NEWS BY THE MAIL.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume I, Issue 44, 28 February 1874, Page 9

NEWS BY THE MAIL.

From: our exchanges to hand by the last mail we compile the foLow--ing :—: — IBELAND. For liberality and a genuine interest in the welfare oftho sick poor the Catholic and Protestant gentlemen who constitute the Tioperary Board of Guardians have set an example worthy of general imitation. They have with the utmost unanimity elected two Sisters of Mercy to be nurses of their infirmary, and the sisters appointed have expressed their thanks alike to the Catholic and Prote-ta it guardians. We are told that the question was treated throughout, n'.". as a matter of religion, but simply as a point of solicitude for the pour. The opinion has been expressed by Mr Ryan, a Limerick magistrate, that the great majority of the drunken outrages, and indeei of the general crime, committed in Ireland wns the result of a lultaratud liquor. Lately a maddening drink of American manufacture has bojii on sale in Dublin, and of which ether is an element. The Commissioners to inquire into the condition of the Civil Service department in Ireland, not of a judicial nature, have at last been appointed. They are three in number. The senior member Mr Gladstone's son, Mr William Henry Gladstone, M.P. and ,i Junior Lord of the Treasury ; Mr Herbert H. Murray, Treasurer Remembrancer and Deputy Paymaster in Ireland ; and Mr R. G. C. Hamilton, Accountant of the Board of Trade. Mr E. W. Hamilton of the Treasury, is to act as Secretary to the Commission. The latter gentleman was one of the two secretaries to the late Chancellor of th ; Exchequer, Mr Lowe. It will be seen that with tho exceptijn of MiHamilton of the Board of Trade, two of the Commissions s and thj.r Secretary are Treuuuiy employees. It is true Mr Murray has been m Ireland for the two past years and more, but still it will be seen that a prepouderanco of English ollijials wilh English iieas about Irulauu is the composition of the Commission. l< Tho Gentleman Organ Grinder."— This musical phenomenon made his debut in the metropolitan thoroughfares on Tueiday, 11th November. His appearance created intense excitement aud curio .ity. About one o'clock a handsomely caparisoned donkey, dra.ving a neat cart, entered Sackville-street by Castle bridge- at the head of a large crowd who seemed fascinated by tho performance of an eldeily personage seated in the vehicle and solemnly grinding tho " Boys ot Kilkenny" from a small organ. The mysterious player took his triumphal progress quite as a matter of course, and was not in the least disturbed wheu a couple of policemen informed him that ho caused a public obstruction and must " clear off." He calmly defied the constable aud, changing his measure, drowned both their threat*

and remonstrances in a lively discord of « Rory O'More," The aS^M 11 m£ TJ Beem6d a man of about forty-five years, of decidedly well-bred features and presence. H was dressed in excellent qiuetUste, and, if really out of his sphere, comported himself in his t.naccu B temed situation with the repose and sangfroid supposed to SZ mm l D °,f, f h ; gl ! 80< ; ial caßte - Indeed > 8 ° f * r from looking at all IZT 7 °V "*?' , he kept ra^r a marked eye upon the public .pence, and seemed altogether as though his occupation were penned Z^ r ° rprOfit ? han P aßtime - He drew quite a fashionable oongiegatwn, among whom were several ladies. This audience attended the performer as he moved itnperturbably and slowly on. The belief was freoly expressed that he was, beyond doubt, " a gentleman," and had no object m his melodious vagrancy but to win a big wager. The be er Ciass of those who followed his donkey cart partly sympathised with the pleasant excentridty of the « gentleman," but were evidently rather ashamed of him for lotting himself down to a rather suggestive level. The mixed herd of cabmen, idle labourers, and street Arabs entered more unreservedly into the form and condescension of the thin-, Sl.?n 6re ffh lO 3 Or ', mo ' tTOciferoußl y- Tho grinder took the attention of the crowd with the same cold hauteur of manner, except when they gay, him a copper. He never failed to acknowledge the coin, but more as a tribute than a bounty .f. ff Tl f^ ra " a *^ onumen t-— Appeals are being made by the committeo to hasten the completion of the Grattan monument/and several arge subscriptions are flowing in. The committee seek from the CorL 1, TaßlT aB ln n College Green, midway between the National Bank and the Irish House of Parliament, now the Bank of Ireland, which doubtless will be granted. The National Board have so far advanced in recognition of distinguished Irishmen, that their sixth, or most adTanced reading- book just published, contains sketches aud portraits of G-ra tan, Burke, Sheridan, and Goldsmith ; to three of whom there will soon be public monuments, besides that to Moore in College Green. The only reference to GrattPn, however, in the new book, is his portrait, under which is Moore's well-known magnificent elegiac poem, beginning : — ° ° Shall the harp then be silent, when he who first gave io our country a name is removed from all eyes ? Shall » minstrel of Erin stand mute by the grave, ■Rnf ™f 7 Where the first, where the last of her patriots lies V But not alone was the National Board afraid to cite any of his speeches, but they have actually mutilated the elegy of its best and most imporiSh'Sfament—^ rattan>S great work ' the independence of the When a nation o'erleap'd the dark bounds of its doom, A a ■ -i i * ndforonesac « | d instant touch'd liberty's goal. Ana similarly they have mutilated several of the best of tho lyrics of Education™ 1 "' ""* ° ther Iri9h P°6tßP ° 6tß J yet thi8 ' S theßoard of National The Amnesty agitation, which had so splendid a commencement at Clontarf in September, was brought to as splendid a conclusion on Sunday, 23rd November, in Phibsborough. About one hundred and fifty thousand persona took part in this final demonstration in favor of the release of the political prisoners. And it was not Dublin alone that was represented on the occasion. Almost every part of the provinces and every part of England and Scotland in which irishmen reside in considerable .-umbers sent delegates to the vast assemblage. It need hardly bo said that the trade organisations and friendly societies of Dublin threw themselves heartily into the demonstration. It is estimated that the procession took nearly two hours in passing a given point. When we add that everyone seemed thoroughly impressed with the solemnity of tho day's proceedings, and that the most admirable order and decorum were preserved throughout, an idea may be gained of the grand, imposing, and picturesque nature of tho spectacle. Ihe meeting was held in a large field in Phibsborough, within view of Mountjoy Prison on one side and of the monument to U Oonnell in Glasnevin Cemetery on the other. This field contained probably one hundred thousand people. At about half-past one o clock the head of tbe procession entered, and for an hour aud a half the imposing column and the thousands who accompanied it continued to pour into the area. On the platform were Mr Butt, M.P Mr Bonayne, M.P, Mr Martin, M.P., aud the principal delegates. The proceedings hero did not occupy much time, only one resolution haying been adopted or submitted. That resolution declared that the voice of Iceland had been sufficiently expressed on tho subject of amnesty, and it requested Mr Butt to prepare a general statement of the grounds on which complete and unconditional amnesty is claimed Mi- i'erguson, of Glasgow ; J)r Commins, of Liverpool; Mr John Martin, Mr Ronayne, and Mr Butt having addressed tho meeting, the procession commenced to return to town iv the same manner as it came out, and some liouis afterwards there was no trace of what was undoubtedly ouo of the greatest demonstrations Ireland has ever wit- ' n eased. I Simultaneously with the meeting in Phibsborough, there were j being held lor the same purpose meetings in Carlow, Bradford, Lnei pool, Sheffield, and in m my other places in England and Scotland ; and it is a most noteworthy circumstance that amongst the communications alluded to by Mr John Nolan, Secretary of the Amnesty Association, on the platfoim mi Sunday, was a telegram from Chicago addressed to Mr A. M. Suiia.m, and announcing that at the same hour as we hero in Dublin demanding the completion of the amnesty, the Irishmen of the gic-at city of tho Western Continent were swelling the cry. Tbe Home Government Association has held its second last meeting in the Pnlar Room ol the Rotundo, .Dublin. Twenty-six new membcmMML admitttd, and then the Rev. J. A. Galbraith, F.J.C.D., proposed that n committee be appointed "to draw up a le port prepaiaiorv to winding up the affairs of the Home Government Association, in consequence of the formation of the Homo Rule League." The motion was adopted. The meeting closed with an announcement by Profescsor U-albraith that there would be one meeting more of the Association to receive the report thus ordered. The rov. gentleman in l.is opening speech most effectively criticised some recent hostile utter-M-ts on thu subject of Home Rule — including Mr Disraeli's reckless

