ABOUT NOTABILITIES.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 145, 19 June 1915, Page 14

ABOUT NOTABILITIES.

The appointment of Lord Hugh Cecil, M.P., to bo a second lieutenant in tie Military Wing of the Royal Flying Corps i.s announced.

An interesting engagement is that of the Hon. Geoffrey Howard, son of the ninth Earl of Carlisle, M.P. for West Wilts, and Vice-Chamberlain of His Majesty's household, and tho Hon. Christian Methuen, oldest daughter of FieldMarshal Lord .Mcthucn, C.C.B.

A stained glass window in memory of tho late Lord Archibald Campbell, father of the Duke of Argyll, is to be placed in St. Giles's Cathedral, in Edin burgh. The window is the gift of tbe Highland Society of London, of which Lord Archibald was a prominent supporter.

The death has taken place of a distinguished farmer-poet, Mr. Tudwal Davies, aged fi7, of Gollidara, Pwllheli. Mr. Davies was well-known in bardic cir'les in Wales as a composer, adjudicator, and conductor. He had won over twenty prizes at the National Eisteddfod Council.

On Sunday, April 27th, Mr. Asquith had boon Prime Minister without a break for a longer period than any other statesman since the Reform Act. His nearest competitor is tho late Marquis of Salisbury. Lord Salisbury was Premier three times, and in all bold office for thirteen years and 260 days, while Mr. Gladstone, who headed four Administrations, vvas in power twelve years and 131 days altogether.

The death of Colonel Henry Tomkinson reawakens an interest in an historic family which was formerly closely connected with Nuneaton. He was a younger brother of the Right Hon. James Tompkinson, M.P.. P.C. who unsuccessfully contested the Nuneaton Division some years ago. Colonel Tomkinson's father fought at Waterloo, and was one of that famous trio of brothers, of whom Warburton, the poet, wrote: —

'Were my life to dopenii on the wafer, I know not which brother I'd hack; The vicar, the sqnire. or the major. The purple, the pink, or the black."

Sunday, April 27, was the eighteenth birthday of Princess Mary—her legal coming of age—and, but for the war, there would have boon great rejoicings in honour of the occasion. A special birthday ball was to have been given at Buckingham Palace on a scale unprecedented at the British Court. It was to have been a fancy dress function illustrating the most picturesque periods of British history. At a special Court held immediately afterwards the Princess would formally have taken her place in society. All State functions have, however, been postponed, and Princess Mary will thus not officially become "grown up until the end of the war, by -which time it is believed her marriage will be under discussion. Another plan upset hy Ihe .war. ia. tlie grand tour of the Continent the Princess was to have made with the Queen during the summer. This might, perhaps, have provided a solution of the marriage question. Within the past two years the Princess has developed into a strikingly beautiful girl. She docs not look nearly so shy and reticent as she used to bo, and she looks over so much smarter in dresses of her own choosing than in the rather old-fashioned costumes formerly chosen for her.

Tho death has taken place of Sir .lames Rankin, Part., for many years M.P. for North Herefordshire. Sir James was ono of tho original promoters of the old-age pension scheme and took an active part in Herefordshire county life. He was Chief Steward of Hereford city. and formerly a master oi foxhounds and captain in tho Herefordshire Rifle Volunteers. He established a free library at Hereford and engineered a scheme of secondary schools for city and county.

-Ir. Will Irwin. American war correspondent, reports that ho ha_> been

"pinched" again. In fact, he has at las,! established a record. Ho writes:—"l was in tho first party ol" correspondents arrested by the Germans during the war. Rut I shared the honour with throe others. Later I was arrested by the Dutch on the charge of being a correspondent. It is quite a unique honour to bo arrested by a neutral nation; but again I had to share it with others. Xow I stand alone on my dizzy eminence. I am. so far as I know, ,the only correspondent whom it took two great nations to "pinch." I was arrested simultaneously by the French and the British, the former taking charge of my baggage and the latter of my person. My person fared bettor than my baggage. It was allowed to go to a hotel on parole, and later its cruel jailers invited it to dinner, where they tortured it with Turkish cigarettes of a kind not usually to be, obtained in France, and old port. The baggage never appeared again until I was dispatched to England, a comparatively free man. Consequently. I slept in my underclothes, and I combed mv hair with a comb which the corporal of the guard had carried on the retreat from -kms and had heen carrying ever since. Tho whole thing grew out of a delicious comedy of errors which I cannot relate now. because of the censor."

It is a little diffi-iilt to think of Count yon Ben-stor. as an ardent Anglophile, and yet a few yeaTs ago that was tho complaint most commonly made about him in Germany. Bernstorff was born in London, where his father was Prussian Minister, and E-glish was practically his mother tongue. His own diplomatic experience has extended to Belgrade. Petrograd and London, and he has an American wife. Ho has boon at "Washington since 100 S. ■ AVhcn he first settled in the American oap'tal he adopted the maxim that in Rome he should do as the Romans did. and there is a story that ho scandalised the diplomatic world by devoting himself ardently to the srea't though vulgar game of poker. He tiiust have boon an apt scholar: at any rate he has boon applying the principles of the game with amazing courage and pertinacity throughout 'tho war But the cultivation of the poker habit was not the only direction in which Bernstorfif departed from accepted customs. TTe attended dinners and similar functions, proved himself a finished afterdinner speaker and revealed a ready wit and so paved the way to early "popularity. He attacked the universities delivering addresses to the students, 'and was rewarded with honorary degrees from nine intkutions. The degrees probably caused him little concern, but the fact that, ho had them was proof that h" s policy was succeeding. He has lost ground of late, of course, but while one is saying rtido things about him it is just. a. well to admit that he is facing i a oiflicult task boldly.