PERSONAL ITEMS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11553, 17 January 1901, Page 6

PERSONAL ITEMS.

Lieutenant-Colonel Fp.ancis, military commandant of Fiji, left for Suva by the Taviuni yesterday. Sir Westby and Lady Perceval are passengers to New Zealand from Londan by the R.M.s. China, which arrived at Freemantle yesterday. a Lieutenant-Colonel Francis, V.D., who left New Zealand in command of the Fourth Contingent, is a passengers "from London by the R.M.s. China, which arrived at Fremantle yesterday. Our Thames correspondent writes:— W. G-. Meddings, inspector of telegraphs, who opened the Thames telegraph, office 30 years ago, has arrived here from Paeroa, on a visit of inspection. . Mr. E. M. Smith, M.H.E. for New Plymouth, contemplates leaving for London two months hence, his mission being in connection with the exploitation of the ironsand industry. Mr. Smith has (the News states), received an invitation to visit America, but owing to his prospective trip to London he cannot see his way clear to visit the great Republic. Yesterday morning a quiet but pretty wedding took place at the Church of tha As-. sumption, Onehunga, the contracting parties being Miss Teresa Coffey, fourth daughter of Mr. James Coffey, Boston Road, Mount Eden, and Mr. D. Banks, clerk of the Warden's Court, at Coromandel. The ceremony was performed by the Right Rot. Monsignor Paul. The bride was given away by her father. Her sister acted as bridesmaid,, and Mr. S. Brabant, of the Northern Steamship Company's office, acted as nestman. The bride wore a pretty travelling blue cloth dress, and large picture hat. After the ceremony the party drove to Pen- , rose, en route for Waikato. A Wanganui Press Association telegram states caat Mr. D. Meldrum, who for many years has been manager of the soft goods department of Messrs. Sclanders and Co. here, and who is leaving to take a position with Messrs. Bing, Harris, and Co., of Dunedin, was the recipient of three presentations. He was presented by Mr. Sclanders with a framed enlarged group of employees, also a gold albert. The soft goods merchants, wholesale and retail, presented him with a, costlv gold watch; and the Golf Club, of which Mr. Meldrum was a prominent member, presented him with a barometer. Mr. Meldrum. will be greatly missed, having by 'bis quiet unassuming manner made himself very popular. He was; a tennis and cricket player, and a member of the Camera Club. At a special meeting of the Paeroa Public Library Committee, held on Tuesday evening, it was decided that a letter be forwarded to Mr. F. G. Burgess, manager or the' Bank of New Zealand, who has been transferred to Hokitika, stating that the committee of the Public Library desire to express their great regret at losing Mr. Burgess as their chairman. They also desire to convey their appreciation of the manner in which he has always conducted the business of the library, making their association with it as committeemen a pleasant task during the many years he bad been chairman. It would be pleasing to him to note the great improvements that -had been made in the institution, and to have the knowledge that his energy and tact Bad largely contributed to the same. In addition to the loss the committee would sustain in their public capacity, they desired to state that they felt that there was a persona] loss as well. Monsignor Kelly, rector of the Irish College in Rome, who has been appointed Coadjutor to Cardinal Moran, Archbishop of Sydney, is a very distinguished Roman Catholic clergyman. He was born in New Ross, County Wexford, Ireland, in 1849. At an early age he was sent to St. Peter's Diocesan Seminary, Wexford, and at the age of 17 was selected to go to Rome, there to pursue his theological studies. In 1872, he was ordained a priest, and shortly after he joined the Diocesan Missionary Society. In 1891 Archbishop Kirby, the then rector of the Irish College at Rome, through age and infirmity, asked for some relief from the cares of the Episcopate, and the Holy See, on the recommendation of the Irish Bishops, appointed Monsignor Kelly. . Archbishop Kirby retained the title of rector until 1894, when he was succeeded by Monsignor Kelly. Besides being rector of the Irish College, Monsignor Kelly was Procurator in Rome for the Irish and Australian Bishops, a position which brought him into close contact with the Church in Ireland and Australia. His power of governing and gift of speech are well known. In the Irish College he has effected vast changes and improvements. One of these is the Kirby Memorial Hall, which serves for the academical exercises of .the students. Monsignor Kelly is said to L c , - ra, great lover of ecclesiastical music, a pro- , found theologian, both moral; and dosmati" ■: v an, ecclesiastical historian of first rank md ..an eminent archseolpgigt.