PERSONAL NOTES FROM LONDON.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXV, Issue XVI, 20 October 1900, Page 748

PERSONAL NOTES FROM LONDON.

(From Our Special War Correspondent.) LONDON, Septembe r 7. The Agent-General and Mrs Reeves are at present staying at Lymington with Uncle Pember, Q.C., and next week Mr Reeves will, as I have already intimated, deliver one of his wise, witty discourses on the “Colonies as Money lenders” before the British Association at Bradfield/ • Mr and Mrs de Crewe, of Pahiatua, have arrived in town on a mingled tour of business and pleasure, and mean to be off shortly to Scotland and Ireland. After that Paris and other good things will follow. Lord Hampden has been amongst the noble peers taking a course of the waters at. Harrogate. Mandeno Jackson had a triumph series of concerts at Southsea last week. The Circumlocution Department of the War Office is in great form just now as invalided colonial soldiers find out to their cost. A sergeant of the Imperial Light Horse who came Home some three weeks ago was, the other day, reported fit for duty and was told to.'prepare to return to South Africa at once. He discovered on making inquiry that he was to be sent back by a boat sailing from the London docks, but that he would have to report himself at Southampton. This means tiiat he will spend one of his few precious days in England in travelling to and from Southampton at, presumably, the expense of the State. This sort of assinine proceedure makes one despair of the War Office. j Bv the Allan liner Parisian, which arrived from Montreal in the Mersey last Monday, Mrs Russell (wife of Capt. Russell') ami her son Mr C. J. North Russell, were expected. Mrs Russell landed alone, her son having passed to the great beyond on the second morning of the passage. He was buried at sea the same even'ing. Mr Russell had known for a long time that his end was coming, and it was at his entreaty that his mother undertook the journey io the Old Country, her son having' a .strong desire to end bis life here. But it was not to be. He bore, the long sea. journey to Vancouver and the trying overland trip well, and the night preceding- his death was exceedingly cheerful. During the night a relapse occurred, and early on the morrow Mr Russell passed peacefully away. The engagement is announced of Captain Arthur H. E. Wood, of the Scottish Rifles, son of General Sir E. Wood, -Vand Miss Ethel Mary Duncan, youngest daughter of Mr A. Duncan, of Otairi, Marton, New Zealand, and 71, Gloucester Place, Portman Square. The marriage, it is stated, is to take place shortly. Mr Charles Guthrie, Q.C., the new Sheriff of Ross, in the course of the various methods adopted for learning the Gaelic language, declared that to achieve this accomplishment was a supreme ambition of Robert Louis Stevenson. The latter told him he had spent a considerable amount of time and trouble trying to learn the language, and at last thought he had advanced so far that he might speak it. He addressed an old Highland woman in a simple-sentence which he supposed and intended to be .Gaelic, but yvhat was his chagrin when the old body calmly informed him that she “did not have the English!”, From Paris under date September 5, “Suthy” writes me a cheery letter of which the following is the gist:—“l have just come back from Berlin -where I had an engagement for a two days’ race meeting. I had a real fine trip, enjoyed myself immensely, but in the racing 1 was unsuccessful. I had a nasty fall while training one evening during ihe week I was there, so what chances I may have hail were spoilt. I find the style of racing here very different to what we, or rather I, have been used to. With us in Australia and New Zealand, we race all the way, say in a mile race, but here in Europe it’s a crawl till the last 200 metres and then a quick sprint at the finish. Any foreigner should be here at least two months before the decision of any important events he may wish to compete in, as you have no chance otherwise. I arrived here three weeks* before the Worlds Championships were run, but I was in such a condiUWk

after my seven weeks on the boat as to be totally unfit for any kind of racing. 1 did my l>est under the circumstances, but could not get well. Even now I am only just striking form. I am engaged here with the Exposition races from the 9th till 16th of this month, then I leave for New Zealand to fulfil my engagements there in December. I <sail from London in the P. and O. Co.’s Britannia on September 30. I like Europe and the racing boys, and have had a good time since I have been here.”

Mr Hugo Gorlitz and his beautiful wife, Madame Amy Sherwin, are quitting their beautiful house at West Hampstead for a perfectly fitted residence at Shortlands, Kent, which they have named “Huonville,”after Madame Sherwin’s Tasmanian home. The house is to be lighted throughout by electric light and fitted with a patent heating apparatus, while the furnishing will be of a most artistic order. Madame Sherwin and her little girl have recently been recruiting in North Wales. Their only son, Mr Louis Gorlitz. who is intended for the Diplomatic Service, is an accomplished linguist, and has made great headway with the initial part of the training. I quite agree with Miss Murphy, of the “British Australasian,” who, of course, accomplished this paragraph that a well lighted household is perhaps the greatest of all household luxuries. The Princess Louise lias always had an intense dislike for publicity, and no doubt this feeling somewhat influenced the Duke of Argyle’s refusal of the Governor Generalship of Australia- His wife said she “could never wake a friend there. It would be worse than in Canada.”. At Rideau Hail might be able to preserve a provisional incognita. The good people near there were much flustered at the idea of serving a Princess, and said they di<T not know how to address her or behave in her presence. The result was that Her Royal Highness had the pleasure of viewing the nervous retreat of all shop assistants as she approached, and of waiting till the master of the establishment was brought to attend to her •wants. To prevent this she got into the way of shopping as a private lady, and on one occasion went into Ottawa to biyr-a new clock Tor her boudoir. ignorant of The identity ,‘<sf Hs customer, Waxed eloquent over .. thev'mm-its ;of dbe-'hrt icle. ’According to hftfT ft was perfect, and there was nothing .- that-.it .would not, do. The Princess, highly amusedi listened attentively. till a spirit of mischief made her ask: “ts there anyfjiing else this clock will do?" “Yes." said the man turning sulky, ‘-‘Wind it tip, and it will go.” “That is well,” was the answer. “Send it to Rideau Hall-" The consternation with which the salesman heard its destination may lie better imagined than described. .Though Freddy Lane, who gained such a sensational victory over the a.p- 1 parent ly invincible J. A. Jarvis in the Quarter Mile Salt Water Championship, decided at Blackpool last year, was not able io defend his title, owing to illness. Australia had a couple of representatives in the field' of five ' which turned out for the race at Skegness last Saturday 7. They , were Jack Hellings and Victor Lindberg, against whom England opposed Jarvis and Tom Wildgoose, and Ireland, McCabe, of Dublin? Heltings and Lindberg are both sprinters, but given kindly conditions the first-named can warm up the best of ’em at 500 yards. On Saturday the conditions were dead •■agajitst all in ftwour of- big mem the sFirbeing'rough and the tide"' running strongly. Tlie .course wqg 110 yards long, rind in -theAipS stretch thg men greatest ditfrculty In ge®*' ting.qlpnig; From the’plunge Bellinis, led, but ere'hfty yards had been, travshowxil in fijgnt. thy rest’ remaining in a cluster at his heels. Lindberg, had enough of.it .before ,a length bad ben traversed, and retired, and .Jarvis turnejLten yards ahead of Wildgoose, \Hellings then being third close up. The ehampion went further and further away, the others keeping their places until the end of the third stretch, when Hellings cried a go. intimately Jarvis won by nearly 70 yards from Wildgoose, McCabe being nearly 100 yards behind the latter. The times of the three were 12min 55 see., llmiii 20sec., and 16min 28sec. In order that you may realise the state of the sea and tide, it is only necessary to remark that when Lane beat Jarvis .last jyear the winner only occupied fimiu 30 l-ssec.