Personalities.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 391, 5 November 1903, Page 7

Personalities.

SfE HENBY AND LADY BLAKE. The Governor of Hong Koag; Sir Henry Blake, who is said to be likely to succeed Sir J. West Eicfeoway at Ceylon later in the year, is &n Irishman, the son of sn • Inspector in the Irish Constabulary, who himself began life as a cadet in that force and rosa to be a Resident Magistrate. Sir Henry, then plain Mr Blake, had soma taatnorable experiences in the Emerald Me before he went to the isla&cts beyond the seas. He has an interesting c?>teer behind hio, too, : in Colonial administration, It was Sir He ury who ' settled' the four hundred square miles of Chiaese saainlasd, and which .the Chinese Government leased to us for ninety-nine j/ears in 1896. It. .was not the simplest thing in the world to hoist the Union Jack ever Kowloon and induce the Chinese to cross th 9 water to register themselves and their holdings at Hong Kong, but Sir Hssry Blake c'aserves the credit for establishing our f Chinese Colony,'' and introducing the British Empire to a hundred thousand new subjects. Lacy Slake, whose father waß an M.P. andwhose sister is now a Duc'iess, has her own idea of pets, and at Hong Koag a tame leopard is allowed to walk freely in the grounds of Government House. One night a young subaltern add his partner, who were Lady Blake's guests at a bali, left the ball-room for a .walk, in the grounds, and sat down on a seat built round a trea. They were up again in a moment. Two piercing screama fell upon the quiet eve&ing air, and when it was ail oves the subaltern ani his partner found that they had sat down on the leopard 1

_. PRESIDENT LOUBET, The |i£fced President of the French Be public is of that simple, homely, unaffected type of nature which wins admi ration in ail lands. 16 is characteristic of him that when ha entered the Elyses OE9 of his first acts was to do away with the incsEsant military salutes which had rejoiced the soul of his predecessor. Simple and .unaffected as sre tho President's tastes,- however, he ia far from wanting in intellectual interests. Not only is he an extremely well-read man, but also a Djctoi of Lw, an accomplished Lafcinist and a good chess player, .while he; has also a remarkable , 'passion for music, which ass resulted ia m&ny not 3worthy performances of a Hemiprivate nstuse.at the Elysm - M, Loubet might ba called one who has become President in spite of himself. He wanted to be a farmer, like his father before him, but the latter made him a lawyer. Ia that capacity he earned sueh good opinions that his neighbours kept him ass M*yor of his native town for thirty years ; is duo course he was sent to represent his department in the C aamber of tbsn he migrated to the Sonata, where he succeeded M. Challemel-Lacour as President, and so in time obtained the highest position ia tho State. Bit through it all the President has never lost his passionate love for the eousstry and rural pursuits, aad to thia day tolls his friends that he is only waiting the expiration of his term of office to take up once more the life of a simple country gentleman, when he can prove that he is m admirable shot.