PERSONAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2809, 15 January 1908, Page 82

PERSONAL NOTES.

— Ringling Brothers, who have bought the Barnum and Bailey show for £82,000, were already among the biggest proprietors of such properties in the United States. They own hundreds of horses and several railway trains. Their grandfather was a once famous English juggler who settled in America. Mr John Ringling, the head of the combination, who is known in the United States as the Showman King, travels in a style that would make Yanderbilt envious. His private car, which cost over £3000, is the acme of luxury, and he has a permanent pass for the vehicle and its passengers over the whole railway sy6teni of the United States. — One of Mr John Bums's earliest retorts in the House of .Commons wiTl bear reproduction without suffering much in the process. It was not long after Mr Burns's entrance into the House, whilst he was still looked upon as some strange animal which had strayed Jnto an old pedigree-stock herd by mistake. Mr "Jimmy" Lowlher, who was not only something of a wit himself, but the, occasion of wit in others, with an old member's propensity to "set down" a young 1 member whom he thought was too presumption, said one night to Mr Burns: " The hon. member must remember he is not in the London County Council." Instantly came the crushing retort: "And the right hon gentleman must remember that he is not on Newmarket Heath."

—Wu Ting Fang, author, diplomatist, humorist, and sage, the Chesterfield of China (says P.T.0.-of November 9), is returning almost imediatelv to the post of Chinese Minister in Washington, which he held from 1897 to 1902. He was degraded in the latter year because of the Chinese Dowager Empress's- dissatisfaction with his diplomacy. "Mr Wu," as he is called, was nicknamed the human question mark, because of his habit of asking on every possible occasion original and pointed questions. He is a master of innuendo, delivering his sharpest hits with eyes droooing behind gold-rimmed spectacles. An American interviewer once questioned Mr Wy on the subject of the corruption prevailing among Chinese officiate "It is not true," replied Wu, "that there is so much corruption in our Government as the papers say. But,*" with a gentle 3igh of anvy, "how glad you in America must be that your pubic service is so entirely pure." The country was ringing at the time with "graft" scandals in the American Administration.

—It is given to few men of any profession to accumulate such larjye fortunes is the late Lord Brampton and Mr Murphy, K.C., have left behind them — fortunes amounting to £141,000 and £234-,000 respectively, but the law is not the only profession in which huge estates are found. Three medical men, at least, have left estates still larger than the greater of these. Thirty years ago Dr Blundell died worth more than a third of a million pounds — more exactly, £350;000 ; during his 53 voars of strenuous professional life Sir William Jenner accumulated the enormous sum of £375,000. though it is doubtful whether he ever made more than £12,000 in any yerr: and Sir William Gull left personalty palued at £340,000. Dr T. R Armitege died, at 66, worth £217,000; Sir Erasmus Wilson left £264,000 behind him; and Sir Andrew Clark's savings reached £204,000; while among- other medical men whose estates exceeded £100,000 are Sir Oscar Clavton (£146.000), Sir Richard Quain (£116,000), Dr IT Danson (£119.000), and Dr Longstaffe {£107,000) — Prince Alexander of Battenberg came of fge on November 23. He spent his school days at Wellington, and ts famous in the Royal Family for his stock of comic songs, which he sings to their infinite amusement It is of interest to note that he and the Queen of Spain were among the last relatives upon whom Queen Victoria's dying eyes rested at Osborne in 1901 : and that one of her last acts was to order a piece of furniture for the young Prince's private sitting room A funny story has been told of Prince Alexander of Battenberg. Like many other little boys. he ran short of pocket-money, and wVion at. »•

preparatory school wrote an ingenious letfef !to his august ' grandmother, asking 'or pecuniary assistance. He received in return a just »ebuke, telling him he must wait until hi 6 allowance became due, an<J that little boys should be economical- ■" Shortly after, the undefeated little Prince resumed the correspondence as follows: — '•My dear grandmamma, — I am sure you? will be,.glad to hear that I need not trouble you for any money just now, for . I Z^hdr your last letter to^another boy for 305." — The Right Rev. Francis Bourne, Arch* t bishop of Westminster, whom the Pope ia to create a Cardinal, is one of the youngest: rniongst the bishops of his creed, and lias, risen to eminence by his own endeavours.As a matter of fact, his youth was spentf in very poor circumstances, his father, a. London Post Office official, dying and leaving his n.other penniless when the_ *uturef i Cardinal was very young. But his aunt* with whom he lived in obscurity and penury, prophesied that he would one day become a bishop, and a lucky chance pavetJ. the way to a realisation of that prophecySome 16 years ago, when Dr Butt, then. Roman Ctitholic Bishop of South wark, u» the course of his annual visitation, earned the "little Sussex town of West Grinstead, 'he oatight the nssist-ant curate, & delicate* and very shy young priest named Francis Bourne, in the act of teaching the village boys Latin. "That's the man for me,"said Bishop Butt, and the delicate curate in due time succeeded' the 'good man as Catholic Bishop' of South-wark, to find him- "*■ self some rears later Primate of Roman i Catholic England;

