Pars about Notabilities.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 161, 9 July 1910, Page 13

Pars about Notabilities.

Mr. Baillie, of Dochfour, who was left a legacy in' the late Lord. Burton's willcontingent oh his taking .the surname of Bass,, has not accepted it. Thus hie; eldest son, heir to the barony of.Burton, is still the Hon. George Evan Michael Baillie, not Bass. .It is believed, how-, ever, that- the; Hon.. George Baillie will take the name of.Bass should he,live to become Lord Burton.: His younger bro-.' ther, the Hon. Arthur Baillie, is expected to retain the surname of Baillie, and to inherit the Dochfour estates. . :

A notable dneddent in'connection with the marriage of George "Vi was recorded some time ago 'by Mr George Russell in one of his gossiping articles in. the "Manchester Guardian." There occurred to Lord George Hamilton the happy tbought of organizdrig a combination oi, wearers' of the same Christian name to present a "George," or 'badge of the Garter, to the premier George- of England. Tihe suggestion was heartily taken up. The list of : contributors, which occupied six columns of close print, was a miscellaneous list, including such diverse names as those of George Duke of Argyll and George Smith of Coalville, George E. Buckle and George A. Sala, :Archdeacon George Denison and vSir George Stokes, tlie Hon. George J. Curzon and Sir George Newnea. It so happened f.lhn..t irtivlciiig tlie- tadge "wns :><-T-m.«ar»7-f called Q ""•'• Tf. ••tiiHolln mjajlOd to All George. JULe naturally wished to -DAve Oils present. "I-caji't afford/ lie said," "to give a gentleman's ,suWriptl6n, btl.t 1 should like to contribute -a. trifle." TTfq request was granted. Wben tbe con-; tributora called at York House with their gift Lord George Hamilton made a special point; of presenting George tlie workman to George the Prince, and bis reception wag marked by a peculiar %va.rm.th. and courtesy. .. ■ ; >

Many stories are told of ex-President Roosevelt's successful encounters with the " bad men" of the Western American prairies. On one occasion, when he entered a saloon, an apparent " tenderfoot," a "bad man," who carried' a. revolver in each hand and had other weapons protruding , from his belt and boots, called upon him to stand drinks to the entire company. Mr. Roosevelt rose as if about to comply, .but was all the while meditating a certain left-hander which he learnt at Harvard. Then he launched out, and the bully, landed on the flat of his back, was put outside, whjle a unanimous vote of thanks was carried to tlie " tenderfoot." On another occasion in the office of a Western newspaper, Mr. Roosevelt'dealt with a cowboy notorious for his blasphemous language, and reputed to be " quick on the draw." " Jim," he said, " I like you, but you are the nastiest talking man I ever listened to." The company expected Jim to shoot. of that he blushed and looked as he answered: "1 don't belong to your outfit, Mr. Roosevelt, and I'm not beholding to you for anything; all the same, "I don't mind saying that mayibe I have been a little too free with my talk." "And after that Oim and, Mr. Roosevelt were the best friends in.the world. In a very; interesting article on Mr. Roosevelt in the May number of "Pearson's Magazine," Mr. Henry Beach Need- ; ham tells the following characteristic I story of the ex-President:— Once upon a time, when Theodore Roosevelt was a very little boy, his father, who was setting forth on-a long journey, entrusted the lad with the care I of his mother: In saying his prayers that night Ted asked God to watch over his father, who was travelling to distant parts, and then concluded his supplication in this wise: "As for mother—l will look after her myself." From that day to this Theodore Roosevelt never side-stepped a responsibility. His first responsibility, as he saw it, was to make himself physically capable. This was no small task. As.a youngster he was something of a physical weakling. He was troubled with asthma as well as defective eyesight. Notwithstanding such handicaps, by unfaltering perserverance ! he came to be the remarkable man he is to-day. In the truest and best sense, Theodore Roosevelt is self-made. As a boy he began the battle for health and strength. He roamed the Long Island wood-lands, learned to know ! the trees and plants, interpreted the calls of the birds, with whose plumage and habits he became familiar. He was a I born naturalist, a true lover of nature. Omitting the Teigns of the York and Lancaster Kings (says Mr. W. B. Blaikie) ■who -were all members of the same great Angevin 'or Plantagenet family, also of Stephen of Blois, William HI:, and Anne, which was merely episodes!, we find the following nine changes, of dynasty or of the family name of the, Sovereigns brought about by the marriage of English Princesses:— 1. From, the Norman line to the Angevin or Plantagenet' by the marriage of Matilda, daughter of Henry 1., to Geoffrey of Anjou. 2. From the Plantagenets to the Mortimers by the marriage of Philippa, granddaughter of EdwaTd ILL, to the Earl of March. . ...- 3. From the Mortimers back to the Plantagenets toy the marriage of 1 Anne Mortimer to the Earl of- Cambridge, father of the Duke of York and grandfather of Edward.lV. (None of the Mortimers succeeded.) : y'" 4. From the Plantagenet's to the Tu.dors, first by conquest, tmt afterwards ratified by the marriage of Elizabeth, daughter of Henry TV., to Henry. VII. 5. From, the Tudors to the Scottish Royal Stewarts by the marriage of Margaret' Tudor, daughter of Henry VII., to James IV. (None of' the old Scottish Royal Stewarts succeeded to the English Throne.) C. From the Royal Stewarts to the Lennox Stuarts by the marriage of Mary Queen of Scots to Barnley. : 7. From the Stuarts to the Simmerns (family name ■ of the Elector Palatine) by the marriage fyf Elizabeth, daughter i of "James 1., Co Frederick V., Elector Palatine. (No, Simmern succeeded.)" ■'8. From the Simmems to' the Guelphs (family name of the House of Hanover) by the marriage of Sophia, daughter of Electress Palatine,-to the Elector of Hanover/ .. - ■ • 9. From the Gu'elph 3 to the Wetttins, the family name of the House of SaxeCobourg, by the marriage of Queen Victoria to Prince Albert of Saxe-Ooboiirg. .Thus the family name of the present dynasty is Wettin, being that of the father of Edward VIL If it were the custom of Sovereigns to use surnames and to multiply surnames.to /mark succession through heiresses, as is frequently done on non-Royal families, the complete name of our present King would be [Wettan-Gnelph-Simmern-Stuart - Stewart-jTudor-Plantagenet-Mortiaaer-Paantegeaet,

