ABOUT PEOPLE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13888, 27 April 1907, Page 4

ABOUT PEOPLE.

Tho King intends to confer the Order si the Oarter upon the King of Saxony. Tho lato King Albert wom a blue ribbon for 20 years, and when lie became a Knight of the Carter in 1382 the Unlet; (t'iion Karl) of J?im was despatched on a special mission to Dresden to invest his Majesty. During: last year tlio garter was contorrcd lipoiu three Sovereigns—tho Mikado of Japan, tii® King oi Norway, ;uk! the Grand i)uko of Baden. One Royul Knight died in 1906— Kiiif Christian of Denmark, who had been a Companion of the Order for 41 years.

There were few mora popular diploma! isfs than the hue Sir Francis l'lunkott, who died in Paris recently. Whether at Brussels or Vienna, at Tokio or Stockholm, lie was

held in universal regard. The younegsfc son of the ninth Earl of Fingall, Sir Francis was a typical Irishman, with a fund of tinccdote which made him a most entertaining companion. King Edward had a special osteom for the deceased, of whom ho used to see much during his visits to Maricubad when Sir Francis was Ainbassr.dor at Vienna.

His Honor Judgo Collier, whose retirement from (ho position of County Court judge in Liverpool has been announced, has filled the office for the long period of 33 years. Two yea re before ho reached tlio County Court bench his oldest, brother,'who

had been Solicitor-general in Palnierston's last, unci _ Attorney-general in Gladstone's first, Administration, becamo a judgo in tlio Common l'leas, and in 1885 was raised to the peerage as Baron MonksT.ell. Tim present Lord Mcnkswell is tlio first baron's son. Judgo Collier was, it. is stated, tlio senior judge in point, of service in England; lmt. in that respcct ho was several .years the junior of Sir Francis Brady, Bart., who has boon on the County Court bench of Ireland ever since 1861. He presided : over the Kind's County Court from 1861 to 1863, over that of Roscommon from 1865 to 1572." and since the later year ha luw been County Court judge of 'Tyrone. Rumours have teen _ periodically' circulated that 'Sir Francis Brady, who is in his eighty-third year, ronfcmplalcd resignation; but ho has, so far, falsified thorn.

General Botha, the new Transvaal Premier, is married to a lady who was a Miss Emmet, and who is somewhat indefinitely described as Iseimr " a descendant of the

Irish patriot." This has given vise to the ipiile erroneous impression that Mrs Botha is a descendant of Robert, Emmet, who was executed in Dublin in 1803 for open rebellion. Robert Emmet, died, a bachelor, as everybody knows who remembers Washington livings louehintr sketch, of "Tho

Broken Heart." It is from Thomas Addis Emmet, the elder brothar of Robert, that Mrs Botha is descended. He, too, was a United Irishman, and spent some years in the hands of the British Government as a prisoner. On his release from tho Scottish fort where ho was confined ho made hn way to New York, and thrived there as ft lawyer. His descendants are to be found there to-day. and one descendant, as has been mentioned, is tho wife of the Prime Minister of the Transvaal. Another of his descendants sits in the British House of Commons in tho person of Mr C. D. Rcse. the Liberal member for Newmarket, whose, mother, the wife of tho Hon. Sir John Rose, the Canadian lawyer, was an Emmet, .and the descendant of the Thomas Addis aforesaid.

The conspicuous slnro which Mr Joromo has taken as prosecutor in the Thaw, trial lim directed s]iocial attention to him; and an interesting account, of his career is given in the book called "America's Awakening," by Philip Loring j\!lcn, which lias just Ikx'.ii published by tho Fleming 11. Revel! Company. Tl|o author desires to show ihiit a moral wave is pawing ovor Amcrica at, prcssnt, and he anticipates that it will result, in " the triumph of righteousness in high plaecs." His position in connection with tho New< York Evening Post- has given him special facilities for meeting prominent men, and among these has been \Villiam Travers Jerome. Mr Jerome was born at- New York on April 18, 1859, and attended Amherst College. 110 graduated nfc Columbia Law School in 1884, and practised in New York for the succeeding 11 years. In 18S8 ho was appointed Assistant District Attorney, and in 1895. became Justice of the Court of Special Sessions. His great triumph was his election as District Attorney. New York County, on Iho Fusion Ticket, in ISOI, chiefly for tho purpose of defeating tho Tammany Kin.!;; and he was re-elected in 1905 as an Independent. Since lie'entered upon his dulics lie lias done much lo purify the tainted atmosphere of Now York, awl has been fearless in his exposure of Crimea that havo hitherto been hidden.

