The morning news., 1889-05-08
AUSTRALIANS GOLD QUEEN.
The Romantic Career of Alice Corn
we'll


well.
From the Otooo (Ne,o Zeata,td) Times.
One of the most rem lrkable women Of
the present day is Miss Alice Cornwell
Born in England, she at the age of came
over with her father and mother to New
2 alsnd, where, until the age of II she re-
mained, unconsciou'y preparing herself
scnolastically at ladies' scho j in Dunedin
Mrs. May Manor Lo ge SCHOOL, for sub
sequent enterprises which were to startle
she whole world. She was not at school
considered a very b il liant girl; neither did
she in those days possess extraordinary per-
sonal attractions. But sbe gained for her
self the interest, friendship aud wa~mest
est )sm Of compani MS, in whose minds
Alice was associated always with goodness
and amiabllity. Miss Cornwell remained
in Dan din until she was II, AID when she
bade good-by to New Zealan1 to acc )m-
pany ner parents to Victo Ia, Shs left he
bind her ties and friendships which to day
remain mistaken and u al cred. T g
stranger, on Introduction, does no5 detect
in h manner augLt savoring OF SELF
sciousness o of affectatio No ole who
knew not of her fame woul Imagine her,
from ext'r al dications, to be pos
sessor of three quarters of mill On sterlt X.
Sue is as polite and ag 'e.able in manner to
a pauper as to a roOemau; she is ever
ready to give hor u idivi led attea ion to the
ideas, sdg estious or scuem s OF any oDe, be
he ever 81 hu nble IN circunstanc IS; and if
hi scheme We merits and be practicable,
the lady will pr mise to give it her "beSt
consid ration he will too.
The subject of this noace married in Vic
toria an oil man, a member IF parliament.
by name Joha White nan. TIE lion does
not appear, however, to have beel a 81 GU
larlY happy o e. from toe C rcumS .ahce
that the pair have been living apart flr the
last ten years. Aud her parents, in order
to get her gay from surroundings which
must nee sSarily have been uaple tsanS and
di ia reful to her sent r Joa co lege in
Lnndoa, wnere. foe tlne, she devote her.
self assiduous y to the iy of music and
art, aud where subseque tly sac publis el
three or four songs. But after passing
several examinations in music and gaining
nonOrs in literature, her AGA lemic career
was suddenly brought to untimely end
one morni. z by hr receivins FIR IN Mr.
Jornwell a cablegra II aunou cling the
death of her mother (V dvi lg inluac-
u n was taat Alice should resume her
maiden name) request that she
would return TO Victoria. Her fat er was
in Blllarat at this t me, and had beco ne
heavily involved il mining speculat.Ons.
He had sunk G40,0 in an estate he leased
from Sir W ,lha Clarke, and ha ha no
return. 1t was at this time lh 1t the enc 'gy
and determination of character of Miss
Cornwell first displayed themsel yes, and to
some extent shade ed forth the brIllian.
tina- cial career, the beginning OF which
was sool to follow in the wage of these
events. MIR. Cornwells misfor tunes would
appear to have brought abo It an eb r
mally phenomenal chan re in bis daughters
entire character, and from the DIRE ,mv,
sentimental young woman. whose in crest
was conce ltrated in her studies, SIC sud
denly oeca ne a matter-of-fac5 woman of
the world, full of ambition, imagi alton
and energ'. She had the interests of her
family at heart, and devoted her whole
time to thinking out projects which would
retrieve their fallen fortunes. She felt tnat
the only way by which g could Success
fully accomplish this would be, to use her
own wur,is, "Go make the es ate in whic1
the money had bsel sunk return" 50,
having p sted herself u in all the geologi-
cal details Of the gold fed, ard having,
after much quirv, satisfied herself that
& I'D did exist IN its vicinity, she formulated
a scheme bv whlcl she couli carry he'
ideas into effect Money was borr we'd and
a SD aft sunk, and within foot of The point
she had dicated the course OF the lead was
stru K. This was the starting point OF her
mining clreer. Soon after ward she became
companies in New Sou b Wales, but in no
instance where she had not personally in
spec ed and imp owed the claim. The idea
Of revlsiting London in tie interests OF gol
mining was suggested TO her by the late
Lady BraSSey, tnen on a tour OF the To-
les, who pointed out TO her the facilities
and advantages she would meet with in the
great metropolis for tioati mines Of such
a character as tie Midas. Tue lady also
ft,x 9 x-iGf har a.
she repair to London. Home accordingly
she went, a Midas-suoscribed for five
times owe was tioated by her for & iS0, 900,
Of which the shareholde received ei3O, 900
net T Is enterprise it was. of course, mat
made Miss Cornwell 81 publicly known.
Miss Corlweil returne to Australia in
April OF last year, chiefly for the purpose of
Ito use her own words "a sisting the man
agement in handing over the leases O iickly
to the new company" Having ne this,
she urne ed through Quseensla fr the
purpose II obtaining information her
popular London paper. the Sunday Times.
DUR 1g tnis trip the W .oag e tate. wnica
she n roughly inspecte and explored, was
pu chased oy her for & 80 900. The estate
covers an area Of 1900 acres. railway
lire runs through it. There is a fronta ye to &
lake Of twelve miles, and frontage to a
river of fourteen miles. In so ne parts Of
the estate there Is "A rich am 30 or 40 feet
4 depth. and IL possesses. moreover, a
abundance OF the finest timber in New
South Wales-ced IT, mahogany, ct =. From
geological reports, IL is estimated that there
are 2eO, 100000 tons Of gas coal on the
estate, aud the profit on thi II worked, is
further estimated, in rou d figures. at
$50, 900, 900. On il are a railway station
ard tow ship already surveyed. Miss
Cornwell contemplates raising 81, ,000,0 900
in London, for the purpose uf working aud
developing this property, an she ho, es in
two years 10 see on it ia full work four
saw mills aud four collieries. So "a gu be
is she OF tie ultimate success that will
attend the developing and W rking Of this
property taat she has deci led 10 re ain TO
Lersef one-third Of the shares Of the com