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Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 313, 18 June 1889, Page 4

A groat deal of fuss is being made over the visit to the colonies of Sir Somers Vine, but the following Is a sample of the equivocal language in which the Wellington Press refers to him We have always conceived of an ambassador from a Royal Prince as a Snon of somewhat noble presence, of gnified demeanour, of cultivated mind and ot courteous bearing. Our preconceived idea of a delegate of the Heir-apparent to the English throne is of one who carries something of the flavour and manner of the Court, and in private conversation, no lees than official communication, maintains that high sense of seii-respect which his office aud representative character alike entail on him. To all this, no doubt, Sir Somers Vine completely answers, only we have the uncomfortable suspicion that we have slept, as the member for Thorndon says, the sleep of Rip Van Winkle, and that the nobility of presence, the dignity of demeanour, the cultivated mind and the courteous bearing, the Court flavor and the sense ot self respect, are those of a Court to which we are total strangers, g Court which we do not know and cannot understand, and which certainly must differ toto eoelo from the courtly traditions of the plays that are gone, and of which we have vainly dreamt, Sir Somers Vine, we conclude, is a representative man of the Court of the future King of England, the delegate who will be a “Persona Grata" to the colonists to whom be is accredited. Well, we have seen Sir Borners Vine, and heard him state his mission, at least we saw and heard a person of robust frame and florid countenance, who. with both hands in his pockets, and a sufijoient flow of elementary English, somewhat roughly pronounced, informed us that he had come as a delegate from the Prince of Wales and repeated pretty much what wo all know Mto the Imperial Institute. We leave thoar, who have the pleasure of Sir Somers Vine h private confidences to express their admi' fa . lion of bis social qualities.

The New Zealand Methodist, in its issue of the Ist instant, says : —Auckland seems to be somewhat violently attacked > JV the Land Nationalisation fever. The [1 av T S Hill, president of the Y.M.C.A., hi , 8 deerae( i the matter sufficiently important \ 0 ma ke it ° f hl3add L re “ thw j successive K uernoons; the object of * db addresses nf H^.°/ e,n0 ™ r - lte ‘h® B’oundlessness 1. G , ge s famous r y■ Mr Hill nartiSut *” *“ a 8 there “ BoiDK>8 oiD K> in Ms un>ihh! ar -‘ ne > aQli “ usua "J able to give a exuad’ reason for whatever he does. The F* , ie ncy, however, of making a politicoquestion, like land nationalisation, the subject of Sunday addresses will be doubted by a great many, who can hardly be classed as narrow in their ideas of the scope of the Christian Ministry. That it is a question of great social interest, and that it affects, very intimately, the general welfare of the community, c_n hardly be doubted, but its discussion on the Lord’s Day seems to open the door very wide to what may be regarded proper as a theme for the Sabbath."

During the ten days preceding the Ist instant, 2tr9 eases of typhoid fever were reported to the Melbourne Central Board of Health, 37 of which were fatal. During the same period there were 51 cases of diphtheria, 20 of were fatal.

Opthalmia is reported to have broken out among the young horses in the northern portion of South Australia.

Three men on being lowered down the Great Britain mine at Sandhurst recently were at a depth of 220 feet plungd into water, and the cage submerged for more than 3 feet before it was stopped. The men climbed to the top of the cage and were then drawn up.