Bermuda's new Governor has been on a crash course in Bermudian life and culture, he revealed yesterday.

Thorold Masefield, who will be officially sworn in next week, has been mugging up on the Island prior to his arrival.

Mr. Masefield -- in an exclusive interview with The Royal Gazette -- said he had been in talks with former Governor Lord Waddington and a string of representatives from Bermuda.

And today he will attend the annual general meeting of the Bermuda Society in London.

Mr. Masefield -- most recently High Commissioner in Lagos, Nigeria -- said he was looking forward to his new job.

He said: "I have met representatives of both the banks and a number of other people in the private and public sectors and discussed current issues.

"And my wife and I had a very good chat with Lord and Lady Waddington.'' Mr. Masefield admitted that Bermuda was a world away from strife-torn Nigeria, Africa's biggest country with a population of 135 million and currently under military rule.

He said: "The word people use is `challenging' -- Nigerians are a very charming people but they are the first to admit they have a lot of problems both political and economic.

"But in Bermuda I am not looking forward to problems as much as very pleasant welcome.'' "What has really struck me so far is that, as a place which doesn't occupy a great area of the world's land mass, is the diversity of the calendar, both domestic and international events.

"There is a Constitutional role and, perhaps particularly in modern times, an opportunity to be involved and interested in all the things which are most effective and vibrant in Bermuda.

"Currently we are looking forward to participating in as many things as possible.'' Mr. Masefield declined to say whether his style of Governorship as a top-ranking diplomat would be different from Lord Waddington, a former Conservative politician.

He said: "You'll just have to wait and see.'' Mr. Masefield began his Diplomatic Service career 35 years ago in the Commonwealth Relations Office, which included the then-Colonial Office, all now part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office after a 1968 merger.

Mr. Masefield said: "Much of my career has been in Commonwealth countries.'' He added he was on the point of composing a letter of application for the Governorship as his Nigerian posting drew to an end when he was sounded out for the job by the Foreign Office.

Mr. Masefield added: "It was a very, very happy coincidence of thought and time.'' On Bermudian issues, Mr. Masefield said his briefings left the impression that the thorny issue of Independence had been shelved in the meantime.

He added: "What I heard in the briefings was simply the results of the Referendum and I was given the feeling that you can't repeat a Referendum too often and that the issue is on the back burner. But I don't know -- that is just the impression I have got prior to arriving.'' The 57-year-old father of two grown-up sons and a daughter will be accompanied to Bermuda by wife Jennifer.

Prior to the Nigerian posting, Mr. Masefield was an Assistant Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign Office.