PERSONAL ITEMS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10085, 21 March 1896, Page 4 (Supplement)

PERSONAL ITEMS.

Among Princess Maud of Wales' many accomplishments is that of being a skilful player on the mandoline. The Queen of the Belgians is fond of conjuring, and occasionally exhibits her skill in the art for the amusement of her family.

Mr. Arthur Balfour nearly always, in the case of those letters of hi» which aro written by an amanuensis, has the word "dictated" printed at the loft-hand corner of the first sheet.

As an example of the enormous amount of practice required to make a first-class billiard player may be mentioned the fact that for four years Mr. I'eall devoted several hours per day to the cultivation of the " spot stroke"alone. Madame Modjeska is an admirer of a London fog, and the first time she happened to see one, she ordered her carriage and

went for a drive in the park that she might have the pleasure of seeing the weird effect of people and vehicles emerging from the mist which enshrouded them.

Everyone knows that Mrs. Lnngtry is generally called the "Jersey Lily,' 1 but comparatively few people know that the name was given her by Sir John Millais, R.A. " In 1878 Sir John exhibited a portrait of Mrs. Langtry at the Royal Academy under the title of " The Jersey Lily." Tho most remarkable woman in politics in Japan is Mdme. Hutoyauia. When her husband, a leader of tho Progressionist Party, ran for Parliament, she made speeches in his interest—a vory extraordinary thing for a Japanese lady to do. She is now a teacher in the academy of which her husband is principal. Mr. H. F. Dickens, Q.C., resembles his father in many ways. He is the author of numerous legal stories, and says clover and witty things by tho score. In work he is alert, energetic, and thorough. In preparing himself for the defence in a certain well-known piisoning case, he read a whole library of books on that subject. Miss Rhoda Broughton, tho authoress, is little known by the public excopt in that capacity, on account of her shy and retiring nature. She lives at Richmond with a widowed sister and her won and daughter. Miss Broughton is tall and slight, and her keen, pleasant faco is framed with an abundance of grey hair, which she wears turned back over a cushion.

The hovel in which the Marquis of Salisbury lived while he was gold-digging at Bendigo, Australia, in 1852—the year before he entered the House of Commons— is, it seems, still to be seen. On the place being pointed out to Lady Hopetoun, and some anecdotes related to her about Lord

Robert Cecil's adventures, she is reported to have remarked, " Oh, the dear old man ! I suppose it was the digging that mads him so round-shouldered."

Madame Molba does not believe in dieting or violent exercise as a means of keeping her figure trim and shapely. She eats and drinks as she pleases, and takes exercise or not according to the inclination of the moment, and her usual way of doing the latter is either riding or driving. Her method of keeping down her weight is to take three cold baths a day, and, judging by her figure, one may believe her treatment to be excellent) in its effect.

The present Empress of Russia, although a German by birth, was brought up as much as possible like an English girl. Her family spoke English, hail an English governess, and the children acted English plays. In consequonce of this English is the Empress' most familiar language, and she speaks German with a slightly foreign •. accent. Until she was sixteen the was devoted to tennis, skating, rowing, riding, and croquet, and an interest in politics formed no part of hor education. In fact, she was brought up very much like a maiden of our upper middle class. ritfise Ellen Terry is very fond of children, who. are generally equally fond of her. A •fanny story is told illustrative of this. One evening when Mis l * Terry was staying with uome friends at Birmingham, she went up to see ono of the children after she was in bed, and for some time she sat on the little girl's couch and delighted her with 'fairy stories. Then sho kissed hor goodnight and left hor. A few minutes later tho mother came into tho room and found her busy with a pair of scissors cutting out that portion of-the quilt on which- Mies Terry had lit, « • eouvtnir of her.