The Duke of Hamilton.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 222, 1 October 1887, Page 7

The Duke of Hamilton.

Who could have thought it? The Duke of Hamilton was once the unavowed object of the affection of a romantic girl of fourteen who dreamt about him, and him only, for nearly five years. She never confided her dream to anyone, and we should not now be aware of it if she had not jotted it down in a note-book, which; i\ j«!pt under lock and key. The fair dreamer was, perhaps, taken all in all, the most variously and highly gifted Russian ofhersex and period — the late Mary Bashkirseff. She wrote as she painted, and painted as &he saw and felt. Butaslove is blind, I suppose the Duke of Hamilton, who was the object of her silent worship, was evolved out of her inner consciousness. The day on which she awoke from love's first dream she saw him after a long absence in the Champs Elysdes, driving with a lady. His hair, she noticed for the first time, was the colour of unalloyed copper in its highest state of brightness ; the whiskers, curled and coppery also, extended half-way down the cheek and halfway across it from the ear ; they were neatly cm led ; the complexion was rubicund; thefigure — which was always "full" — had run greatly into flesh, and the whole ducal person had an expression nf good feeding and creature comfort which caused the dreamer to laugh heartily at Tier dream. Her next passion was the poor painter, Bastiesn Lepage, who was as small as the Duke of Hamilton was bulky, and whose outer masa appeared to be composed of a large squarte forehead, and a pair of watchful hazel eyes, which were always smiling. Soon after he and she became acquainted she wa« seized with the gallopscag consumption wflsich carried her off, and he with internal eswaeer. His brother used to carry him up and down three flights of stairs to visit her, and both " sympathisers " — for they were never lovers — used to sit in easy-iehairs, looking at each other, and too weak to speak. She was the first to depart for the silent land. Her journal is singularly original and interesting.

The Rev. James Boyd Brady, having passed throughout the United States and Mexico, is now in the Sandwich Islands, and soon to sail for China, Japan and India, via New Zealand and Australia. The Presbyterian Sabbath school in the city of Damascus is attended by 356 children, and the day school by 730. Between 400 and 500 natives attend tho Sunday services. Beautiful riots at Lillie Bridge. If thoas had taken place in Ireland, a more stringent Coercion Act would hft-ve been introduced.