PERSONAL ITEMS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11644, 4 May 1901, Page 4 (Supplement)

PERSONAL ITEMS .

Mrs= Etr.KX Teeet sews consirntlv for ihe ; poor, and keep? a basket of unfinished work ! on her drawing-room table, that her visitors I may not waste precious moments while in j her company. Sir Edwin Arnold is now practically blind. ! Fortunately, he acquired facility in" dictating £0 or 30 years ago, when his sight was good, improvising thus, after work hour?, the whole of " The Light of Asia.'' Among; Lor I Roberts' countless claims to ' distinction it is little known that he is one : of the best and hardest riders in the British army. In hi« younger days he was nick- ; named "Jehu."' " because he rideth furi- '■ ously." and even to-day his staff must be I good riders to be- able to keep pace with ! him. * i Madame 1?. Marechale Niel, who has just I died in Paris, at 79 years of age. was the i widow of Marshal Niel. ere of Napoleon ■ 111. 's Ministers of War. There are now only ; two " Mareehales de France' 7 living, the ' widows of Marshals Saint Arnaud, and Le ; Been!, other two of Napoleon's Ministers. , Mme. N"ie! was a very charming personality. ' She has given her name to a certain growth ! of ro c: which bids fair to perpetuate it. . * ! According to the '" Directory of Directors." i for "393. Sir John William Maclure. Bart.. ! M.P.. maintains his position as the second i champion director. He is on the Board of I no fewer than 22 companies, on eight of which he fills the chair. Sir William, however, is overshadowed by Mr. Edmund Davis, who finds time to sit on the directorate of no fewer than 26 limited companies. William O'Brien. M.P.. has returned to Ireland in a serious condition of health. He attended Parliament when he was only partially convalescent from pneumonia. " Now he is suffering from a dangerous lung trouble as well as nervous .exhaustion consequent on his great efforts at the general election in building up the United Irish party. He has offered to his constituents in Cork Citv his resignation, as he cannot at best fulfil | his Parliamentary duties for some months, kit they refused to allow his retirement, i I'P.rien is the greatest political power in Ireland since Parr.ell. The death is announced of the Earl of Arran. lie was the sun of the fourth earl, his mother bring Elizabeth Marianne, daughter of General Sir William Francis Patrick' Napier. K.C.B. The earl served as Commissioner of Customs in 1835-4, but of late years he has not figured prominently in public life. He sat in the House of Lords" as Baron Sudley. He was twice married, his fiist wife, who died in 1371. being a daughter of Visfount Joeelyn. The family of the lute earl (who will be succeeded by his son, Viscount Sudlcy. a captain in 'the Royal Horse Guards) trace descent from Gerard Gore, an Alderman of London at the close of the 16th century. Mr. Biackburne, the best-known English chessplayer, plays many games very well, and the fact is humorously illustrated Iv the following story. Strolling into a clv.b ! in the Midlands with a friend of his. Black- | burne was introduced to a lordly voting man j who was "knocking the balls about" on i • billiard table. The lordly voting man in- ■ rited the genial chessplayer "to a game.m ,\ i got soundly beaten. They plaved a second ; hundred with a like result. "H'm." said ! the lordly one, "you're too good for me at '■ this game. Do you play draughts?" Black- ! burne did—much too well for" his opponent. ' By this time the beaten one was nettled, and. not having caught the name of his friend, he ! said, "Well, hang it, let's try chess. I | reckon I can beat you at that." Then the men who knew Blackbtirne and had been watching the contest laughed, and mercifully explained the situation to the youngster. "All right," said he, joining in the laugh against himself: "I don't mind giving Blackburne best at chess, but let's have the dominoes. I reckon I can knock spots off him at that." And then those who knew the chessplayer roared, and Biackburne himself chuckled a little. It was amusing, for Blackburne is quite as fine a player of dominoes us he is at ches^.