and mendacious assertions at Glasgow, and the 6erce but empty declamation of the Dublin Orangemen at tbe Rotundo. Within a few weeki of its inception the national testimonial to our honored countryman, John Mitchel, has already attained to most creditable dimensions. Xo movement of the kind undertaken in our day will have more powerfully or more purely attested the grateful devotion of the Irish people to those who suffer and sacrifice for count J u «" t , tnbute to the heroic courage and stainless patriotism of John Mitchel. How can Irishmen best help this national undertaking P By following the example of Tuam and Charleville, and forming local committees for the more effectual accomplishment of such a labor of love and duly. There ought to be no town, village, city, or district without its local organisation and special collection ; so that the world may see that the man of all our exiles who alone is forbidden to see the land of his affections has not been forgotten by the oeoDle of Ireland. l y The Home Rule member for Kerry, Mr R. P. Blennerhassett, haa met his constituents in public meeting, and addressed to them a lone and eloquent speech on the political situation. It is needless to say that Ins utterances, fron first to last, were all that could be desirsd in a popular representative. That they were also in perfect conformity with the wishes and convictions of his constituents was abundantly manifested by the cordial and enthusiastic manner in which they were received. One of the foremost prieats of Kerry, in learning, in intellect, in influence, and in patriotic endeavour, the Rev. Michael O'Sulhvan, P.P., Ballylongford, moved a vote of thanks to Mr Blennerhaasett, and in doing so took occasion to observe that the county would neyer again send any one to Parliament but a supporter of the national demand for Eomeßule. The Rev. John O'Connor, CO., one of the bravest and patriotic young priests in Ireland seconded the motion, which, of course, was adopted by acclamation. The infamous, because utterly despotic, nature of the " Coeicion Act is sufficiently well established; but that the measure would be made to appear ridiculous as well as tyrannical had hardly entered into the imagination of those even who knew the facility with which extremes may be made to meet. That this Draconian law, however, has its ludicrous side is amply attested by the annexed incident giren in the 'Irish limes,' as having occurred in a Belfast court, in which a " learned " Judge and an " educated " monkey (learned and eduoated may here be taken as interchangable terms), were the principal dramatis persona :— A bewildered itinerant showman, an Italian named Angelini Jennit, was charged before the " Custody Court '"* Belfast, with having arms in a proclaimed district. The poor fellow owned a monkey and lived by the monkey's tricks. He had taueht Professor Darwin's progenitor to fire off a toy pistol; and, for this his master was seized, and charged with " having arms in a proclaimed district! Seeing that the monkey— not the man— had the pistol the monkey should have been in the dock — not the man. We suppose the magistrates felt a difficulty about committing a monkey to prison. The question would arise, too, whether the monkey was a rational' being, accountable according to law. The magistrates came to what we think was a hasty decision. They ordered the "Italian, pistol, and all," to leave the town within three daya ! Could not the magistrates be tried for " giving arms to an unlicensed person in a proclaimed district ?' Here is plainly a case for the Castle Adviser, and material for a terrible bill of costs. A testimonial is proposed to one of " the O'Hara Family." A numerously attended meeting composed of the leading citizens and many of the country gentry, including the High Sheriff, John Murphy, Esq. has been held at the Athenaeum, Kilkenny, to initiate a movement for raising a subscription to present a suitable testimonial to Michael Bamm, Esq., late postmaster, on the occasion of his approaching departure from his native city. The meeting was presided over by James Hullivan, jun., Esq. Several gentlemen spoke of the many claims which Mr Banim possessed on the gratitude of his townsmon, and of Irishmen generally, in consequence of his vast literary talents, which, iv conjunction with those of his brother John, had accomplished so much for the reputation of his country and its people by the "laics of the O'Hara Family. " Allusion was also made to Mr iianim'd claims by his long life of usefulness as a citizen of Kilkenny, and for the admirable manner iv Mhicli he had discharged the duties of chief magistrate, as mayor, and also those of his lato appointment. The necessary step's to make the movement a success having been taken, the meeting adjourned. Every man in Ireland knows that five times tbe number of signatures that were affixed to the Requisition calhng tlio National Conference might easily have been obtained had there been tho slightest wish or neceseicy on the part of the committee ; but, m riew ot the comments of the London press on this matter, it may not be useless to show, as the ' Roscommon Messenger' does show in the following paragraph, bow easily the thing might