LADIES' GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Volume 26, Issue 2419, 26 July 1900, Page 55

LADIES' GOSSIP.

— There has lately passed away a lady, who, though a most interesting character ' in herself, will principally be remembered in connection with an a'stownding sensa- " lion which took place early in the present " century. Miss Frederica Perceval Avas the last surviving daughter of the Right Honour- „ - able Spencer Percival, and lived quietly in - the Manor House at Ealing. Her age was 95, and she distinctly remembered going with her father to the Court of George IV v_ at Windsor, where she had the pleasant ' reminiscence of being very kindly treated , by the Princess Charlotte. This must have been at least 88 years ago, .as in 1812 her father met his death in the most sensational manner. He was a Prime Minister at the time of the Peninsular war, and ; on May 11 entered the lobby of the House * •- of Commons. A gentlemanly-looking man, named Bellingham, a. Liverpool broker with ' Russia,, stepped out of the crowd of people " who used to wait to see members of the - \ House in those days, and Mr Spencer Per-, cival paused to inquire his business. There- . upon the man, who had undoubtedly been -- driven mad by legal worries and real or imaginary wrongs, drew a pistol and shot i J.^ the Prime Minister dead. It is easy to V s imagine the sensational scene and the pain- -*? ful excitement caused throughout the coun-^"| try by the assassination of the Premier afc^| such a time, although it was not what it/-l would be nowadays with telegrams and -,} evening papers ! Perhaps, had it been ~% in more modern times, Mr Spencer Perci-^3 val's life might have been saved, as tliaS

•'^teL T1 g est P arfc ' of 'fae*B?sf Has* yet-, to 'bs hoH One; of his constrtu^&f dreamt the - IwHfiie ditsadftri Scene-most 'viWi' d<nvn -'/to the posif-iQn of the figures in tn^ «fama.land taa expression bn their . faces/ "- " '-jmade such: a painful effect upon him tha^'*. \ after .telling his -family all the details and t '(his fears, he 'posted up to '"town only to -' aneet -.the ' - news he dreaded on the \ ■ oroad! -In these days, of telegrams, there | ,+'! is no -saying that the tragedy might npt ■ffcave been averted. - On this occasion the ' showed -no ingratitude, and Avithin ,JtKree days Parlieanent had voted his widow ~5» pension of two thousand a year for life, i V%sid' -£50,0010 for th.c children, of whom - Miss Erederiea Pefcival Avas the last left, j aya v • — Her Royal Highness the Princess of •''* j/Vales " has a thiinbel of gold; delicately , graced "with, .blue enamel, and studded with ' /imall slabs of various precious stones.- It tv'as said to be the most costly thimble -'fin the Avorld." -It is_ an heir--Tjiloorn - inherited' from Denmark. The „ of a commercial millionaire in "v^ e * Argentine '"Republic possesses a thimble "-^jinadej-by'a London West-end jeweller' -which "^6st "£2500. It is a very large ' one — . j'^loreign ladies all" using larger thimbles fejihan \usually". sold -in London — and is" one O-fciaES'of diamonds and rubies, the : gold setgxjing- scarcely showing.' The same firm, ?^_Tor 'a gentleman from Philadelphia, made O;wo 'thimbles, each' of which, composed ".•wholly qf" diamonds, 'cost one' thousand; —'•[guineas. * 'They "were both given as preto ladies, one" the Avife of a Avell-' " ; ,IkiioVn statesman. For" one of the • Sfefioon family they, made many thimbles, averag£SOO each, all .of *which were given , as w«ddihg .presents."' • The Queen 3&>f :-Siam possesses a thimble (a gift from the . t^rfeing)' "which is made -of the finest gold, ' >^j.riithe< shape of a lotus band,- and is studded Sf'iwith diamonds so arranged that they form C'^er name and the date of her marriage. j -'{■„-'• — "John Douglas Sutherland," as PrinLouise's hiibband Avas christened 55 ago by-Dr Gumming' in the Scottish. in "London— that famous Dr Cum£i;^nirig,' once so popular, then rendered mildly ; 'ffidiculous^ by prophecy, and noAv forgotten ; ii't— has had to - Avait long before occupying 'X^the shoes of the 'great man his father. No \ more profoundly wishes that he might «Hhave waited longer. ' Lord Lome has :HWen a disappointing man', rather, Much ;*syas "expected -of him ; more, perhaps, than ' f*jjould be fulfilled by any one -whose gifts ran of -'singular genius. - He has ability,^ "something out of his father's learnis, at , least, an extremely Avell- , p^aa-im^m/ r ' Yet-: he was no favourite -at ll^'e^Edinbiirgh ridr'at Eton, -nor '. <fsb" -Si:* I ' Andrew's, 1 - at Oxford, for he '. jflpas >ad,otiied' all -these seats of learning. It : ijifay-'be Bis 3 misfdrtunej v bu'tj;he ■Ms'giyen 1 of J ". r supefiorityy IJ <\with- -' a*sxiperi'or;-man- i - WS^renienib'er -1 JJk'confmittee •■me'etihg at whicfo^a ■nieniber"of ' : K.vfisT^family '^recorded the" opinion that we 1 igAipust expect nothing from Lome ; he's v as i f|?.ippery.3as','a fox." Slipp'eriness is one i ffibf^tihe 'qtfalities'^wh'ich 'Scotsmen have* -in -"\ |j|ll' ! ages J imputed to the "Glebed" Argyll 3

