PARS ABOUT NOTABILITIES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVII, Issue 173, 21 July 1906, Page 11

PARS ABOUT NOTABILITIES.

One of Madame Patti's trials is the mania people seem to cherish for wishingthat she should adopt their children. She declares she receives hundreds of oSers of babies for adoption*, in the course of a year. .. -

It is officially announced from Essen 'rays the "Central News") that Fraulein Bertha Krupp, Germany's richest heiress, has become engaged to Herr Bohlen Halback, a Secretary of Legation in the/German Diplomatic Service. ""■;"

Mrs. Purcell Fitzgerald, one of the most famous New York beauties that the papers in the States have raved about, is now in London. Her jewels arc-worth half a million, and' she is the possessor of a unique collar of blue diamonds, for which she has refused an offer of £25.000.

Nelsou-Alorris, one of tlie great magnates of the meAt-canning business, is one of the richest of the multi-inilljonair.es of Chicago. His greatest pleasure is to go to his stockyard early in the morning, select a calf, kill it with his own hands, cut out the sweet-bread, ami cook "t for his breakfast.

The Prince of Wales was an exhibitor at the International Philatelic Exhibition. The Prince, whose specialty is British and British-Colonial jfetamps,* met with a disappointment familiar to all collectors when examining the galleries. He noticed a sheet of early four-anna Indian stamps which was offered to him years ago for £150, and which is now worth about £1200. "Ah!" % said, "I have reason to envy Mr. Hansberg that sheet." Prince Eddie is following in his father's footsteps as a stamp collector. He sent an excellent set of Liberian specimens, all possessing their original gum, together With an interesting book of unused French and colonial stamps.

Lord Haddo, in marrying the widow of a tradesman, will be following out the traditions of fraternity and equality in which he was brought up. His mother, Lady Aberdeen, carries her democratic notions even further .than does Lady Warwick, and it was from the arrangement of ber menage that Air. J. Al. J ßarrie gathered some of the ideas that were turned to account in "The Admirable C-ichton.'*' On the other baud, Lady Aberdeen can be very stately, and he* Courts at Dublin Castle this season were surrounded by. a pomp and ceremony unknown in the days of Lady Dudley and Lady Cadogan. Lord Haddo first "made !iie acquaintance of his fiancee as the friend of her only son. who was at Balliol v-'th him, and f is barely three, years his junior. Airs Cockayne, is the widow of one of the partners In the exceedingly prosperous Sheffield firm of Coekayhe. drapers and house-furnishers. She is more than moderately well-off, and abandoned the role of provincial lady some years ago in favour of London life. Lord Haddo follows a custom in high favour just now in mating with a lady who has the advantage of him in seniority. We need not go back to the examples" set by the husbands of Baroness Burdett-Coutts and Madame Patti, Lady Randolph Churchill and Airs. Langtry, Lady Lothian and Ivady Howard de Walden. Lady Alagheramorne and Lady Florence Astley were brides of last year."

Aiadanic Mc'lb'a had "quite a novel experience the other evening. She was motoring to Convent Garden to take part in "Rigoletto" when, jlist outside Richmond, one of the tyres of her car received a bad puncture. It was impossible for her to wait whils*: it was repaired, the railway station was a long way off, and not a cab was to be seen. Just in the nick of time, however. a Pickford van hove in sight. The driver was hailed, and asked to give Madame a lift. "She is in a great hurry, and you won't regret v it," said Melba's chauffeur. The driver of the van was agreeable, So Aladaint? jumped up beside him, "and was quickly driven to Shepherd's Bush tube station. Here she alighted and gave the astonished driver a sovereign for his trouble, before chartering a hansomc to take-her to the theatre, where she was -warmly welcomed by the manager and her artistic colleagues, who were beginning to get apprehensive over the delay in the prima donna's appearance. A crowded house welcomed the Australian, who was in excellent voice, and the beautiful manner in which' she sang "Caro nonie" so pleased the listeners that there was an outburst of applause which, lasting several minutes, quite disturbed the action of the drattin.

