PERSONAL NOTES,

Otago Witness, Volume 02, Issue 2420, 2 August 1900, Page 67

PERSONAL NOTES,

— Earl Peicy. the eldest son of the Duke of Northumberland, who was 29 on May 29, has a distinction by no means common among the member j of the aristocracy of having won the prize fci English veise at Oxford.

— The TSarl oE Listowel, who was born on May 29, 1833, was at one time a cantain of the Scot* Guards, from which he retired in 1856 when he succeeded to tlio title. When

a lieutenant he was under fire at the battle of the Alma, where he was severely wounded. —Mr Alfred Austin, the Poe.t Laureate, kept his sixty-fifth birthday on May 30. He started life as a barrister, aud attended sessions for three years ; but he had no intention of remaining at the bar, and soon devoted himself to literature and journalism, writing leaders for one of tho Loridon newspapers every day.

— The Earl of Glasgow, who was Governor and Oommander-in-Chief of New Zealand from 1892 till 1897, was 67 on May 31. He was originally in the navy, and served in ths White Sea during the Crimean war as well as in the China war in 1857, but he has long since retired.

— The Earl of Dudley, who has been Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade since 1895, was 34- on May 25. He owns about 30,000 acres of land, with coal mines and larga ironworks, and is one of the few noblemen of to-day who still possess estates in Jamaica. His family name is Ward, and the first of its members to be ennobled was a goldsmith, who was made Baron Ward by James I in 1604-.

— Lord Chelmsford, who was 73 on May 31, retired in 1893 from the army, in which he had so distinguished a career. He served at Sebastopol, where he won the medal and clasp, in the Mutiny in Central India, and in the Abyssinian campaign, and commanded the forces in the Kaffir war in 1878. No one can forget his services in the Zulu war in 1879. In 1884- he was made' Lieutenant of the Tower, a post he held until 1889.

— Lady Georgina Curzon, ~«who has just celebrated her birthday, is a sister of the lady war correspondent who was shut up in Mafeking. Lady Georgina, who is tho future Lady Howe, was, with Lady Chesham, bhe moving spirit in the organisation of the Yeomanry Hospital, and has, besides, a great many nephews at the front, o£ whom, several have distinguished themselves, notably tho Duke of Roxburghe and Mr Winston Churchill, the intrepid war correspondent.

— The Earl of Denbigh, who during 'her Majestj^'s recent visit to Ireland filled a very important post, ,was 41 on May 26. . He has been Lord-in- Waiting to the Queen since 1897-, and sine© 1893 has been lieutenant-colonel commanding the Honourable Artillery Company. He served in the Egyptian campaign in" 1882, winning a medal and clasp at Tel-el-Kebir, and served in India in 1886, but resigned from the army in 1888. He was a member of the L.O.C. from 1896 till 1898.