Attne time, if it is true that a man's - physiognomy often foreshadows ' qualities ! latent in his 'action, we should not be surprised if the next dozen years should show the new Duke of Argyll to be it i( considerably greater man than folk suppose Mm. He was the prettiest child, we ' lia^ neard » that his contemporaries -re- ! member ed » but tyn pne of the most satisfactory hv.^ 8 that Saß how borne ITpon living shoulaJ" 1 ' 8 and a pafe of fine blue Highland eyes. TM MaeCailunl More ought to look like tnai. — unless 1 you stickle for the hereditary squint, x lN^ — The betrothal of the Process ''Mathilde of Bavaria to Prince Louis of >3a:x-e : ooburg and Gotha is an event of much interest, ais the bride is the daughter of the so-called-"Stuart Queen of England and Scotland," whilst the Prince is distantly related '"to the Prince Consort. - /Hie Princess Mathilde will be 23 in August. Her eldest brother, Prince Bupert, represented the Bavarian B,dyal Family at the Diamond "Jubilee, H.R.H. being the modest " Stuart Pietender" of th; day. His 1 mother, the ■Princess Louis, is the last descendant of Princess Henrietta Maria, daughter of 'CliaTies I, whilst Queen Victoria only claims Stuart lineage from a daughter' of James I. The Princess Maria TBeresa, who is 51 this month, • is the' wife of Prince Louis, heir to the throne, so that some day. she should be Queen oi Bavaria. . Her daughter is considered the belle' of the family, and is a great favourite in Munich society. Her education; like that of the Princess of Wales and her sisters, has been conducted on the most useful and practical lir.es — i.e., in -true " Burgerliche " fashion, which will no doubt prove most acceptable in the minor Royal sphere in which she is destined to shine. " -Her fiance, 'Prince Louis, is a lieutenant in the Tyrolean Jagers. Both are Catholics. Naturally our Queen is interested in and' pleased with an alliance so closely connected with two sides of her family. * - Cardinal Sarafino Vamluieill,- who has been -Papal Nuncio at both Vienna and Brussels, is actively -mediating - Avith King Leopold and tM Emperor Francis Joseph to obtain tljeir reconciliation with the jCountess Lonyay, late Archduchess Stephanie of Austria. Countess Lonyay- is now in the Tyrol with her husband. The Emperor of Austria has consented to receive, the newly- wedded pair privately, and without courb function. It is "believed at the Vatican that King Leopold will accord the same recognition, but no more, to his wilful daughter. -The popular belief "that clipping the hair makes it grow faster is, according to D'r J. Pohl, not founded on fast. -He lias made ' accurate measurements • of the - rate of 'growth of- many hairs under-, a variety of conditions, and found" tliat, if a portion of the head -i's shaved,-, "the* Hair will' groAv for .-a 'month -more slowly than the hair of the unshaved portion: After the first month their rate of growth is- about the same:- He also found that the shaved hairs grew ■ unevenly,' and' further, study showed I him that the hairs on tha .head and elae-

