A FEW DISTINGUISHED VETERANS.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2639, 23 June 1877, Page 4

A FEW DISTINGUISHED VETERANS.

In glancing over " Men of tbo Time " it is astonishing to find the large number of well-known names whose histories have commenced with the close of the last and the beginning of the present century. Many who in their time have played a distinguished part are now enjoying the repose which has been earned by a busy' and useful career, and the names have for the time faded from the memory. But there are others who have passed the threescore and ten years, and even the octogenarian stage, who are still following the busjr pursuits of life, and from the subjoined list, culled at random, it will be seen that by far the greater portion of those selected are still on the active list, and doing good service in their several waits of life. Commencing the list with sovereigns— The Sovereign Pontiff, Pius the ISinth, takes foremost rank in the scale of longevity. His age is 85, while the Emperor of Germany follows next, at 80 years; Maria Christina, the Queen Dowager of Spaiu, is 71. In the Royal Family of Great Britain the oldest member is the Duchess of Cambridge, 82^ Santa Anna, the ex-President of Mexico, still survives, and is now 79. Amongst statesmen, Earl Russell is 85 ; Sir Stratford de Redcliffe, better known as Sir Stratford Canning,, and for a long time ambassador for the Porte, has reached to the ripe old age of 89; M. Thiers is 80. Prince GortschakofF, the Eussian Chancellor, 79; M. Dufaure, the late French Premier, is 79 ; Francois Vincent Raspail, who, as a Radical politician, was concerned in the revolutions of July, 1830, .and 1848, and more recently cast his lot with the Commune, is 83; John Arthur [Roebuck, who has long represented Sheffield in the House of Commons,,, is 75; Caleb Cushing, the well known American statesman, is 77. In the House of Commons the oldest members are Mr Michael Bass, M.P. for Derby, 78; James Chaine, M.P. for County Antrim, 77; Sir H. R. Ferguson, 79; J. Drax, 77; Sir Eichard Gilpin, 76; Win. Buckeley Hughes, 80: Bight Hon. J. W. Henley, 84; Duncan M'Laren, 77; Lieut.-Colonel Parker, 75 ; Bight Hon C. P. Villiers, 75. In the House of Lords there are very many noblemen over the age of 70, and several who have exceeded 80 years'. Viscount Eversley, who, as Mr Shaw Lefevre, was for many years Speaker of the House of Commons, is 83 ; Lord Hampton, better known aa Sir John Palnngton, is 78; Lord Halifax, formerly " Sir Charles Wood, is 76 ; Earl Beaconsfield, the present Premier, is 72. The oldest peers are Earl Bathurst and \ iscount Gage, who are both 86.

Amongst the distinguished lawyers we' find Lord Chelmsford, better known as - Frederick Thesiger, and an ex-Chancellor, is turned 83 ; while Chief Baron Kelly (Sir Fitzroy Kelly) is 81; Sir Alexander Cockburn, the Lord Chief Justice of England, is a comparatively young man, having only reached to 75. Russell Gurney, Q.C., who for the past 21 years has. filled the office of Recorder of London, is aged 73. The army and navy of all countries furnishes a lengthy list of long-lived . men. General Sir Geo. Bowles, the gallant Constable of the Tower, is 90; the Earl of Lucan, who commanded the heavy Cavalry Brigade in the Crimea, is 77; and Sir William Fenwick Williams, the heroic defender of Kars, has attained to the same age; General Codrington, who commanded the British army in the Crimea at the close of the war, is 73 ; Lord Strathnairn, better known as Sir Hugh Rose, who did good service, both in India and the Crimea, is 74. Amongst the naval heroes Sir George Sartorius, the Admiral of the Fleet, is 87; and the sporting Admiral Rous is 82. Turning to other' countries* we find General Count Liiders, of the Russian service, who was engaged in the campaigns against the French from 1812 to 1814, ami was also employed with the Russian battalions in the conquest of Hungary in 1849. His last active service was in the Crimea, where he held a command—the age of this veteran is 87; Count Paul i Kisseleff, who has entered upon his 89th birthday, made his first campaign, which terminated with the treaty of Tislit, in 1807 ; Louis Kossuth, now aged 75, who in his time created no small stir as a revolutionist in Hungary, is now living in Turin, where he has resided for the past 14 years in th* strictest privacy, devoting his time to" science. Count Ton Moltke, the successful German strategist, is now 77 years old; , and Count Yon Boon, the German Minister of War, is 74. Field-Marshal Yon: Wrangcl is over 90. General Palikao, known also as Count de Montauban, is one of the oldest soldiers of France. He/ commanded the French contingent in, China, and with Sir Hope Grant and the English army marched to Pekin. He is now 81 years old. General Nicholas Changarnier, who served in the campaign of 1823 in Spain as a lieutenant, is 84. He was shut up in Metz with Bazaine, and was prisoner of war in Germany. General Benedek, the Austrian general who in the campaign of 1866 was defeated at Sadowa, is now, 73.. General La Marmora, the Italian general, who performed good service in 1848-9, and who commanded the Sardinian army in the Crimea, j besides being engaged in the campaign I against Austria in 1866, has reached his 73rd year. General Garibaldi, whose fame is world-wide, has just turned 70.

