People We Hear About

New Zealand Tablet, 8 April 1915, Page 41

People We Hear About

-. An interesting point in connection with the Garter that was recently conferred upon King Albert of the Belgians is the fact that it was held by his uncle, the' late King Leopold, for 40 years, and previously by his grandfather for half a century. In the whole history of the Order there is no instance of two occupants holding the dignity successively for so long a period. Mr and the Hon. Mrs Edmund Maxwell-Stuart, who have at present no fewer than five sons on active service, are descendants of. the old Scottish Catholic houses of Stuart of Traquair and Maxwell of Herries (says the Glasgow Observer). On the death, at a great age, of Lady Louisa Stuart, heiress of the last Earl of Traquair, that estate passed to the Constable Maxwells, the new owner of Traquair adding the name of Stuart to his patronymic. His son Edmund married his first cousin, the Hon. Mary Anne Maxwell, youngest of the 13 children of the tenth Lord Herries. Four of her sisters are nuns, and her eldest surviving brother is married to the great granddaughter and heiress of Sir Walter Scott, whose romances paved the way, in the opinion of Cardinal Newman, to the Catholic revival of the nineteenth century. Waterford City, whose Parliamentary representative is the leader of the Irish Party, has also a remarkable and distinguished chief magistrate. For the fifth time its Corporation has elected Alderman Richard Power as Mayor (writes the London' correspondent of the Melbourne Advocate), He is in his 90th year, and must be the oldest Mayor in the world. He has spent close on half a century in the Corporation, and he was a member of the Reception Committee when Daniel O'Connell visited Waterford some 70 years ago. An ardent, life-long Nationalist, Alderman Power took part in the Young Ireland movement of 1848, and was also one of the ' men of '67.' As Mayor of Waterford for the first time in 1886, Alderman Power presided at the presentation of the Freedom of the City to Mr Gladstone in recognition of his introduction of the first Home Rule Bill. In spite of mis great age, Alderman Power personally superintends a couple of large business concerns. He attended every one of the Corporation meetings last year, in addition to serving on various committees. It is to be hoped that this veteran Nationalist will survive to see the reopening of the old House on College Green, and witness the fruition of his hopes and labors for more than 70 years. Vice-Admiral Sir David Beatty, K.C.8., M.V.0., D. 5.0., has played a most distinguished part in the naval campaign of this war. The son of Captain D. L. Beatty, of Borodale, County Wexford, he was born on January 17, 1871. He entered the Navy as a cadet in 1884, was promoted to sub-lieutenant in 1890, and to lieutenant in 1892. He is much the youngest flag officer in the British Navy. He is only 43 years of age, and his career throughout has been one of remarkable distinction and success. He comes of a sporting Irish family, and was not originally intended for the Navy, which service he entered, as it were, by accident. He rendered excellent service as a lieutenant with the Nile gunboats in 1897-8 in co-operation with the Egyptian army. He was employed in getting the gunboats over the cataracts, and performed this arduous task with complete success. He was promoted to captain (in November, 1900) at the early age of 29. This made Beatty the youngest captain in the Royal Navy. The promotion took him over the heads of 200 officers, and it is significant to note that he had similarly passed 395, officers on the lieutenants' list when he was advanced to commander. Sir David Beatty married in 1901 the daughter of Mr Marshall Field, of Chicago, founder of the famous dry-goods store. They have two sons.