Lady Mountbatten in Fr
p. 10 · Read in the full issue
Fr. Oceania
From a Special Correspondent.
PAPEETE, January 25.
TAHITI has been elated the last few weeks over the arrival of Lady Louis Mountbatten, one of the richest women in England, and co-heiress of the late Sir Ernest Cassel, friend of King Edward VII. Wealthy tourists are by no means as frequent in Tahiti these days as they once were. The visitor, however, who is accompanied by her secretary, has lived very quietly at Levinson’s Hotel, Puna ruu Pass. The Englishwoman soon made it plain that she was not looking for entertainment or the social round.
After some fishing, in which she more than excelled the efforts of experienced local residents —all the luck of the new comer was on her side —Lady Mount batten has chartered the schooner Gis borne for a six weeks’ tour of the Aus tral Group. At its conclusion she will either travel home by way of New Zealand, or else proceed to Singapore to meet Lord Louis Mountbatten, whose term of service with the China Fleet is now almost completed.
Paul Engdahl
While in Papeete Lady Mountbatten, who is an ardent art collector, visited the exhibition of Paul Engdahl, the Swedish painter, and made several important pur chases, including one of his large murals.
Engdahl, incidentally, is leaving almost immediately for America and Europe after several years’ stay in Tahiti. He was a close personal friend of the Eng lish writer, Robert Keable, and was the original of Kiriti in the latter’s “Numer ous Treasure.” Indeed, it is believed that it was the painter who suggested the title of that book: the idea came from a brand of then well-known Chinese cigarettes. It is possible that Paul Engdahl, who was in Sydney in 1922 on his way to Tahiti, will revisit Australia when returning to Papeete.