ENGLISH GOSSIP AND NEWS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 7957, 30 August 1887, Page 4

ENGLISH GOSSIP AND NEWS.

"Atlas," in the Worli, says:— "After the Coronation the Duchess of Kent found great fault with Lord Conyngham (who wbb then Lord Chamberlain) because ttia Queen's procession in the Abbey was too crowded, so that the effect was spoiled. It is odd that precisely the same blunder was committed at the Thanksgiving. There was not sufficient interval between the different personages, and I hear that the Prince of Wales was particularly displeased at finding himself and his brothers so orowded , the result being that they were quite overshadowed by the stately figure of the Crown Prince of Germany, who was just in front," The whole Diplomatic Corps is very indignant, according to the Journal des D&bats, at the manner in which it has been treated during the Jubilee celebrations. At the reception at Buckingham Palace the doors were shut in their faces, and they were denied their due precedence. In the Abbey itself three of them were placed so that they could see very badly, and the other three behind a pillar, so that they could not see at a 11.,. At the Foreign Office there is much disgust (adds the same authority) at these blunders of the Lord Chamberlain's Department. We may add that the gossips are telling how Count Karolyi, M. de Staul, and M. Waddington sought out their ladies at Buckingham Palace, and were leaving in wrath, when a Court official luckily overtook and appeased them. In connection -with the "Children's Jubilee "in Hyde Park, it is stated that Florence Dunn,. that paragon of punctuality, who was presented to the Queen as the scholar who had never ruißßed a single attendance, is an Irish girl. A correspondent, calling attention to the fact that the Raleigh House - estate at Brixton-rise is about to be sold by public auction, writes to the Tehgraph :— •" Apart from the great seed, -we in this suburb have of a public recreation ground or park, this venerable house is one - of the most historical; in the neighbourhood of London. It stands in the midst of a noblytiiaberedfpark of twelve acre's, and is in the best Elizabethan style of architecture. It was inhabited f or. Bome\ years by_ Sir Walter Raleigh. Here he entertained Queen Elizabeth, who was wont, on a fine summer's afternoon, to cause her barge to be lowed up the now hidden Effra, to pay her illustrious courtier a visit, there is danger that this most interesting spot may fall into the hands of the building contractors, and be lost to posterity. An effort, at least, should be made to save it." The London correspondent of the Western Daily Mail tells a story which is going 1 about regarding six Scotch bailies who came up to town to present an address of congratulation to Her Majesty. They asked, he says, what they had to do on entering the Queen's presence, and uere told they< should kiss^ handß. Thereupon Bailie No. 1, as he solemnly stalked past the throne, raised his hand to his mouth and blew Her Majesty a kiss. The remaining five followed suit, till the Queen had a fit of the heartiest laughter she has enjoyed for a long time. One of the most remarkable.features of the Royal garden party at Buckingham Palace was the ebullient vigor of Mr. Gladstone. As the veteran stood bareheaded, with a bright rose in his button hole, before the Ro^el tent, making the Grand Duke Se'ge laugh, by his contagious mirth, he seemed one of the youngest and liveliest of the festive season. The cared of State have weighed much more heavily upon the Queen than upon the ex-Prime Minister who entered Parliament before she ascended the throne. Mr. Gladstone might have been celebruting his fiftieth birthday, bo blithe he looked, and so full of animation and high spirits. An English writer congratulates the headmaster and governors of Harrow upon the sensible decision with regard to the teaching of Greek which was announced on the school-speech day. Mr. Rdundell informed the audience that " the study of Greek was -to-be deferred, in order that more attention might be given duriujr the ear'ier yearß of bo.yhood to Frencb, GermaD, history, geography, und elementary mathematics." In other words, Gieek is practically to be mode au " extra" and to be treated in the same fashion as French and German have hitherto been treated at Harrow and at the great majority of cur public schools. Of course, the result will be that in a few years b'reek will drop out of the regular curriculum. It is stated that the habit of drinking absinthe is more common to-day in the United States than it ever was before. Of its evil effects one writer says: — The poor wretches given up to absinthe drinking suffer from T a peculiar train of nervous symptoms, the most prominent of which is epilepsy of a remarkably severe character. The last moments of the absinthe drinker are truly horrible. Absinthe, besides alcohol, contains several ethereal oils, of which the most important is the oil • of wormwood. It has often been observed that the use of this beverage results in disorders widely differing from those caused by alcohol alone, and the oil of wormwood has produced in animals tetanic convulsions similar to the • epileptic form of convulsions which affect absinthe drinkers. A Chicago despatch to an American contemporary states that during Mdme. Bernhordt's recent visit to that town she had with her a young tiger, which she called Minette. The pet, while kind and docile- with its mistrebs, manifested an awkward desire to bite pieces out of the waiters who attended the tragedienne. While one of these unfortunates, named Zogelman, was serving dinner, the pet caught him by the hand and badly lacerated it. Another waiter narrowly escaped a similar fate. Sara cuddled the creature in her armß, and seemed joyoas over the fact that none of its teeth were broken. Telegrams from Shanghai state that the forthcoming marriage of the young Emperor Ewangsa is officialy announced. The subject was first mentioned informally at the beginning of last year, and we are now told that the youthful ruler, and, what is more important, the ex-Empress Regent, have at last made a selection of the lady whom they deem worthy to be the wife of the Sovereign of the Middle Kingdom. The ceremony is to be marked by exceptional festivities, the cost of which is computed at £1,000,000 sterling. The last occasion of a Chinese Emperor's marriage was in October, 1872, when Tungche married .the Lady Ahluta. Numerous changes are expected in the personnel of the Imperial Ad ministration .