People We Hear About

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXII, Issue 32, 11 August 1904, Page 10

People We Hear About

Capt. Shawe Taylor is travelling in Prussia, studying the school system with reference to educational reforri in Ireland. r Mr. Davitt, who is travelling in Russia, has sent an interesting account of his impressions to the Dublin daily press. Mr. Davitt quotes the opinion of a Polish priest, whom he met, regarding the Uzar, who is described by the priest as ' a very good man, who gave every liberty to Catholics.'

Mr. Alfred Austin, the Poet Laureate, is in his 70th year. He was educated at Stonyhurst and St. Mary's College, Oscott, from which latter school he took his degree in London. He was called to the! Bar and practised till 1869, when he published N his second book, ' The Season ; a Satire,' and embarked on a literary career. In 1896 he was appointed Poet Laureate.

Itolfe Boldrewood (Mr. T. A. Brown), author' o£ Robbery Under Arms ' and other well known Australian novels, entered on his 79th year on the 6th inst. Robbery Under. Arms ' firstf appeared tin the ' Sydney, Mail, and it was not published in book form till 1888. Mr. Browne has been both a squatter and a police magistrate in Australia, where he arrived with his father 74 years ago.

Japan's greatest warrior is General Viscount Katsaira, who became Prime Minister of the country a lewyears ago. The Viscount, who has been called tho Lord Roberts of Japan, began his military career in 1868, during the Civil War which overthrew the old order of things and resulted in the adoption of Western civilisation. He was a lieutenant \ then, and so good was his record that at the conclusion of the war the Government, sent him to Germany to study military affairs. Then he returned home and remodelled the Japanese soldiery on the European plan.-

The Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria, who will be 74 years of age on the 18th inst., and will have reigned 56 years as Emperor on December 2, is a very simple-living, hard-working old man. Always appearing, in uniform, he does not go in for either good clothes or good eating. His meals are more details than necessities, and often luncheon is served to him at his desk as he sits working at State papers. Even on hunting trips he cannot escape from official business, and it is necessary for him to rise about five o'clock in. the morning to get through a day's work.

The signal honor conferred by his Majesty on • Admiral Lord Walter Kerr by appointing him additional Admiral of the Fleet, "in recognition of the great value to the Navy and the nation of his fifty yeats of naval service,' will be a matter of congratulation to all Catholics'. Apart from the manner of the promotion we believe him to be the only Catholic who has ever held that highest rank in the Navy. For the last five years he has filleu the important post of First Naval Lord of the Admiralty, during which time the burden has fallen an him of steering the British Navy through two wars. Friday, August 26, will be the 21st anniversary of the consecration of the Most Rev. Dr. Carr as Bishop of Galway. His Grace was born in Galway in 1840. He studied at St. Jarlath's College and Maynooth, and was ordained priest in 1866. After spending a few years in missionary work in his native diocese, his Grace was in 1870 appointed Professor of Rhetoric in St. Jarlath's College. A few years later he became dean in Maynooth, then Professor of Theology, and eventually vice-president of that College. In August, 1883, Dr. Carr was consecrated Bishop of Galway, having been during the previous three years editor of the ' Irish Ecclesiastical Record.' Three year's later he was appointed to succeed the late Dr. Goold as Archbishop of Melbourne, where he arrived in June of the next year.

The visit of bluejackets at the Vatican must (says the ' Daily Chronicle ') have caused almost a commotion of surprise to the Roman man in the street. To him England stands for Protestantism, and he can' hardly believe in the orthodoxy of the English travelling priest' who says Mass in St. Potter's. Yet in all ranks of the Navy Roman Catholics abound. One of their number, Admiral Lord Walter Kerr, has been First Sea Lord of the Admiralty these five years ; another, Vicq-Admiral" Sir Hilary Andrte, has been Admiral-Superintendent oE Chatham Dockyard ; a third, : Rear-Admiral Bickford, is by the* way, that ' nice Captain Bickfoid ' whom R. L. Stevenson mentions in the ' Vailima Letters.' Notoriously a great number of the coastguards of England are what Disraeli once called ' Irish followers of the Pope./