— A picturesque celebrity, in the person of General Porfirio Diaz, President of the Mexican States, is said " to be' coming- <ra » visit to England. The story of his career glitters with genuine and stirring romance. Diaz was originally a common 6oldier; but" men died quickly in Mexico during the revolutionary wars, and the cleverness, tact, and courageousnees of Diax enabled him to become in turn captain, colonel, • general, commandor-inHihief, and, lastly, President,', in which position he wields greSler poweri over Mexico than the Czar over Russia or the Kaiser over Germany. But ho is ai wise ruler, and the many reforms he has brought about has transformed Mexico from a land of chaos into one of order and prosperity. When Diaz first came into power robbery and corruption were rife. In fact, bandits kept the country in terror, and the manner in which the President dealt wHh them shows his astuteness. He offered them amnesty and enrolment in a special^", highly-paid cavalry corps — or that for every person robbed any bandit caught should be~ at once shot. Amnesty was accepted. .As an illustration, by the Tray, of the stirring times through which Diaz has passed, it - may be mentioned that his record has been summed up as 50 engagements, , seriously wounded, and three times a prisoner.- — On Tuesday. November 12, Lord Burton, of Bass fame, celebrated his sgyentiethr birthday. His ease is probably unique in p,U the British peerage, for he will in .time be succeeded by two heirs, each of v whom! will enjoy part of his honours., v This seeniing anomaly is explained" by a glance aC the family "history of the house of Unss. Lord Burton started life as Mr M. A. Bass, and was in 1882 created a baronet, that title to faU to his son, or, failing a son, to his brother and his eons. ' Lord Burton never had a son, so the baronetcy will in due course descend to hie nephew, Mr. W. A. Hamar Bass, a. young man wellknown on English racecourses. In 1885 the baronet was made a peer; and .in 1897, as Lori Burton still had no son, he was aronted a- special privilege in that hi 3 title of cobility should pass to his daughters the Hon. Mrs J. E. Ba-illie, and her son. When, therefore. Lord Burton dies, his baronetcy will fall to his nephew and hi3-\ peerage to Mrs Baillie, and after her to her son. — Fifty years asro Mr Samuel Fay saw the hsrht of day for the first time in the New Fovcst. He comes of a sturdy Engtlish 3toek, which has dwelt on the borders of that forest as yeomen and then as farmers for at least' 300 years. On leaving school he spent the next 20 years of his life in railway work of -3ifferent kinds on the "London and Souch- Western Railway. Then he moved from the London and Soutb-Wcsfprn to take the command, aa aeneral m^nacer and secretary, of the \Miuland and South-Western Junction Railway. That post he held For seven years; then he returned to his old love, the London and South-Western. Three years later, an 1902, on the retirement of Sir_JW. Pollitt, he was, armointed eeneral manager of the Great Onti-.il. In rail wa.v work his untinnsr enorey and indomitable perseverance founl a Fu!i and congenial outlet. But he was~ not only a man of energy, but also" a ..nan of ideas. He was the pioneer of wne fares of cross-country express trains. He w still a. true child of the Now Forest, burly, brisk, and outsnokfti T3e fives it j> ho'nso, o "ce dwoH in by "^'oodv Jeffreys' of Wost Country fame. He is a stronsr. mit-of-door* "' Jehu Junior, in "Vanity Fair.

— The value of house property in England is about £80 per inhabitant, while oi Irela.nd it is only £15 per inhabitant. —In Uip Crimean War 31 per cent, of all the soldiers engaged were killed or mcd of disease. In the Franco-German War the Germans lost only 8£ per cent, of their men