PERSONAL ITEMS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7270, 7 March 1885, Page 4 (Supplement)

PERSONAL ITEMS.

Bishabok was born on "All Fool , * Day," 1805. Mr. Davitt contemplates an extended tour in Australia, New Zealand, and America. In years they have reigned, Queen Victoria stands ninth among the sovereigns of the world. Fred. Archer, the English jockey, has visited Washington and paid bis respects to the President.

George Augustus Sala confesses frankly that his object in visiting America again "it simply my devotion to mammon—my desire to make money." Mr. Wilfred Blunt, who championed Arabi Pasha, has set out for the Soudan to interdew the Mahdi, and try and arrange matters. His mission is a self-constituted one. He is a splendid Arabic scholar. The Emperor of Russia has an annual salary of £1,64S 000; the Emperor of Austria, £440,0C0; Queen Victoria, £SOO,OOO. The royal plate at St. James' Palace is worth £2 000,000. The Queen's hair-dresser gets £2000 a year. Two thousand delegates, representing ninety two counties, have presented to Sir Johu Macdonald, Premier of Canada, an expression of thanks to Queen Victoria for conferring honours upon Sir John, on hie completion of forty years' public service. Messrs. Bell and Sons have just issued a "Centenary Edition" of "Boswell's Life of Johnson," the volumes being pat into a combination cover of the colours of Johnson's coat and waistcoat. The sides of the books are chocolate and the backs buff.

Tennyson keeps to clay pipes. At his feot ie a box full of white clay pipes. Filling one of these, he smokes until it is empty, breaks it in twain, and throws the fragments into another box hard by. Then he pulls out another pipe, smokes it, and destroys it as before. He vill not smoke a pipe a second time.

Dr. Murray intends to settle at Oxford before long, with a view to enjoying greater facilities in carrying out the arduous and truly national task in which he is engaged of editing the "New English Dictionary." He will get rid of the teaching at Mill-hill, which has hitherto occupied a considerable portion of his time, and naturally interfered with hie magnum opis. The year ISSS finds no fewer than four English judges still actively pursuing their judicial labours after attaining the age of fourscore years. They are Vice-chancellor Bacon, who is in his eighty-seventh year ; Judge Petersdorff, in his eighty-fifth ; Judge Hulton, in his eighty-third; and Judge Bayley, of the Westminster County Court, also in his eighty-third year. Sir Lyon Playfair, M.P., writing to a correspondent, who complained of the baneful effect of over-pressure as the result of paying school teachers partly by grant, remarks :—" The members of school boards have power to give fixed salaries to teachers, and the London School Board exercises the power. Of course, the dependence of school teachers on school fees without a fixed salary has a tendency to create the evils you point oat." Messrs. Caasell have, during the present month, received a letter from Mr. Thomas Burt, M.P., in which he saye, "I owe much to the Popular Educator. It was of inestimable service to me in my effort at eelf-improveircnt when it was first published. I was then working as a miner in Northumberland, and I studied many of the lessons given so clearly in its pages, with care, and with great advantage. I wish every success to the re-ieeue." The following story relates how Lord Walsinghani came to a fortune of five millions. Thanks to novels and stage plays, we have become so accustomed to long-lost wills, missing heirs, and fabulous sums cf money that when we encounter them in real life they are but as familiar acquaintances. But we must make an exception in the case of Lord Waleingham. Many, many y.2ars ago the great-great-great-granduncle of the present Lord WalsiDgham went to India, and shook the "pagoda tree" to some advantage. He died in the East, and left all his money to his eister, Mies Jennings, who resided in Ireland. News travelled slowly in those days—in fact, the news never reached Ireland at all. The money was in the Bank of England, and lay there till this day, when the descendants of Miss Jennings were advertised for. They appeared in the person of his lordship ; and the money, with interest, now amounts to the pretty little sum of five millions sterling.