A remarkable cxamplo of clerical longevity is furnished by the Rev. Hueh Pricbard. of Anglesey, who has recently celebrated his hundredth birthday, and who looks back- 76 jeers to the clay of his ordination. But clergymen appear to mabo up in length of' (lavs for their lnck of worldly possesions. Not lout; ago it waa stated that the Rov. Prebendary Hutchinson, vicar of Blurton, North Staffs, was actively engaged in his mijiisterial work within four years of his century; and thefc there are more than 50 incumbents of tho Church of England who liavo held tho same livings over half a ocnlury. Tho Ttov. Potior Cole had been vicar ot Hawkesbury, Gloucester, for 73 years whon lie died at 97; and tho Rev. Mr Blower hold tho living of White Wall ham for 67 yeaw, though it was not his firet euro.

Signor Giolitti, the Italian Premier, who in credited with possession of " the ovil ova" on ii"oount, of tho series of tragio deaths und other 'disasters which have bofallen successive members of liis Cabinel, is one of those men who from very hnmblo beginnings, and with no adventitious aid has fcirccd his way by sheer hard work right to the top. Of recent times most eminent Italian statesmen have come from Sicily. 'Signor Giolitti, however, like O-ivonr lieforo biro, from Piedmont, n.nd is credited with all the hard-headedness and coolness of temperament of tho northern Italian, lie belongs, in fact, to live " bUic-book-and-bisouit" school of statesmen, and his mastery of figures is unrivalled. The first Premiership of Gioliit-i coincided, unfortunately, with one of the least edifying periods of modern Italian history—tho era of tho bunk- scandals, tho so-called "Panainino." which .has not yet been forgotten. But even those wlw were not followers of the Prime Minister admitted that no breath of suspicion attached to Sig-nor Giolitti himself. It was merely his misfortune to oflic;> at a time when long-iinshed-np feandals wore, suddenly and violently exposed, and since public opinion, as usual, demanded | a scapegoat. Iho Giolitti Cabinet was hurled from power. . /

Prince von Bulow is one of a considerable family. Sonic 30 of ils members held their fori ioth anniversary meeting the other day —gencraJs, colonels, chamberlains, and members of the Relcbstni!; and the Clia!irvilor was in receipt of many n/Jni'rimr family rongnt.n'al.inns. Tie alfo combines some titlc-s. He is Chancellor of the Emnire and Premier of Prussia; Foreign Minister and Councillor of State: Major-general, unattached—and Canon of Brandenburg.

Miss TiOtii' : .e Fitzgerald, (he Irish boauivi who mado her debut rccont.lv, comes from Viilc/icift Island, and is llw dangliior of tho twentieth Knight of Kerry, the soddaughter of the Duchess or Uomiaught, tho only grand-daughter of the Biscltoll'heims, who lately varicl fho hospitalities of Bute House with a ball in the debutante's honour. To be tho daughter of tho Knight of Kerry is to have a father with a, title which, if not. a regal honour, is, at an.vrate, of si very peculiar character—a sort of hereditary knighthood. In tho ease of its late holder, it was supplemented by a baronetcy in 18G0—a dignity which tho tfrantpo enjoyed rather lew than a month. Sir Maurice Fitzgerald, the present knight and baronet, was cfpierrv to the late Duko of Cambridge, captain Rille lirigndn,, and A.D.C. to Sir Archibald Alison in Ashanti.

Ooldwin Smith, in the opinion of Iho British Weekly, is out of sirrht the mcsli wonderful ionrnivlist of bis day. He was horn in 1823, and is now 84 years of aje. It is nearly 50 years since, lie took part in founding the Saturday Review, to which hp w.-is the most brilliant, contributor. After all theio years his pen is slill busy, and his style is os trenchant, brilliant, and easy as it ever was. He does not seem to caro where ho write:-;, or whether be Rets on audience or not. For years bo was satisfied to publish his thoughts in a magazine, first, monthl." and then quarlorlv. the whole' of which be wrote himself. Now he contributes weeklv to a tiapcr called the Weekly Sim, published at Toronto.