People We Hear About.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVIII, Issue 12, 22 March 1900, Page 30

People We Hear About.

It is said that Sir Redvers Bailer is the wealthiest general (amongst commoners) in the seßvi^e, and Admiral Sir Alexander Boiler the wealthiest naval commander.

The Rev. Father Scbang, 0 M.I , who is now with the Canadian troops in South Africa, was formerly a professor of the University of Ottawa.

The death occurred reoently at St. Moritz, Switzerland, of Sir Henry Gore- Booth, of Lissadell, County Sligo. The eldest son, Sir Joßsyln Gore-Booth, succeeds to the title and estates.

Although Mr. Justin McCarthy (says the Catholic Times of January 26) does not expect to be in his place at the opening of Parliament, we are glad to learn that he is making steady progress after his recent operation for cataract.

Madame Marches!, who is now training Amy Castles' voice, began her career ac a teacher when she was fifteen. Her birthplace was Paris, and she was educated in Vienna. Frankfort, and Paris. She has sung in all the chief cities of Europe, and the Queen recently conferred on her the Diamond Jubilee Commemoration Medal. She is the tenth, last, and only surviving child of Sal va to re Castrone, of Palermo, and she now holds the title of Baronne A. Caccamisi.

American papers to hand report the death, in her SOth year, of Mrs. Mitohel, widow of the great patriot, John Mitchel. Through all the vicissitudes of her husband's life Mrs. Mitchel was by his Bide. She followed him to Bermuda, where he was taken after his sentence to fourteen years' banishment, and went to Van Diemen's Land when he was transported there. After his esoape she followed him to America, and made a home for him in the Land of the West, where they lived until Mitohels return to Ireland and election to Parliament.

Is the British Cabinet a Ministry of old men ? There are three members of it who have passed the ' allotted span ' of life. Viscount Cross is 77, Lord James of Hereford 72, and Lord Halsbury 75. The Premier, Lord Salisbury, is 70. Only four out of 19 are septuagenarians. Seven are sexagenarians — the Duke of Devonshire, who is 67, Sir M. Hicks-Beach 63, Mr. Chamberlain 64, Mr. Gosohen 69, Lord Cadogan 60, Lord Aehbourne 63, and Mr. Ritchie 62. Of the remaining eight, Mr. Chaplin is 59, Sir M. W. Ridley 58, Lord Lansdowne and Lord George Hamilton each 55, Sir Arthur Balfour 52, Lord Balfour of Burleigh 51, Mr. Akers-Douglas 49, and Mr. Long 46.

Mr. Crowther, M.H.R. for Auckland city, died, on Thursday afternoon. The deceased was one of the beat-known Members of the House, being blunt and plain spoken. When he had something to say he said it, careless alike of the feelings of political opponents, or the niceties of grammar. He was well known in Otago in the early days of the goldfields. After a time he removed to Auckland, where he carried on business as a livery ttablekeeper. He took an active interest in municipal matters, and after being a councillor for several years, was elected mayor. In 1893 he turned his attention to colonial politics, and was elected to the House of Representatives for the city of Auckland, polling next to Sir George Grey. He was re-elected in 1896, and again last December.

The energy and industry of Mr. John Ruskin, who died a short time ago, were marvellous. The bibliography of his writings fills two fat volumes, and a collection of them, by no means complete, fills some 16 feet of shelf room. In addition to all this, he was a most voluminous correspondent. His letters to the papers or to correspondents for publication fill several volumes. His private letters were no less carefully written, and were full of charm. Here is one tiny extract. He is describing a lunch with Manning — ' nay darling Cardinal,' he calls him. 'He gave me lovely noup, roast beef, hare, and currant jelly, puff-pastry like Papal pretenstone — you had but to breathe on it and it was nowhere — and those lovely preserved cherries, like kisses kept in amber.' To innumerable friends he wrote in this charming vein, and always in the same exquisitely neat and beautiful handwriting.

Lieut. Grieve, whose death while serving with the Gordon Highlanders in South Africa bas just been announced, was a very popular officer in Sydney, where he was adjutant of the 6th Regiment. A thorough Scotsman, he had a great affinity for Irishmen, and very few of the Irish Rifles' smoke concerts passed without his presence in the messroom uniform of the Highlanders. We (Sydney Freeman's Journal") have it on good authority that prior to the departure of the Contingent with which Lieut. Grieve left Sydney he waited upon the Mother Rectress of one of our communities of the Sisters of Charity and asked her prayers for himself and his comrades. In response to some pleasantries from comrades as to a non-Catholic Scotsman making such a request, he simply said he believed in the prayers of a holy woman. Had he lived Lieut. Grieve would almost certainly have received the V.C., as the news a week ago was of his gallant service in repairing some outworks under a deadly fire, in the course of which he was wounded by a shell. The present news of his death will evoke a general feeling of sorrow at the loss of a brave man and a good citizen, and of deep sympathy with the widow and children he has left with us. Lieut. Grieves children are being educated in a convent in Sydney. Mrs Grieve is a Catholic.

General Gatacre, who has attraoted so much attention lately (says a contemporary) is a member of a very old Shropshire family — the Gataores of Gatacre, who are reputed to have held their estates for about 10 centuries. The General has reason, therefore, to be proud of his lineage, which, on his mother's side again, is not undistinguished. In a word, the late Gatacre, of Gatacre, married a Scotswoman, and, of course, ' every Scotswoman has a pedigree.' The General's mother was, before her marriage, Miss Forbes, of Callendar, in Stirlingshire, an aunt of the present laird. The estate of Callendar is a rather extensive one, beautifully wooded, and the house — noted chiefly for its associations with Qaeen Mary and Prince ' Charlie,' with Cromwell and with Monk — is not far from the busy town of Falkirk, whose motto, by the way, ie an expressive one : ' Better meddle wi' the de'il than the bairns o' Falkirk.' There is still related in Falkirk a good story of old Mrs. Gatacre's father, the late Forbes of Callendar, who purchased the estate last century. Mr. Forbes, who had amassed a considerable fortune — partly by his contracts for coppering the ships of the royal nayy — was involved in several disputes as to rent and such matters after his purchase of the estate. One of these was with a neighbouring olergyman, who was unable to carry his point with the new proprietor, and who subsequently gratified his own feeling of resentment by preaching from the text : ' Alexander the coppersmith has done me much evil ; the Lord reward him according to his works 1 '