PERSONAL ITEMS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 6966, 15 March 1884, Page 12 (Supplement)

PERSONAL ITEMS.

Miss Genevieve Wars is an accomplished linguist. The Londoners have invested in twentyfive thousand photographs of Mary Ander-: son. Mr. Peck's well-known "Bad Boy" is good enough to earn £500 a year, for his lather. The Emperor of Austria is called the finest game shot in Europe, and he finds his own game, refusing to havo it driven toward him. M. Bouley has almost unanimously been' appoint- d Vice-President of the Pans Academy of Sciences for ISS4, and President for ISSS. Professor Fawcett's father was a draper in a large way of business, and Jived in a big house in the famous market-Equare.of the city of Bristol. Mr. Chamberlain ha 3 joined the ranks of. the landowners, having spent about £13,000 in the purchase of G3 acres of land at Kiug's Hcatb, Birmingham, where his . mansion is situated. Sir Stafford Northcote's speech at a rccenfc. Conservative demonstration at Cariiarvan was translated into Welsh. " I fear, I, a<n tuo,: old," said Sir Stafford, in thanking: .the: translator, "to read it." < Ruskin says, " There is in every animal's eye a dim image and gleam of humanity,va flash of strange light, through which their.life luoks up to our great mystery of/ command over tliein, and claims the fellowship of the. creature if not of this soul." There has just died in the Rue de Rivoli, Palis, a certain M. Borniche, who turns out: to have had in his possession no fewer than 17,000 modem pictures. Quantity went with, him before quality, and struggling artists never appealed to him in vain. Lord Palmerstnn seldom gave himself, real rest except when he bad a cold. He. svould then allow himself a holiday, to be,spent by the lire in a cosy armchair with a novel, the more sensational the better. Disrao: ,had,.the . same fancy, and when wearied went down .to ■ Hugheuden with a pile of French novels. At a reception of the French- President.. Grevy, M. Ferry, the Minister, listened to a, conversation on music, but neverspyke, : being utterly ignorant on musical matters.. One of his neighbours asked him, " Do you know the 'Barber of Seville ?' " "No, not ac all," anr swered Ferry, absently ; " I shave myself. Mr. Barnum, renaming the importation of a white elephant as the climax of his .-earner, summoned several doctors to attest.his.sanity; j and made and published his will, in. which his estate is valued at £2,01)0,000. He- makes many public bequests. His share, in the nhow carried on uuder his name is valued at I £700,000.

The Duchess of Connaught is, we are given to uudeistand, gaining golden opinions in India, although she is considered pliy and quiet. Bouquets are everywhere..offered to Her Royal Highness, in which the daisy of India (which is a large (lower) is generally conspicuous, as a personal compliment to her name.

The discovery, which has just been made in the Orange Mountains, New Jersey, offers a. startliug comment; upon the evaiiet's.cent. racter nf American commercial nucc.ess, In a ditch, dead from exposure and exhaustion, wae lying the last of the DahhOnicos, the great rcstauranteurs, whose wealth aiid good fortune have bo«-a the model which restaurantkeepers throughout the world have set before themselves as the beau ideal of success.

Itiasoidom (theiStiellield iiidepjhdeu.t.says) that you cau pick up a Turner for it few shillings at a dealer's siiop. This piecs of gpod luck has, however, befallen a resident^ri,Sheffield. "I fancy he himself bought the picture without knowing what a prizs he was'.having. After he had cleaned it up, it dawned upon him that if it was not a Turner it was an exeedingiy good copy. Tho work has recently been sent to Air. Ruskin, who unhesitatingly pronounced it to be a genuine Turnery and one of hia early works."

. Millionaires have become so numerous in the United States thit they cease to atcract. any very particular notice, but- it in rare to find a man slipping from their ranks to poverty. This, however, is said, to be-the case with Mr. Viilard, who, a year.or two ago, was master of the railway, river,: and oceans communication of the vast regions west of the Great Lakes, and north of .California: Then he was reported to be worth from two to four miilion sterling ; now he retires from the presidency ot the last of three companies over which he exercised control, . haviDg it is stated, loat his whole fortune, buch are the risks of great speculators.