A TRIP TO EUROPE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 55, 28 November 1907, Page 7

A TRIP TO EUROPE.

RETURN OF MR. MARTIN KENNEDY. . Mr. Martin Kennedy, of Gladstone Terrace, accompanied by Mrs. and tho Misses Kennedy, returned to Wellington' yesterday by tho Moeraki, after a nino months' absenco in Europe. • ' Mr. Kennedy arid. his family travelled" Home by the Norddeutscher-Lloyd steamer, Bremen, from Sydney, voyaging by way of the Suez Canal to Naples. There tho party loft tho. steamer, and commenced a leisurely tour of tho historic spots and pleasant places of Europe. Many of these had been included in the itinerary of previous visits, but there is something in the romantic Associations of tho mediaeval Old World that always appeals to the traveller from the Now, and invests them with an unfading interest; The beautifulcity of Naples—with giant Vesuvius frowning down' upon its countless spires and lovely bay, and seoming as if about to topple over on tho artistic debris of tho two famed cities its volcanic eruption buried two thousand years ago—furnishes in itself an ample field for tho lover of antiquarian, historical, and classical research which many weeks of exploration would'not exhaust. But the party did not tarry long there. Romo, tho "Queen .City by the Tiber," arid tho Mecca of tho Roman Catholic world, claimed their attention; and thither Mr. Kennedy and his family journeyed. THE ETERNAL CITY. Prior to leaving Sydnoy, Mr. Kennedy 'had been favoured with a letter 1 of introduction from Cardinal Moran to the Papal Secretary of State, His Eminonco Cardinal Merry Del Val, d,nd this proved a valuable pa/ss-'key in the Papal Court of tho Eternal City. When the party arrived a, Papal Consistory, for the creation of several now Cardinals, was in session, and the - visitors wore afforded the,rare; privilege of witnessing portions'-of""¥h'b A :l foemi-oflioiftl audience with His Holiness Pope Pius X followed, Mr. Kennedy, who' is . a knight of the Holy Roman Empire; ' being, with hisfamily, ' piloted "through tho- august' lialls -of the Vatican by Archbishop Stoner, an English domestic' prolate of forty years' standing beside tho chair of St. Peter. " The Pope impressed Mr. Kennedy, as lie had. previously, as a man of quiet and saintly characteiyand groat simplicity of disposition. From llomo the party proceeded by rail to the delightful city by tho Adriatic—Venice. There the famed Cathedral of /St. Mark, the Doge's Palace, and the. other historic relics of Venice's former greatness were visited, and an enjoyable stop was made. Milan was tho next objective, and from there , the trip was continued, through tho Italian, Lakos District, to Goneva, by way of the Simplon Tunnel. Mr.. Kennedy was highly . impressed by this .last-named triumph of engineering skill, the railway through which is worked entirely by electricity, a fact which, coupled with the excellent ventilating appliances, . enables tho atmosphere to bo maintained pure and cool throughout. From Geiicva the party wont on to Paris, completing a six-weeks' peregrination of tho Continent in tho gay and tcstivo metropolis of France. 1 ; ENGLAND AND IRELAND. London was next reached, and there Mr. Kennedy succumbed to tho delights of motoring, and invested in a 2lj-horse powor machine, in which lie and his family toured tho South of England, taking in such wellknown holiday resorts as Bath, Torquay, Bournemouth, and Seaport. A trip to Ireland was the 1 next trip in tho programme, this being timed to take' in the great Dublin Horse Show—which is held during the last week in August—as well as the Irish International Exhibition. The line display made by Canada was one of tho t'oatures of tho Exhibition, but Mr. Kennedy did not regard this as a matter for wonder considering tho oxtont and resources of the North American' Dominion. The New Zealand Court at tho Exhibition contained a very fine and creditable display of this country's products. While in the Irish capital-Mr. Kennedy'ran across some old friends in.tho norsons of the Ve'n. Archdeacdn Devoy, S.M.. and . Rev. -Father Hickson, S.M., two of tho New Zealand 'oclogates to,the Chapter of the Marist Order at Bruges, in Belgium; also the Very ltov. Dr. -Walters, S.M., formerly Rector of St. Patrick's College, Wellington, and now occupying a similar position in tho Catholic University School, St. Stephen's Green, Dublin. Mr. Kennedy invited tho • party to explore tho beauties of Wicklow: in his motor car, and they enjoyed a pleasant trip to the Sovbn Churches of Glendalough. tho Valo of Avocfi, the Glen of the Dftrele, and other historic beauty spots which lie within easy access, of the Irish metropolis: Mr. Kennedy and his party also motored through the North of Ireland, through Antrim and Ballymona to the Giant's Causeway, t-henco around to Sligo and Castlebar in tho west, on through tho Gaelic-speaking district of i Coiinemara to Galway, front tho "Citie of tho Tribes" to Longhrca, tlionce down to Nenagh and Cloughferdan in North Tipporary. where Mr. Kennedy was born. An extensive loiff of tho South of Ireland was afterwards made, including Watecford, Cappoquin, Mount Mnllcray Abbey, Cork, and the Lakos of Killarnoy. Tho weather was tolerably good throughout, and a pleasant time was spent." Asked about present-day aspects of Irish polities, Mr. Kennedy stated that lie had not devoted much time to the subject when In the Old Country. In London lie met Messrs. J. 111. Redmond and W. H. K. Redmond, M.P's., who toured Now Zealand in tho early eighties of the last century, as well as Mr. Josoph Devlin, M.P. for West Belfast, who was bore last year. When in London 110 attended several meetings of tho London Board of the Bank of Now Zealand, of which ho is a director, and there lifi mot Mr. Miciiio. formerly General Manager of tho Bank of Now Zealand, and now an activo mombor of the London Board. He nlso camo into contact with soveral other well-known New Zealandors, including Mr. John Duthio, of Wellington. who was niotoriim in the South of Entrland while Mr. Konnedv was thero. Altogether, Mr. Kennedy and his family have had a vorv agreeable holiday,, and havo como back to their old home rejuvenated by their pleasant experiences abroad.