have been done :— It may not be out of place, when certain of our Engli h contemporaries speak in disparaging terms of the numbers who mgnod the lato Home Rule requisition, to relate a local circumstance connected therewith, which will go to show that if hundreds of thousands of signatures n'ci-e not attached it was not because the ma-ses of the population were indifferent as to the result. There are 4300 ratepayers in the Strokestown Union, and when a late appeal was made to lliom by circular to influence the elected guardians of their respective divisions to support the resolution in favour of Home Rule at the board room, an ag<*re"ate ninnher, reaching to 3200, attached their names to memorials to that effect. The number would bo ycry considerably increased but for the circumstance of one parish priesi, apprehensive of any further grounds for political excitement arising in his district, requesting of Mb flock to abstain from forwarding a requisition to tho guardian. "We must not forget to add that the circular was only posted on Slomlayj and the requisitions were forwarded on or before the following Thursday. So much for the pretence that ihe masses of the people aro indifferent to Homo Rule, At the meeting of tho Catholic Union held in Dublin Lord Grauard presided, and twelve Catluhc bishops were present. The members of parliament attending were — Messrs Cogan, O'Reilly

Smyth, Gavin, Deaeo and Redmond. The first speaker boasted that b the Catholic Union hud now its members in all the parishes of Ireland. C It had during the last year protested against the manifold indignities inflicted on the Popr, and had expressed sympathy with the persecuted ai bishops and clergy in Germany and Switzerland. There are many ci giievances, said Lord Granard, uuder which Catholics labour w hich hare been repeatedly under the notice of the council of this union. & There are many matters connected viith the iuternal administration of it the country which require reform and the zealous attention of all v Catholics so as to see that their interests are not sacrificed. Last, si though not least, we hare the great educational settlement still in k abeyance. A letter was read from Lord Denbigh, in which he said, si "I am rejoiced to 6eo the resolute tone which is maintained in treating c with her majesty's government on the education question. Of one C thing I feel certain, and that is that it depends on the Catholics of the f: United Kingdon themselves, but more especially on the Catholics of t Ireland, whether we can succeed in extorting justice from any govern- s raeiit on the subject of denominational education in the higher studies, t o,r, in other wordß, permission to Catholics to have a university for b their own use, capable of conferring degrees ratified by the state." Archbishop Leahy also spoke, describing Victor Emmanuel as the t Henry the Eighth of our time. c At the same meeting a series of resolutions were passed. The 1 first deciated devoted attachment to the Holy See, and to the s successor of St. Peter as Ticar of Christ and infallible teacher r of the Universal Church. The second conveyed expressions of 1 sympathy and admiration to the persecuted bishops and Jesuits of r Germany and Switzerland for their constancy and courage. Another expressed affliction at the spoliation of Church property m Eome ; j another pledged the Union to carry out the principles of Catholic t education proclaimed by its bishops. Another complained of the t distribution of patronage in the dispensaries, and other departments of i the Poor-law system, and recommended that steps be taken to obtain 1 for Catholics an equitable share of the appointments ; another dis- 1 claimed ell connection with the party politics. 1 We regret to announce the death of Sir Robert M'Clure, the i famous Arctic explorer. Sir Robert, like 6O many famous mon whose i deeds have illustiated the annals of Britain, was an Irishman. He was 1 born at Wexford sixty-six years ago, and was the son of Captain 1 M'Clure of the 86th Regiment. Entering the naval service at an early < oge, Sir Robert, before he had attained his thirtieth year, became i associated with the expeditions to and discoveries of those Arctic i regions, whose mysteries, whose beauties and whose horrors have been i laid bare by the dauntless intrepidity of the sailors of the world. In i command of the Investigator, he, in 1850, solved a geographical : problem whic'i ranked with the sources of the Nile and the condition '. at Central Aeia. For many generations a favorite scheme had been to discover a channel by which a ship from Europe may coast by the northern shore of Ainericf, and thus pass from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. Captain M'Clure at once solved this problem, and showed the practical inutility of the scheme. He passed from