Syen Hedin, whose new book, "TransHinialaya," tells of two years' adventures andV,.discoveries, in darkest , Tibet, is generally regarded as the most noted oil living "explorers arid geographers;' He is" a Swede, 44 years old, unmarried, and his. home is in Stockholm, but since 1885"his time has been spent largely in the wildest regions of Asia. He is a great linguist, and has'received titles and medals from various Governments. His former book, "Through .Asia," was published in nine languages, and his "Central Asia and Tibet" in twelve. .

"To a woman of social genius, conventionalities prove flexible . enough, and. Mrs Asquith has shbwn herself at times singularly independent," says Mr George 'W. ■ Smajley. in. ihis "Angles American Memories," in the June -number of the "Pall Mall Magazine." "Her invitations to Miss Maud Allan gave rise to remark and even to criticism. There was-noth-ing against Miss Maud Allan, but she had ibeen dancing at the Palace Theatre in a'costume consisting mainly of beads and gauze, ; the upper and lower limbs and the greater part" of the (body with the bare flesh visible. AH London had gone to the Palace toi see this spectacle, ■but all London, or a part of all London, professed to be surprised thai this same lady,' wearing the clothes usually worn byher sex in society, should be a guest at "Mrs Asquitb's fabled 'What I ask of my guests,' said Lady Falmersttm two generations ago, 'is tlafc they should Idterest ea-cli. otlier. , 3By -fclui. b sta.Tnla.rd There can T>e*no donbt^aitct

olio Mwm otipra mm }]]]■ if unfi ene mfcerested pbnera JyfiiL?!" 1111, Jl JIUL α-jl- otficra. 37h.e exception -was IMbr ■'Winstoii Cararchxll. Hie also Kad views ©£-'2iss 6\va 111 Bdfilal matte AS Well US ill poll"tics- . one of tliese luncheons lie sa-i". next to Miss Maud Allan, and perhaps shared the'opinions of-the Watch CbniT niittee of Manchester,, wlio 1 had recently xefixsed.- .-her a license to dance in 'tlia-t city, j list as Manchester, or, ratner; JNoTtJ-Wesfc Manchester, 'Brad, declined to allow Mr .Churchill to represent it again in Parliament. - "Whatever -the reason," it: was noticed he did not talk to Miss Maud Allan. She. bore this trial I cheerfully, and as they rose from the table, she said: 'Well, Mr Qhurehjllj you. may not- 'be aware of itj 'hut there is really one .bond of sympathy between you and me—Manchester "would have neither of us.' , "To which Mr "Winston ChurcMlT seemed to ihave no retort TeaSy: When the story circulated —for Loidbn all stories circulate—rthai powerful section of society which; dislikes Radicals, and especially a Radical :;who has been a Conservative, *was quite ready to apr plaud Miss Maud Allan, and other ladies began to accept.her as Mrs Asqnith had accepted her." r :-"■'