PERSONAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1890, 10 February 1888, Page 34

PERSONAL NOTES.

Dr Graetz, the illustrious Jewish historic has lately celebrated his seventieth birthday anniversary at Breslau, Germany. He is $tij actively engaged in writing and lecturing.

Madame Offenbach, widow of the com, poser, died recently. She was sister of Jj Robert Mitchell, editor of the Bonapart^l Pays, their father being Irish and their mother Spanish. Madame Offenbach's re. ceptions in her husband's lifetime had greaj popularity. Since his death she had livedia retirement.

Mrs Etherington Guyton, known to the reading world as Miss Emma Jane Warboise whose death was lately announced, had fo r ' more than 12 months been out of health and unable to continue her literary labours. T) 1& deceased, who was 63 years of age, died at Clevedon, a spot which had for her peculiar charms, and where she is said to have ex. pressed the hope that she might end her days. She was born at Birmingham, aad afterwards removed tc Bristol, but subsequently returned to her native city. She was the writer of a large number of poetns many of which appeared in the Christian' World and the "Family Circle Edition," She also wrote a " Life of Dr Arnold," and numerous tales of a strongly evangelistic character, which, after appearing in the columns of the weekly paper mentioned, were republished. The lady had been connected with tho Christian World as a writer for more than 37 years. The tales best remembered from her pen are : " Thorneycrofi Hall," " Nobly Born," and " Overdale."

Isaac Newton, when a boy at the bottom of his class, was kicked by the boy above him. He fought the bully and beat him, out of which victory arose the thought that as he had beaten him with his fists he might also do it with his brains. And he did. Isaac Barrow, the divine, was a quarrelsome idle boy. His father said of him that "If \\ pleased God to take away any of his children, he hoped it would be Isaac." Adasi Clark was pronounced by his father to be " a grievous dunce ; " but it is recorded of him that he " could roll large stones about. 11 They may take to rolling large ideas about. Dr Chalmers was expelled from the parish school of St. Andrews as "an incorrigible dunce." Walter Scott, at Edinburgh University, was labelled by Professor £>alzell- " Dunce he is, and dunce he will remain.' 1 John Howard was an illustrious dunce, " learning nothing in seven years." And then Napoleon and Wellington were dull boys,

The late Mrs James Leslie was the last survivor of the brilliant literary and social Edinburgh circles of the days of Professor Wilson, Sir Walter Scott, and Francis Jeffrey. Her father was the Rev. James Hunter, Professor of Logic at St. Andrew's, She was connected by marriage with the Joffreys.and lived in the "Edinburgh Review" set. She had often met Carlyle, and could tell many stories of all the Edinburgh celebrities of those days, and it is a great pity that so clever and witty a woman could not have been induced to write her reminiscences, as she was endowed with ranch penetrative sagacity, and she was so entirely behind the scenes of the Edinburgh society that her contribution to the literary history of that period would have been most interesting and valuable. Mrs Leslie was married to an eminent; oivil engineer, who rose to the head of his profession in Scotland. She passed most of her life in and near Edinburgh, and was, perhaps, never quite happy when removed from her favourite city. Sbe will be remembered as one of the cleverest members of a very clever and successful family, and she was a most kindly and charming woman.

—Not Bad for Hot Weather.— " What s that terrible racket about ? " asked a man as he passed a house and heard a child yelling at the top of its voice. " Oh, that's nothing," exclaimed his companion ; "it is simply i woman doing up her heir."