PERSONAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2237, 14 January 1897, Page 53

PERSONAL NOTES.

* . • Yeari ago Prince Bismarck used to j ■pell his name without the " o." The present spelling does away with the monetary significance of the name — Bia-mark — two marks. • .• Mr George Hensche), the musician, now regards himielf as an Englishman, having been naturalised a short time ago. By birth he is Berliner, and his professional debut as a pianist was made in the German capital at the age of 12. Ar. 16 he made his first appearance as a singer, and a few years later be was publishing his compositions. To his threefold talents in music Mi Hensohel adds no little skill in painting, and some of his best friends, inducting Mr AlmaTadema, who is another naturalised Englishman, have been gained in bis studio. *,' Signor Paolo Toeti, the well-known oompoeer, once gave muaio lessons at the rate of fivepence an hour, and had one of bis now most conspicaoutly Bucoessful songs rejected in a prim competition organised by a Florentine society. The oomposer lives in Ficchiey road, and makes about £400 by each song be writes, of many of which over a million copies are sold. He always carries about a little pocker-book ruled with musical lines, in which he jots down airs as they ocoor to him, His bobby is the curious one cf upholstering, and be has invented etriking shapes for chairs and tables. Also he amoke3 * great deal - . *, Sir William MacOormac, the president .ol the Royal College of Surgeons, is an Ulsterman, just turned 60 years cf age. He was eduoated at Qaeen'« College, Belfast, and when 28 years old became surgeon to the Royal Hospital in bis native oity. Since tben there is scarcely any honour wbioh bas not been his. He was made an officer of the Legion of Honour soon after 1871 in recognition of his services on the field of battle in the ambulance wards. He is a Commander of the Order of the Medjldie, a Knight of the Crown Order of Prussia, and a Knight Commander of the Order of tb» Crown of Italy. • . • Dr Donald Macleod told a good story in the course of an address to the Glasgow Gaelic Musical Association. One time in ther early forties a cousin of bis own, a famous piper, was resident in an Edinburgh hotel, and used to practise regularly on bis pipes. He had not long commenced one evening when a visiting oard was banded to him, with the request that the owner might be allowed to be present at the performance. That card bore the name of Mendelssohn. For three nights that great composer came and studied while the piper played. Dr Macleod said he bad told that story to a sarcastic Englishman, who at the finish stated it was a remarkable fact that Mendelssohn died soon after. • . •Itis a striking fact tbat the majority of Canadians who bare won fame in the -speculative world of politics, or in the less perilous though less interesting mazes of commerce, are Scotsmen either by birtb or descent. Sir . Donald Smith, Canada's wealthiest citizen, ii of the number. As a boy, Sir Donald was in the employ of the Hudson Bay Company, of which be is now the bead. At one time, when stationed in far-off Labrador, be was smitten with snowblindness, and threatened with the loss of his sight. The nearest dootor was several hundreds of miles distant, but the sufferer determined to reach him. - In company with two half-breed guides he accomplished the journey, and obtained the needed medical aid. • . • Until recently Mr R. D. Blackmore nsed to drive a Dartmoor pony, which is now calculated to have seen about 30 years of life. The famous novelist is fond of Irish setters 5 and fantail pigeons, is a great authority on ! pear trees, and possesses an avenue of peaches I of which he is very proud. He is said to have been the first man to have discovered tbat in England peaches need not necessarily be grown against a wall. Although Mr ; Blaokmore has a very nice house, be sleeps and lives for the best part of his time in one little room. He is rather exclusive and con- i servative, but shows bis appreciation of a guest by emerging from his den to smoke a pipe with him, when he proves the rcost delightful of companions. \ • Lord Charles Beresford is described as the "liveliest" oaptain in the navy. And although little has been heard of, or from, ' him since he took over the command of the Steam Reserve in Chatham harbour, excepting an occasional exploit like getting nearly drowned in a wet dock, and saving a bluejacket, pour passer le temps, to prevent a bluejaoket from saving him, yet Lord Charles survives as the one sailor in all its fleet that the nation best likes to hear from. Personally Lord Charles Beresford has not greatly Changed within his seven years of plenty. He has not passed the meridian of bis life, and Is still neat and handy to the nautical eye.

