People We Hear About

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXII, Issue 51, 22 December 1904, Page 10

People We Hear About

Admiral Dewey has been in tjhe U.S. navy 50 years. He had forgotten the fact on the anniversary, September 2.3, and was only reminded of it by a Washington newspaper. Tfhe President, when his attention w,as calleti to the Bact,, sent the admiral a buinch of American beauty roses. Admiral Dewey is 67 years of age. Dan Lcno, wlio died in London at the end of October, was of Irish parentage ; his real name was Gal\wi, aiul tils ohildren were educated at a So^t!h London convert. There- is no one to take his place on the London moisic-'hall stage. Other artists are cleiver and amjiusing in tjheir way, but not one of them possesses flic absolutely original style of Dan Lemo.

Qolonel Saiinders-on, the chairman of the Ulster Unionists-,, w]as a Liberal when he first went to the Hlquse 'of Oommons, forty years ago, as member for C a/Via n. His father and grandfather occupied the same seat. In 1874 the GoiHomel was defeated by Joe Biggar, and whein he went b>ajck to the 'House of Commons in 18i»5 it was ap a Unionist. It is somewhat singular tlh|at Clolbnel launder son's grandfather was a member of the old Iri'Sji House of Commons, and refused both a peerage ajxd a ponsioln offered him if he would vote for the Ujii'on.

' That Orkins ho\er there— 'im a-torkin' to Corlett. See 'im v Nice bernevolent old cove to look at, ain't he ? Ylus. That didn't stop 'is guvin' me five of his wery best, simply becorze by accident I mistook someb'dy else's 'o'use and plate-chest for my own. Sorter miist&ke which might 'appen a'rnost to 'henybody. There *c if^-sec 'Jin ? That's Onkins ! ' 'I need not say,' continues Llorld Dramptoh, in 'his ' Remilnisice,nces,' a veritable treason e-house of spicy anecidote and shrewd observation, ' I need not say tliat I was frequently spoketn of in this complimentary manner by persons who hajd been introduced to me at the Bar.' The interest attacftiifng; to so forcible an individuality as tttiat of the famous ' Mr. Uaw'kims, Q.C 1 .,' of Tichborne trial fame, can well be lm'agi-ned.

Lord RAS^mo'e, whose secevssiofr from the Orange 'lyddy Ih as awaikeneid so much interest, comete of a Dutch stock. Title Westcinra family is fvery ancieait in Holland. They halve the ' augmentation ' of the sea-horse on their cpat-»of-arinis in aUYisHon to the gallantry of 'an ancestor, w)ho tuning tihe Duke of Alva's campaigns was entirely employed against the enemy, airtd undertook to swim across iajn arm of the sea with important intelligence to his besieged countrymen. DoM Roswmjore's ancestor, War'ncr Wes-teuira, settled in Ireland witth his brother, Dertv ik Westcnra, m the time of Charles 11. On failure of liis own is snie he left his estate in Ireland #o tdie eldest b|om io f his brother, Ilenrreus Westqnra, on condition of his lieing sejnt to Ireland arid naturalised.

L.orid S\p queer has just entered on his 70th year. It is curioius (says the ' Freeman's Journal ') that the nuost Coercioni'st Lord Lieutenajnt of the last quarter of (lie cc/ittiury sl\o»ld, by the Iris^h people, 'be the most ies|pectc|d member of the long line of English governors wiilo 'have misigover'ned Ireland. That is, of course, becaiuse ihe was cyne of tlie few Englishmen wlio came to Ireland to lule us against our will wno not only discolored the error of his ways but acknowledged it, and evqn 'trudd, to the .best of hfs ability, to 'remedy it. It is jjnteresti'ng tlo remember that one of Do rid Spencer's uncles, tihe Hon. CJoorge Spencer, beoamc a Catholic in ',Ins yjr<ut,h, and |oined the Passionist Or*der, becoming a Catfhlolic propiajsjamdist among the aris'tJocrats of England.

Wialt^ln Hall, the historic seat of tlie \^aterton family, whilch has clung to the Catholic faith from the earliest records of their famous 'house down to the present) dto.y, is shortly to come into the market. The preseint ma,nsiWn, which is near Wakefield, is a modern one, burroVnitled by a moat, and is chieily interesting as h>a|v iing been tlie residence of Charles Waterton, the i«)ebrated 'naturalist and traveller, who was one of the first aftimni of Stony hurst College, atad died in 1865, leaving the greater portion of his munificent collections of natural history to his old school. The Watertons are mentioned in Domesday Book, and have been prominent in mianv stirring scenes of English history. One of them, Sir Robert, was Cr.us'ader at the battle of Ascalrjn, aji>d is said to have been granted toy Riciifet-rtt Coeur de Lnon iln person the three sable crescents whidh are still borne on Ihe coat-armorial of the family. Sir John Watertoin fought at Agincaurt, and later on Charles Wateirttan, who married a lineal descendant of Blessed Thomas More, was imprisoned 'at Yo^k for liis fidelity to tihe Stuart cause. The present representative of the hoUise is Mr. Joseph Waterton, wiho is tjhe greatgiramVisfcwi of the famous naturalist, and is a schoolboy still iln lhiis> teens. Cancjn Waterton, of Ctirliale, is 'of the sjame family.