ITEMS OF SOCIAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7824, 18 December 1886, Page 3 (Supplement)

ITEMS OF SOCIAL NEWS.

[from thk society papers.] The Court cornea south this year fully s month earlier than usual, in consequence of the approaching accouchement of Prinoeei Beatrice, which is to take place at Windsor Castle. Lord Randolph Churchill has decided upon commencing racing on a limited scale, and hai made arrangements with Mr. Gilbert for the training of his stud. A short time ago a Scotch minister wM addressing an audience at a Congregational Chapel situated abont ten miles from Sheffield, and among these present was a portly dame who continually interrupted the speaker with shouts of " Hallelujah !" to hie great annoyance, as some of the ejaculations were not at all to the point. At length the minister, tnrning to tne interrupter, remarked •• You know, I'm a Scotohman." The old lady, with a sly twinkle, observed " Bless the Lord I" This was too much for the speaker, who simply said " Yes," and subsided amidst roars of laughter, which neither the place nor the droll discomfiture of the speaker could restrain. Prince Henry of Battenberg has been considerably out of favour with the Queen since his retnrn from Darmstadt, in consequence of hie earnest request to be excused from wearing the kilt in which he was compelled to array himself last autumn. The Celtic garb certainly did not suit him, for he never appeared in it without exciting the derisive comments of all beholders. The Prince of Wales in f nil Highland costume reminds one of George IV. and Sir William Curtis, but Prince Albert Victor looks worse ia it than Prince Henry, greatly resembling the typical Cockney Highlander, who puts his kilt on hindmost in front, and wears full-dress tartan and all the florid superfluities in the morning. The pleasant and unpretending published diaries of her Majesty notwithstanding, the Royal Family of England oannot be looked upon as distinctly'' literary." The Prince of Wales, indeed, has for some time been in the habit of "making a book," and the late Duke of Albany sought the acquaintance of Mr. James Payn; but these are the exceptions that prove the rule. It is therefore gratifying to learn that Prince "Eddy" has lately taken to a sedulous study of Shakspere in the edition presented to him by his revered grandmother. What the young gentleman most admires are the speeches of Friar Laurence. Lord and Lady Londonderry are pafcronis. ing Irish manufactures extensively, Poplin finds much favour with her Ladyship, while His Excellency arrays himself in the tweeds of the country, cut and made in Dublin by Dubliners. The woollen trade was never, perhaps, half so flourishing in the " distressful country" as at this moment. Prince Alexander went to Bulgaria with £100 a year. He leaves it with real property in Bulgaria alone worth £100,000. He has evidently combined business with pleasure during his short career as a Russian agent. Mr. Grant Allen is making his peace with the ladies. It is notorious that immediately after the publication of his novel "For Maimie's Sake" Mr. Allen had to go into hiding, so many of the other sex wanted to talk with him about his heroine. 80 now with the craft that is natural to man, he sees in Sir George Campbell's recent utterances about marriage an opportunity of reinstating himself in the sex's good graces. With that end—Mr. Allan need not deny it —he contributes to the "Fortnightly Review" a delightfully orthodox article on " Falling in Love." Mr. Allen's doctrine is "simply the old-fashioned and confiding belief that marriages are made in Heaven," Maimie was married twice, but few people would eay that of either of her weddings. On the whole, Mr. Allen thinks men and women marry " their natural complements"— in short, "marry for love and for love only." Well, Maimie'e husbands both married for love, and the luckier one "jumped into the Thames and swam till he sank."

The world says :—That "Indiana" at the Avenue Theatre grows nightly in popular favour is clearly proved by the crowded houses it draws and the fashionable nature of its audiences. Perhaps it has gained additional attraction from the fact that a wellknown and very pretty wife of an English peer nightly displays herself in tights among the chorus, to the great delight and admiration of her male friends, who congregate in flocks, and encourage her ladyship by the persistent nee of their opera-glasses. Mrs. Langtry has begun her Sunday night dinners, and on these occasions her guests are peare in the edition preaented to him by his not recruited from the ranks of the profession. She drives every afternoon, and her tarn-out is as fashionable as anything in the city. The fortune of the late Baron Meyer Rothschild, of Frankfort, is estimated at fifteen millions sterling. The art collection, which is one of the largest and finest in the world, is left to the Baroness Louisa for her life, after which it is to pass to Lord Kothachild; to it will find its ultimate home in England.

Queer stories are current as to the presents the Duke of Edinburgh gave, in accordance with Eastern custom, on leaving Constantinople. To the Sultan he offered, as a pleasing novelty, a cheap edition of the Qaeen's " Life in the Highlands ;" to the Grand Vizier he presented a shilling wooden pipe with an unacrcwable bowl. Among the various high officials he divided an aluminum pencil case, a Waterbury watch, a half-guinea sewing machine, a cake of Pear's soap, a button-hook, a pooket-coirJi, a bottle of china cement, an old volume of the Sunday at Home, a box of sardines, a pot of jam, and a bundle of quill toothpicks; and, to show that he wasn't proud, when he had got on board ship be totted up hie expenses on his shirt cuff, and found that he had got out of Constantinople for £117 a 6(1, whereupon, in a fit of sudden generosity, he went back on shore again and spent the odd half-crown. The journey of the Duchess of Edinburgh from Coburg to Malta will be a costly business for the country. The Royal yacht Osborno has been hurried off to the Mediterranean for the Duchess's use, although the Duke'a official yacht, the Surprise, would have sufficed perfectly well, seeing that she recently conveyed the Duke and Duchess of Connanght from Marseilles to Malta. This Is not even all, for it seems that H.M.s. Iris has been sent to Marseille! to escort the Osborne on her voyage to Malta. Such useless extravagance at the cost of the taxpayers is highly reprehensible. Considering that our Royalties enjoy such munificent allowances, surely they might travel at their own expense. The Earl of Fife gave a grand entertain* ment at Mar Lodge on the 30th October, which consisted of a dinner, ball, a torchlight dance round the stags killed by the Princo of Wales in Mar Forest, Hie Boyal Highness, the Princess, and their family being at ;he time on a visit to the Earl of Fife. Following the weird dance the guests were escorted to the ballroom by eighty Highlanders bear* ing torches, headed by a band of pipors. Among a large aumber of guests staying at the lodge invited to meet the Royal party were Mr. and Mrs. Gye (Madame Albani]. I regret to see that the Bishop of Peterborough is again invalided. Dr. Magne'ii ailment; this time is gouty inflammation of the throat, and he is under medical ordeni to forego public speaking of all kinds for the next few weeks. The episcopal visitation in Peterborough diocose, which generally iiroduces some utterances worth hearing—thin is more than can be said for the majority of them -baa consequently been postponed till next year.

There is no truth in the report of an Empending marriage between Prince Albert Victor of Walee and Princess Alexandra of Anhalt-Dessau, The young couple who have been ao unceremoniously betrothed, have never yet met. There would be one novelty in this matob, if ever it took place. Princess Alexandra will have a considerable fortune, whereas all the other Germans ("male or female")) who have married into the Royal family of England have barely possessed sufficient means to live with decency, and in some cases, at least, their travelling expenses and outfit have been defrayed by cheques from London. The Duchess of Edinburgh and the Duohees of Connaucht are the only foreigners who have married into our Royal family since the Guelpbs came into these realms who have brought any money with them,