— Nineteen years 0 go Lord Roberts received the thanks of both Housos of Parliament for his splendid march from Cabul to Candahar, the occasion being the second on which her Majesty's Lords and Commons conferred a similar honour on him. — The Hon. C- Rolls, who has been performing wonderful feats wi*h his 12-horse power Panhard motor, is a young Jiah possessed of extraordinary enthusiasm for things mechanical. He acquired his unique knowledge by hard labour in workshops, and, according to those who know him well, ho is never so happy as when mixed up in tho complex machinery of an auto-car. He is a skilled driver, and his bright and cheery nature makes him a charming companion. A ride with him in one of his speedy, but not luxurious, cars is a happy experience. — "Viscount Cross, who celebrated his seventy-seventh birthday on May 30, has for many years held a distinguished position in the Conservative party. He first attained Cabinet rank in 1874-, when he became Borne Secretary, an office he also held during Lord Salisbury's first Premiership in 1885 ; but in his second, in 18S6, he became Secretary of State for India, and, as everybody knows, he now occupies the post of Lord Privy Sea]. It is generally understood that his advice is often sought by the Queen in her private affairs. — Vice-admiral Zede, whose death at the age of 73 is announced, had a long and wellfilled career. He was a lieutenant on board tho Ville de Paris during the Crimean campaign, and was severely woitnded in both legs by a shell. Unlike Ben Battle, who, although he was a soldier bold and used to war's alarms, when a cannon ball took off his legs, immediately laid down his arms, Admiral Zede positively refused to let the slap-dash surgeons of the period amputate his wounded members. His obstinacy was fully justified, for he not only recovered the' use of his legs, but was able to resume active service. —Dr Mandell Creighton, the present Lord Bishop of London, gets about with remarkable alacrity, and crowd? more work into a day than a smart journalist. lie rarely ha 3 time to prepare his speeches carefully, and many of them are made up in his carriage while on the way. His letters average 60 a clay, or nearly 20,000 a year, and these are all read and answered. Then there are committee meetings, ordinations — in fact, if would be easier to catalogue what the Lord Bishop of London does not do than what he dbes. He is not a teetotaler, he smokes, he likes a good play, and he spends his holiday in little Italian villages, where he throws work to the winds, and prowls about the hills doing nothing. — Major Charles Tyrwhitt Dawkins, C.M.G., of the Shropshire Light Infantry, who was severely wounded with General. Lan Hamilton's force on April 30, had twice previously served out at the Cape, for he was A.D.C. ti Sir Charles Hercules Kobinson. when Governor there, from March, 1884-, until September, 1886, when he became Military Secretary. He A'as a perfecb Governor's A.D.C, and was wonderfully popular in Cape society. He married Miss Robinson, daughter of Sir Hercules. Cape society used to be too lazy to dance, but Dawkins warmed them up, and showed people how to behave in a ballroom. — Lord Kinnaird is a Scotch peer d an-

cient lineage, great wealth, broad acres, and a happy disposition. He is the eleventh Baron Kinnaird of Rossie, whose seat is at Inchture, Perthshire. He is a partner in Barclay's Bank, and when at work in the city he shows that a seat in the House of Lords has not robbed him of any business capacity. He has many interests in aife besides banking, and is especially well versed in current religious thought. He is generally to be found at meetings, conferences, and the like, and occupied the chair at 'several of the May_ gatherings. Especially are his sym- ' pathies Avith the conductors of institutions for young men, such as the V.M.C.A. and the Polytechnic, in which he interests himself. Lord Kinnaird is a firm believer m athletics for foimg men. — The Sirdar (Sir Francis Wingate) who is now on his way to London for a short stay, is a remarkably young man for the important position he now holds, and Tie is one of those who carry an old head on young shoulders. Twenty years ago, when only 19, he entered the Hoyal Artillery, and reached his majority at 28. When only 23 Wingate served as military secretary to Sir "Evelyn Wood in the Nile Expedition, and received special mention in dispatches for his brillian* work. The Sirdar's later career is familiar to everybody. He fought at Toski. Tokar, Afafifc, Firketf, Hafir, Atbara, and Omdurman, carries mor medals and decorations than any other man of his age in the world, and does not look as if he had ever been in anything more dangerous than a hansom.

—In his early youth Count Tolstoi determined never to marry, and on the strength of this resolution sold the family mansion, which was torn down and removed except one wing, which he reserved for his bachelor quarters. At tKe age of 32 Tolstoi changed his mind, and married. His wife, once a celebrated beauty, belongs to a noble family of German origin. She was only 16 when married, and has borne the Count 16 children, nine of whom are living. Left almost vo her own resources in domestic and practical affairs, sh© has risen to the occasion, and manages the estates and the Count's private business matters with a firm hand. Madame Tolstoi does not share the Socialistic beliefs of hei talented' husband, and but for her shrewd and firm management the estate would long ago have been impoverished. #>. Their house for many years has been full of nurses, -* governesses, and preceptors, op well as children.