HERE AND THERE

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8286, 15 September 1903, Page 4

HERE AND THERE

Some of the Home and German papers have been telling ofamobher scandal -at of the little German waits, to wit," Weimar. They allege that the story has been hushed up as much, as possible, and give the fol- • lowing details."About three the reigiftvg Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar. married the Princess Caroline of Reuss,faiid after a honeymoon spent in the Tyrol returned to Weimar at the beginning of June amid great popular rejoicings. Suddenly, at the end of the month, the Grand Duchess disappeared, and some little time afterwards her friends found that she was staying in ■Switzerland. It appears that the etiquette of the Court of Weimar imposes a number of elderly ladies on the Grand Duchess as.ati tendants, who never leave her alone. The Princess Caroline objected to being always followed about by these old ladies, and complained to her husband, who said thai it was necessary to conform to the etiquette of the Court. "The Grand Duchess, therefore, took her lady's maid with_ her, drove in a cab to the first, station outsfde Weimar,Mid went to Switzerland, whence sheissued her ultimatum. The Grand Duke is much upset by his wife's escapade, but the Emperor William is even, more distressed, for he was one of the witnesses at the wedding, and therefore feels that the Grand Duchess' action approaches very near to lise-majeste." But the story is devoid of truth, according to the Geneva correspondent, of the [London Daily Mail, who says : —"The Grand Duke and Duchess of 'SaxeWeimar, who arrived recently at the Hotel National, Lucerne, where they stayed incognito as Count and Countess Colorno, express surprise at the construction put upon their journey -by the German Press, which stated that -the Grand Duchess had 'fled' to she was not allowed to be mistress in her own house. I am in a position to state ttiat the tour which the Grand Duke and Duchess aire now making through Switzerland and the Tyrol was arranged long ago. They spent a few days at Lucerne, and then left for their chateau in the Tyrol, where they are now staying. They intend returning home in itha middle of August."

The Paris papers announce that Mile. Gjena Limjevios, the yohngest sister of the late Queen Diaga, is about to make a tour of the principal music halls of Europe, commencing at Zurich in September, in order to earn her livelihood by reciting the story of the machinations which led to the tragic assassination of' her sister and her ■brother-in-law, the late King of Sec via. The lectures will consist of the disclosure of many new incidents in connection with the crime, and, above all, the part alleged to have been played in the tragedy by the present King. A Servian landowner, a friend of the family, has advanced the preliminary funds. In the course of her tour Mile. Lunjevics, who is twenty-five years of age, will visit Vienna, Budapest, Frankfort-on-Moin, Berlin, and Brussels. No arrangements have yet been made for her appearance in Paris, but it is considered probable that the sister of the unhappy Queen will be seen in one of the principal music-halls in that city. Mile. Lunjevics speaks excellent French, and her manager is said to have booked some very profitable engagements for her in those capitals where French is largely spoken.

The extra knot of speed, or fraction of a knot, which each newest Atlantic liner must achieve above her predecessor of a few months before, is a terribly costly honor. Just how costly it is is explained in. the 1903-4 edition of "Rhodes' Steamship Guide." Say that 1000-h.p. gives a. speed of sixteen to seventeen knots, and k2OOO- - gives twenty-one knots. From this point the eifort required to produce each additional knot is enormous. Thus, 3000h.p. only gives 23 J knots, 4000-li.p. gives ■twenty-six knots, and the next six knots would mean almost a doubling of the power. "It might be possible," says the writer, "by minimising the luggage and using metal of high tensile strength, to reduce the weight of a twenty-two knot merchant steamer to 14,000 tons, but, unfortunately, passengers- must, have their luggage with them, tiie best and ample provisions must bo supplied, mails must be carried and a little precious cargo, so that the displacement is increased at least 3000 tons or so, with the result that the power required for a speed of twenty-two knots amounts up to such an extent that the consumption, of coal equals a ton per mile traversed, and the extra load of 300 tons costs in coal alone for the Atlantic trip some £6OO. ; This explains why in an Atlantic liner it is becoming more and more necessary to discard as much weight as possible; and "the future problem will undoubtedly be to reduce weights in every . conceivable way."

A regular pilgrimage to the village of Cintra, Portugal, Has sprung up as the result of an occurrence which the pious peasants of the neighborhood regard as a. miracle. The village cemetery being filled to excess, it became necessary to remove some of the tombs. Among thsm was that of a priest called Father Diego, who was buried nineteen years ago. Great was the astonishment of all present when the coffin was opened'and, instead of mere bones, the body was found entirely fresh and intact as though the priest had been buried but yesterday. The people revere Father Diego as a saint, ascribing the. wonderful preservation of his body to supernatural causes.

Much disgust is expressed in Germany in consequence - of the obsequious attentions showered upon -Mr Cornelius Vanderbilt, the young New York millionaire. Mr Vanderbilt attended the recent regatta at Kiel, and, at the Kaiser's suggestion, went t-o Marienburg to visit the historic castle and see the art treasure there. His Majesty gave orders to the president and commanding general of the district to accord the American an imposing reception, and Mr Vanderbilt enjoyed a round of notions and festivities which could hardly have been surpassed in the case of a visiting king. Special trains and Court carriages were at his disposal. A banquet at the officers' casino of the crack Dantzic Hussars and attendance by officials specially told off by the Emperor were among the favors shown him. The. night before he Mt Mr Vanderbilt gave a brilliant dinner on board his yacht to all the civil and military dignitaries. The harbor was illuminated in liis honor. The newspapers say that the Kaiser does not know the American people if he thinks he can win their hearts by such reverence for the "shoddy aristocracy of the New York 400."