PERSONAL ITEMS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10079, 14 March 1896, Page 4 (Supplement)

PERSONAL ITEMS.

The Berlin Royal Academy of Science has elected Dr. William Huggins, of London, Corresponding Member for tho Section of Mathematical Physics. Sarah Bernhardt, who has jusb left for America, has taken enough luggage for a king and his suite. It required several waggons to convey her packages to the railway station. Many were filled with new dresses.

Lieutenant-General Sir Henry rlavolockAllan, V.C., M P., has been appointed to the colonelcy of the Royal Irish Regiment, in the place of General Fraaer, who has been transferred to the Royal Warwickshire Regiment. Sir Henry Havelock-Allaii joined the 39th Regiment in 1840. and he greatly distinguished himself during the Indian Mutiny, particularly at Cawnpore, where his personal bravery obtained for him the Victoria Cross. He also served in the Persian Expedition (1857) and in the New Zealand War.

Edison has always been known as a hard worker, but ho has lately reduced his workin? hours. Formerly he toiled regularly 130 hours a v/eek, leaving him only thirtyeight hours a w«ek for sleep. Now he works only, from seven in the morning till eleven at night. " Are five hours' sleep a day suffici«nt?" an interviewer recently asked him. " Plenty," the great inventor replied, "if a man is well, and interested in his work. He cannot flo bo much if his work bores him. Thousands of men play every day as long as I work. It is easy to work if your work is play." Mr. Speaker Gully has offered the Chaplaincy of the House of Commons, rendered vacant by the promotion of Archdoacon Farrar to the Deanery of Canterbury, to the Rev. Canon Basil Wilberforce, who has accepted the appointment. The post is absolutely in the gift of the Speaker, who has made a selection which will be universally gratifying both to the members of the House of Commons and the public at large. Family antecedents of an historic character connect Canon Wilberforce with Parliamentary annals. His paternal errandfather was the celebrated William Wilberforce, the apostle of the movement for tho Slave Emancipation, who was for upwards of half a century a prominent Parliamentary orstor. His maternal grandfather, the Rev. John Sargent before ho entered into Holy Orders, sat in the House of Commons as member for Queanborough, and was secretary to the Treasury. The new Chaplain's uncle, Mr. Wilberforce, of Markington, was for many years member for Hull, and his father wts the celebrated Bishop Samuel Wilberforce, who has been regarded as the greatest orator who ever addressed tho House of Lords from the " Right Reverend Bench."

A correspondent of the New Age, who met President Kruger when on a Church Union Mission to the Transvaal, givos some interesting particulars concerning Oom Paul's linguistic abilities. During the interview Dr. Loyds interpreted, and the correspondent was amazed to find how thoroughly an fait the President was with ecclesiastical affairs of Europe. When outside the correspondent fixed his eyes as searchingly as he could on Dr. Leyds, who had accompanied him, and asked, " Does President Kruger really know no English ?" With a moaning look Dr. replied, " If yon are praising him, or speaking well of the Transvaal, he knows no English ; but if you are speaking ill of him, or saying anything against the Transvaal, ho knows every word you say 1" President Krugor's deep piety, according to the same authority, sometimes leads him Into curious actions. One of these made no small stir in Johannesburg. The Jews there built a handsome synagogue, and President Kruger was asked bo open it. He did so, with a kind of sermon, in which he recounted the whole history of the Chosen People, all of which was in the best taste, and very gratifying to the large Hebrew audionce. His closing words, however, gave them the shivers. " And so I consecrate this building to the worship of the Triune God 1" It, has led to * serious splib among the children of Abraham out there, for, while some have been sensible enough to say it was only a slip, others maintain 'that the building has been desecrated, and they have built aaofck« sjmagogtw close .MiiMeti