PERSONAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2630, 10 August 1904, Page 71

PERSONAL NOTES.

— Lord Pelborne. who !3 now ''Ruler of tl-p King's Nave-e-," safe as Lord Wolmer m tbfc Houso of Commons for t-en years, and was the Liberal-Unionist Whip. Net only d.rl ho lika the He use, but tho House liked !ii:n, and -when his famous father, Mr GladMoi'e's pet Lord C'h uic*-llof , died, ho v/aa very sorry for himself at Lading- to go up to-, the Lords. However, ho wa-s nvide- Uiidcc-Scevet.aj-y for thn colonies, with Mr Chanibw'ain as his chief. Ia 1900 he was admitted (o tho Oa-binot as First Lord- cf she .Adiriralty. Kleven j'ear3 ivgo, Lor-dt Se.borne i>«rrlod tho late Lord Walisbury's e'.dcsa daughter. Tlic First Lord i=: not only con-ac-itiibious, bufa abl^, and (states a Lond-cn oenrftspenoont) tho admhvJs swear by him. Do has been str-».ig cnovs'li to carry cut :»im notable reforms.

—Mr La-foadio Kcara, Prorc^sor of >Ingii c »h ai: Tokio, ha? naturally come in for a ' good deal of r,Uer.tton at tne presajic crisis, ;\r.r\ M. Tlieca^ro Bsmtzo;! hes just given in a French review a detailed criticism* of liis I works-. Hcarn waSu bora in the lonian [ Inlands by a Greek m other to an Irish fpti'.or, landed at 'Yokohama, and so found Iris niche, and his exp^riencoi "<rs extremely interesting. _ From tho tinio thai ho fiist taujrht r.t Mat=.ti3 until his transfer to his prosanh post, he tolls us that he never heard a quarrel among hid pi;pils, and he declare* t'ho eagornoß* of t)ho youthful Ja.p for instjvction to be .omelhiag cf which we "Westerns can have no idea. The Mikado ha-s, however, taken care that physical and mental training sivaM go on at iho saxu« time, tuKl every school is a centre of miluary c lucatioa for the boys and of a mild fcrm of athletics for the girl?'. — Tho Earl of Lytton is stiii two years shcri of 30, and lms yet to make- his maik. Ke has travelled pretty extrosively, however, ia a fine lingxiifft, has had soma oificial training as tssisraat private secretaa-y to Mr Gporgc* Wyndham, and is diiHaocly- a peel" of promise. One of tho mosA ssrious circuiustances connected with him is that nine lime. >oufc c-f ten — and. so rc-ee-ntiy as tJ?B other day — he is referred to in print as "tho Eon of the famous novelist." .He is. of convsfj-, ' Bulwei* Lytton's grandson, aud -tLiee-quai-tcrs of a century separate* his biri.li from that of tlia ncvelisi'3 ; who, by the way,- was neypv anything more, so far e« tha- pecragor is concerned, thaa ' Barcii fLyttosi. Tu-a earldom wa» conferretc! in 1880, when, Lord Lytton's son, who- had been British Minister at Lisbon, had complete*! his term of office aa Viceroy cl India. — Sir Arthur Lawloy is a brother, of Lord Wc.nlock, being the- fourth soil of the second baron. Sir Arthur has h-e-ld many high positions. From 18S8 to 1001 ho was Administrator of Matabelolsnd, and tho marked ability he- displayed th-cvo was officially retvgnised wlieu in 1901 he wps appointed Governor of Western Australia. This appointmcinfc - waa- the first official aob of his Majcscy in connection with our greater ISmpiro beyond the seas. Nono bub an ablo man could hold the Governorship of tVs Transvaal, but since he nrst entei»ed th-3 lOLh Hussars, with whom ha saw active •sorvico in th-o Suakim Expedition, throughout all the phases cf a distinguished career Sb- Arthur hcis been, noted for his taei> and. diplomacy. For five years h& was private secretary to his uncle, the Duke of Wist-, liiiuistor. Lady IJawley. to wheni Sir Arthur \ra^ married in. 1835, is a daughter of the I lafco Sir fklwai-d Cunaixl.

