PARS ABOUT NOTABILITIES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 76, 28 March 1908, Page 13

PARS ABOUT NOTABILITIES.

Admiral Lord Charles Beresford, who iis 62 years of age, will have birthday good wishes from all sorts and conditions of men. The second son of a rural dean, who was also fourth Marquis of Waterford, he will keep next year the jubilee of his joining the old Britannia as a naval cadet. Lord Charles married Miss Mina Gardner in 1878, and their daughtersbear the pretty names of Kathleen and Eileen.

The Duke of Saxe-Altenburg, whose death is announced, was in his eightysecond year. He had long been a childless widower, and is-succeeded by a brother who is seventy-eight, and has a son and grandsons. The late Duke was the oldest European Sovereign, with the exception of the Regent of Bavaria and the Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, with both of whom, he shared the honour of being among the rapidly diminishing score and a half of German Princes who proclaimed the Empire at Versailles on January 18, 1871. There are now only eleven survivors of that historic scene.

: The "New York Journal," which published the first news of the engagement of Miss Gladys Vanderbilt to Count Szechenyi, gives prominence to a report that Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt, mother of the Countess Szechenyi, is about to marry the Hungarian Count Hadik. Rumours to this effect have been circulating in New York for several months, and the Vanderbilt family have so far neither denied nor confirmed them. It is said that Count Szechanyi introduced Count Hadik, who is not yet forty-five, to Mrs. Vanderbilt. He was constantly in her company in Paris, and was a guest at the recent wedding of Miss Gladys. Mrs. Vanderbilt has been a widow since 1599. All her children are married, and she is practically left alone. Her fortune is estimated at considerably over £2,000,000.

Miss Mary Hancock Thompson, the late Lord Kelvin's niece, contributes to the first number of "The Electrical Field" a biography of her distinguished uncle. His naturally cheerful disposition (says Miss Thompson) no doubt'helped him greatly in getting through the enormous amount of work he accomplished without overstrain of mind or body. He never suffered from ''overwork," and was never even threatened with "nervous break"down." For years of his life he breakfasted at 7.30, and dined exactly twelve tours later, the whole time between being usually completely occupied with work, except for a short interval at lunch. He early acquired the habit of taking walking exercise, and was always athletic, though after his early days he gave no time to games. In the evenings he greatly enjoyed listening to music, either in his own drawing room or at a concert. He also thoroughly enjoyed a good play at the theatre.

Mrs. Emmeline B. Wells, who celebrated her eighty-first birthday at the end of February, is a wonderful old lady. The up-to-date editress of "The Woman's Exponent," which she started over sb:ty years ago, Mrs. Wells is known throughout the west of America as a pioneer in any movement for the advancement of women. She founded the Woman's Press Club of Utah, and the "Reapers," a social, literary club; she is an ardent Suffragist, and is known to her numberless friends as "Aunt Emmeline." In the days of her girlhood when the Mormons were driven out into the wilds, she travelled across the vast, then unknown, country which lies between Utah and the Eastern States, in the first ox train. She saw the building of Salt Lake City, and ultimately married Bishop Wells, who shared with Brigham Young the leadership and control of the Church of Latter-day Saints.

Major-General Sir James Wilcocks, who has been commanding the punitive expedition into the Bazar Valley, has had a long and varied experience of Fuzzy-Wuzzy, both Afghan, Indian, Soudanese, and Ashanti. He did his first bit of "fechtin"" in the Afghan campaign nearly thirty years ago, for which he received a medal. But the full blaze of publicity did not shine on him.until he took command of the Ashanti field force for the relief of Kumasi, eight years ago. There was trouble about the Golden Stool, and the British garrison in the Ashanti capital, consisting of 18 Europeans and 350 Hausas, were vigorously assailed by the whilom subjects of ex-King Prempeh. When eventually Colonel Willcocks (as he was then) came on the scene, the British garrison could hardly stand. Another two days would have seen their names on Britain's roll of glory, and the prevention of this disaster was due to the gallant soldier who is now undertaking the punishment of the Zakka Kbels. And when he has done his duty once more we may expect that an unkind critic will again seize the occasion to point out that "the white man's burden is in danger of breaking the white man's back."

Not many people know how Buffalo Bill came by the name familiar to the whole of the civilised world. When the first railway was being laid across America, says a -writer in the "Penny Magazine," the track was continually broken by herds of buffaloes, and eventually Colonel Cody was offered £ 100 a month to keep all the men supplied with buffalo meat. Accompanied only by a Scotsman on a -wiry pony he would set out, round up the buffaloes, and turn them in the direction of the railway. Then when they were near enough he would pick them off, while travelling at full speed, with bullets, so that not only did he provide the meat, but he actually delivered it at the door, so to speak. He kept an army of men in food for eighteen months like this, and killed upwards of five thousand buffaloes. Never a day out of seven would pass but what he would deposit nine or ten carcases at that particular point where they were required.

Lady Kandolph Churchill, in the course of some personal reminiscences contributed to the "Century Magazine," gives the following object-lesson of the private courtesies of political foes: —"Of all the statesmen I have met, I think the late Lord Salisbury and Mr. Gladstone were the pleasantest companions at dinner.

On. one occasion I had been at the House hearing Eandolph make one of his fiery attacks on him, which he answered with equal heat and indignation. The hour was late, and Randolph and I had just time to rush home and dress to dine at Spencer House with Lord and Lady Spencer. The first person I met as I went in was Mr. Gladstone, who at once came up and said, "I hope Lord Kandolph is not too tired after his magnificent effort."

Germany will soon oe treated to the spectacle of its future ruler in mechanic's tunic and overalls. Following upon his recent attendance at the Prussian Home Office, as a junior Civil Servant for the purpose of studying local government,

the German Crown Prince has matricu-. lated as a student of the Royal Technical High School at-Charlottenburg.- A,few days ago members of the class of mechanical engineering at the famous school were astonished at the sudden appearance of the Grown Prince in their midst. They have learned since that his Imperial Highness applied formally for admission to several of the regular classes; having expressed a desire to acquire a thorough theoretical and practical knowledge, of machinery construction. The Crown Prince, who is the first Hohenzollern to invade this field of learning, is said to inherit his fondness for technical train-, ing from both the Emperor and Empress. His mother frequently accompanies the Emperor to lectures and demonstrations, and participates actively in the subsequent,, discussions, . ~,..