ITEMS OF SOCIAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16372, 28 October 1916, Page 6 (Supplement)

ITEMS OF SOCIAL NEWS.

The Marquess of Blandford, who has been gazetted to the Ist Life Guards, is the elder of the two sons of the Duke of Marlborough, and was born in 1897, The duke is a Knight of the Garter, and the Duchess of Marlborough was Miss Consuelo Vanderbilt, daughter of Mr. William Kissam Vanderbilt, of New York. Holkham, the beautiful estate of Lord Leicester in Norfolk, perhaps holds the record as the principal partridge shoot in England, the average bagi for some years having been 6000 brace. Other good centres, however, are those owned by Lord Cholmondeley at Houghton, Lord Northbrook at Stratton, Lord Ashburton at the Grange, Hampshire, and Lord Walsingham at Merton Hall, Norfolk. The _ Princess Maud of Fife is a great favourite with Queen Alexandra, and has been of late a frequent guest to luncheon and afternoon tea at .Marlborough House. (The princess wanted very badly to get out to the front as a Red Cross nurse; but her mother thought that there was just as useful work tor her to do at home, so she had to relinquish her ambition in this direction. One way in which the princess has helped soldiers has been in making them cakes in great variety; she is an expert in cake-making. The death of Mrs. Vaughan, who, with her sister, Mme. d'Harcourt, were for so many years intimate personal friends of the Empress Eugenie, is a great grief to the Empress, who has lost so many of her immediate circle. The war and increasing years have obliged Her Imperial Majesty to give up a great many of her favourite habits, such as yachting and her visits to her charming Villa Cyrnos, on the Riviera, and she is consequently more than ever dependent on her everyday surroundings. Both Mrs. Vaughan's sons are on active 1 service and could not be present when she was laid to rest. Wreaths from the Empress Eugenie, Queen Alexandra, and Princess Henry of Battenburg were received among innumerable other floral tributes. The famous Canadian, Sir Sam Hughes, has gone to London full of fight and enthusiasm. He is one of the Dominion's biggest hustlers, and even though he has been there so short a time, lias got through an immense amount of work, in spite of the fact that he likes to deal with details himself. Sir Sam. is a Canadian through and through. He made the Canadian army. He began to make it when he was a lad of 16 by joining the Cadet Corps. He continued the work as Minister for Militia and Defence. The Canadian soldiers call him " Father of the Contingents." They also call him General Sam." They love him as the British soldier loved Lord Roberts. His war work in ,the Dominion includes not only the raising of the men Canada has sent to Europe, but he is also largely responsible for the fact that Canadians have subscribed privately for between 2000 and 3000 machine-guns. When the great war broke out Lady Dudley, with other ladies, at once placed her services at the disposal of the authorities. Some idea of Lady Dudley's energy may be gathered from the fact that 24 days after war was declared a whole hospital equipment, organised by Lady Dudley, left for abroad—a record in hospital organisation. It was the first voluntary hospital staff to cross the Channel. Lady Dudley, whose husband had been Governor-General of Australia, was naturally particularly interested in the Anzacs, and worked hard to organise and equip this war hospital, which is almost entirely staffed and maintained by Australians. Several well-known Australians are contributing as much as £100 a month to its resources while the war lasts, while Sir Robert Lucas Tooth, its most generous supporter, subscribed £10,000 to is inception. A tragic interest is lent to this circumstance by the fact that he has lost two sons in the war.

.Most people \vill be surprised at the information just published in the Finance Accounts to the effect that the heirs of the Duke of Schomherg still receive £679 as a pension in perpetuity for naval and military services. The original pension was £2800, but portions havo been commuted from time to time, the last being in November of last year. The duke, who was born at Heidelberg in 1615, was a soldier of fortune who, unlike many of his class, actually gained fortune. He fought against the Imperialists in the Thirty Years War. For the French he conducted a successful campaign in Spain, and, though a Protestant, he received a marshal's baton. After the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes he commanded under the Prince of Orange in the English Expedition. William 111. made him K.G., a duke, and commander in Ireland, and ho fell at the Battle of the Boyne, being killed by his own soldiers as he was crossing the river.

At this distance of time probably few people will realise the full significance of the telegram received by the King from the Dowager Maliarani of Owalior announcing the birth of an heir to the Maharaja, nor the reason of His Majesty's readv agreement to the request that lie should lie godfather In the infant, special stress being laid mi the loyally of his ancestors in the exchange of telegrams between King George and the Maharaja of (Jwalior. It should lie recalled that at the time of the Indian Mutiny the then ruler— a woman - remained loyal to the British. In rpi(ignition thereof several special and greatly valued privileges were bestowed on I Jwalior, which remains, as it has always been, "conspicuously devoted" to the' British Royal House and Throne. The Castle of (iwalior, a magnificent structure, perched high on a rocky eminence, is one of the most exquisite wonders of India. The heir to its great traditions has been named George Jivaji Ran.

It. is difficult to believe that Mrs. Cornwall is- West, whose son in-law, the Duke of Westminster, after gallant exploits, has just returned from Egypt 'suffering from malaria, celebrated her .silver wedding nearly twenty years ago. She is still one of the handsomest women in society. It will be remembered that her son. Mr. George Cornwallis-West, who married first Lady Randolph Churchill and then Mis. Patrick Campbell, figured gallantly in the early part of the war at Antwerp. Mrs. Cornwallis-West's husband, Colonel Corn-wallis-West, has been Lord-Lieutenant of Denbighshire for 43 years, and their beautiful seat, Ruthin Castle, has always been a centre of varied social activities. Shortly before the war a great part of the estate was sold, and the Aroewood Estate, near Lyminglon, Hants, was advertised for sale soon afterwards, though Newlands Manor, Lyininglon, is retained as a residence.

Her Majesty the Queen of the Belgians ] has recently celebrated her 40th birthday. Before the war began she and the King spent many a holiday in r.ngland. They are very fond of the New Forest, and have ofteti stayed at a little inn there. Before leaving Antwerp, the Queen sent most of her jewels to Buckingham Palace, where they were kept until arrangements could be made for depositing them with a bank. When the King lately visited the King and Queen of the Belgians lie presented Queen Elizabeth with the Order of the Royal Red Cross, as a tribute to her devotion on behalf of the wounded. A few weeks ago sue received from President I'oincare the French Croix de Guerre, in token of " the homage and admiration of the French people for her magnificent bravery and untiring devotion." Her Majesty has often been in the danger-zone. A charming reminiscence of her and her gallant husband wis given recently by the military correspondent of an exchange. " I do not know," lie writes, " whether the held headquarters of the King of Italy or of King Albert of Belgium is the more unpretentious, but certainly both monarehs live in circumstances of extreme simplicity. My recollection is that when I last had the honour of visiting King Albert's headquarters, the bell in what I must call the parlour did not ring, and the Queen of the Belgians had to get up and fetch tea herself:'