PERSONAL ITEMS FROM LONDON.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14573, 9 January 1911, Page 7

PERSONAL ITEMS FROM LONDON.

[FUGS! Otro own correspondent.] London, December 2. Tub- degree-of Bachelor of Arts was conferred upon. Mr. S. N. Ziman, of Balliol, one of the New Zealand Rhodes scholars.

Lord Onslow was obliged to submit to an operation this woek to remedy a defect of the vocal chords. He is making good progress.

Sir Ernest Shackleton is at present touring Germany and giving lectures on his South Pole expedition. He has made himself proficient in the German language.

Mrs. Webb (better known in Wellington as Miss Ethel Wis) last week underwent a successful operation for appendicitis. Her mother, Mrs. McKellar Wis, is at present in rather poor health.

Lord and Lady Greville have taken up their residence at Hartham, near Bath, the country home of Lord and Lady Islington, which they have rented during the absence of the owners.

The Very Rev. James MacGregor, D.D., at. Edinburgh, died 011 Sunday, in his 79th year. He was a great traveller, and he visited New Zealand in 1889. He was one. of the most eloquent Scottish preacher's, and was chaplian-in-ordinary to King George.

Four days ago the death occurred of Captain Arthur Ronaldson, who was known in New Zealand. For many years he was ruler of pilots, Lloyd's agent, and a younger brother of Trinity House. Captain Ronaldson, who lived at Gravesend, was in the 74th year of his age.

Mr. A. F. Wilding, the tennis champion, is at- present staying in Hungary as the guest of Count Batthyanyi, with whom he will go presently to the southern districts for the shooting. Thence he will proceed, to Italy and later to the Riviera for the tennis tournaments. He motor-cycled through Europe to Hungary and Servia.

A marriage will take place at the end of February, bctweeen Major Cosmo Gordon Stewart, D.5.0., R.F.A. (temporary lieutenant-colonel, general staff), son of the late Sir John Marcus Stewart, Bart.,. of At henry, Co. Tyrone, and Gladys Berry Honeyman, younger daughter of the late Mr. J. H. Honey man, M.1)., of Auckland, Now Zealand, and Mrs. Bruce-Porter, of 6, Grosvenor-street West.

Mr. C. E. Horton (Auckland) sails from England to-morrow on an extended tour, which ho' anticipates will occupy a year. He goes first to Durban, and South Africa will be his headquarters until the middle of January, when he will make for Bombay. From India he will get by easy stages to China and Japan, and thence to Canada, and before he comes back to London he will travel from San Francisco to South America.

Wednesday last was the 84th birthday of one of the veterans who took part in the New Zealand war of 1863-5, for which he has medals. He is Surgeon-General Sir Anthony Dickson Home, K.C.8., V.C., who entered the Army Medical Department in 1848, and served in the Crimea, and the Indian Mutiny, being awarded the V.C. for gallantry in defending and attending to the wounded while the siege of Lucknow lasted. He Retired in 1886. ■" ;

Just prior to his intended departure for New Zealand last week, Mr. Justice Denniston developed symptoms of indisposition which made it advisable that he should not leave liondon without receiving medical .attention. It was therefore decided, ab the last moment, that Miss Denniston, who. has accompanied her mother and father on their visit to the Old' Country, should proceed home, while her parents should remain; in England. Mr. Dennieton was taken to a private hospital, where an operation was performed at the beginning of the present week, and he is now progressing satisfactorily. It is uncertain yet how long he and Mrs. Denniston will have to prolong , their stay in England. :

An ex-New Zealander about to pay a visit to his native country is Mr._ Joseph Hammond, who was born at Feilding, and who is now a certificated pilot-aviateur. He is going oat to New Zealand, via Australia, as chief aviator in the "commission" of airmen which Sir George White (chairman of the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company of Bristol) is sending out to give exhibitions of flying. Several leading centres of New Zealand are to be visited at the conclusion of demonstrations in Australia. ' Mr. Hammond will use two Bristol biplanes made by Sir George White's company at Bristol. Mr. Sydney E. Smith (manager of the company) is in charge of the commission, another member of which is Mr. L. McDonald, who is also a certificated air-pilot.

There are a good, many New Zealandbound passengers on board the P. and O. steamer Mantua, which left London to-day for Auckland. Those for Wellington are: Mr. and Mrs. F. Train, Mrs. Malcolm Roes. For Auckland: Miss M. Brown, Mr. John, Carmichacl, Mr. and Mrs. F. 0. Drew and infant, Mr. and Mrs. N. K. Ingham, ' Miss Ingham, and the Masters Ingham (2), the Hon. Seymour Thome George, Mrs. and Miss George, Miss E. B. Hargreaves, Mr. and Mrs. J. D. Henry, Mr. E. Holland, Mr. and Mrs. John Holt, the Rev. Percy Jones, Mr. F. B. Logan, Mr. G. D. Mercer, Mr. A. M Na-tlor, Mr. and ' Mrs, Mostyn Parry. For Napier: Miss Cox, Mr. and Mrs. J. Holdsworth and Miss Holds-worth. For LytteQton: Miss Rennie, Miss McMillan, Miss Kirk, Miss Hartnell. For Danedin and the Bluff : Mr. John Foden, Miss L. Foden, Miss Gillies, Mr. G. Kemslev. Miss L. - McKellar, Miss Meredith. Sir Graham Hamond Graeme and Lady Graeme are also on board the vessel, bound for New Zealand.

Mies Florence Pratt, who is greatly interested in telepathy, _ has had; eomo interesting experiences in Paris, where she lias been for tho last two months. A paper by her, entitled " How the Power of Hypnotism was Gained Over Me by Telepathy," was read before a meeting of doctors of the Salpetrier Hospital. Miss Pratt is now in Cornwall for the winter, and hopes to interest the psychological scientists of England on the subject. As a sample of her experiences she says before she left Rome, on May 13, she had the picture of a waterspout rashing towards a big liner, the deck of which was crowded with people. That scone was telepathed to her. Site wrote to friends in Ceylon inquiring if it had happened there. Two months later she received a copy of the Christchurcli Press containing an account of tho event, which happened, near Wellington on. May sor 7. The scene was telepathed to her bv a Christchurch gentleman who, she says, is tho most expert and powerful telepathist in the world and uses his power absolutely in secret.