People We Here About.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXIX, Issue 1, 3 January 1901, Page 4

People We Here About.

Henri de Blowitz, the Paris correspondent of the London Timei, although of Jewish stock, is a devout Catholic, and strenuously denies the recent rumor of his defection. The Duke of Norfolk was unanimously selected at a preliminary meeting of the Westminster City Councillors to be the tirst Mayor of Westminster. Mr A. W. a'Beokett, the new president of the Institute of Journalists, is a Catholic. He is a contributor to the well-known paper. Punch, the editor of which is also a Citholic. Sir Cornelius Alfred Maloney, K.C.M.G. (Governor of the Windward Islands), has been appointed Governor of Trinidad and Tobago, in succession to Sir Hubert E. H. Jerningham, K.C.M.G. Both these distinguished servants of the State are Catholioe. The death is announced of Mr. W. F. Wakeman, Fellow of the Royal Society of Antiquaries, Ireland. He was a friend and pupil of the late Dr. Petrie, and almost the sole survivor of a famons band of antiquaries who included amongst its members Sir William Wilde and Bishops Reeves and Graves. Miss Bessie Macdonald, a Chicago girl, who has just been married in Paris to Baron Rudolph de Hirsch, a nephew of the late Baron Hirssh, was once in the Carl Rosa Opera Company and also a leading soprano in the Grand Opera Company at Chicago. When she was only a child she was passionately fond of music, and her training was completed by the best masters in Paris. It was here she met the Baron's sister, and a close friendship was formed between them. Miss Macdonald ia a Catholic. It is officially announce! that Mr Charles Wilion, editor of the New Zealand Mail, and an ex-M.H.R. for Wellington Buburbe, hat been appointed librarian in the General Assembly Library. Mr Wilson is a Yorkshire man. After spending some time on the Con* tinent he came ont to New Zealand, and was for some yean a master at the Wanganui College. Later on he drifted into jour' naliam, and edited newspapers in various parts of the North Island. About ten years ago he became editor of the New Zealand Mmil. He is a well-known authority on books, and some very able reriewe from his pen have appeared from time to time in the Mail. He possesses one of the best private libraries in Wellington, and aa he is well read and a genuine lover of books he should find himielf ia congenial surroundings in the Parliamentary Library. Once when Sir Charles Warren was a Captain of Sappers, he was in command of a small detachment in the South of England. One morning a man was arraigned before him on a charge of re* fusing to obey orders, the offender being a man who had rather a good opinion of himself, owing to the fact that he had onoe been a volunteer officer. ' I see,' observed Warren sternly, • that you refused to sweep out a barrack-room when ordered to do so by Sergeant Jones. What have you got to say ? ' ' Really, sir ' stammered the accused ,' you don't seem to be aware that I have held her Majesty's Commission.' ' I wasn't,' answered tbe other, • but that need not prev» nt you holiiog her Majesty'i broom-handle when ordered to do ao by your superior.' A prominent Catholic baronet sends M.A.P. the following note of criticism and of interesting statistics : — I must really take exception (he writes) to a recent letter from a lady correspondent of M.A.P., commenting on the so-called 'curious fact' that'distinguished converts to Rome marry very seldom into Roman Catholic families,' and quoting the late Lord Bute as 'in this, at so many other matters, the exception that proves the rule.' Pray let me point out that the ' rule ' is, in fact, exactly the contrary of what the fair writer in M.A.P. implies, and that nearly every distinguished convert in this country has married into an old Catholio family, unless he happened to be already married when he ' went over.' It will suffice to name the following instances to show that Lord Bute was rather an illustratiea of the rule than an exception to it. The Earls of Abingdon, Denbigh, and Granard (all converts), married respectively Miae Townley, of Townley ; Miss Berkeley, of Spetchley ; and the Hon. Frances Mary Petre. Viscount Encotnbe married the Hon. Mary Fraser, of Lovat ; Lord Braye, Miss Walmesley ; the tenth Lord Beaumont, the daughter and heiress of Sir Charles Tempest ; Lord Ralph Eerr, Lady Anne Howard ; Sir Henry Bellingham, Ladj Constance Noel ; Lady Flora Hastings, the Duke of Norfolk; Mr. James Hope Soott, Q.C., Lady Victoria Howard ; and Mr. SoottMurray, of Danesfield, the Hon. Amelia Fraser, of Lovat. Many years ago he who is now Lord Roberts commanded a native regiment in India. The men were excellent fighting material, but the laws of meum and tuuvi were not striotly reoognised. Still the line had to be drawn somewhere, and when a Bergeant complained that his watch had been stolen it was felt that something must be done. At evening parade Major ' Bobs ' harangued the regiment, and, understanding the native character, he adopted tactics that, in poker parlance, would be called ' bluffing.' Thus, before dismissing the men, he confidently announced that the thief was known to him personally, and that, unless the missing property was restored before reveille, he would bring him to trial by court-martial. When at ' office hour ' next morning the sergeant reported that his property had been restored, Bobs felt pleased with himself, but his elation was destined to be Bhort-lived for a rude awakening was in store for him. - While walking through tbe linea later in the day he ohanced to hear a oouple of his men discussing the affair and, thinking that he might discover the identity of the culprit, the amateur Sherlock Holmes softly approached the speakers. ' What a wonderful man the Sahib is,' said one in aooenta of admiration. 'He actually knew who stole the watch and made him replace it.' 'My brother,' answered the other in tones of contempt, 'of course the Sahib knew who stole the watch, beoauae he took it himself.'