LADIES' GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2545, 24 December 1902, Page 59

LADIES' GOSSIP.

— The magnificent pair' of opera glasses which Queen Alexandra used the whole of last season at the theatre .was the object of great interest to thos-2 who saw them closely, for they are very magnificent (says the Lady). They were specially made for her in Vienna. The barrels are of platinum, set with diamonds, sapphires, and rubies, and the cost ran into four figures. As a rule,, her Majesty is very quietly dressed at the theatre or opera, and wears very- few .jewels, except on great occasions. She possesses several tiaras, but the two most becoming to the Queen are the one presented to her on the occasion of her silver wedding and the one made as a "Russian" tiara, which is very high, in front, and completely encircles her beau-tifully-shaped head. The .Queen, as is well

] known, possesses "ropes of pearls" ', thaS hang front her throat to nearly the bottom of her skirt-. On on© occasion lasfc year,. as she was get-ting out of her carriage ati Buckingham Palace, the string broke ;p but, thanks to a Court official who was in attendance, all the pearls were safely picked' up . - — Favoured of the gods in the Tenny* sonian sense- is Miss Vida Beerbohm Tree,; the daughter of the popular actor-manage? of His Majesty's Theatre and his clevesr wife. Miss Tree at present shows no intention of emulating the example .of her father and mother and making acting her vocation. Still, she follows one of the sister arts and has a' genius for dancing;as has been demonstrated at several amateur performances, in which, too, her comeliness of feature and form has been often** brought into requisition in < tableaux. In addition to that accomplishment, Miss Tree has a very happy gift as an artist, with a, certain facility foi catching a likeness, a fact in which she resembles Lady Granby, who is a great friend of- her family. .Onone occasion (the Sketch says) Miss Tree did play professionally.^ 1} This at <v " "Command*^ -performance"" before flats-. ' Queen <■ Victoria, when she appeared^as; oneof thevpages.in.'The Ballad-monger.": I She' also; had, the honour of receiving!'* soWenit from the Queen, whose, fondness >for chil-v ,dren caused her to . have ;thV littler'- giil " presented -to net; " Witt childli&a.- naivete; so it. has always -been said, - when • the Queen held out "her hand the little damsel grasped it and shook" it cordially, with a • "How do you do, ma?am?" When she was even smaller, she wanted a -pony, and proceeded to inform her father -of the fact. "But, my child," said Mr Tree, "a pony costs a lot of money." "Well, why don't you learn to act better- and- make more money, so thai I can have my pony?" was. her very pertinent reply. — The Mansion House has for long been rightly regarded by the English people .as ■ the centre from which every great benevolent effort emanates. During the last, 25yearg the influence of the Mansion House in matters Qf charity has increased and extended for good, together with -its authority among all classes from the highest to the lowest. Jn the quarter of a cen-. tury ending with the close of 1900, upwards of four -millions, and. three-quarters sterling had been raised for charitable purposes by 'the agency of the Mansion House!, funds.. As a centre for raising money the Mansion House has an unblemished record, , and has never failed to successfully carry through every effort which has been started under its auspices during the period, in question,,. During the last- 27 "a. ' sum approaching ,three-" millions' sterlinghas been raised for , the hospitals through, the Mansion House. It might tte> thought^ that people would tire of sending money-., to the sameeentse for^various objectsai the years roll bj-. This is, however, uotthVcase, for the contributions to charity • through the Mansion Hcuse have increased * by leaps and bounds, so that, whereas in 1876 the total contributions paid into the Mansion House amounted to bub £73,000, during 1900 upwards of £1,650,000 was contributed to charity through this one source alone. — Lady Beatrice Pole-Carew, the elder daughter of Lord and Lady Ormonde, in, '. perhaps, at the present moment the most popular young matron in what Lord Beaconsfield used to call "the high nobility." She is, especially through her mother, who was one of the beautiful daughters of the first Duke of Westminster, related to half the Peerage, and her marriage to the gallant soldier, whose bride she became sti shortly- after his return from "the front," provoked more interest than- any of tha great, matrimonial functions of that year. Lady Beatrice Butler, the) elder daughter of Lord Ormonde, was naturally considered i an Irish belle, and much of her young life was spent in her Irish home, Kilkenny Castle. | — It is quite a mistake to suppose that' I the Queen does not "do her own develop- ' ing and printing." Her Majesty does mosfe of her own developing. She has a dark room fitted up at Sandringham, and in the " winter develops the mass of plates and films which she has "taken" during ,the sunny season. It is only when she wants a picture painted in a hurry or iD some special way that she seeks outside assistance. ' - - - — One of the most pathetic figures in the world is the widow of President M-'Kinley.' Her ."lender form, in black, and pale facet may be seen nearly every day, ai^d some- - times twice a day (says a Washington cor- . respondent), in a heavy, dark carriage, drawn by a pair of black horses to the

