ITEMS OF SOCIAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 12818, 18 March 1905, Page 6 (Supplement)

ITEMS OF SOCIAL NEWS.

[from the society tapers.]

A: paixful sensation has been caused in Vienna by the discovery of a granddaughter of the Empress Marie Louise in the. person, of a poor old sweeper of the Burg Theatre. After the death of Napoleon, Marie Louise married Count Xeipperg, her Master of the Horse, and had one son, who received the title of Prince of Montcnnovo. Hs was a celebrated spendthrift and roue, and died in an asylum. His little daughter Marie on the death of her mother Mas left to the care of a poor actor. The girl took her foster-father's name, and, as Marie Siebert, led the hard life of a poor provincial actress, arid finally in her old agj lias earned her bread in the humble capacity of sweeper at tne Imperial Theatre. An influential newspaper in Vienna has taken tip the poor woman' 3 case in order to bring it to the notice of her halt brother, Prince Alfred Montcnnovo, who holds a high position at the Court.

Queen Alexandra's love r.f children is well known, and many humble little folks have Iwen made happy by tokens of her kindness. One of them is Rose Browning, a girl in the (.'base Farm (Edmonton Union) Poor-Law .Schools, who wrote to the Queen a letter of congratulation on the occasion of her birthnay. Probably Rose never expected any notice to be taken ef her letter, and merely desired to wish Her Majesty •'Many happy returns of the day." and a message from the Queen must have rilled her heart with joy and pride. It ran thus:— Knollys i* commanded by the Queen to thank Miss Rose Browning for her nice little letter of congratulation on the occasion of Her Majesty's birthday."

Princess Henry of Ba-ttenberg, who recently made a trial trip in. .her new yacht, is a most, enthusiastic yachtswoman. Two years ago she was elected an honorary member of the Royal Yacht Squadron. It was an unprecedented action on behalf of that most conservative body, for no woman, with the exception of Queen Victoria, had ever been a member before, and Queen Victoria held that position as Sovereign, not as a woman. Princess Beatrice does not, howover, devote herself too blindly to yachting. She is equally fond of gardening, and is a passionate music-lover. Chi one occasion, when a distinguished musician was visiting Windsor Castle, a certain princess sat down to the piano and played come difficult pieces. " Like a princess." said the great man. when asked how she played. After that Princess Beatrice played, and she also asked how she had played. " Like an artist," •was the musician's heartfelt reply.

The King and Queen both find recreation in playing bridge of an evening. Their Majesties play for .small stakes, and pay their losses before rising from the table. It is an interesting little fact that the King and Queen always cany bright new coins from the Mint in their purses.

Lord Roberts declined the post of Governor of Chelsea Hospital, and has accepted the office of Master Gunner of St. James' Park. The duties of the Master Gunner will rot trouble him, for the post is a mere sinecure. Formerly the Master Gunner was responsible for Royal salutes, but now he apparently only draws his pay, which amounts to 5s 4d per day. This money is derived from an old Court fund,

Sir Ralph Payne-Gallwey, of Thirkleby Park, whose* second daughter is just engaged to be married, is one of the best known figures in the shooting world of to-day, by reason of his many, excellent writings en the subject, particularly with 'he intent of properly educating the young idea. He will take the greatest pains to help a young shooter over the difficulties of a tyro, and has great pleasure in doing 60. and is no mean performer himself, though he does not compare as a shot; wit!, his cousin. Lord Wokingham, who is generally acknowledged as among the very first flight, if not the best of them. Sir Ralph is also a very fine fisherman, and in reality. knows even more about seme branches of the gentle art than of shooting, though he has. not put pen to paper on the subject. Perhaps his great speciality has been duck-shooting from a pant, or punt-gunning, for which he has invented a great many of the best materials in use, including the gun, which can be almost entirely made in his machine-house at Thirkleby. Among other queer devices used for slaying game of sorts Sir Ralph can throw a. quoit-shaped missile (employed by the natives of the West Indies long ago) for a great distance with some accuracy, i feat which very few white men can perform at all. He has, moreover, a splendid collection of stuffed fowl of all sorts. Thirklebv Park was inherited for life by Sir Ralphs mother, a co-heiress of Sir Robert Frankland, seventh baronet. This lady is still alive, and is descended from the Protector, Cromwell, whose granddaughter married her ancestor, Sir Thomas Frankland. Thirkleby was thus alienated from the Frankland title, which went to a younger branch, after descending with , it for more than 200 years The PayneGallweys are, by male descent, Paynes of the Channel Islands-, and Gallwey came from marriage with an heiress of that name, whose son, the first baronet of this line, took it in compliance with the will of a relative. This gentleman's half-brother was created Lord Lavington, but had no issue, and the title expired.

! Lord Annecsley, who is seventy-four, is the father of a beautiful daughter and the husband of a beautiful wife. Lady Annesley is his lordship's second wife, and she and her Step-daughter, Lady Mabel Sowerby, might well be sisters. Lord Annesley is the fifth carl, and has served his time in the army ■with the Scots Guards. He served in the Kaffir war of '51-'53, where be got a severe wound and a medal, and in the Crimea, where be got another severe wound and two more medals. He sat in the Commons afterwards for seventeen years as member for Cavan, and does not look at all to-day rs if the enemies of his country had nearly finished him.

A good many Royal personages have a decided literary bent, and have, published their writings.. Two of the best known Royal authors are the King of Sweden, who writes under his own name, and the Queen of Roumania, who is widely known as Carmen Sylva.-• The late' Emperor of Brazil waa a scientific writer of great power. The Queen of Italy has inherited the poetic gift from her father, the Prince of Montenegro, and she is the author of many charming poems in French and Italian as well as in her own language. Her mother-in-law. the once beautiful and still handsome Queen Margherita of Italy, writes religious verse, and she is also the author of a "diary, which will probably one day be of great historic value. The ex-Queen Natalie of Servia the mother of the ill-fated King Alexander, is the author of some very interesting memoirs. The Countess Longay, formerly Crown Princess of Austria, lias published an account of her travels, illustrated with her own sketches; and the Tsar has written about his travels, some years pgo, in Japan. Princess Therese of Bavaria, only daughter of the-Prince Regent Luitpold, is a scientific, writer of great ability, and is an honorary member of many universities and learned societies. Prince Ferdinand of Bulgaria has written the libretto of an opera; and the late Prince George of Prussia, under the name of George Conrad, was a prolific writer of plays. He wis often present at the first nights of his play.7, and bad the pleasure of .seeing them t complete success. In Germany, at the present moment, great interest has been aroused by the discovery that " F. Hugin," the au(hoi of " The Forest," is the Kaiser's youngest sister, Princess Feodora of SchleswigHolstein. The book is a collection of four uhaming;tales, abounding in the poetry of nature, and illustrated by the clever pen of the Princess herself s . . „ .