PERSONAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2242, 18 February 1897, Page 50

PERSONAL NOTES.

• . • The Queen of Greece presides over a woman's association whose object is to re» form criminal*. • . ■ Mr John Morley was once asked concerning the influences that had moulded his life. Pointing to the portraits of John Stuart Mill and Mr Gladstone, he replied: "These two men have made me." • . * Jean de Reszke, the famous tenor, is probably* tne most athletic member of his profession. He is a fine horseman and a great sportsman, deer-shooting being one of his favourite relaxations. ••• Lord Riyleigb, the discoverer, with Professor Ramsay, of Argon, has succeeded the late Professor Tyndall, who himself succeeded Faraday, in the appointment as scientific adviser to Trinity House. The post is one of honour and dignity. ' . ■ Prinoe Luitpold of Bavaria has a wonderful collection of beetles— the most extensive and complete, perhaps, in the world. He is a skilled entomologist, deeply versed in the habits of ants, beeß, moths, and the insoot world generally. * . ' The Princess of Wales is very fond of taming birds and animals, and has been wonderfully successful with some of the most unpromising pets. The pigeons at Sandringhain are especially tame, and perch on the arms and shoulders of their mistress when she vis^t%jthem. • . • King Alfonso of Spain is not the only boy monarch in the world. There is another youthful king, the Maharajah of Nepaul, who is now just over 20 years old. His province covers over 54,000 square milts, with a population of some 2,000,000 Indians, known' chiefly as Goorkhas. * . • The oldest prelate of the Roman Catholic Church in Great Britain is the Bishop of Plymouth, Dr Vaughan, who is 82 -years of age. The youngest bishop is the R : ghh Rev. Francis Mostyn, BUhopof Ascalon and Vicar Aoostolio of Wales, who was born in the year 1860. ■ . ' Miss Etlen Terry's parents were both of her profession. She was born while they were touring in the English provincei, somewhere in Coventry ; but as Mr and Mrs Terry left without a distinct recollection of the locality, local inhabitants wrangle over the honour of dwelling beneath the roof which first sheltered the great actress. • . • Mr F. Carruthers Gould, the wellknown political cartoonist, is ia reality more interested in ornithology than politics. He believes in popularising this branch of natural history, and missßß no opportunity of giving bright little glimpses of bird life in his artistic and literary contributions to the press. There are few thinga he likes more than a chat on rare British birds. ■ . * Miss Braddon is a great reader, history being her favourite subject. She now spends much more time in reading than in writing. Having resolved to publish a single book a year, fcbe popular novelist works only in the morning for two or three tours. Ih« afternoon is taken up in paying visits or in receiving visitors to her beautiful home at Richmond. The evenings she generally spends with her books. ■ • Mr George Armitstead, who has so frequently acted as host to his old friend Mr Gladstote, is one of the handsomest and tallest men to be seen in London. Although not many years the ex-Premier's junior, he walks with the agility and upright bearing of a young man. There is probably no one alive who has Mr Gladstone's more complete confidence than Mr Armitstead. - . • Lord Cromer Is known in Cairo as " The man with the white hat," and many are the nicknames which have been bestowed upon him in consequence of his conspicuous headgear ; but perhaps the most popular one w»b •' Alp." which waa invented by a young officer, who remarked, " The chief is seldom seen without a snowy summit covering, and his head is often up in the clouds." • . • Mr M'Kinley's only form of pbysical recreation is horse-riding, in which accomplishment he is thoroughly proficient, thanks to his former military training. His great rival for the United States presidency, Mr Bryan, goes in for swimming. He is not a particularly good swimmer, but is passionately fond of the exercise, and absolntely , without fear in the water. On one occasion, indeed, he succeeded in saving a child from drownicg. * . * Mr Cecil Rhodes is not the first eminent man who baß ventured to put him-self-into the power of warlike natives -with the object of achieving peace. In 1879 Sir Gordon Sprigg trusted -himself absolutely to the honour of the rebel chief Morosi at an indaba, and found his confidence was fully justified. He was within point-blank range of the walls of the fortified stronghold of the rebels, but not a hair of his head was injured. • . • Mr Henniker Heaton is a most domesticated man. He was starting once at a few days' notice for Australia with his wife and two elder children, and had gone down to Bournemouth to say good-bye to the three younger ones, but so loud were their lamentations that Mr Heaton exclaimed, " It's no use, I can't go without them. We must take them along 1 " And so he did. The popular M.P. was only 16 when he first went to Australia in search of fame and fortune. Eventually he became a sheep-farmer, and married his partner's daughter. It is stated that Mr Heaton started his political career by making a list of 60 postal reforms which he meant to obtain from Governments, and he baß won more than 32 of them.