PERSONAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2811, 26 August 1908, Page 82

PERSONAL NOTES.

— Lord Carrington, President <\i the Board of Agriculture, tells a. good story of his experiences while Governor of JSew South Wales. His first public appearance was at the Mayor'af" dinner at Sydney. Haying committed a few words to papea 1 , he delivered them in reply to the toast of jciis health and then sat down. Opposite him; there sat an. M.P. wio had suffered long 1 from the abundant eloquence of the new Governor's predecessor. - When Lord' Carrington. sat down the M.-P. filled his glass to the brim, and said, in a voice not intended to be heard, "Thank Heaven, he can't speak I" The Hon. Walter Kothsohild, M.P., whose retirement from St. Stephen's is announced to take place at the next election, is more of a scientist than a politician. At Tring he has one of the finest museums and menageries in the world, stocked with all thaifc science* can suggest and money can purchase. What ie mure, in his private Zoo he has a talking acquaintance with live animals whose habits could scarcely be called domesticated. For in-, stance, he has token the zebra in hand and trained him to harness 'so thaib he will answer to the bridle; and at Tiring, as well as at the Zoological Gardens in London, he ha 6 ridden tortoises for quite respectable distances. , . — Prince Louis of Battenberg, wfio has just celebrated his fifty-fourth birthday, is known as "Batts'? -in the , navy, and tho nickname is used with 'no feeling of disrespect. It is simply a mark of this popularity, juet as Lord Charles Beresford^- is referred to by the men of I 'the lower deck as "Charlie." P-rince Louis's ships are known in tho service as "happy ships," for the simple reason that; the men know tLafc so long as they do their duty in, a proper and thorough manner his Highness will see to it that they are treated iv the best possible way. ' Prince "Louis,- however, not only knows how to manage men, mvt he knows his profession, and has the reputation of being a first-class all-round sailor, with a special and peculiar" knowledge of naval intelligence, tactics, "and signalling. As a matter of fact, his Highness has taken "his profession ac seriously as if his livelihood depended upon it. "I prefeT," he once said, "to be regarded according to the rank I have won in the navy to that which " I inherited" ; ■ and, in the words of a brother officer,' "He may be a. serene Highness, but he's living it down." — Not a. few political opponents regretted {he rejection, at tbe Jast general election, of Lord' Stanley, the new Earl of Derby, i>y Westhoughton ; for" during the 14 years he- sat in • the House of Commons he -was a universal favourite. He has dond good service as a soldier and Parliamentary Wihip, and' is a sportsman to the backbone. It wae the iat*er characteristic which appealed to the Irish members, who ceirtainly cannot be accused of loving an English lord. As a member of the Jockey Club, however, and with goodi horses in. training, Lord Stanley's tips were regarded as "the right thing," <and he had not the slightest objection to fraternising with- the Irish members and exchanging sporting . knowledge. "On, Stanley, on 1" they ' shouted on one occasion w-hen {his lordship walked up *he floor of the House of Commons, with a certain martial step, shortly after he had been made Postmastergeneral. His lordship grinned, as he aptly replied, "I wish they were your last words," ,alludinsr, of course, to the quotation from "•' 'On, Stanley, on I' were the last words of Marmion." — One of the most prominent characteristics of Sir Robert Ha/rt, who has rteturnedl Homo after 54 years' administrative work in China, is his extreme punctuality. He has always lived by tho clock; for he says that was the only way in which he couldi get through his work. To his guests he would say: "You early tea will be brought to you when you" ring. Pleas© ring oftce only, holding the button pressed while you count three. "Then, will it be convenient to you to tiffin at 12 sharp? If not, I will tiilin myself a* 12, and order for you at any time you like. I ride from 3to 5 ; there is alwaya a mount for you if you wish it. Dinner at 7.30 sharp, and I must, ask you to always excuse me at 11." Needi^fts to say, everything in his office went liko clockwork. At, 10 a~m. a. line was drawn across the books, aai3 late-coming clerks had to sign their names below, while at 4 p.m. the books were again opened, and every clerk had to sign again. No chanoe of slipping away before the proper t ; me. For 30 years, it is interesting to notice, Sir Robert drank his tea sitting in the same big dining-room chair, which was always covered with a. rug so that no one elee should use it. — There are few living Englishmen who know more about India than Lord Lamington. for he wae Governor of Bombay from 1903 to 1907, and he has studied the country and its people thoroughly. Before he went to India he was Governor of Queensland, and on him devolved the pleaeant duty of receiving the Brince and Princess of Wales im the course of their, famous tour in tho Ophir. Lord Lamington's father, the first Baron, was a bosom friend of Disraeli, who immortalised him as Buckhurst in "Coningsby." When Lord Lamington wa<? Governor of Queensland he was so fond of exploring th& country that he earned' for himself the nickname of "the travelling Governor." Most of his tours were made on a bicycle, and it is related that, oai one occasion he wa3 the hero of an exciting adventure. One day he was riding leisurejy along- a lonely road, when a woman on horseback, who was hotly pursued by two evil-looking men, rushed past him crying loudly for help. Without a moment's hesitation' Lord Lamington rode after them, and, after an exciting tussle, eucoeedied in rescuing the terrified woman from her • would-be assailants. — Birthday congratulations were due on June 20 to the Archbishop of York, who reached the ad\anced age of 82 yeare. Dv Maclagan served in the Indian army for some time before taking holy orders, oaid it is over half a century since he was ordained. At the recommendation of the late Lord Beaconsfield he was made Bishop of Lichfield, and he has held his present eminent position since 1891. His grace ia a tireless worker, and a brilliant French scholar, and' he still maintains hie early interest in everything to do with the army. Mamy are the stories told of Dr Maelagan'« 1 kindness. One of his nr6t acts on becoming Bishop of Lichiield was to seb aside a substantial part of his income to help the poorer clergy of the dioceee. It ja told of him, too, thafc when he was

