PERSONAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2921, 9 March 1910, Page 80

PERSONAL NOTES.

Herr Franz Lehar, composer of "The Merry Widow," produced his third operetta in the winter season at the Carl Theatre, the title being "Giddy Love." The scene is laid in Hungary, and the music is of a Hungarian national character. The operetta \va« well received, but the criticism? are only moderately favourable. Yet another good coif story, : n which Mr BaKpur figures, is told. Once, when on the first tee, just about to engage in a foursome, the ex-Premier recognised one of his opponent's caddies as a boy who had carried his clubs on a former occasion. Mr Balfour nodded to the lad. The caddie was very: pleased at the recognition, and, turning to one of his friends, he said, "Aye, see hoo we Conservatives ken ane anither!"

Earl Percy, the eldest son of the Duke. : of Northumberland, who died recently, owed his second Christian, name—Algernon —-to a curious circumstance. The founder of his family was one William do Percy, who came over to England with William ; the. Conqueror. He was known by the strange title of "William als Gernon," or "William with -the Whiskers/' and since j that time most of the male Percys ■ have '■ been christened Algernon in consequence. | —lt is 16 years ago since- Mr Richard Bell, who has just resigned from the position of general secretary of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, commenced to act in that capacity. He began life at a police station, for his father was a sergeant in the Glamorganshire Constabulary. Ultimately he became a porter on the Great Western Railway, and passed through the lower grades of service until he became head shunter at Swansea. Then in 1893 he left the company to become the society's organising secretary. Few men have done more for railway workers. The. Hon. C. S. Rolls, Lord Llanj?attock's son, who has been distinguishing ■himself as an aviator, was one of the pioneers of motoring, and has had many adventures on the road. He once told the members of the Automobile Club that he had'run into a- tree when travelling at 70 miles an hour; had, in evening drees, pushed a car for three miles and walked ten miles to get petrol; had five times been run away with, several time* overturned, twice bad his car burned, and was once run over by his own car. Yet he is keener on motoring than ever, and thinks there is no sport in the world half so exhilarating. The Kaiser* has! appointed Lieutenant Count Vedigo von Wecfel and Baron Gilbert von Knypbausen the- leading dancers at this season's Court balls. Both are officers in a crack cavalry regiment of the Gardes du Corps. Their duties are to open all dances and then supervise the other dancers. They posses absolute- authority at all Court balls. If they consider the floor too crowded they can eject superfluous couples, and if they notice faulty dancing the offenders are expelled from the Imperial presence. The Kaiser insists on perfect dancing at Court balls, and the young Guards officers who fail to attain the necessady. dancing standard are regarded with disfavour.

Mv Thomas Burt, the miners' M.P.. was 15 or 16 before he began to read, and then study became a passion with him. He walked ten miles to Newcastle to buy his first book, after which the classic authors* .were his constant mental companions in the pit. At the. age of 17 Mr Burt made his first attempt at nublic speaking. It was in a dissenting chapel, and the result was a complete breakdown. The audience sang a hymn to reassure him, but he could not proceed. "Call your next man," he said. "I will never attempt to speak again until I get whiskers!" Lady Marjorie Coke, elder daughter of Lord and Lady Leicester, will shortly marry Mr North Dalrymple Hamilton, late Scots Guards, eon of the late Colonel North Dalrymple Hamilton, who added the name of Hamilton to his family name of Dalrymple in 1896. The bridegroom-elect is a grandson of the tenth Earl of Stair and a nephew of the present peer. Lady Marjorie Coke is a granddaughter of the latei Lord Leicester, whose numerous family of varied ages cause great confusion in many minds, as aunts and uncles are younger than their nephews and nieces ' in some cases, and Lady Marjorie has an uncle who is a youthful naval cadet, while her aunt, Lady Mabel Coke, has many times officiated as bridesmaid at various big weddings. The new King of the Belgians will bo the tallest monarch iir Europe, for he is 6ft 3in in height. It is a curious fact that the majority of reigning monarchs are deficient in stature and shorter than their consorts. Kin# Edward is rather shorter than Queen Alexandra. Czar Nicholas II looks quite small by the side of the Czarina, and so does the King of Denmark beside his Queen. The King of Italy hardly reaches to the shoulder of Queen Helena. KingAlfonso of Spain is half a bead shorter than Sueen Viotoria Eugenie, and the Kaiser ways insists on the German Empress: sitting when they are photographed together, because she has slightly the advantage of him in height. the other day," said Mr Asquith in Scotland, ''that Mr Haldane has been tied to the chariot-wheel of a car, which has, I think,, a pair of Socialist drivers. I remember a story which you may have read about a great fellow-countryman of yours, a very distinguished soldier, Sir David Baird. When he was a young .man in India, a subaltern in Seringapatani, he was taken prisoner, and for greater security they, chained him to a native sepoy that