very sailor-like, bur in a psychological sense seriouft — distinctly serious. ••• Prince Michael Hilkoff, the Russian Minister of Wajß of Communication, who is i at present inspecting American railways, bas | had an interesting career. Prince Hilkoff i first went to America in 1857 as a tourist. A i difference with bis father led him to go again in 1861. He arrived in Philadelphia, and received his first wages — a dollar a day — from a Quaker namad Wainwright, who was a machinist and contractor. The advance of Russia in railway enterprise opened a home field for the young Prince, and he returned there 25 years ago, a thoroughly-equipped railway mechanic. The present Czar has long been deep'y interested in the railway development of the empire, and as president of the Trans-Siberian road be was brought to a high appreciation cf Prince Hilkoff 's accomplishments. A year and a-nalf ago be promoted him to tbe Imperial official family with the title of Minister of Way* of Communication. ' . • Sir Henry Irving has one peculiarity that only those brought into intimate contact with him reapgniee, aud which we have never 6eeD referred to In the press. Thia v in regard to tbe number of pairs of spectacles and glasses of various sorts that he always has ac band at the Lyceum Theatre and at the place where he may be residing. At variouß points at tbe Lyceum he has quite two dozen pairs of glasses of one kind and another, and no employee about the place ever dreams of removing these ; for <vben Sir Henry is bnsy with some production he ia perpetually losing his spectacles, and 2.8 he is far more 'dependent on tbeue than moat people know he flies to the nearest point where he is sure he may find a pair. He is const an tly buying new pairs of glasses, and when he is good-naturedly rallied about this he pleads guilty to having quite 60 pairs either at the theatre or at home. ■ . * The late Archbishop of Canterbury, In a sermon several months ago, disclosed an interesting little bit of personal history. " Sometimes," he said, " he himself got tired and gloomy and vexed because he had some difficult letter to write or some difficult correspondenoe to deal with. At times anger and irritation would come upon him, but on bis table he kept an open book of pleasant poems, of whioh he would read a few lines, and the irritation would melt away with the new interests brought into his mind and the fresh direction given to his thoughts." One of Archishop Benson's most arduous duties was the writing of letters. In the corridor at Lambeth an oak sideboard stands just outside the Archbishop's library, and there the letters were piled up by hundreds every day. The Archbishop biniielf always read those marked " private," and three secretaries attended to the rest. The secretaries sometimes drove with him to a meeting readiDg | letters to him all the time. Whan Dr Benson first became Archbishop he vent off about 10,000 letters in the year ; latterly the number was more like 15,000. I '.'An interview with "Father Ignatius,"the t now widely-known Anglican monk of Llanthony, forms the opening contribution of tha Humanitarian of a late date, and an interestiog one it is. Father Ignatius occupies a \ singular position, and most though tfnl people, ! however much they may differ from bis ; principles and theories, cannot withhold some tribute to bis tenacity of purpose, vehement | enthusiasm, and sincerity. In the coursa of | the interview here recorded, be spoke with bis wonted thoroughness on some of the trends and sins of society. It is noted that Father Ignatius comes of a strictly evangelical family. His father, Mr Franois Lyne, was the scion of an old Welsh family, and his mother was a Lycester, a member of the house of which the la£e Lord de Tabley was j the bead. At 23 be was in charge of his first S curacy at Plymouth. There he met Dr Puseyand Miss Sellon, who first thought of monastic life for the Churoh of England. Through them he was brought to the monastic idea. It led, as far as he was concerned, to disin- ! beritanoe and a storm of persecution. After suffering and ruin came his missionary crusade, and eventually the realisation of his project of establishing his "monastery" in Llanthony, in the Welsh mountains.

Mrs Rhodie Noah, of this place, was taken in the night with cramping pains, and the next day diarrhoea set in. She t"ok half a bottle of blackberry cordial, but gob no relief. She then sent to me to see if I had anything that would help her. I sent her a bottle of Chamberlain's Colic, Cholera, and Diarrhoea Remedy, and the first dose relieved her. Another of her neighbours had been sick for about a week, and bad tried different remedies for diarrhoea, but kept getting worse. I sent him this same remedy. Only four doses of it were required to cure him. He says he owes his recovery Ito thiß wonderful remedy.— Mrs Mary Sibley, judney, Mich. For sale by all leading ohemi&to