* Amongst the scientific men Eobert Napier, the engineer and founder of the firm of Robert Napier and Sons," is 89; Lieutenant- General Sir Edward Sabine, the late President of the Royal Society, has reached the same ripe agei? William Lassel, the astronomer, who discovered the satellite of Neptune in 1847, and Hyperion, the eighth satellite of Saturn, is 78; Michael Charles, the French mathematician, is 84.

Turning to literature, Cowden Clarke, at 90, heads the list; Thomas Carlyle, the " Sage of Chelsea," has entered upon his 82nd year; William Cullen Bryant, the American poet, is 83; Frangois Mignet, the French historian, is 81 ; Paul de Noailles, another French historinn, 75 ; Jacob Chodzko, the historian of Poland, 77 ; Victor Hugo, 75 'j James R. Planche, the distinguished dramatist and author, 81; Samuel Warren, the author of " Ten Thousand a Year," 70; Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the American poet, 70; Sir John Shaw Lefevre, fon 21 years clerk of Parliaments, and the author of several works, is now 80. .......... ■ —

Amongst churchmen may be men? tioned Dr. M'Hale, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Tuam, who is 86 ; Dr. E. B. Pueey, the eminent traetorian, is 77 ;

and Bishop Dupauluup, of Orleans, the leader of the " Inopportunist" movement at the Vatican Council, is 75.

Amongst artists of repute are to be found George Oruiekshank, who is now 85; and Charles Laiuiseer, li. A., tin elder brother of the late Sir Edwin Laudseer,. aged 78. Sir Francis Grant, President of the lioyal A eademy is 74. The veteran actors are J. B. Buakstone, the still popular lessee o! the Haymarket Theatre, who is 75 ;'the evergreen' Charles Mathews, 74 ; Maria Taglioni, the once celebrated danseuse, who formed one of the famous pas dcs quatre, but who married in 1874, and retired —she is now 73 ; .Samuel Phelps, the tragedian is 71, and Benjamin Webster is 70. The list would not be complete without mention of the Jewish veteran, Sir Moses Montefioie, Bart, who served the office of Sheriff of London in 1837, and whose missions in various countries for the relief of persons oppressed for religious convictions have placed his name at the head of philanthropists. He has has reached the fine old age of 93. Sir Rowland Hill, the author of the penny-postage system, is $2. Sir George Stephen, who is in our midst, and who in his time has done good service, is 83. Prince Murat, the second son of Joachim Murat, King of Naples,'is now an old man, having passed his 74th year. The list might be lengthened out considerably. The two Houses of Parliament, the army, navy, the bench, and the fields of literature and art abound with men who have passed their threescore and ten years, but in the foregoing only some of the best known and distinguished of the world's veterans have been selected.—Australasian.