CELEBRATED NICKNAMES.

Waikato Times, Volume XX, Issue 1674, 29 March 1883, Page 4

CELEBRATED NICKNAMES.

Thk< controversy over tlib origin of Bishop <\Vilborforc<s's sonbrirpivt of " .Soapy Sam," ' has directed attention /to" tlid' subject of nicknames geii'Tally, and some interesting 'information has beeh brought to liiihi. Thcbftlnncfebf- evidence 'supports, the jMoi'y tl)ab tlip I3ish,op'nu(iwireil itbj. Iris glib, obsequious manner tof 1 addi ess andi method of expression. t But" tho origin of nicknames j,t> not usually ao obscure aijto wholly bnflit? discovery. •, Thn author' iof the ," tiruv-iliq JyJ.cipoira,", for instance, enjoyed amongst; ..hjs.^a.miiiara for (some unknown reason tho title of " The (irttneher $'|\ while} a son of Sydney Smith's, notable, for his mildness and geniality, Cftijiicd .with him to. the, gva,ve> the aiiekname of " Tlie Assassin," supposed to I)C dei iyod, 'from sonjq /college exploit, in which a tom cat was killed. Chailcp tlio Sjecond's title of "Old Rowloy." , is variously deiived fiom his rosiim bianco to an old goat' of that name which was was wont' to roam about the Paliiuu at Whitehall, f sin,d fioma lacehoi'Be, the propei ty of His Majesty, aft'orwhich it is «aid the " kowley Mile" at Newmarket has been called. Whether James the First Was called the British 1 Solomon" ironically or otherwise, ' is a fact buried in mystery. Sydney Smith, who failed to fasten on " SoapJ* Sam's" f.atlier, the elonjjatied soubriquet of " Father of the Patent Christians of Clapham,"' was himself known' as "'Joke" Smith. William Pitt, " the Heaven-born Minister," also rejoiced in the name of "The Angry," fixed on him bySheri'dan, while Charles James Fox 1 was always spoken of as "Black Charlby." Then Lord Ptilmcrston besides being caUpd '* Pam" and " Cupid," was, in his latter life, 'described as "The Judicious Bottle-holder." Lord Eldon acquired the name of " Old Bags" from his habit of talcing' home with him his papers in numerous bags, while a Sir Watkiu Williams- Wynne aiid his hi other earned the double sobriquet of I "Bubble and Squeik," because one of them had a high treble voice and the other was afflicted with a stutter. The late Mr .Roebuck was called "Tear 'Em," iroin an expression 'made use of by himselt; and an ancestor of the present. Earl of Sandwich was called " Jemmy Twiteher, after one of tho lufflans in "Tho Beggar's Opera." In conclusion it may be mentioned that Mr Labouchere is the gentleman whose fame will descend to posterity as that ot the author of the nickname, '• The Grand Old Man," now generally employed' as a not disrespectful synonym for Mr Gladstone. — Jlome Xl'H S.

