PERSONAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3398, 30 April 1919, Page 52

PERSONAL NOTES.

Lieutenant Sydney Carlin, M.C., DiC.M. iR.E.), a one-legged airman, has been awarded the Distinguished Inlying Cross

—ln connection with the 100th anniversary of Charles Kingsley's birth, which occurs on June 19, it is proposed to erect a parish hail in his memory at Eversley, where ho was for many years rector. —Mr Bernard Capes, the well-known novelist, died in England recently. " The Lake of Wine," published 20 years ago, was his first book. Though his style is somewhat artificial, it achieves the author's evident purpose of suggesting an atmosphere removed from the things of everyday. —An injunction has been granted in the Chancery Division to prevent sale by auction of letters written to and by the late Mr John Delane, editor of The Times. It was explained that some of the letters were from public persons, and, if they fell into ? the hands of unscrupulous persons, or were published, might cause serious annoyance, or even scandal. Personal estate amounting to £20,234 has been left by, the Right Hon. Sir William Moore Johnston, Bart., late a judge of the King's Bench Division, Dublin, and at one time Attorney-general for Ireland. His will contained this instruction: "Before my coffin is closed over me I direct that death shall be assured by a surgeon dislocating my neck, or otherwise breaking my spine." Probate has been granted in respect of personal property in England and Ireland value £18,322 left by the late Earl of Rosse. The gross amount on which estate duty "has been paid, however, exceeds £250,000. The Earl, a large land-owner in Yorkshire and Ireland, died of wounds received in the. war. The famous Rosse telescope at Birl Oastle (over 50ft_ long), with other instruments and scientific apparatus and papers, he leaves to his eldest son. .

Horace Fletcher, the American expert on dietetics and nutrition, who originated " Fletcherism," is dead in Denmark, after a long illness from bronchitis. He was the food economist of the American Commission for Relief in Belgium, and was travelling in Europe doing research work connected with nutrition and child conservation.

The sale of Lord Salisbury's house in Arlington street for £120,000 has recalled the fact that it has been in the possession of the vendor's family for about 150 years. This does not-approach the Hervey's tenure of 5 St. James's square. A Marquis of Bristol has owned this fine residence ever since John Hervey, member for Hythe and Receiver-general to the Queen, took it from Story, its builder, in 1677. Probably this is unequalled in London. Lord Lansdowne's family have lived in Lansdowne House, Berkeley square, since 1760. A most unusual event took place in St. Philip's Church, Little Bock, Arkansas, recently (says an American paper), when Bishop Winchester, of Arkansas, ordained to the priesthood Rev. Dr Edward de. Claybrook, an ex-prince of New Zealand, who ia a full-blooded Maori. He is the eldest son of the late King Guttler mo Eld a bo. De Banoanyo (William Edward de Claybrook), and he was born in New Zealand on August 5, 1870. The Rev. -Dr de Claybrook received the degree of D.D. from* the University of China in May, 1908. Major Arthur Watson. C.8.E., the newly-appointed general' manager of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway; England, has taken only 28, years to climb the ladder, beginning with his being articled to the chief engineer at the age of 17. He succeeds Sir J. A. F. Aspinall in this post of great importance in the railway world, at a time when there is talk of a railway nationalisation-and other problems for leaders. At the age of 45, Major Watson has been the youngest member of the Railway Executive Committee. should be no bar to any position in the Government." That was the view once expressed by Lord Morley. Sir S. P. Sinha, Under-secretary for India, on" whom a peerage is being conferred, is, however, : the first Indian to receive a post in the British Home Government. The son of an obsoure Bengal village land-owner, he was educated at a mission school A succession of scholarships enabled him to get into college, and without influence and backing he rose to the foremost position at the Calcutta Bar. He is now recognised as the cleverest man India has produced. The death of the Rev. William Henry Bliss, the well-known hymn-writer, at the age of 85, is a reminder of a fact which has often been mooted —namely, that hymnwriters seem to live to a riper age than authors engaged in other departments of literature (says the Yorkshire Evening Post). Fanny Crosby reached the age of 95; Mrs Alexander, who wrote "There is a green hill," was 77; Charlotte Elliott, the author of "Just as I am," and Mrs Cousins, famous for "The sands of time are sinking," were both 82. The writer of "Our blest Redeemer," Harriet Auber, died in her ninetieth year. Contrast these with Thackeray, who died when not more than 52; Dickens was only 58, Scott 62, and Keats 26. , ... The founder of the pneumatic tyre industry died suddenly from heart failure recently at his residence at Dalkey, County Dublin. The development of the Pneumatic Tyre Company, based on the discovery of the tyre by Mr Dunlop, a Dublin veterinary surgeon, is one of the romances of modern industry (says the Westminster Gazette). Mr du Cros was born in 1846 of a family of Huguenot descent. He was the son of Edward du Cros, of Moone, County Kildare, and of Maria, daughter of the late John Molloy. of Dublin. In his youth he was a noted athlete, and well into middle age he remained an ardent cyclist and a skilful boxer. He sat for Hastings in the Unionist interest from 1906 to 1808. He was married twice, and had a large family of sons, one of whom. Sir Arthur du Cros, succeeded him as member for Hastings. His youngest son, Alfred du Cros, was returned for Bow and Bromley in 1910. Mr Harvey du Cros was a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour, a Knight of the Order of Isabella the Catholic, and a justice of the peace for Sussex.