When his Alajesty Peter the First of Servia'was called to the throne, "he was anxious, says "The Bystander," to know the world's opinion about hini, and instructed an agerioy to collect all Press cuttings, whereupon the "Argus" opened its one hundred eyes, and in a few weeks gathered together a collection which, as regards quantity, would make a prima donna jealous. By his Alajcstv's command, the collection was bound, and the manager of the "Argus" himself took fifteen volumes to Belgrade to present them to his Royal client. There a terrible disappointment awaited, him. The King of Sei'via, lacking in humour, gazed with horror and indignation at the collection, wherein the English, French, German, and Swiss caricaturists had displayed their wit at his expense. While the "Argus" clamoured for its money tho King was roaring threats inside his palace, declaring that nothing would induce him to pay a cent for these volumes. When the. agency threatened to exhibit these morocco-bound books, the King shouted: "I don't care, as long as they are not exhibited before mc!" And now these 30,000 cuttings will be sold by auction in Paris, and the sale will no doubt attract many amateurs.

Sir Charles Tennaut, who died at the" age of S3, was one of the most notable of 19th century Scots. Born with an ardent and. impulsive temperament and an inexhaustible physical and mental energy, his life was one long record of success. At 24 he was in business on his own account, and before he was 30 he had already made a fortune. An in--timate friend gives us an interesting picture of his remarkable and manysided character:—"He created in turn a fortune, a family, a country home (each unique in it's own way), and collections of books; prints, china, and pictures which it would be difficult to rival. He was a great reader, with a sound taste for what was best and most enduring' in literature. He loved the open air. | and his fine eye,. firm 'and dexterous j hand, and lithe, athletic figure made him j an accomplished performer in the games and pastimes in which Englishmen delight to excel. He was a good rider, a good shot, a good billiard player, a good golfer. Golf, indeed, waa up to the end his favourite relaxation; it.mjgl.tu

almcjfet be called the main occupation of the.'hours which he could spar* from senous 4 affairs—from the 'fumuin et opee, strepitunique Romae.' He was as familiar a figure on the links at North Berwick or New Zealand as in the City ; or : at Christie's. -.-■"■■ ; He lived to be nearly 83, but up to the end he was ' young, fresh, unspoiled; untempted by the sordid ambitions which lie in wait for riches and success; unspotted, by the world in whose rivalries, and struggles he had played so great a part;, and, when the hour came for him to lay down" the burden of life, he fell asleep with the quiet and untroubled'conscience of a tired child." '■ ' .

The Rev. S. Baring-Gould has had an experience such as falls to few men— has been able to read "obituary" notices of himself. English papers con- ! tamed 'the statement that he died on board the liner Norman at Port Elizabeth, and gave full and appreciative notices-of his life and-work. But Air.- ---! Baring-Gould, it transpires, is still with us,, enjoying the best of health,- down in his beloved Devonshire:; He telegraphed from his home at Lew Down: "Th»' j news of my death is false. I have not? | been in Africa." It turned out to be a ; cousin. Air. Edward S. Baring-Gould, who had died at Port Elizabeth. Nearly ail the morning papers gave long biographies of the nos'elist, and though he told a reporter that he had "not troubled to read" his obituary notices, his furiosity, may not'be staved off indefinitely. On the whole, they are eulo-" gistic obituaries. They praise the novelist's versatility and productiveness. One pays tribute to his "lively imagination and humour," adding that "these characteristics sometimes ran away with him"; another, giving a list of his numerous works, is of opinion that he will probably be known to posterity as the author of "Onward, Christian Soldiers"; a third remarks that, "he became rather a shadow to the present generation." "If he never at any point touched or even attempted high literary distinction, he did many things," another.journal admits, "with brilliance j and success." A provincial paper said: j "There can hardly have been a moment j of Baring-Gould's' life which was not in | one way or another turning itself into 'copy' of some kind, and occasionally into copy that is destined to a long popularity." Regret is expressed by several newspapers that he did not restrict himself to one subject or one branch of literature. Had he done so, it is thought he might have left an enduring name. Other people of note who had the privilege of reading their own obituary notices have included Dr. Reunion, the Bishop of Bath and Wells. Sir George Berkeley, Afiss Lottie Collins. Mr Stephen Crane, Dr. Alorrison. Father Ignatius, and Air. G. B. Burgin. The last-named could not resist the* temptation to follow Alark Twain's famous example by telegraphing that "the rUmour of my death is greatly exaggerated."