ASt Louis horse cliews tobacco. We havu often seen a fast-driven hoise smoke. — Lowell Courier, , , , , Thb native Chi isti.»iis of Madagascar, have givori ji million dollars during the last ten years for the spread of the Gospel. ".No, air,'' &aid Dr Jalap* I wouldn't, have that apple tree cut down for money.", " But you never get any fruit from it," argued Biown : " the hoys steal all the apples bcfoie they're half ripe." That's just it," replied the doctor, with a quaint smile, "the tree stands mo in a, good §1000evciy year." Whkn Kean was playing " Louis XI." at the Thciitic Royal, Edinburgh, a rather laughable thing occurred. When the attendants announced " The King is dead !" a pious Irishman in the stall's exclaimed, "And may the Lord have mercy on his guilty sowl !" RiX'EXT appointments having made the Ministty of Great Biitain complete, the Pall Mull G.izctlr publishes a list of the Administration from which we find that altogether it contains 40 members ; of these 14 form the C.ibinet, seven belonging to the House of Lords and seven to the Commons ; of the rest, three .ire in the Upper House and 23 in the Commons. Nineteen of tho whole 40 are titled gentlemen. The salaries range from £9!)."5, paid to tho Solicitor-General for Scotland, to £10,000, which is the remuneration of the Lord Chancellor. Only two niembeis are unpaid, the Junior Lord of the Treasury and the PaymasterGenera!, and the total salary list loots tip to over £110,000. The Premier is the oldest 'man in tho Government, being 73 years, and his son, Mr H. J, Gladstone, is the youngest, 2i). JNlore than half the Ministry are 50 ynara or over ; and, of the others, only tluee are under 40. Thkit of O.\'i: HoNimiiD Tiioumntj Doi.LUiS. — A Panama telegram of Jan. (5, says j-'-A shipment of 100,000 dollars was made by the sub-Treasury in New Yoik, through Wells, Fargo and Co, by the U.S. fleet on the Pacific by the stoj.-ner City of Panama, which arrived at AspiiiWrill on Doc. 2i). Tile 'money — Amuiican gold coin — was packed in two small kegs weighing in the neighbourhood of- 2001bs eaoh. They were received in Panama the same evening and stored in the Panama Railroad Company's vault. "Delivery was not made until Jan. 1, when, on opening the vault, it was discovered that one keg was missing. No locks had, been broken on either of the freight house in which the vault is situated, or of cho vault itself. Evidence was found that the keg had been opened in the freight house-but neitliGf the keg nor any vestige of his valuable , contents could be discovered. After a long and careful scat oh all possible measures were taken to discover the thieves or booty, but without complete success. Several arrests were made. ' I Tiik London correspondent of the Amtxthtsinn writes as follows : — The news of the continued success of Ivo BHgh's team has, of couise, been made a subject for much congratulation here, and wli6ij the news arrived that Murdoch's Elevoit had also gone down before them, English cricketei'a became fairly jubilant. This is as it should be, and is nothing but natural ; but it has not a little amused me the past two days to hear ilia very tome m6n who, when the Australians won tliGfi'GVor.memorabloi England match at the Oval, wore loudest in their praise, now at once turn round and say, ' 'I told you how it would be when they met a really good eleven," or "whenever they met a good 1 team here they were either beaten or made a bad draw ;" "their match against England was a fluke and nothing else ;" "I always thought tliem very' overrated," &o. Thoso aiHl ' suchlike comments I have hoard' oft 'all sides during the past 48 hours. Verily nothing snecoads' like success. To this is appended the following foot-note by tiie sporting editor :— Jt appears that the telegrams sent to England were bungled, in some manner or other, ' for liiifoi'tiuiately' fob 'the' detractors of the Australian's, Murdoch's team won by nine wickets. ' ' ' ' The Flag of France. — The tricolour, lately the subject of much merriment through, tho pranks of the Congo negrp'esj , has been causing gfreat grief „ in the Eastern Mediterranean. Twioo lately, says , a London weekly — once at the, Pirreus and again at Smyrna-Ilia's' the cap.taln of , a French' man-of-war' had to, coinplain pf his salute being improperly' returned. At the AijWiirail* Comrad's 21 t guns were answered by only 1 19 from' the shore.' The ''Admiral demanded, a rectification of the error, and obtained it;, "Once'in6re ) the French flag was h6isted'ai the mizfen,' "and- Was saluatedi t^th ;fche ,fuLL tale of.one.aud^ twenty guns from the shore. At 1 Smyrna tlic^orfr only fired 20 gun.s in. return fpt the salute ofWFjpj^h 1 frist«J? G Ssflfi#fiP way an officer on'^lioard" was deputed to call upou,j;u9 i| Pa^h.a $p, make a respectful but firm protest.'' Tha' i 'T^irkis')i functionary apologised, and- to seej that fcha second salute was properly done, f he went himself : to for.t to r superijatetid the gunners., There, he stood, wi^the, traditional /fianber ,ehaplet> jin, his jljiin.d,, ttounting, ,fche .jguns one, j b^Qflne >^TOft twenty-first w»s fired, 'fftOTfcXjilJft thetftMbtf,''! ?firp atjothe? j jporhaps tljqy , will leav«t;«9ji9"pme^ [ t Mp, fee. jOxoms of zeal was fatal. The French captain co'nsiasreashV extraf gun* itijbif Se/of . inf. iSsAf -aAit^ie ,'pffice'4>!ftell