TO DAY IN HISTORY

Southland Times, Issue 20524, 28 June 1928, Page 6

TO DAY IN HISTORY

JUNE 28 Born: Henry VIII of England, at Greenwich, 1491; Sir Peter Paul Rubens, artist at Cologne, 1577; Jean Jacques Rousseau, at Geneva, 1712; Charles Mathews, comedian, at London, 1776. Died: Alphonse V of Arajon (The Magnanimous), 1458; Abraham Ortelius, . Dutch Geographer, at Antwerp, 1598; Thomas Creech, translator, of Roman poets into English verse, at Oxford, 1701; Charles Mathews, comedian, at Plymouth, 1835; James Henry Fitsroy, Lord Raglan, English commander in the Crimea, 1855. Events: Coromandel (N.Z.) proclaimed a goldfield, 1862; First Public Works policy enunciated by the Colonial Treasurer, Mr Vogel, 1870; assassination of the Archduke Ferdinand at Sarajevo, 1914; Earl of Liverpool sworn in as the first Governor-General of New Zealand, 1917; Germany signed the Peace Treaty at Versailles, 1919.

Fitzroy James Henry Somerset the first Baron Raglan was the younger son of the sth Duke of Beaufort. He was born on September 30, 1788, and was educa|t>ed at Westminster School. He was on Wellington’s staff during the Peninsular War and at Waterloo he lost a hand. After the war he was posted at Paris as secretary to the British Embassy, but decided to enter politics and represented Truro in Parliament 1818-20 and 1826-29. From 1827 to 1852 he was military secretary to Wellington, whom he succeeded as Mas-ter-General of Ordnance. In 1854, as Baron Raglan he went out to the Crimea to command and he was in charge until his death. He married a niece of Wellington and was succeeded by his son. The third Baron Raglan was Governor of the Isle of Man 1902-1919. QUICK WORK IN COAT MAKING. In 1811 Sir John Throckmorton, a Berkshire baronet, offered to lay a wager of a thousand guineas to the following effect: that at eight o’clock on a particular evening he would sit down to dinner in a wellwoven, well-dyed, well-made suit, the wool of which formed the fleece on sheeps’ backs at five o’clock on the same morning. It is no wonder that, among a class of persons accustomed to betting, such a wager should be eagerly accepted, seeing that the achievement of the challenged result appeared all but impossible. Mr Coxetter, of Greenham Mills at Newbury, was entrusted with the work.

At five in the morning of June 28 he caused two Southdown sheep to be shorn. The wool was washed, carded, stubbed, roved, spun and woven; the cloth was scoured, fulled, tented, raised, sheared, dyed and dressed; the tailor was at hand, and made up the finished cloth into garments; and at a quarter past six in the evening Sir John Throckmorton sat down to dinner at the head of his guests in a complete damson coloured suit that had been thus made—winning the wager, with an hour and three-quarters to spare. Of course every possible preparation was made beforehand ; but still the achievement was sufficiently remarkable, and was long talked of with pride among the clothiers.