PERSONAL ITEMS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12070, 13 September 1902, Page 4 (Supplement)

PERSONAL ITEMS.

Mr. Charles Keg ax Paul, the publisher, who died recently, in his seventy-fifth year, had passed a very interesting life so far as the development of his opinions was concerned, beginning life as a clergyman of the Church of England and becoming in turn an Agnostic, a Positivist, and then a Roman Catholic, The young Queen of Holland is said to be to a, total abstainer, and refuses on all occasions to take wine. Her most intimate friend, Princess Pauline, of Wurteinberg, was by her won over to the ranks of the teetotallers. She is, it is believed, the only teetotaller among reigning inonarclis, except the Sultan of Turkey. No one has amassed millions so rapidly as Mr. Alfred Beit, the South African millionaire, who is reputed to be the wealthiest man in the world. His fortune is said to exceed £200,000,000, and he has an income sufficient to make ten new millionaires every year. The whole of this colossal fortune was made within a period of twenty-five years. The ex-Premier, Lord Salisbury, lias never smoked, and his antipathy to tobacco is as strong as that which distinguished "the Second Elizabeth." Queen Victoria did, however, allow smoking in certain rooms of her palaces, but it is said that Lord Salisbury banishes it altogether. Even K. of K., whose one weakness is an occasional cigar, had to smoke it in the grounds when he was at Hatfield lately. The Hon. Sidney Greville, Queen Alexandra's private secretary, is the fourth son of the late Earl of Warwick, and was bora at Warwick Castle in 1366. He acted lor some years as secretary to Lord Salisbury, and became Equerry to King Edward, then Prince of Wales, in 1898. He was made a. ! 0.11. three years ago, and among other appointments ho has held was that of assistant private secretary to Sir John CJorst as Under-Secretary for India in 1887. Queen Helena of Italy did not accompany her husband on his visit to Russia. She is, however, even more at home in St. Petersburg that she is in Rome, for she was brought up in the Russian capital, and, as as is well known, there was at one time an idea that she might be a suitable bride for the then Czarewitch. Be that as it may, there is no doubt that, the marriage of the beautiful Montenegrin Princess to the Prince of Naples was partly engineered by the present Czar. His Majesty King Edward VJT. is M, O holder of a number of unique records. He has laid eighty-one foundation-stones and stood godfather on seventy-nine occasions. In the course of six months His Majesty has been known to have been present at as many as 195 public or semi-public functions ■—an average of njore than one a day. Furthermore, the King holds every order of knighthood in Europe, is a colonel eight times over, as well as a Fiehl-M/trsnal and admiral, and possesses thirteen Univer'silv degrees. For several years the Sultan of Turkey's private theatre at Constantinople has given employment to a considerable number of actors and actresses, it is related that on one occasion, when some Creek performers were giving "Othello," the Sultan was so much affected at the approaching murder of Desdemona that he raised his hand and forbade that she should be smothered. The following night the play was again presented, but, by the Sultan's orders, the final art was changed, and the tragic incident eliminated. Prince Edward and Prince Albert, sons of the Prince of Wales, are (according to the Fishing GazsUe) both keen on fishing. Last month the young Princes tried their , hands at the trout in a Norfolk stream, and Prince Albert (aged six) got a brace, and Prince Edward (aged seven) halt a brace. ' The fact that they were aide to send a trout ' to the King, who was then staying at Sanringham, arid a brace to their parents in London, afforded them as great pleasure as toe catching of the half-pounders. The.v '< have token as many as 15 or 20 roach each "•.evening.