he might not escape. When news reached his old mother here in Scotland, the only remark she made was this, 'God help the puir wean that is chained tae oor Davie.' I should use very much the same words of anybody who attempted the task of tieing Mr Haldane to the wheel of arry chariot against his will, by' whomsoever that chariot might be driven."

The title which it k said Mr Herbert Gladstone will assume upon his elevation to the House of. Lords—to wit. Viscount Gladstone of Hawarden, has in part been 1 forestalled by the title of Viscount Hawarden, held for many years by the late Earl de Moritalt. The viscounty of Hawarden is an Irish one, created in 1791. and belongs to the Maude family. It was held by the late Earl de Moivtalt from 1855 to his elevation to an earldom in 1886. That is to say, Lord de Montalt was known as Hawarden until the latter date for of course he retained the old title without | ming it. While Lord Hawarden, he eat ; m the House of Lords as an Irish reprei sentative peer, but his earldom being an J English peerage, lie henceforth had a s«at !in the Lords by virtue of it. When Lord' ide Montalt, who had long been one of j Queen Victoria's Lords-in-Waiting, died in I 1905, he left p» heir to the earldom, and iit became extinct. But the viscounty of j Hawarden went to hk eousin, Colonel j Maude, who now holds it. It mav be men- ! tton that, though the spelling is the same, | the pronunciation of the Maudes' Hawari do » aira that of the Gladstones' differs m a ! sufficiently marked degree to prevent anv I confusion of oereonalities when the two I peers should be spoken of-the Maude ; iiawarden being called "Haywarden," and j the Gladstone, "Harden." oi~ A r ! I<>ta - ble birthday which fell on the Bth of last month was that of Dr Suasell XVailace Born at Usk, in Monmouthshire, Dr Wallace started life as a land surveyor and subsequently became a teacher. But Darwin's "Voyage of the Beagle" aroused ins interest in botany and entomology, with tne result that he immediately started off on the first of the many voyages which have filled his life. Dr Wallace's first trip was to the Amazon, but on the return journey all his scientific researches were lost in a shipwreck. ' Instead of comingback to England; however, he voyaged to the ..Malay Archipelago, where he spent eight years, the sequel being an efoohmaking book. With Darwin he shares the discovery of the principle of natural selection, and how the theory was seized upon, almost • simultaneously by the two great scientists is familiar BesideiT r.isi many scientific activities, Dr Wallace tikes a keen interest in modern problems, 'men as Socialism and Spiritualism. Apropos of Spiritualism, Dr Russell Wallace once told an amusing experience he had while •ghost-hunting" in a country graveyard. Walking among the graves one night in the company of the sexton, who claimed to have seen the "shadowy form," Dr vVallace said, "Have you any idea whose rrhost it was you saw?" "I can't tell you, sir,"" was the reply; "but over there lies a man who had three wives. On the stone ..f the first, there is 'My wife'; on the second, 'My dear wife' ; and on the third, 'My beloved wife.' If any ghost does valk hereabouts, I should say it is the first wife's."