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Otago Witness, Issue 2409, 3 May 1900, Page 70

PERSONAL NOTES.

■ — Of well-known, literary veterans, Mr Herbert Spencer is 80, Sir William Russell 82, Mr Philip James Bailey 84-, and Dr Smiles 88. — The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland and the hereditary keeper of Holyrood Palace, completed-" his, thirty-eighth /year on March 6. His rent ¥01l is large, for he possesses over 150,000 acreg, which, in'aceordance with the will of his predecessor, are in trust

— The young Duke of Leinster, who was only 14- on March 1, succeeded, his father seven years ago, and is the premier Duke, Marquis, and Earl of Ireland. It i 3 not often that the birthdays of two Dukes occur in the same week, and therefore his acquires a certain interest in connection with that of the Duke of Richmond.

— Although Miss Ellen Terry celebrated her birthday in the United States on February 27, ~aJl her admirers will naturally join in ■wishing her many more year 3of health and vigour to adorn the stage. Miss Terry, only a few weeks ago, completed her twenty-first year of association with the fortunes of the Lyceum Theatre and Sir Henry Irving. * — The Earl of Albeir.orle, who commands the City of London Imperial Volunteers, is a descendant of Arnold Joost Van Keppel, who accompanied W-illiain of Orange to England, and was raised to the peerage in 16G6. Lord Albemarla has served in the Dorset Militia, and has also held a commission in the Scots Guards, but .this will be his first experience of active service.

— It is not often that twin brothers achieve distinction in their respective professions, but the bjrthdavs of Sir Godfrey Lushington, G.C.M.G., X.C.8., and hU Honor Judge Lushington did not pass unnoticed on March 8. The former is Permanent Under Secretary to the Home Office, and the latter has been a county court judge for many years. — Lord Granviile, who kept his twentyeighth birthday on March 4-, recalls tho career of his famous father, whose manners were popularly declared to be the most polished of any mar in Europe, and whose acquaintance with foreign conditions of life made him invaluable as foreign Secretary whenever his party was in power. The present Lord Granville has been an attache in the diplomatic service since 1894-, and has also served as a lordin- waiting. — The Pope celebrated his ninetieth birthday on March 2, and, in spiie of his gr^at age and his physical weakness, his brain is as" active and acute as it ever was, and he is still able to devote his leisure to .writing Latin poems, some of which are occasionally translated into English, and in this way get to the ' notice of a wide circle of readers. The Pope is particularly fond of his garden, and hio life is a model of asceticism.

— The chief scout in Methuen's Horse, which is doing such good work in South Africa, -is a brother of Sir William Gordon Cumming, of Altyre. "Walter Gordon* dimming is better known, as the great Rocky Momuain hunter.

— Colonel Henry Lockwood Smith-Dorrien, who commanded a brigade in the operations against General Cronje, is not only one of the most distinguished, but also one of the most popular commanding officers in the service. His sir decorations are proof that he has been up and doing since ho joined the service 24- years sgb. He only recently arrived in South Africa from Malta with his regiment, bub it will have occasioned no surprise to those who met him in the Soudan during the l£hartoum Expedition to find him choaen to lead a brigade, for what Lord Kitchener thinks of him is no secret.

— Colonel the Hon. Sir William Colville, who ha 3 been her Majesty's Master of the Ceremonies since 1894, attained his seventythird birthday on March 9. He entered the army as long ago as 1843, and saw service both in Canada and the Crimea, serving on the staff of General Simpson, who commanded the army at the fall of Sevastopol. After a time lie became Assistant Inspector of Volunteers, and was appointd Comptroller of the Household of the then Duke of Edinburgh in 1872, a couple of years before H.E.H married. — Sir Edward Palmer, although his name may be unfamiliar to many people, by reason of his association with Egypt, nevertheless occupies a high position there, for he was finan-cial-adviser to his "Highness the Khedive from 1839 to 1898, and has Eince then been Governor of the National Bank of Egypt.' Before that he was Director-general of Accounts in Eeypt for four years, and from 1871 to 1885 he served in the Indian financial department, so that he is well acquainted with his duties. — Sir William Walrond, the chief Ministerial Whip, is a mysterious functionary, who has many "duties, but his chief one is to watch the attendance in the House so as to know whether, if a division comes, he will have enough men to give tho Government a majority. There is a big corps of attendants and clerks in the inner lobby of the House, iSach has a list of the members of the Jdouse, each ticks off a member as he goes in or leaves, and acts, as a sort of living barometer, a-3 it were. And from these the chief Ministerial Whip is able to tell the temperature of the House. — The Right Hon. Sir Richard Tempie holds almost as many titles of distinction as any man in England, for his title m full is oir Richard Temple, Bart., P. 0., G.C.5.1., C.I.E F.R.S., D.C.L. Oxon., LL.D. Cantab., LL.D. Montreal. Ho has had a wide experience m Indian affairs, and has been Lieutenant-Gover-nor of Bengal and Governor ox Bombay; while he was at one time Vice-chairman of the School Board for London,, and from 1855 to 1695 he sat in Parliament. Sir Richard wr.s'74 on March 8.