ocean to ocean, but the record of his hairbreadth escapes and wonderful adventures showed that the Northwet»t Passage never could be a high road of oommoree. The daring and enterprise of the gallant navigator were, however, acknowledged, and a knighthood and a reward of £5000 w«re amongst the tokens by which the country showed the sense of his service. This was the most famotis but not by any means the only service rendered by this gallant, distinguished aud much-loved officer. With fi clings of profound regret we have to announce the death o( the- Very lie w . Nicholas Canon Koche, pastor of the united parishes .o( SS. Michael and John, of Dublin. After a long and an honoured life this most ex< mpWy and beloved priest passed calmly aud happily away. Drunkenness Fn.ing the Prisons. — All our prisons in Minister aud Lsinster have a lnrge pe^ centago of increase of prisouers compared to this time twelve menu s. The Hibernian Bi.nk dividend at the rate of 12 per cent is the ■atisfactorv result for the shareholders for tho past year ending 3lst October. If tcstimjny were wanting of the excellent branch management referred to in the report of the directors, we could, perhaps, afford, so far as the public lequirements and accommodation go, tho best and most agreeable proofs of the advantage aud profit to the community through the Hibernian Bank. It is sad to w.ite of the dealh of a great and a good man. Surgeon Robert SiuMi, whose name is known wherever surgery is practiced, baa breathed his last Surgeon Smith was founder of the Dublin Pathological Society, the first of its kiud in the Kingdom. He was connected with several local ho.-pitnls, and was beloved und respected by rich and poor. Smgeon Smith suffered, comparatively speaking, , very little illness ; and it may be truly said of him that, like many another great Irishman, he '• died in harness." His loss will be keenly felt by the poor of Dublin, to whom he was ever a kind and generous friend. The death-roll of eminent Irishmen has, indeed, received many recent udditions. Small-pox in Londonderry. — Small-pox of a malignant type has made its appearauco in a low-lying district of Derry, in the heart of a poor and populous locality. There have been two deaths. The malady is said to be what is commonly called the purple pox. Every precaution is being taken against its spread. "Drunkenness." — The ' Mayo Examiner ' says : — "Drunkenness is much talked of, but we are clearly of opinion that the reflections sought to be cast on this county are undeserved by the population. We are not the apologists of drunkards or tipplers. We pity them and their iuviilies, and we regret the censure their greed for drink brings on rue country. But the masses ought not to be branded for the acts of tho comparatively few." " United iv Death."— On Saturday there died at Parsonstown a man named B iau Dunne. His wife, who was very much attached to him during hi;?, took ill suddenly, and died in half an hour afterwards. They were both buried together. Catholic University. — The collection in the Diocese of Dublin and throughout the provinces, so far as the accounts have reached, bus

icen eminently successful, and such as to gratify every friend of 7atholio education. Callmn. — The Rer. Mr O'Dwyer, the suspended Friar who acted .s curate to the Rev. R. O'Keeffe, has publicly recanted his schismati* :al conduct and retires to Rome from the seat of his scandal. The O'Connell Monument, as far as the sculpture work i* conserned, is still in the hands of Foley, tho artist, who intends to mak6 t the great work of his life. The foundation Btone of tho monument vas laid some years ago, and a temporary fence placed around the lite in Sackville-street, but the Orangemen objected to the fence being cept there, on the ground that it was unsightly, and so, for peace lake, it was taken down ; but the site is there nevertheless. We may expect to see the monument erected on the centennial anniversary of 3'Connell's birth. He was bora in 1775, so that iv 1875, two years i'om this time, the visitor to Dublin will likely find this monument in lie place assigned to it. It will be a very elaborate affair, and will stand about 40 feet in height 5 the base, or pedestal, will be surrounded ay figures illustrative of his life and labors, and the whole surmounted ay a colossal figure of himself. Mr Barry Sullivan. — This distinguished tragedian passed through the city yesterday en route for Limerick, whore he will to-night 3ommence a brief engagement extending ove* Thursday and Friday. Mr Sullivan's recent visit to Liverpool resulted in extraordinary success, £1014 falling to him as his share of the proceeds of twelve nights' entertainments. This,, we believe, is unprecedented in tho history of the British stage, and we lieartily wish Mr Sullivan many more such triumphs — ' Irish