" . ■ arranged in groups 01 two, three, whore arts _.. members of a group being or four, the"-^ ■ -^initially. One of them closely related an&vw.^ • a time, and then outgrows the other" fov*..,. ~>crer one presses its pace slackens vf\th a y^N-., v^ a third, into first place, to be follov/SCI life . etc. 11l 6fcher words, e^ ta "i T*& at history, and its rate of - g^M . • different times. It is m£t ra «S, the middle period of its life. , trows a hair falls out, and a young On /=• ' up_ in its place (?). 'As the hairs hair-group grow old and fall out suci. - sively, baldness is avoided. The ' growth per month varies from £in to lin or more. When ladies of high degree take a fancy to make pets of dogs they are not content to let them remain in a state of nature, but must have the coats of long-haired breeds cut in the" most fantastic fashion, just exactly. as if they wished to make a laughing-stock of the poor animals. Further, the "pampered creatures miist have coats to keep their "shaven bodies warm ; morning coats and evening coats, and bejewelled coats for high days, fastened on with 'straps studded with isilver nails ; anklets of leather and silver, set with tiny silver bells ; silver buckles holding and adorning the coat at the breast ; imitation jewels {which are not to be recognised as unreil except _ by^ experts)' 'wherever they can flash to Vclvantage~6llJ:ilß_canine person ; while coquetry is "revealed in ' the itylisli ribbon bow" fastened "to the fringe on the forehead. For morning wear the ribbon is narrow, for afternoon broad, and at present red is the favourite colour ; but a very fastidious mistress has her dog dressed in harmony with her own costume. For wet days there are waterproof coats, and for dirty roads doggie must don long-laced rubber boots. It would be a mistaike to waste one's pity on these dogs of high degree ; fox- dogs, like women, are capable of civilisation and of vanity ; and we are told that they find great pleasure in their repeated changes of costume, and are as anxious as their mistress that ' the " topknot "' should be becomingly tied ; and wag their tails in complacent consciousness "or being very smart indeed and hold out those tails disdainfully- when-tlfey pass~pTi¥eian""do g 7 clothed m nothing but their own ragged hair ! Tvr~ T i le Viseo ",,ite', s "t}'^rbiirst, who" was Miss Bor- - " l f- * s -}f * t^ s outlived fcho t.- v'Jge, ot California. • . i,,,},ahimrl™ ¥ c iavß been crowded such a » abundance of romantic episode as would viscount "^ P > y - Her h « sband > th * Viscount, is a cousin to the Earl of Craven £0 married Miss Bradley Martin; Tnd mrrSr f b ; Ot^ r ' Ca P tain Coventry, named, a short time ago, Miss White Knp, of New York, i, ny pe'pwt" -oiiiu tell you nothing of the romanws of " arls and viscounts remember the ca.^ Q f ' Villiam Darnel, of California, who was 5 togiish gardener bsfore he emigrated and Wd the Rocky Mountains in search of

gold. _ -Alter several^ years \ven£ in rough 1 work at the mines, Danielj \ rough" hot- J tempered man, got into a fracas with a I crowd of reckless men, and fired a bullet * that reached its mark and killed. It was a % matter of chance, -perhaps, that Daniel was c , made to suffer for his act. This unfor- * tunate circumstance left alone and unprotected the miner's wife and little daughter, * Virginia. But better times came. Mrs v Daniel, finding the necessity to forget her ? imprisoned husband,' secured a divorce and V '

