INTERESTING ITEMS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 316, 30 November 1910, Page 3

INTERESTING ITEMS.

Sir James and Lady Moody are both keen caravanners. It was in Sir James Moody's grounds at Coulsdon that this year's meet of the Caravan Club took place.

The favourite gem of Queen Alexandra is the amethyst, a preference which is probably due to her wellknown fancy for purple or purpleviolet colour. This well-known preference has considerably raised the amethyst in public esteem and also in price.

Queen Mary is a great collector of pearls, and has them in many forms

and settings. It is well known also that the Queen of Italy's collection is one of the largest and most beautiful in the world, whilst the collection

of Princess Henry of Pless is said to be worth £IOO,OOO.

An amusing anecdote is told about Sarah Bernhardt. A well known journalist.was present one day at a luncheon party at which she was expected. At the last moment the hostess received a charmingly-worded twopage telegram, in which the Divine Sarah said that influenza prevented her from attending. "As a consola tion," she added, "I am treating myself to large quantities of my favourite dish--dried onions. "| Princess Pretiva, daughter of Golonel his Highness Maharajah Sir Yripendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur, is one of three daughters, and spends much of her time in England and on the Continent. She is very modern and progressive in her tastes and excels in all forms of outdoor sports. During the season she is a prominent and popular personage at St. Moritz, and is to be seen out every day in her toboggan or in a bobsleigh. Miss Katherine Elkins, whose name rumour haa often linked with that of the Duke of Abruzzi, possesses all the attractions of a pretty American, and was the belle of West Virginia. She is rather tall, though she carries herself with grace; also she has light chestnut brown hair, and an unaffected manner which makes her a very charming young lady. She has rather athletic proclivities, and besides being a clever dancer is skilled with the foils.

In parts of China husbands have a very drastic method of asserting their chieftainship over the household. Without any other cause or reason many Chinese beat their wives from time to time, and apparently the wives consider it their duty to put up with it. In Fernando Po, a Spanish possession off the coast of Africa, the betrothed maiden is confined in a hut for 18 months before the ceremony is ap<pointed to take place, and is only led forth to be covered with a sort of plaster made of palm oil and herbs.

Intellectual and literary, but nevertheless an ideal hostess, the Duchess of Leeds is said to have been the original Ideala, in Sarah Grand's first novel. A sister of Lord Durham, her Grace has mental gifts much above the average. She is the author of several short stories; "Pan," a prose poem; and a delightful collection of verses entitled "Capricios." She is also extremely fond of music, and may be frequently seen at the opera at Covent Garden. She married the Duke when he was still Lord Carmarthen, and during the time he was a member of Parliament she took an active part in politics. In her book "The Human Way," Mrs Louise Gollier Wilcox tells the story of a lady, who was also a philanthropist, who crossed the Russian frontier to visit Tolstoi. Ushered into his presence, she uttered the usual conventional greetings and exclamations, while tne sage eyed her abstractedly and silently. "As if," she said, "he were quietly turning back the top of my head and looking at the thoughts inside." When she ceased speaking, he touched her large and, at the time, fashionable slevee. and said sweetly: "Why do you wrap so much cloth on your arms? If you ripped it off it would make - nice frock for a little girl." Miss Marie Corel! i's books have always been widely read by Royalty. The Empress Frederick once informed her that they were the companions of the Emperor- the father of the present Kaiser —on his deathbed. lie re-ad all those which were then written, one after the other. The late King Edward also read all her books, and it

was he who introduced them to our present King. Queen Marguerite also wrote to Miss Corelli on one occasion, saying how much pleasure her works had afforded her. It may be added that Miss Corelli's works are almost as popular in Germany as in England; they have also been translated into Dutch, Spanish, Italian, Persian, and Hindustani.

After having shot big game in Africa, the Duchess of Aosta has now turned her attention to flying machines. The Duchess was horn, in England, and spent vuost of her childhood and youth there. The story is told that, when quite young, she met the late Duke of Clarence. They loved, and even Queen Victoria favoured the alliance, but Parliament objected to it on the ground that the was a Catholic. Two years later she married the Duke of Aosta, himself :i keen sportsman and soldier. The Duke is a brother of the Duke of Ahruz/.i. who ha? earned fame as a mountauHva' and explorer, whiU' the Duehess" eldest sister is (ho late. Queen-Mother of Portugal.

The Grand Duke of Hesse is a noted shot and a pianist of more than ordinary ability. He has composed several sonataM, ballads, and waltzes. When the Grand Duke went out to the Delhi Durbar in PHI"! he made friends with Mr Mortimer Menp.es, the well-known painter, etcher, raconteur, and rifle shot, on the boat. The Duke taught Mr Menpes to sketch on the soles of his feet, as Orientals do, and the other passengers often used to gather round to see them sitting cross-legged on deck, endeavouring to do the thing properly.