graves of .her husband — the - late President of .the United States — and her mother and father. Mrs M'Kinley is , always accompanied by a trained nurse. • — One wonders whether Queen Alexandra, when visiting recently in the Highlands, recollected a visit paid by her in 1866 to Dunrobin, when a baU was given in the drawing room of the Castle, at which her Majesty (then, of course, Princess of Wales, and radiant in the bloom of youthful loveliness) and the Prince of Wales were present, also the Duke of Edinburgh. The Princess was in white silk covered with tulle, richly trimmed with satin on the skirt, and wore a Stuart tartan scarf looped up as a belted plaid. A diamond tiara crowned her graceful head, and a magnificent necklace of five rows of Sear's was also worn. The handsome •uchess of Sutherland was attired in similar fashion, the only difference being that her scarf was of the Sutherland * tartan, and her dress (of white tulle over silk) was relieved with a little mauve. The Ladies Talbot were, in pink satin covered with puffings of white tulle, and they wore wreaths of_pink roses as head dre3ses. ,A most exciting dance was taken part in after supper, called the "Perpetual Jig." The Duchess of Sutherland took, the floor, followed by the Prince of Wales, who danced before her until ousted by the Duke of Sutherland, he, in turn, having ''to give way to the Duke of Edinburgh, and so on until the jig- become universal and the fun waxed "fast and furious." The jig lasted for nearly an hour, all present, it is stated, mingling in the mazy circles and sharing the excitement. Even the "Kitchen Lancers" can scarcely hope to compete, one would imagine, "with the 'Terpetual Jig,*' as far as abandon, liveliness, and romping are concerned. — The great durbar at Delhi is taking crowds of well-known people to India. The Vice-regal party includes Lord Curzon's sister, Lady Miller, and Mrs and the Misses Leiter, the mother and sisters of Lady Curzon. Lord and Lady Lamington were to have gone to stay with the Viceroy, but Lady Lamington has not been very well lately , so they have given up the visit ; but Lady Ulrica Duncombe, daughter of Lord and Lady Feversham, and Mr and Mrs lan Malcolm will be among the party staying with Lord and Lady Curzon. The Duke of Eox'burghe also intends going to India for the Durbar. — The Duchess of Cumberland, Queen Alexandra's sister, quite recently celebrated her birthday at the old chataeu of Bernstoff, where she and her sister and our Queen passed the days of" their happy girlhood together. She was 25 years of age when she married the Duke of Cumberland, the only son. of the ex-King of -Hanover, the bridegroom being,' then 33. By her marriage the Duchess became, like her sister, Alexandra, connected with the Royal house ■of Great Britain, her husband being a cousin of Queen Victoria through Ernest Duke of Cumberland and King of Hanover, the fourth brother of the Duke of Kent, and son of King George ITT. — The Duchess of Buccleuch, whose loss of a much-valued bracelet at the time of the Coronation caused quite a commotion, does not hold the same important post as Mistress of the Robes as she did. in the last reign. The Mistress of 'the Robes to a Queen-Regnant is a much more distinguished personage than she is to a QueenConsort. During the late Queen's remarkably long reign, she had only ten Mistresses of the Robes. — The grejit demand for hand-made lace is making its mark on the Devonshire lace trade, and also on that of Ireland, aud will, it is to be hoped, raise the former to a flourishing condition. Queen Alexandra's continued interest in the latter has done much towards its prosperity, and as she is a great connoisseur in lace, her patronage tends to keep up its quality. Indeed, it is by quality alone that Irish lace has secured) its position in the fashionable world, especially in Paris, where it is appreciated so much that the lace buyers will take all they can get in Dublin. It does .not suffer from any machine-made competition, for though it might be possible to indent machinery that would imitate crochet in a manner not to be detected by the unini- . tiated, no mechanism can ever approach. the exquisite needle-point made in the convents . of and the district. , I— Though if is pretty well known that the; Queen has given large and important orders for Irish Jace, it is less recognised that she is making"an effort to bring Honiton point lace forward a?ain, and make it what it^ was in ' the earlier part of the nineteenth, century — a paying industry for women. she, however, could do little in the face of the coarse, loosely-made cotton lace so much displayed in our shops ;• but the specimens of really fine lace, made with the firmest yet most cobwebby of linen thread under her patronage, will raise the quality, so that good Honiton will be seen to vie with the best productions of Mechlin and Valenciennes. A number of practical ladies have enthusiastically taken up the cause of the Devonshire lacemakers, and have restored the old methods of producing the best lace on a net foundation. The lace has gained immensely by this restoration^ and) the workers are encouraged ( by being supplied with thread and parchment patterns by their patronesses, who are making a praiseworthy effort to keep the women and girls regularly up to their work, both as to quality and punctuality. The latter is a great point among a race of people who have been convinced .for ages that to-morrow-is just ss good" as to-day, if not better.' —The Duchess of Roxbtirghe is one of the best-dressed women of the day. # She is fond of black and silver, which forms a striking set-off to her' silvery hair. The Duchess was a great favourite of the late Queen. She served her Majesty as 'Mistress of the Robes, and on the death of the Duke was made a Lady-in-Waiting. Queen Victoria showed her esteem by conferring upon her the Victoria and Albert Order. The Ducßess is very clever at painting and I ornamenting screens, and works taoestry

