Pars about Notabilities.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 141, 13 June 1908, Page 13

Pars about Notabilities.

The new Duke of Devonshire, when hefcame to take necessary, letters patent, so as to entitle him to his own, had to pay £350 for them. If the change had been that of a marquisette only, the fee would have been £300; If that of an earldom, £250; for a viscount, £200; a baron, £150; and a baronet, £100.

During his recent illness from mastviditis, Mr. Thomas Edison, the famous inventor, eschewed the use of meat, and went in for a thorough course of vegetarianism. He was so pleased with the change of diet that now he has regained, hisjiormal health. Mr. Edison continues to renounce meat in all its forms, and professes to receive great benefit thereby.

The Rev. Alfred J. Church, in his book entitled ''Memories of Men and Books," tells a number of good stories. Here is one: "In the early days of one of my head-masterships I took proceedings against a butcher who had sold mc a piece of doubtful, or more than doubtful, meat. The summons came on before the magistrates of the town, and my case was proved up to the hilt. But they wished to see the offending article, and my gardener, to whom it had been handed, was called. He had cooked and eaten it!"

Sir Henry Irving once entered a train at King's Cross, London. After putting his travelling bag on the rail he found that four passengers already occupied the corners of the carriage, and had appropriated the rest of the seats for their portmanteaux. As no none moved Sir Henry continued to stand, holding on to the hat-rail. After a while one of the passengers sulkily began to move his luggage from the seat, seeing which Sir Henry remarked in his blandest tone, "Oh, please don't let mc disturb you. I'm getting out at Scotland."

An American woman who has lived nearly forty years in Paris is Mme. William Bouguereau, wife of the famous French artist. Mme. Bouguereau always has cigarettes passed with coffee after dinner. "I have smoked ever since my marriage," she said. "My husband thought a cigarette an excellent digestif, and I attribute my perfect health to my after-dinner smoke. Like all habits, it should be indulged in in moderation; but a pretty woman enjoying a cigarette is one of the most attractive sights in the world to mc."

Miss Celeste J. Miller has probably travelled more extensively than any woman now Mving. She was the first woman to cross the trans-Siberian railway alone, and she was the first and only woman to explore the more remote parts of South Africa unattended by any guide or companions. Miss Miller has circled the globe five times, visiting every country and every capital. She has been presented to more than 75 rulers, and has been interviewed by newspapers in nearly every important city of the world.

Senor Pedro Alvarado, the Mexican mine-owner who has given two million dollars to help his poor fellow-country-men, might be described as the Mexican Carnegie. Twenty years ago he was an unlettered peon, earning 3s. a day; at the present time his mine is said to yield the nice little income of £20,000 a week. A year ago he offered £2,000,000 to maintain a guerrilla warfare until the Yaquis Indians are exterminated. Twice he has offered to pay oil' the National Debt, and twice he has been refused. The monument to his late wife is of marble decorated with two tons of solid silver.

To a tremendous worker like M. Clemenceau, the French Premier, the journey to London and the duty of attending Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman's funeral in the Abbey last month, would be as nothing. He has the Wellingtonian gift of thriving on little sleep, and his average working day runs from four in the morning till eleven at night. Nineteen hours at higJi pressure, even at meal times, do not seem to fatigue him. Even his duels —and as a French politician he has had his share—are carried through with haste and all seriousness. Many years ago he declined to cross swords with an opponent who had challenged him except on condition that the combat went on Until blood was shed.

General Linievitch, the commander-in-chief of the Russian Army at the final stage of the Japanese war, before he died some weeks back, enjoined his family to publish the diary which he had kept for the last ten years, including the period of the late war.

It is reported at Washington, says a correspondent, that the Guggenheim Syndicate has raised the salary of Mr. John Hays Hammond, the famous mining engineer, to £240,000 per annum, in order to retain his services. This is an increase of £80,000 a year over the old figure. Mr. Hammond is considered the greatest gold finder in the world. He took a prominent part in the Jameson raid in South Africa when in the employ of Messrs. Wernher, Beit, and Co.

In a little green churchyard hidden away in the squalid region between WMteojjapel and the river, in London, lay, until last month, the remains of the great Swedish mystic, Emanuel Swedenborg. The body has just been disinterred and removed to a Swedish warship, to be taken to Stockholm by command of the Swedish Grovernment. It was on Sunday, April 5, 1172, a week after his death, that his body was laid in a vault before the altar of the Swedish Lutheran Church, in Ratcliff Highway, and it is a curious fact that not only did Swedenborg die on a Sunday, but he, his father, his mother, and all his brothers were born on Sunday. The history of the great mystic was not one of repose during life, and even after death his body was not allowed to rest in peace. In 1817 a couple of Swedish army officers broke into the vault decapitated the corpse, and carried off the head, which they vainly tried to sell to well-known members of Swedenborg's "New Church." On the death of one of the thieves, the head was found in his London lodgings, and restored to the Swedish Consul. The body was re-united and re-interred. On the present occasion, when the vault was once more opened, in order that the remains might be carried back with honour to Sweden, the wooden coffin was seen to have decaped, but rh-e inner shell of lead was intact, and was found to contain the skuJl and other tones. Needless to say, there was no recognising in this- skeleton the figure that his biographer, Paxton Hood, thus describes: °The simplicity of his ,ife was remarkable; he affected no simplicity, made no display; in dress he conformed pretty much to the fashion, though rather an | older one than the period of wearing. He was above sft oin in heighfi, rather thin, i of a brown complexion; hi 1 , eves i

nearly hazel and rather small; thin, pale, and retaining to old age the appearance' of erect dignity, venerable, mildly expressive and beautiful countenance, lightened always by uncommon animation, and ever appearing to emile. He dressed in velvet, with a full-bottomed wig, with ruffles, a hilted sword, a goldheaded cane. . . . He was a selfhelper, needed none to wait upon him; he lived for many of the later years of his life nearly a vegetarian, yet taking coffee but no liquors, though conforming to a glass of'wine" in company."

Mr. Rudyard Kipling, just back in England from the Cape, is probably unaware of one of the many wiles which have been used by autograph fiends in order to obtain his signature. On his last homeward voyage a lady autograph hunter longed to approach him, album in hand, but did not dare to" do so. One morning she saw him scribble on one of the little cards which are used when passengers order any drinks they may require. These cards are collected into little bundles at the end of the week, and then redeemed. The iair huntress darted after the steward who had the card, and begged to be allowed to keep it and to pay for the order. The steward did not mind, so long as it was settled by some one. Now the lady proudly shows to her friends a small buff ticket, on which are the magic words, "Please supply mc with two sodas and one whisky," and the signature is "K. Kipling."