Society Gossip.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 992, 6 March 1891, Page 12

Society Gossip.

(from the society papers.)

The Queen lost her watch on her recent journey from Balmoral. This watch mad© a special journey of its own. Instead of merely travelling to London, and thence being restored at once to Windsor; the Royal train got the start of the news that it was lost, and was Bent from Easton to Wolverton before the telegram arrived, ordering a search for the missing timekeeper ; for It is a valuable gold chronometer with jewels of price on it. A wire was promptly forwarded after the train to Wolverton, and there the little illustrious little ticker was found just where the Queen had left it, underneath the Royal pillow. The funny part of the story is that no railway official, or police magnate, was apparently considered good enough to convey this inestimable watoh back to its illustrious owner, but the commission was intrusted to Captain H, M. Williams, an officer in the Wolverton Volunteers.

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburghs’ first daughter, Princess Marie, it is announced is engaged to be married to Prince Ferdinand of Roumania. The match would be a desirable one from some points of view. Prince Ferdinand, besides being heir presumptive to the Roumania Crown (King Charles his uncle, has no children living), is well provided with worldly wealth. Born in 18G5, the Prince is five and twenty; but Princess Marie is ten years younger—a mere child in fact. The Kaiser William choose rather a remarkable Christmas present for his baby sou—namely, a sub-lieutenants commission in a line regiment. Of course the veterans of the corps must feel highly honoured at the distinction conferred upon them, but in Berlin the * subs ’ of the regiment are being unmercifully chafed about their ‘ comrade in arms.’

Among the congratulations and telegrams of all kinds sent to Mr Gladstone on his eighty-first birthday was the following message :— * Stick to Paddy. Matthew xxv. 40. Rev Thomas Morris, Newport, Penn.’ Considering the length of the Verße indicated, the Rev Morris must be congratulated on the conciseness of hi 3 telegraphic code. We recollect a similar instance, where an expectant grandmother was awaiting news of an accouchement in New Zealand. The fateful huff envelope was handed in, and tho only words which appeared as the ‘text’ of the telegram, were:—‘l Sam. i. 20.’ This conveyed to her the whole story. Hannah happened to be the name of her daughter-in-law, and the news was just as authentic and a good deal cheaper than if the Antipodean paterfamilias had gushed to the extent of pounds. True he might have done it even cheaper Btill had he employed the monosyllabic * Boy ’ —* Boy,’ et preeterea nihil, Exclusive of address, this would have cost him only half-a-guinea. Mrs Sheldon, an American lady, is about to emulate Mr Stanley’s explorations in Afrioa. She will start in Februrary for Zanzibar, thence going to Mozambique, and afterwards journeying into Central Africa. Her idea is to study the home-life of the savage tribes. She is to take with her a phonograph in order to bring baok some African voices. Mrs Sheldon is to have a special passport; from Secretary Blaine, as well as letters from Mr Stanley. She is to be alone in the enterprise, her attendants being Arabs and black women, with perhaps a military escort.

The Queen has quite unexpectedly decided (says Truth) that the wedding of Princess Louise of Schleswig-Holstein and Princo Aribert of Anhalt-Dessau is to take place in England, and at Windsor Castle, probably during the first week in July. The ceremony will be semi-private, as it is not to be in St. George’s, but in the private chapel of the Castle, where the bride’s parents were married nearly twenty.five years rgo. The Queen will settle £20,000 on Princess Louise as a marriage portion, and the Prince of Anhalt-Dessau setties £40,000 upon Prince Aribert, and has promised to give the couple oue of his country houses, near Dessau, and to keep it up for them. The general run of Americans in London are very angry with Mrs Mackay for having taken suoh a magnificent house. They feel that this sort of thing does not advance them an inch towards tho task of deposing her from her social pedestal, in spite of the energy with which they have laboured to do it. It is quite amusing to sea the rage with which Mrs Mackay’s social triumphs are received by these oreatures, who enviously attribute it Bolely to her wealth ; whereas, it is really her kindness of hearG and her charm of manner which lie at the root of her success in Fnglish Society. London Society will shortly be astonished by the appearance of two divorce cases which will certainly afford a good amount of gossip to the clubs and tea-tables. The marriages are quite recent, the circumstances are extraordinary, and the reasons are exceedingly indelicate. It is highly probahle, however, that the eases will be heard in camera, and it is to be hoped that this will be the case, if only to deprive the carrion-crows of Society of such a lavish store of the garbage on which they love to batten. The death of Madame la Mardchale Pelissier, Duchess of Malakoff, recalls the pretty Btory of her betrothal. She was a near relative of the Empress Eugenie, and one day, walking in the garden of the palace, she met the gallant Marshal, who asked the beautiful girl for a rose she had just broken. * What do you want with a rose 1 You like only laurels, ’ the girl answered, but gave him the flower. The reply captured the Marshal (who, by the way, had the reputation of being the rudest and roughest man in France), and he said to the Empress later, ‘ I thought myself difficult to conquer, but in this case Malakoff has surrendered to the first fire.’