Times.' His was no ordinary career whose adventurous tenor waa temporarily diverted by a sentence of five years' penal servitude passed at the Manchester Assizes on Tuesday. Mr Edwin Harvey Wadge is the victim of his own enterprise. His vaulting ambition has overleapt itself, aud landed him in the convict prison. Mr Wadge may console himself with the reflection that he labored diligently for the end he has attained. The field of his efforts was a wilei le one, and embraced half-a-dozen countries. Among these was Ireland. He made his advent in Dublin some years ago. A good many English gentlemen, it is true, bad come over before him to regenerate Ireland — to ravive her industries and develop her resources. But none had ever come like Wadge — a mixture of millionaire and philanthropist, who waa determined to spend every penny of his enormous wealth in working up tha national capacities. His mode of life waa in. keeping with the magnificent reputation which grew and spread sbout him. But thi» remarkable individual was withal a practical man. He took the lead in a project for developing the material wealth of Wicklow aud Waxford. His designs were mostly stupendous in their magnitude, but, like all master minds, not only had he faith in himself, but ho inspired faith iv those who might have shrunk from speculations so gigantic. So (he grand drama progressed, one section of society sneering and doubting, another willing to swear by Wadge. The denouement was a sudden and complete collapse ; amazement, anger, and a good deal of laughter. The final scene was played out in the Court of Bankruptcy, and then the chief actor took a harried departure from Erin. With, his disappearance came oblivion, and he was forgotten in Ireland and lost generally to public view till the other day, whan he turned up again in the dock at Manchester. In the interim it seems he had been to Canada, to France, and other countries, and, nothing, daunted by hie Irieh mishap, had once more embarked in mining business on a vast scale. Unluckily for Mr Wadge, his later speculations seem to have been les9 guarded than previous essays. His freshest enterprise, tho " North Curadon Mining Company," was a bubble, and it brougkt its gifted projector to grief. ENGLAND. According to the London correspondent of tho ' Freeman " the following gentlemen will constitute the Senate of the English Catholic University : — Tho Presidents of St. Mary's College, Oscott ; SS Peter and Paul, Prior Pa;k ; St. Cuthbert's, Ushaw ; St. Edmund's College, Ware ; Dr Newman, the Rev. Canon Crookhall, Rev. Mr ilauMillan, Monsignor Capel, Duke of Norfolk, Earl Denbigh, Rev. Canon Toole, Marquis of Bute, Rev. Canon Tecba, the President-General of the Benedictines, Lord Petre, the Provincial of the Jesuits, Lori Howard of Glojbop, Sir Robert Gerrard, Lord A.undell, Sir George Bowyer, the Provincial of the Dominicans, tho Rev. Mr Dalgairns, Lord Clifford, Mr Bagshaw, Mr Bazil Fitzherbert, Sir Humphrey de Trafford, Mr John Day, Mr John Herbert, Mr Stuart Kmll, Mr Charlton, Mr William Ford, Mr Daniel Lee, Mr Richard Proctor, Colonel Vaughan, Mr T. W. Blundell, Mr Charles Langdale, Mr G. Moivart, Mr J. Hardman, Mr Scott Hun ay, Mr W. Ward, Mr J. Pollea, Mr Denis M'Carthy, Mr C. H. Sharpies and Mr Aubrey De Vere. The university building will be erected on a site, already purchased, adjacent to Monßignor Capel's house, Kensington. Cities desirous of honoring the memory of their public men, should take pattern by the action of the Catholic population of Liverpool, England. On the anniversary of the death of Bishop Goss, a meeting was held for the purpose of deciding on the form of a •hemorial to the deceased prelate. It was resolved that this should take the form of public schools, to be erected in the most crowded districts of Liverpool. Bishop O'Reilly, who waa present, remarked upon the increased zeal as to education whioh of late years h.vi been exhibited by Catholics, and stated that in Liverpool they had now accommodation for 5000 more children than they had three or four years ago. This result, he said, could be ascribed chidfiy to the late Bishop's energy and zeal in advocating tho cause of education, one of 1113 cardinal principles being that education should never be separated from religion. Resolutions to proceed with the msmorial were adopted, and one thousand five hundred pounds vvero subscribed in the room, including a donation of five hundred pounds from Mrs Stapletou Brethorton, of Rain-hill. The Earl of Derby presented the prizes at the Liverpool College. In addressing the boys, his lordship said — " First let me congratulate the winners of the prizes. They may well feel glad, and perhaps a little proud of what they have done. But let them recollect, aj sv. caution, aud let the losers recollect, by wiy of encouragement that ;ui.