— Lady Ormonde, who has just returned to Ireland, was Lady Elizabeth Grosvenor, j daughter of the late Duke of Westminster, and is aunt to the present Duke. Her marriage with Lord Ormonde took place in 1876. She is even now a lovely woman. -■■ Like all the Grosvenor family, she is fond of outdoor life — riding, driving, and yachting. On tha occasion of the Coronation this lady was the proud wearer of old and interesting robeSj which had once belonged to her famous grandmother, , Harriet, Duchess of Sutherland, and had seen service at three Coronations: . ' — Lady Mary Douglas .Hamilton is a coming debutante. Sue is the only child of the late Duke of Hamilton, and consequently grand-daughter of the Duchess of Devonshire, who will give some ' entertainments for 'Lady Mary when she appears in society. She is a 'great heiress. By her father's will she will receive a sum of £100,000 on attaining .her majority, or on her marriage, and she is entitled to the interest of that sum until it becomes payable. The English and (the Arran estates and the contents, of the mansion. houses are held for Lady Mary, and the income of the former is to be paid to her during her life.

Hints and Suggestions. To boil cream the day before enhances the richness of the coffee intb which it is poured. To Take Stains out of Knives. — Take a~ piece of raw potato, dip it into brick-dust, and scour the blades with it. Red tablecloths keep their colour if a little borax is added to the rinse "water and they are dried in the shade. Lay rusty keys and locks in paraffin* oil, and let them lie covered for some time. The oil will loosen the rust, so that it can be rubbed off. To Prevent Rust. — To prevent articles of iron and steel from rusting, immerse or wash them for a few moments with a solution -of carbonate of potash or soda. To Whiten Linen. — A tablespoonful of turpentine in a clothes boiler will whiten linen, take out the stains, and render washing easier. Flour is very cleansing, and will clean the goods as well as soap ; rinse well afterwards. To Clean the Cistern. — Do not forget to clean out the cistern periodically. To do this, tie up .the ball valve to a stick placed across the top of the cistern to prevent the water running in.; then empty the cistern, scour it out thoroughly with Condy's fluid and water, and wipe out all impurities. ' * ,„_- i ' i . t