— Prince Christian "Victor of SchleswigHolscein, Princeea Christian's soldier son, who wen i out to South Africa on special service early in the campaign, is spoken of as setting an example to all ranks by his zeal and devotion. Already he has served through five small campaigns, and now that he finds himsaH engaged in a big one, he is apparently

quite equal to the occasion. He is in excellent health, and never so happy as, when doing, something which will put his capacity as a soldier to the test. He is here, there, and everywhere — always ready to accept a -difficult, mission, always cheerful, always full of enthusiasm.

— Sir Reginald Palgrave, the late Clerk ofL the House of Commons, was born in 1829,, and looks a young sixty. His immediate predecessor, Sir Thomas Erslaine May, afterwards created Lord 'Farnborough, spent his working life in the service of the House, being 15 years cleric, and retired at about the present age of Sir R. Palgrave. As to Speakers, Viscount Peel, who was 70 last August, looks as though he could take another spell in the Chair; and Mr Brand, afterwards Viscount Hampden, who preceded him, lived to the -respectable age of 78 years.

— Lady Georgiana Grey, who has just celebrated her 100 th birthday, attributes the wonderful preservation of her faculties to the calm which she has always been careful to practise. She considers agitation the great consumer of health, i To a young kinsman of hers who visited her the other day she expressed her earnest hope that he would not enter upon a career of politics. "It is so agitating, my dear," she said. "Why, if my poor brother had kept clear of politics, I firmly believe he would have been alive today." The brother referred to was the famous third Earl Grey, who was long a prominent member of Whig Cabinets. ' He was 92 when he died.

— Wherever song is appreciated the name of Charles Santley is held in high esteem, and the most popular of our baritone singers celebrated his sixty -fifth birthday on February 23. He made his first appearance in London as far back as 1857, and his first great success was made 4-0 years ago in the opera "Dinoygh." Since ihen Mr Santley's great successes have teen practically of weekly, if not of daily, occurrence. After leaving the operatic stag© for several years he returned to it for a time in order to become one of the stars of the Carl Rosa Opera Company. — His Grace the Duke of Richmond, the sixth in succession to the first, who was the con of Oharlei II find the lady who was created Duchess of Portsmouth by that monarch and the Duchess d'Aubigny by Louis XfV, completed his eighty-second year on February 27. - His Grace,' who, before he succeeded his', father, was in the army, afterwards sat for West Sussex in Parliament from 1841 till 1860, when he was called to the Upper House. Be has held many important offices, among them being "Lord Piesident of the Council and Secretary for, Scotland; during the Premierships of Lord Beaconsne.d, and Lord Salisbury- . ■ . " . — Colonel de Villebois-Mareuil, now admitted to have bsen the chief of the general staff in the Boer army, was an ex-French infantryofficer, whose services were secured through Dr Lleydd's agency. He had had 30 years experience of soldiering under the tricolour. At one battle in the Franco-Russian war he . was decorated on the field for conspicuous gallantry. Colonel de Villebois-Mareuil, who was at the time of. his death 52 years of age, was no rabid Anglophobe, and while holding his command in Algiers was very popular with the British colony there. MM. Gmnberg and Leon, the two French engineers who accompanied the colonel to the Transvaal, are Jews. M. Leon, who was shot by an sharpshooter at Kamfersdam, wass the bosom friend of Captain Dreyfus, and at considerable personal sacrifice proclaimed his f innocerce. Both are said to have soughtforeign service as a protest against army mismanagement in their native country.