early success, though it gives a lad a good start, gives him little ease » | that the race of life is a race which tests endurance more than speed » that some of the most hopeless failures in latter years have been of the dashing brilliant, clever young fellows who seemed at school and college to carry everything before them ; and that the slow, plodding lad, who seemed to have nothing in his favour, except a dogged determination to go on, often comes out higher than either he himself or any of his friends expected." " How the old time comes o'er me ! " The papers are ringing with the following paragraph :—": — " A request made by Prince Arthur to be allowed to volunteer for service on the Gold Coast has been refused." How good of " the sweetest young prince," and how thoughtful of the Horse Guards 1 I can recall, during the siege of Sebastopol, ■when the English troops were perishing of cold and starvation in the trenches before the badly beleaguered city, that a similar request was made to the Queen by the Prince Consort. Her Majesty naturally declined to listen to it. 'Punch,' at which people used then to smile, immortalised the incident by a cartoon, in which Albert the Good was represented, kneeling on one knee before Majesty, his finger to the side of his nose, and these sincere words in his mouth i — " Pray— do let me go to the Crimea ! " The whole world laughed, as all London is laughing now. The ' Echo,' which for a long time past has subsisted on the crutches of impotence, is occupying theological ground with a display of skirt and a height of heel which would have been creditable to a withered belle of the Renaissance. In an article on Irish affairs one fearful contributor writes — he is rejoicing over the protest presented to the Cardinal respecting the management of the Catholic University —they (the Irish papers) " Evidently fear to provoke the unpleasant reminders ... or to evoke remarks on Galileo, or the celebrated lecture in which Dr Cullen proved conclusively that the sun goes round the carth — a theory which every staunch Roms.n Catholic is now botind to hold since the definition of the Infallibility affects the decree of everj past Pope." This is not bad of the ' Echo,' when you consider that Father Secchi of the Papal Observatory is the most renowned astronomer in the world — Huid, Lockyer, and Huggins counting for what they are worth — and when you remember that the Cardinal ne /er did say what this enlightened print avers he did say. However, there is no abuse so refined as a gentleman's. The ' Times ' declares that the substitution of Dr. Lyon Playfalr for Mr Monsell is intended by the Prime Minister as a significant hint to the Irish Catholics that they need not look for any more attempts to conciliate them of the kind typified by the Irish University Bill of last Session. If this be so, we can only say first, that it is extremely unfair to throw over a good Postmaster-General, who has given all the support in his power to Mr Gladstone's Irish policy, for such a reason as that ; next, that it will not increase the content of Ireland to know tnat the best Irish Members are less eligible than before for Imperial duties ; and lastly, that there is something a little ignoble in such an attempt to conciliate the bigoted Orange feeling, especially when it takes the form of slights to old political allies. When the iudge took his Beat in the Central Criminal Court, London, on Monday, to take stock of the month's vice, he was confronted by forty-five prisoners, two of whom were oharged with wilful murder, one with manslaughter, five with forgery, one with arson, three with robbery with violence, and three with wounding feloniously. The remainder were cases of an ordinary description, such as beating wives biting off friends' nosea for fun, and thrashing children's heads with' pokers and flat irons. We are becomiug eminently respectable. On lion day, too, by the way, Mr John Henry Yeates, who recently pleaded guilty to two indictments charging him with forging dividend warrants, by which ho robbed the Great Eastern Steamship Company of £40,000, was brought up for sentence, and sent for ten years' penal servitude. You see he had touched " pruputty," and caught it hot accordingly. If ho had only killed his wife he might have escaped through the benefit. Nothing short of a real luxury would satisfy him, and he suffers accordingly. The defeat of the Whigs at Exeter odds to the uncertainty already pretty strongly associated with the results of the General Election in England. In 1868 the city returned two Liberals ; it is now represented by two Conservatives ; but the majority in each contest was small and no one can tell how the scale may incline on the next occasion. To us, we confess, the return of Mr Mills is not distressing. It helps to prove that neither Whig nor Tory will possess a