vicar of Newington be used 1 to stop the) bells of his own church so that the .worshippers at Mr Spurgeon's thapel should not be -disturbed: The Archbishop is a. vary broad-minded ecclesiastic, 'and- his genial' manner and philanthropic icharacter -have endeared him to all with whom he v has come in. contact. . " "*•-"*• — Once on a visi* to Irelanidi7*he'Duke of Argyll had the uncomfortable t experience of nearly being arrested fbiy- > >'V v .Fenian. Waiting at Sligo far the Dublin express he encountered -a genial policeman whom he found communicative, ,<and with whom he smok&d cigars in the "stafioia .'^.waiting; room. T^he constable seemed' very, friendly until the noise of the train's approach was heard |3hen, turning to the Duke, he said: "I mustlarrest ye." - "Nonsense ! Whatever for? 'You'll catch it for making mistakes,'^ cried the Duke. "I'm going to the Viceregal Lodge, where they'll be after mo iring if there's an intelligent policeman /a Sligo, and how can I say there is?" "V '\ I fear ye're under arrest," said tihe poJjcenidji. "Oh, rubbish; here's the train — I'm going to get in," answered the Duke. Taking up his bag- he went to tiie train,, while the policeman beckoned to the guard, and a muttered conversation ensued. Thenthe guard's voice, raised louder, was heard : ; '"What's he look like — does he look like vi gintleman?" The Duke of Argyll • wa<j E Leased with tihe answer: ".Yes, I think c ck>es." Aft^r some further iaJk, the. constable approached the carriage .window. "I think I'll risk it and let you go as far as Dublin," he 6a,id. "But, mind, ye're in guard's charge.'/ "On-'.hjs arrival tho Duke' hied him to Loral Spencer,' and their lie . learnt , that a "head'-centiie," as ' tho Fenians called their chiefs, was beingsearched for, and later Lord .Spencer saift he saw the man in "the steeet, *md he was 60 like the Duke that he had nearly ridden' up to him to greet him. — President Castro, 01 Venezuela is one of the most remarkable personalities in contemporary Hiistory. He has been called tho Napoleon of South America, ajid, indeed, he has much in hia nature tfhat reminds one of "the • lirfclo • corporal." His selfassurance is sublime, and h>s ihas the greatest contempt for all the Powers imj Europe. Venezuela is to him' the only 1 country worth considering in the world, and he h&s recently expressed the opinion 1 that ii will be unconquerable as long as he liv^s. During the Russo-Japanese war' he^ was the merit* of the opposing; -armies with a friend. Tiv& latter wa» enthusiastic in his praise of the soldiers of Hie Mikado. "Bali!" exclaimed Qaetro. "Think of the thousands of men tJi-cy ha<l and-, the months they . were at it._ Wlhyi I could have taken Port Arthur In .three driys Avith 500 Venezuelans!" Tho Presx.-. dent's mode of life is as remarkable as his self-assurance. Sometimes lie will disappear Jroiri. his capital- for days togetheis a,r.id no one will have the least idea of hig whereabouts until he turns up again smiling as if nothimg had happened. His Bqgpitsulity'ia j unbounded, and he- often in^lfeMt^cSasval passers-by to his. house and treats^||Kein, to impromptu balls' and parties. Dancing is his favourite pastime, asnd 1 it is related 1 that? an American official once oaHed upon JrinK with some important documents, and! found him in the middle of the d"ay miT-roundedi by numerous jruests and dancing enthusi' astically. "When will the President havo finished his dance?" asked the official sai;* < castically of "one of Castro's Minister^/ The latter threw up his hands in. deepafr,,, "Don't ask me,". ,he replied \ "the President haa been, afr; i£f every day foir, : }!ho" last' five days. 1 ' President * Castro lives" ; in "whaij is probably the most remarkable dwellingplace of any modern ruler. It standfe within a park a* Caracas," and is built ahnccß entirely of steel. The outer walla aa-o covered with a kind of soft stone ; so, to look at, there ia nothing peculiair about; the place; but ifc is said to be the- strongest' - house in the world, and it will "rceisb the> heaviest gun fire. The idea of a jsteel "palace" occurred to the President #fter- no. had had experience of one or two^earth'quakes. One night lie was awajven'ed^by, an earth tremor, and in his fjfjg'n.t he - I jumped out of a window and broke his leg-. After thafc he decided that bricks and mortar wero not safe, hence the reason, for his, metal abode. !