James Richard, the 7th and last Earl Stanhope formerly titled the Viscount Mahon inherited the title of Earl on the death of his father in 1905.
In 1908-1909 the Earl Stanhope conducted a world tour. Following a visit to Canada he arrived in Brisbane as a through passenger from Vancouver aboard the RMS Makura on Saturday 23 January 1909. His arrival was recorded in the Queensland press:
Visit of Earl Stanhope.
The passengers who arrived in Moreton Bay on Saturday evening by the R.M.S. Makura from Vancouver included Earl Stanhope, a young British Peer, who succeeded to the title in 1905. Earl Stanhope, who has a seat in the House of Lords, intends to tour the Australian States and New Zealand, with the object of studying Colonial problems in their bearing upon Imperial politics. He has already spent some time in Canada, haying left England last September. His present intention is to visit New Zealand before devoting his attention to the Australian States. Earl Stanhope will subsequently travel to the East, and return home via the Trans-Siberian Railway from Port Arthur. The Earl served with the Grenadier Guards in the South African War, and attained the rank of captain. He owns about 12,000 acres in Kent, and his country residence is at Chevening, in the beautiful Sevenoaks district. The Earl’s predecessors in the title won distinguished reputations as public men. The first Earl was a Prime Minister of England. The present was born in 1880, and is just on the threshold of an active political career. He stated, in the course of a conversation on Saturday night, that he was greatly interested in Colonial political questions, and was anxious to obtain first hand as much information as possible during his stay. He inquired particularly as to the progress of development in Queensland, and mentioned that he had made a careful study of land settlement in Canada, with a view to comparing it with Australian methods. His tour will extend over nine or ten months, and Queensland will probably be included in it.
Brisbane Courier, Monday 25 January 1909, page 4
The Earl remained aboard the Makura until its arrival in Sydney two days later where he disembarked.
His stay in Sydney was relatively brief on this occasion for on Wednesday 3 February 1909 he joined the ss Wimmera on her passage to Auckland where she arrived on Monday 8 February.
Newspaper reports of the young Earl’s arrival in New Zealand also preceded and followed his visit, eg:
Earl Stanhope, who arrived in Auckland by the Wimmera yesterday, is making a tour of the British Empire, with the object of obtaining a more intimate acquaintance with Imperial affairs. He is specially interested in the subjects of defence and colonial preference. Earl Stanhope travelled to New Zealand via the Vancouver route. The time at his disposal for a tour through the Dominion is very restricted, but he is making the best use of it. Yesterday, under the guidance of the mayor, he had interviews with several representative men, and today has been devoted to the inspection of some of our colonial manufactories. He will probably leave for Rotorua tomorrow, where he will meet Sir Joseph Ward, proceeding from thence overland to Wellington…
Auckland Star, Volume XL, Issue 34, 9 February 1909, Page 5
SS Wimmera 