preponderating strength in the next Parliament, and that the balance of power will really rest with the Irish members. If our countrymen profit to the full extent by the opportunity thus presented to them, we may expect the triumph of Home Rule in the new future. It is seldom that England voluntarily docs honour to an Irishman's memory. But we are glad to record one of the exceptions. A movement is on foot to promote the erection of a monument to Oliver Goldsmith, in London, and it is proposed, if it should b 8 necessary, to hold a commemoration at the Crystal Palace on the centenary of Goldsmith's death, the 4th April next, in order to raise funds. GEKMA.NY. Germany Preparing for the Next War. — The Germans, it appears, are hard at work preparing for the next war with France. Their attention is at present directed chiefly to strengthening the fortified places — Metz, Strasburgh and the others — on the frontier. The debates in the Prussian Parliament makes clear the fact that 11 nobbling the press" is a feat just as successfully practisod by Prince Bismarck as it was by Lord Clarendon himself. Bismarck, indeed, does not go so clumsily to work as the English prototype j he manages to get the " Ultramontanes" abused for a bribe without resortiug to the vulgar expedient of paying specifically to much a column for each article. The thing worki somewhat in this way. There is in Berlin a Government Press Ofi}ce called the « Literarische Bureau,' in which correspondence, articles, und paragraphs are manufactured by Government clerks, and these are forwarded, gratis, to the various newspapers i->. Germany disposed to accept them. As they ail contain news net otherwise obtainable, they ore generally inserted j but the Government

gives its news conditional on the publication of the commentary with which it is flavoured, and we need not say that a favourable tone towards the Ministry in the editorial columns is also expected in return for the free despatches. It is as if the Government in England spent the public money in organising a newspaper telegraphic agency, such as that of the " Associated Press," and then sent its bulletins — spiced with the regulation flavouring — gratuitously to certain public journals. We have now before us a slip of paper which illustrates the means which are being resorted to for the purpose of influencing European public opinion in a manner injurious to the Catholics of Germany. It ie part of a lithographed correspondence drawn up under the direction of the Prussian Government, and circulated throughout Europe in English, French, Italian, and other languages. The copy in our possession is in English, and was lithographed at Berlin in English. It contains the Government version of two facts connected with the persecution with controversial comments on them, and is evidently intended as an " inspiration " for the English press. In the Prussian Diet Herr Ctonphausen, in the name of the Government, rejected the proposal presented by Herr Bernard on behalf* of the Catholic party for the repeal of the newspaper stamp tax. He declared himself a confirmed partisan of a free and unshackled press, but added that the Prussian Cabinet had referred this matter to the Imperial Government and would await the result of the steps which it had taken. Notwithstanding this declaration the House gave a striking proof of the state of public feeling upon the question by deciding in favor of tha proposal by a majority of 351 votes against 6. John, King of Saxony, died the 29th October in the 72nd year of his age and the twentieth of his reign. A Catholic King, ruling a Protestant people, he had contriven better than most of his predecessors to secure the respect and good will of his subjects. Archbishop Ledochowski has sent a great number of clerics belonging to his Seminary to an ecclesiastical Seminary at Innspruck; Bismarck and " His Majesty." — There are people even yet in Germany who do not seem to be animated with Evangelical respect for the architect of the empire. On a dark night recently, an artist surreptitiously ornamented a wall in one of the German cities with a mammoth drawing of a cathedral ; around it was a rope at which Bismarck was represented tugging away with all his might, while the devil stands by curiously regarding his efforts. The interpretation was furnished in the following dialogue, printed in large, bold letters beneath the scene : — His Satanic Majesty—" What the devil are you doing there ? " Bismarck — " lam going to pull down the Church." His Majesty — " Oh ! indeed ? You are going to pull down the Church ! And bow long do you think it will take you ? " Bismarck — " About three or four Tears." His Majesty — " Indeed! Well, I have been at the same job these 1800 years and have not accomplished it jet. If you do it in three or four years, I will resign my office in your favor."