ITEMS OF SOCIAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 12853, 29 April 1905, Page 6 (Supplement)

ITEMS OF SOCIAL NEWS.

[from THE society TAPERS.]

The King has appointed the Prince of Wales to be the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, in succession to Lord Cur-con, who resigned the post on his return to India. This is the sixth time in their thousand-year history that the Cinque Ports have had the heir to the Crown as their Warden, but with the now appointment, the last of the privileges of the ancient office is to disappear, for His Majesty lias commanded that, from May 1, Walmer Castle is to be thrown open to the public, at any rate so far as concerns the rooms of historic interest, the ramparts and gardens.

Many of the R.issian Empress' jewels are unique. On one occasion the Emperor gave her an ornament in the shape of a spray of tea-roses all executed in yellow diamonds. The spray consists of a full-blown rose with four or five buds ami leaves, all life-size. Her rubies and emeralds are very fine, and. of course, her diamonds' are famous. The Grand Duchess Serge, sister to the Empress, is possessed of what are considered the finest sapphires in he world.

Prince Louis of Batlenberg has, it is said, notwithstanding his preoccupations in his present command, devised a remarkable improvement in the system of signalling in the British navy. The system has been submitted to the experts of the service and declared to be infinitely beyond any system ill existence in the European services. Princess Louis of Battenberg, who has been staying at Moscow with the Grand Duchess Elizabeth. and at Tsarskoe-Sclo with the Tsar and Tsaritsa, has returned ot London from St. Petersburg. She is going shortly to Greece on a visit to her daughter. Princess Andrew.

Lord Anglesey will not succeed to the estate till ho is twenty-five. Some of the late Marquis' insurance offices and money-lenders have been very hard hit by his death. Lady Anglesey gets five thousand a year, and when Lord Anglesey succeeds he will have an income of a hundred and fifty thousand a year. Everyone is pleased (says " Belle," of "the World) that he has succeeded, lie is such a nice boy. He is at Sandhurst, and is going into the army. The Marchioness of Anglesey's marriage with her cousin was not a happy one, and steps were eventually taken to obtain its dissolution. These, however, were not persisted in, and although the marchioness had been separated from her husband for some years, she was with him when he died.

Preston Grange, where the Countess of Stair has gone to stay with her mother. Lady Susan Grant-Suitie, is a place of greathistoric interest. Its name—formerly Priest's town— is*a relic of the days when it was the property of the celebrated monks of Xewbattle, who were not. only the firstdiscoverers of coal in Soetlaud, but also, in the twelfth century, made this district a seat of population for the manufacture of salt. Prestonpans. indeed, at one time supplied the whole of the East Coast with salt, and it was only on the repeal of the duty cm salt that the old town fell into decay. A race of females, known as saltwives, a class almost as picturesque as the fishwives of 2se\vhaven, used to carry the salt in creels on their backs to sell in Edinburgh and other towns.

Dr. Lillias Hamilton, who lias been lecturing recently at the Ladies' Empire Club, has many interesting tilings to relate of her three years as Court physician to the Amir of Afghanistan. It was while in charge of the Dufferin Hospital at Calcutta that Abdur Rahman heard of the wonderful success of the white lady doctor and engaged her as his medical attendant at a high salary, Soon after her arrival Dr. Hamilton, who was the only Englishwoman in the kingdom, nursed the Amir through a- severe attack of gout, and so won his confidence that she would be roused from sleep in the dead of night to know if he migh' take a peppermint! You treat me like a dog," said the tyrant to her one day. "Just come into the harems and you will see how our women treat me!" The Sultana said to Dr. Hamilton—who is most skilful with the knife— "You are a butcher, not a doctor!" and her presence was at first so resented by the ladies of the harems that she never dared eat without lirst. testing the food for poisons. But the country people. Hocked to consult heras many as 700 in one day—and by skill and knowledge of human nature she finally turned even the Sultana into an admiring patient. Miss Hamilton, who speaks Persian like a native, hails from Ayr, and now practises in Queen Anne-street.

The German Emperor's four sisters arc very near and dear to the Imperial heart. With one exception —that of tho Crown Princess of Greece—they have each and all ever treated their powerful brother as one whose will must never be gainsaid. The eldest of the quartette, Charlotte, Hereditary Princess of Saxe-Meiningen, resembles in a striking degree her aunt, the present Duchess of Argyll. She is clever and artistic, a really good artist. Her marriage to the future ruler of Saxe-Meiningen took place when she was only eighteen. Princess Victoria of Prussia is the wife of Prince Adolplnis of Schaumburg Lippe. The Prince and Princess live at Bonn, where they are much liked and where they play a considerable social role. Princess Frederick Charles of Hesse, who was her parents favourite daughter, and to whom the Empress Frederick left her splendid estate of Friedriehsof, has been married twelve years. Her attachment to Prince Frederick Charles as of long standing, and their marriage (as the Sketch recalls) was delayed for some time because .she was unwilling to leave her widowed mother. The German Emperor's third sister is trie only one of the quartette who may be said to have made a really brilliant match. The future Queen of Greece is a woman of strong individuality.

Lord Cromer, the virtual ruler of Egypt., lias built up for himself, after an early career which was almost colourless, a position which has few parallels in (he history of Imperial service. Evelyn Baring was the fourth son in a large family—his father had married twice—and in 1858, when iie was seventeen, he donned tho uniform of the Royal Art illery, and began his course of useful service to the Crown. Ten years later, when he had obtained the rank of captain, his cousin, Lord Northbrook, who was then Viceroy of India, offered him his private secretaryship. In India he remained till 1876, and "the following year he found his true vocation in Egypt, being appointed Commissioner of the Egyptian Public Debt. After three years of excellent work, which earned a warm'tribute from Lord Granville, he returned to India as the financial member of the Viceroy's Council, in which capacity he earned the K.C.S.I. Twenty-one years ago he became Agent and Consul-General in Egypt, and instead of justifying the opinion of "those who thought he was too much of an autocrat for the position, he has proved the right man in the right place. He immediately reformed the system of public works and finances, next ill© judicial system, then the army, then education, and so through all the administrative system the new broom did its work. In 1899 he was made a viscount-, and in 1901 lie became- the first Karl Cromer. To-day the bankrupt country which he took over compares ih position with any European Power, and, though his work is not yet done, he enjoys the reputation of being one of the greatest administrative geniuses ever produced by the nation of which he is so distinguished an ornament. Lord Cromer has been twice married. His first wife, a most charming woman, was a daughter of Sir Rowland Stanley, and the mother of his two sons. For three years after her death he remained a widower, shunned society completely, and only received at his house visitors who cam© on business. Society in Egypt began to complain that the doors of the British Residency were shut against it, and Lord Cromer was also very lonely. In 1901 he paid allying visit to England, and then met Lord Bath's beautiful sister, Lady Katherine Thymic, to whom he soon became engaged. They were married that autumn, and the new Lady Cromer speedily made herself very popular with those who throng Egypt every " season," and she soon became an excellent helper to her husband in all social matters, and very efficient as " the Queen of Cairo."