PERSONAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2200, 30 April 1896, Page 52

PERSONAL NOTES.

-»* M. Zola recently admitted that in his Hovels he has used scenes and situations derived from Otway, Ben Jonson, and other Xtoglibh writers.

'.* Miss Helen Gonld, daughter of the late ffay Gould, has completed the fall conrs* of the law school at the New York University, coming oat with a brilliant average, and will receive a diploma of LL.B. • * . • Prinoe Albert of Prussia, second cousin 4>f the German Emperor, and oolonel of a .regiment of Dragoons, is the tallest man. in the German army, with one or two exceptions. His Highness stands 6ft Sin ia his royal socks.

• . • M. Horon, a noted French detective, cow about to retire; will be remembered as the man who performed the most daring and difficult feat of safely piloting the heir of the Russian throne in disguise through tbe HihiJißt dens of Paris.

* . * President Kruger, while he was a boy, was out hunting, when bis gun burst and shattered the thumb of his left batd. He calmly took out his jaokknife and oat what was left of the member off at the joint, after which he tied his band up as best he Could.

• . • Mr George Gissing, the novelist, is a ycungand very accomplished man. He has travelled much- and speaks several languages. He lives at Epsom, a&d seldom visits London, He is described as a goodlooking man, with auburn hair and moustache, and large, intelligent eyes. *.* Among illustrious personages with queer fads must be numbered Prinoe Luitpold of Bavaria. His collection of beetles is the most extensive and*complete in the world, and the Prince is a skilled entomologist, deeply versed in the habits of ants, bees, moths, flies, earwigs, and the insect world generally. •

* . ' The Kaiser la most particular about feeing known as the German Emperor, and ■takes unusual opportunities of correcting references to "him as the Emperor of Germany. One paper at least in England which alluded to him in tbe latter term received a letter from bis secretary calling attention to the mistake.

*.*Mr Gosling, the well-known banker, who died recently, left £900,000 to be divided among seven sons and seven daughters. He was himself one of 12 children, and represented the fifth generation of bankers of his name who had carried on the business at -"The Three Squiicels," opposite St. Dans tan's Church, in Meet street, for nearly 250 years.

* .- The enthusiasm M. Paul da Ohaillu at one time had for African exploration is now devoted to the antiquities of Northern Europe* In the pursnit of this study M do Ohaillu has acquired the Danish, Busslan, Finnish, Laplandisb, Norwegian, and Swedish In all, the production of hia great book on the Viking Age entailed an expenditure of fully £11 000.

*.- "Q" (Arthur T. Quiller-Oonch). need to live in London, where he worked very hard as general utility man for Caseell and Co. ; but his health broke down, and he -went to live in his native Cornwall, where be only works part of the day. His mornings he spends out of doors and his afternoons in his itudy, which has two big windows overlooklog the harbour and sea.

• . • Though Mr Jerome K. Jerome is such 411 adept at imitating the conversation of the lower order*, no one is more self-exaoting in the construction of his sentences when he is writing eerionsly. He it a master of English. He is a man of prodigious Industry, And for a whole year he made a practice of . spending an hour a day at the British Museum, studying English construction.

".• M. Paderewhiii has recently atarted on % long tour to the Western States of America. When leaving Chicago the railway oompany placed at his disposal a carriage containing a complete suite of room?, a pianoforte being Among the furniture. M. Paderewski will thus be able to live entirely in the Baloon until he reaches San Francisco, a period of About three weeks, and will thereby have no need of hotels. The oelebrated pianist ie creating as great a furore as ever. \ • . • Jose Maceo, the Cuban general, when he was a mountain bandit, plotted ths ceptnre of Captain Sherman, the American Senator, while that gentleman was making a tour through Cuba some years ago. It waß Intended to eeizs him, carry him off into the mountains, and hold him for ransom, with the expectation that the Government of the United States would pay a large eunxof money for his release.

*.'Mr Pinero at the present time, says * the Diner Out, occupies tbe Batoe place in the drama as Mr Hardy does in fiction, but he is a very much younger man, being just 40 years of sge, whereas Mr Hardy is getting on for 56. Mr Finero was ednoated for -a lawyer, which is bis father's profession, but he joined the Lyceum Company at 20, ,a year after he made his debut in Edinburgh. *-.• Mr 8. E. Crockett, the novelist, ls an omnivorous reader, and his library in Bank House, his residence in Penicuick, Midlothian, numbers among its mary tbou'and volumes some very Tare and valuable w< ik*. In regard to his own productions Mr Croclelt says, "I think that if anything is good in my books It is the exactness of the .natural history allusions." He is a lover of nature, and 'his ideal holiday is one spent in ■the woods or on the moors, observing the .wild tliirgs about him, • . • Geuerail vGamez, comnrander-in-oMrf i>f the fatiiot *rmj in Cabs", is short and slender in build. EabSO years oJ age, apparently

in the prime of his intellectual and physical powers. As a horseman he is Baid to be the admiration of all his followers. He usually rides at the head of his army on its marches and in its almoit daily fights. Officers who have served under him say that be is one of the greatest generals of modern times.

* . * The Duke of Norfolk has some unsophisticated ideas about business. He is said to have been so distressed by the publication of Mr Purcell's " Life of Cardinal Manning " that he called on the publishers and off -red to buy up the whole edition. Messrs Macrnillan smiled, rubbed their hands, and said that they canst warn his Grace that, after his purchase, they would bring out a second edition at once. That contiogenoy had never occurred to the nobleman who happens to preside over so groat a department of the national commerce as tbe Post Office. .

■ . ■ Though he has written quite a miniature library of works on various subjects, Buoh as an Iralian grammar and an Engiiah Polioe Code, Sir Howard Vincent aspires to be always a man of action rather than of letters. He used at one time to be a very good linguist, but of late years has had such a diversity of other interests to attend to that he has ajlowed a good deal of his knowledge of several languages*, such as Italian and Kussian,- to grow a trifle rusty. Sir Howard does not care greatly for sport, and eoarcely ever follows the hounds, but he occasionally Hke3 to have a day's partridge shooting in due season.