MRS PATRICK CAMPBELL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 20044, 6 September 1920, Page 9

MRS PATRICK CAMPBELL.

A cable message, dated July 23, announced tho death of Mrs CornwallisWest, a. famous beauty. It was naturally concluded by nearly every newspapcr in New Zealand that the decease ed lady was Mrs Patrick Campbell, the famous _ actress, who married (in the second instance) a Mr Cornwallis-West. A paragraph in the Melbourne “ Ago ” of a recent date shows that a mistake may hare been made, for the " Age ” the lady concerned to ho Mrs Campbell’s mother-in-law. The paragraph is as follows: “ The death of Mrs Cornwallis-West, a famous_ beauty of her period, is reported iii a London cablegram. By birth she belonged to the familv of Fitzpatrick, barons, Castletown (Irish Peerage), and was married to the late Colonel TV. Cornwallis-West, of the Karls’ Delawa.r, of Ruthin Castle, North Wales, Lord Lieutenant of Wen--I’igh, and M.P. for Derbyshire. In the late ‘seventies'’ and early ‘eighties’ Mrs Cornwallis-West was one or the few ‘professional beauties,’ as thev were called, Mrs Lily Langtry and Lady. Randolph Churchill being her great rivals. Their photographs were to bo seen oHj sale in all the photograph shops in’London. Colonel Corn-wallis-West put a stop to the sale of his wife’s photograph, and to do so ho had to bring an action against the photographer ho had employed to restrain him_ for selling them without the authorisation of tho employer. Mrs Cornwallis-West was a small woman, •md T'hen Mrs Langtry invented the Langtry cane ’ she found it hid l hew almost completely if she tried to wear one, so she nut them on the coachman and footmen’ which started the fashion for them to wear hear skin fur canes. During the war she became conspicuous for a military social scandal, which involved leading military lights, She leaves a son, who bcc"me the second husband of Lady Randolph Churchill, who divorced him. He then married Patnr-k Campbell, tho vtpll known actress. . Of Mrs Cornwallis-West’s turn damditers. tho elder married the Prince of Pless, and was a- favourite of the evIvaiser's; the younger married the Duke of Marlborough. Deceased was about sixtj’-eight years of age.” r

Mauritius was at one time noted for its dodo, a, flightless pigeon unlike anv other bird known on the globe. Ji was larger than a turkey, had a huge bill, short scaly legs, and curled tail leathers. To the intense regret n; scientists, the dodo became extinct about the end of the seventeenth ecu tiny, having been ruthlessly estermin ated in order to supply the ships which touched at Mauritius for provision; Its grotesque appearance, coupled with tne fact that it has utterly vnnishefrom Mauritius—the cnlv country where it ever flourished—-has led som< people to believe that the dodo was n tiibulous bird. Buch is by no means the case.