People We Hear About

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXV, Issue 47, 21 November 1907, Page 28

People We Hear About

A world's record was broken on September 7 at the Jamestown Exposition by .'John J. • Flanagan, of New York, - who hurled the 561 b weight 38ft Bin, beating his own i record by an eighth of an inch." v - . , The British Government has decided to give Mr~Bryce, the Ambassador to the United States, a salary of £10,000 a year. This is the same as that paid to Mr Roosevelt as President of the United States. The previous salary of the British Ambassador at Washington was £37,800. Mr Bryce^also gets an installation allowance of £2,000. The following list shows, the salaries of the remaining British Ambassadors : — Paris, Sir Francis L. Bertie, £9,000 ; Vienna, Sir Edward Goschen, £8,000 ; Berlin, Sir F. C. Lascelles, £8,000 ,• Constantinople, Sir Nicholas O'Conor, £8,000"; St. Petersburg, Sir A. Nicholson, £7,800; Eome, Sir E. H. Egerton, £7,800 ; Madrid^ Sir M. W. de Bunsen, £5,500; Tokio, Sir Claude Macdonald, £5,000. Sunday, September 22, ,was the birthday" of Abdul' Hamid, Sultan of Turkey, and it is a remarkable fact that this potentate, who is said to live in daily fear of the assassin's knife, is one of the longest lived monarchs in Europe, and has reigned for a longer period than any of his predecessors for nearly 250 years. King Oscar of Sweden is thirteen years older than the ' Commander of the Faithful,' the Emperor of Austria can give him twelve years, King Leopold of Belgium only seven, while King Charles of Roumania and Prince Nicholas of Montenegro are respectively three years and one year older than His Majesty. Five Kings of Europe and four foreign potentates have a longer record on the throne. The Emperor Francis Joseph has now reigned for fifty-nine years, King George of Greece for forty-four' years, Prince Nicholas of Montenegro for forty-seven, King Leopold for forty-two, and King Oscar of Sweden (over that part of his dominions which remains to-him) for thirty-five years. Abroad the Sultan's superiors are the Mikado of Japan, who has forty years of rule ; the Emperor of China, with thirty-two years; and the King of Siam v and the Rajah oi Sarawak, each' of whom has thirty-nine years to his credit. Among the Birthday honors was that of a knighthood conferred on Mr Charles Santley, the distinguished Catholic singer. Sir Charles Santley is perhaps the greatest singer that England has produced. He was not only a great singer, but a great «i''tist, and has done more than any other English singer to raise the nat'onal standard. He is now in his seventy-third year, and has lieen ncre fan half a century before the British public. On May 1.-he cau \m\ted the golden jubilee 'of his first public appearance. The occasoon was celebrated by a benefit concert at the -AJJievt Hall. Lcrtdon, at which Madame Albani, Madame Suzanne Adams, Madame Clara Butt, Madame -Ada Crossley. Miss Fanny Davies, Mr Edouard de Reszke, Herr Kreisler, Mr - Coates,"Mr Ben Davies, Mr Kennerley Rumford', and Mr W. H. Squire appeared. On that day Mr F. J. Harford gave notice in the Liverpool City Council of a motion to confer the freedom of his -native city on Mr As a result of the concert the veteran baritone was handed a cheque for £2,000. Sir Charles Sanlley> visited New Zealand in 1890 and sang in the principal centres, taking part in oratorio at the Dunedin Exhibition. „ • • . • The success of the turbine engine for steamers makes it of interest to recall some facts about the family of the inventor, as -narrated by a correspondent of the Boston 'Pilot*: — Charles Algernon Parsons, the inventor of the ' Parsons turbine engine, is the son of the Earl of Rosse, who some years ,ago built on his estate in Parsonstown, Kings County, Ire., an observatory in which he placed a telescope at a cost of over £20,000. This Earl of Rosse was a member of many scientific societies in Ireland. But perhaps of all the relations the connection of Sir Lawrence Parsons, his grandfather, who was a member of Parliament, and sat in the s Irish Parliament at various times for Dublin University .and for King County, in the last years of that Parliament, is of most interest to reader* of the ' Pilot.' Theobald Wolfe Tone, in his memoirs, tells us that his first instructor in Irish national principles was Sir Lawrence Parsons, whom he (Wolfe Tone) considered the most honorable member in the Irish Parliament. Sir Lawrence Parsons, in his actions and work for Ireland, came as near to being a United Irishman us could a man who was not one. And Irishmen tare proud to honor his memory^as "being the man who sought the "best interest of Ireland.