—M. Combes, the French Premier, owes nothing- to the circumstances of" his birth. He is tho spn of comparntive-ly poor parents, hi 3 father having been an artisa«.. When ho first met the lady whom* he- afterwards , married he had little of this world's goods... She had £2000, and in return for -her hand he prunji^&d that he would become tlio local

dcotwr in £vo joars. ILc l: f . % pt his word. ' Bun liii inco^iu was found inadequate to sup- , port- tho h&uschulcl, bo he wont ta Paris. } wliero h-o pruetica'ly did vvitli only nvo hoius' j slcie» a d3j'. He- ros^> j.z '! i'.iv. r . and rca'l i till Q o'clc-ck. tho.v pi-ocoi-datl to the hto- | pitals, and did ru>(. rotum tii] the aUcruc;r,!i, [ ;ic-ti:i« as ii tutor from 5 t;il il eoch oicnintj. - Latw li-o took t^ polllic-3, bcccining a Jdcua- j to;- ia 1885. £Lo was Vioe-Presid'on-; oori r ti-c j SenaW 1653-G5, and Mir.islor of Public In- J structioii 1831-96. He wa™ made Proinior in \ 1902. M. Combes v. r^; a.ways. ways a- strong [, Radical, and his butrod of clca-.c-alism ha? • beer, one cf tho features cf his public career, f —Xo whito- man who has ever visited j Earora'jiand (ssys th« Field of June 25) can have hoard without tho- s>moerest regret oi the* ck<a.fch of tba R-sv. Francois Coil'ard, tho devoted millenary Avho has- dono such magrificcn* work; in promoting th-o real interests cf oiviii aticn iv the t-erritorics of King Itcwanika. il. Ccillard. who was a Swi's by bivtii, and was married to a Scotch lady, had spent no fewer than 47 years in Africa, and it all missionaries were of his type there could bs 110 ground* for tlv 1 criticlsia of ruUsioii work, which k so constantly Liard. Tiio iirdt 20 years of his life in Africa wero ppenr aniosg; the Busuto*. but lfc is for h:& later vork. asnong tlis Marotso fehafe hef is bost ; knows. His influence on tho formation of J : Ljsw£,nika.'s rernarkabre character has been • rocognis-Gd by every Europe-aa who has i visited Liaiui. Major St. Hill Gibbons as- • crJbca to "'ths lofty oharaet&r and impresi *ivo personality" of M. Coillard tho main in-Sucnoa in tho trontfcrniaiian which hes bm^a wrju™ht in the eharae-cr of tho Marotsa ■ j King. M. Co Ward did not belong . to tbs I clas» cf missionaries- who, immediately on thi'ii* arrival in Africa; beg-in to ccaint the i:Uij»bCi' of days that separates them from th^ir \:ext journey h«-.-.e. H-e oould with t difficulty bo persuaded to tear himself ay, ay I from ilia work fcr a visit to Europe, and j there ca-a be- 1:0 manner of doubt tii at the. J absoluto trust repes^d irs him by Levvanika • iraterialiy contributed to tho success of tho I uogoticiions whica resulted in. Lewanika. j pjacJi-g his i-cn-Itor-.es uad-sr British, protection. M. Ooi!lard ancl a brcthor missionary trai slalod and explained tno proposed treaty to J.eivasiika and his chiefs, with, the result that when Lewanika gave his assent r-o the aare^rr-eufc,. ho did so with full knowledge oz its icrnzs. — General Sir John Fronch i 3 one of tho few notakte military m&n who kayo com-mc-ii-cocJ their career in tho Navy. Perhaps thas i? tho reason why he- is not a good Lorsemvi*. He can rid« as-.j'fching that looks through a bridle, and that over any sort; of ccur.tEjr a& *11 negotiiible, bSt he has not a preity sc«t, -riding "hiißched up," very rough the-sanw> as Napoleon and fehe Duko cf W<-llia^toa die 7 . Nona the less, he can ride irom tho- peep of day till the cows come homo, and. neye? _feel weary. "Old French don't bark a bit, but, crikey, dent he bito !" 'llier* jcu- have tho man a3 h& appear* to the brave- fellows whom he so brilliantly"' led in. South Africa. Tho square-cut, silentlut!» general is a tremendously popular man —not in Mayfair, but among these by whom baistle* ana foug-hfc and won. His career turned upon a chance. It was even voting for tke selection.. cf a cavalry leader. Buller gave- hit rasting vcte fcr tho man of his chcico r r..nd that man all military auiho-r-'tiea aclniowiodgft to be tho greatest leader cf cavalry in tho modern world. There wrs another- and later appeal to chance," and a^am tiha geds vrera good. Only by the son cf his tsetk.. so- to spoak, did he manage to get away from Ladysmith. The investmooi v,-a3 air bv.b complete, when a railway train was coupled; un to make a da--<h for the south. French went with it It was through a tremendous hail of shot that tho plucky engine-driver took his traid. Had tho Boe^s bron able to read tho future, they would havo been still mere anxious to capture t.be lot. The man who was to do so imicw towards their dofoat ws^ pufijr.?- a cyjar tucked away beneath the soat of "one cf tr-j carriage^, while the bullets whistled above, tolow, and through the compartment.