■married again, this time a miner named Bonynge. Little Virginia took her stepfather's name. The Bonynges grew rich .enormously rich. Then they travelled, and it^ was not long before they were in London with an abundance of means. Meanwhile, Daniel had. been pardoned. Bufc his wife jind daughter had disappeared. On learning of the' second marriage it so affected him thai it ultimately eventuated in his death. At fhe' J time that the Bonynges " arrived " socially" iff London, Virginia was 19 years old^ She was small, dark, and exquisitely lovely. • In London at this time were also the 'Maekays and the Fairs, who had known the Bonynges in' -the west, also the American "Minister,- Mr Phelps, who had Miss Virginia -presented. • But the most important friend 'was the Princess Christian, who made much "of. the young heiress, receiving her into" a close "intimacy. Of course, 110- ' body dared' to ask' "who the Boriyng-s were" after* they iurd become bosom friends with - Royalty. Only, one thing remained to complete the social triumph, and that 8 was not long in coming. For the announce- . merit was soon made of 'Virginia's engage"ment to an earl, one of the greatest peers in England, with a pedigree that could be traced to a prehistoric source. Then came ■the anti-climax^a bitter one. The earl received a cruel letter elaborating the history of the Bonynges. The nobleman would listen to no explanation, and broke the engagement. The Princess Christian- remained a, true friend. "And — the Viscount Desrhurst appeared. It "was very much of a love affair this time,' and as the worst, which, after all^Tras nothing against her personally, had already been told, there was no reason why the beautiful young American should not become, as she shortly did,' x/ady Deerhurst. ■ — Lady Mary Saurin, who completed her ninety-ninth year, at Mentone, in April, had quite an ovation from the visitors and inhabitants. The King of Saxony sent her a magnificent arrangement of flowers. He celebrated his seventy-second birthday on the same day as Lacly Mary kept the anniversary of her birth. — Some people scarqely realise how difficult it is -for the average woman-, without the -advantages of college training and education,, to earn her own living. Of the difficulties in the woik of teachers and £overnesses, typewriters, and shop assistants, we -have often heard ; but there is a 'jlnps of women-workers whose lives contain ]eec brightness and 'more hard and monotonous work," perhaps, than 'any other. ' The. lady help' is v a •common' enough- type. - A glance at the newspapers show that a considerable number of women desire to corn r i living in such a capacity, and it, is -interesting 1o note some of' the detail* of (hi= Dro'eF.ron. The qualifications - for tire prFb^ais numerous, the I'einaneL-a.Liou is uofc Irish, and ihe <

Avork, from all accounts, is tedious and constant. - Advertisements offer posts as "Lady Helps," _with,_,as often as not, no • salary attached. A "comfortable" home is thought to be sufficient reward for the " lady help." But, as everybody knoAvs, ideas as to the comfort q£ a hoilie yar j:. cQnsid,erab.ly. I r mdige.nt" gentle women "are some of"""the most pathetic figures in mouefn times ; and it is they chiefly who form the ranks of lady helps. Early rising, attending to the Avants of half a dozen noisy children, opening the door on all" odd_ occasions, seAving, cooking, meriding, and generally standing from early morning till late at night, "^ - only some of the duties of the help. a^ ""->es the work of tAvo ordinary servants, bhe o.x. "egulatioin of hours or work, to re"with no-* n — a comfortable home ! Geneceive in retu. V fair to say, a very small rally, it is on^ a salary that a good salary is affixed, s \\ l aU gh at. The eterclass housemaid wotiu Mfc under such connal grind of domestic?' < Sorrows and misditions mtrst be' awful. " the life of the fortunes win sympathy, bu 1 " -- aging efforts indigent gentleAvoman, her vi/ r!fck - "ness and to gain her daily bread, the em/^v - have narrowness of a path Avhich once n/*^. -ay been as bright and full of -promise as*" ll^-^ it is dull and uninteresting, do not apparently draw much attention or sympathy. 1 —Lady writer in Glasgow' Week Citizen. — Mrs Neville Lytton's little son is heirpyesumptive to the.' Earldom of Lytton, the present peer, -being unmarried." Mrs Neville Lytton is the only daughter 'of Lady Anne Blunt, -who is a granddaughter of Lord Byron, the poet: She married a little more than a year .ago Mr Neville Lytton, Avho Avas only 19 years of age, their mamage taking place under most romantic circumstances, in the desert, near Cairo, Avhere Mr and Lady Anne Blunt reside for the greater part of v the year. The infant just born "is the' great-grandson of Lord Byron, the great-grandson of Buhver Lytton, grandson of Lord Lytton (" Chven Meredith")'and grandson of Mr Wilfrid Blunt, the poet.

— Just as Princess Victoria is always taking photographs of dogs, and Princess Henry of Tsn.i,tenberg has a big collection Oi xier own pictures of marine scenery, so the Duchess of Fife, who is also an enthusiastic ,amateiu photographer, delights in taking the portraits of her two pretty little girls.