PERSONA LITEMS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 9325, 30 March 1889, Page 4 (Supplement)

PERSONA LITEMS.

The Queen of Sweden'digs in tho garden to steady her nerves. "The"Princess of Wales has always been in favour of tho,' abolition of the low-necked dresses at Drawing-rooms, , At Leeds the honorary freedom of the borough has been conferred upon Colonel North, the'", Nitrate King.' - ' _ • Prince' • Bismarck is a capital' French scholar, bub' detests every ether German' who parades the same accomplishment. The Lancet is glad to be able to state that Sir William Gull has entirely recovered* from the effects of his recent attack of illness.'! The Danish Government, in, its solicitude? for the Esquimaux, prohibits absolutely the introduction of alcoholic liquor into Green-? land. * » '_\ . < The music and dancing of-.the .ball-room, along with the numerous presentations and i the ceaseless chit-chat whiclfsuchTesliyities involve, have a more "enlivening on the Empress of Russia than anything else., ... It is significant -that perhaps the."three, most characteristic preachers-, of. have cultivated'freedom fro"rn' t 'tho - MS.*— ■ Frederick Robertson, Henry V/ardHeecher, ! and C. H. Spurge'on, and the tvvolgreatest orators of the English*" epi«^o^al|bench—, the Bishops of Peterborough 'and Kipon— 1 have done the same. ,'. *" .* ' \ ' ' The death is' announced of the' Rev. C. C. Southey, Vi'carvOtr Askham,. near Penrith. The deceased 'was a son of the poet Southey, and was held in great esteem. Mr. Southey had been suffering from bronchitis, but his death was not expected, as-lie presided at a county, CounciUmeetihg.; held'a short time 'ago.'" The living is in the gift of the Earl of Lonsdale. . . *

, Dr. i Mary Walker is masculine in her garb, but'she cannot stand tobacco-smoke. She .went up to the Capitol in Washington a few days ago to attand a meeting of the House of Committee on District of Columbia Affairs. "'When she entered the room the air was blue with the incense of cigars. Mary was incensed at once and, covering her noise with her hands, rushed from the apartment. She has tried very conscientiously to like the odour of tobacco, but whilo her spirit is willing her flesh is weak. The cause of the decadcnco of Mr. Tennyson's poetry is the tamo, undoubtedly, that produced his living.', As everybody knows, the true poet must starve in 'a; garret. He may' want his' regular three meals a day and a front room on the lower floor, but these comforts are incompatible with genuine poetry. No man ever writes poetry and gets the gout too, and the fact that Mr. Tennyson is suffering from the gout shows how complete has been the decadence of his poetical powers.Philadelphia Press. I remember spending an evening in company with Mr. Stanley shortly, before his last departure for Africa, ..says. >tho.,'Manchester Guardian's correspondent. " The conversation fell by chance, amongst other things, on Gordon and on Egypt. "Mr. Stanley expressed the opinion that the ex'-, pedition sent in relief of Gordon was from: every point of. view a mistake, and he' went on to say that' if he were to go out to the' Soudan.,ho would not, under any circum- 1 stances, desire , that' .a .military expedition should be sent to his rescue;'

. W. Maunsell Hennessy, ; Deputy-Keeper of the Records, 'a distinguished Irish scholar the litterateur, has just died at his residence, 71, , Pembroke*, Road,' v Dublin. Among his literary works was a treatise on the "Ancient Irish, Goddess of War." He edited for the Rolls series jthe " Chronicon. Scotorum" and the "Annals of Loch Keyij" and up to a shorfc time, before his death was engaged in editing the." Annals of Ulster." He was .a Icpntributorlto the Academy, the Revue Celtique,#an<l< other publications. In early life he was a journalist. He was 69 years old. *

Mr. and Mrs. Gladstone are thus pictured by. the i London Daily News as they appeared on the platform on of their recent • visits to Birmingham :— Both were in evening dress,, the lady charmingly attired in crimson silk, black lace, and diamonds, and carrying: a swansdowu fan ; Mr. Gladstone, with the customary ,camellia in his coat, "his dress shirt open at the neck for a strong oratorical effort," and the way of his white tie thus made easy for its customary journey to the side of the neck in the course of his coming oration.