when the time came to note and actually count the various shades and tints employed it appeared that there were over one hundred In several cases, too, Miss Thomas had to try many combinations before she could arrive at the right one. Professor Kelsey was, I understand, also much pleased with a sonnet on Pompeii which Miss Thomas has written and which he, it seems, read aloud to his pupils in the class-room.

Mr. Mackenzie Bell has been writing in the Daily Chronicle on the subject of the centenary of the birth of Mrs. Hemans, about whose birth date there seems to be some little dispute as to whether the right year be 1893 or 1894. I need not remark here on the fact that Mrs. Hemans is not only well known, but is extremely popular in Australia.

Liverpool, as Mr. Mackenzie Bell justly remarks, has been very backward, indeed, in doing honour to its sweetest singer. It was while living in the neighbourhood that Mrs. Hemans wrote "The Better Land," and some other of those pieces which, like the Graves of a Household," "England's Homes," and "England Dead," are known and admired wherever the English language is spoken. Very justly, indeed, I think, does the Daily Chronicle observe is strange that the centenary of the birth of a lady whose lines have taken a peace and serenity to thousands of British homes which more pretentious words have failed to do, should not be honoured by some of the publishers." Mr.

Mackenzie Bell has done well to invite public attention to this matter. Mr. Arthur Silva, while delivering himself in the current United Service Magazine, points out the strategic importance of the Galapagos group of islands in the Pacific. These islands lie on the Equator, and offer, I believe, great facilities for the establishment of a coaling station. It is a fact that is, I think, of very great importance that at present we have no stations in the South-East Pacific.

Unfortunately, the Foreign Office will not move in the matter, but the Royal Colonial Institute might take up so important a question in earnest, and press it on the Colonial Office. I observe that at the recent very excellent exhibition at Brisbane of the Queensland Art Society ten works in water- colour, by the late Charles E. Heme, were exhibited, and attracted much well-merited notice. Some time since, in the course of conversation with Mr. Edwin Stretter, the well-known jeweller and expert in all kinds of gems, that gentleman expressed a decided opinion that in Australia there would yet be important discoveries of rubies.

I remember well some years ago the late esteemed Agent-General for South Australia, Sir Arthur Blyth, showing me a specimen of what was supposed to be a true Australian ruby, but which turned out to be only fine garnet. However, since then it has been shown that the ruby can be included among the many precious stones produced on the Continent. In connection with this subject I cannot forbear to cite a very curious experience that Mr. Streeter has recently had. He informs me that an Indian officer stationed in the North-West of India wrote to him stating that he had forwarded Mr.

Streeter a very large ruby, which he supposed might be worth a million pounds sterling. The gentleman in question had the consideration to add that if Mr. Streeter bought the gem, aa desired, the price need not be paid all at once, and that the vendor would be satisfied by receiving a few thousands on account by each mail. The stone seems to have arrived in due course, and Mr. Streeter found it to be simply a very large natural crystal of very fine geological specimen, but quite valueless as a precious stone.

The price offered for the imaginary ruby was just 11. and that only as a specimen for Mr. Streeter's museum, the garnet being so mixed with mica that it would be a useless expense to attempt to cut it. I understand that this remarkable crystal weighs or carats, so if the garnet had been a true ruby it would certainly have been worth a very considerable sum indeed. An Admiralty order has been issued directing the composite cruiser Pylades, 12, 1,420 tons, power, attached to the A Division of the Medway Fleet Reserve, to be comm.