The Portland daily press., 1888-12-22
PERSONAL AND PECULIAR.

As soon as he is strong enough, Tennyson
will go to Canada to spend the rest of the
winter.
Pennsylvania patrons of husbandry have
unanimously adopted resolution providing
that petitions shall be signed and sent to the
Legislature, praying for the enactment of a
law to pay bounty of q cents on English
sparrows.
John G. Whittier keeps, for a poet and
an octogenarian, close eye on passing
events, and brings vigorous common sense
to bt ar on them 1t is his opinion that
Harrison should offer Blaine the premiership
and let Blaine decline it, He also asks "Why
should we permit every scalawag who wears
trousers to vote, and yet deny that privilege
to wUmen?"
Rear Admiral S. b. Luce. U. S. n, at
present in command of the North Atlantic
squadron, will be retired next month on ac-
count of age. Already number of applicants
are on hand for the command of the squadron
but 1t is understood at the navy department
that Commodore A. Z. X. Benham will be the
officer selected. Commodore Benham's last
sea duty was in the China squadron as COM
handing officer of the Richmond, in 1881.
MRS Drew is the most Gladstonian Of all
Mr.. Gladstone's family" says the New York
Tribune. "For many years before her mar
rage she was the 'right-hand' man of her
father. and It may lbe interesting to those
every letter of the daily eighty which on an
average are delivered at Hdwarden Is opened
by Mrs. Drew, whose services as secretary
free her father from considerable proper
tion OF the inevitable worries Of SO large
correspondence"
They are feeling mighty proud on the Pa
cifc slope because they are going to have a
total eclipse Of the sun on New Years Day
"a rare event. 1t has not occurred since
1923 new style), and will not occur again till
2161. The coincidence happened in 1l62, $50
and GAL b. o., and 865 and 1405 A. d., follow
ing the Julian calendar or three eclipses of
the sun appointed for next year, two are re-
markable from the fact that the first comes
close to the western edge of New England.
while the last dec. 22) runs just outside OF
Cape Cod.
The other day the Prince of Wales went
through function which must have moved
him considerably, and of which nothing has
hitherto been made public. Seventy years
ago, when the coffin of the unlucky Charles
/. was opened, the trinkets which had been
buried with him, miniatures of his family
and so on, were stolen and Ike pit out of sight
for long time. BY some p process they came
into the possession of his royal highDess, and
on Thursday he had the coffin of his unfortu-
nate predecessor pulled open once more, and,
In the presence of Dean Davidson of Wind
scr only, he placed poor Charles's property
back among his bones, prayed over the
whole, and put the coffin away again.
In the thickest Of the fog which made Lon
don so miserable last week Says the New
York Sun correspondent Mr.. James R. Os-
good of Boston and Mr.. William Black, the
distinguished novelist, acted as benefactors
to the British public. They started out to
dine at the house of Colin Hunter, II. A.,
and were wise enough to take with them a
INK boy to lead their four-wheeler. At one
moment everything was wild confusion in
Piccadilly until the policeman ordered all
those going west to follow the four-wheeler,
whereupon Messrs. Black and Osgood had
the distinguished honor of guiding London
trafnc for many blocks. Later, however,
disappeared in the fog, and the two benefac-
tors lost their way and had TO sleep at some
body else's house.
A singular looking pair could be seen In the
big promenade on Pennsylvania avenue the
other day says Washington despatch. One
was man about six feet four inches tall.
with broad shoulders, massive head and
smoothly shaver face. The other was an
oiu-iookins Httio man, tne Top Oh whose
rather rusty tile reached just above the
giants shoulders. He spOrted a brigandish
white moustache, and wore long white hair
touching his coat collar. As his big compan-
ion strobe along be almost trotted to keep
alongside, and his look up to his friends face
was only anly few points off from the per-
pendlculdr. de had an umbrella under his
arm, though the sun was shining with WASH
lngtonlan brilliancy and little rain couldn't
have lowered the tone Of his tile very much.
The oddly assorted pair attracted much atten-
tl0n ana people nudged each other aud smiled
The big man was Justice Harlan. and the
little man was the CHIEF justice of the supreme
court OF the United States,