NEWS OF THE WEEK.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume II, Issue 77, 17 October 1874, Page 7

NEWS OF THE WEEK.

Br tho hist Sue* mail Hie Lordship the Most Rev. Dr. Moran received a letter from the Rev. Father Coleman informing him of the departure by the May Queen, on the 16th of August, of the Rev. Thomas Higgins and the Rev. James GHeasun. As the Calypso, on board of which are Fathers Welsh and O'Leary, has the reputation of being a fast sailer, and as she is now sevonty-seven days out, havin^ started on the 2nd of August, her arrival may be looked for at any moment. Indeed, if the May Queen be favoured with propitious winds, it would not be a matter for surprise to hear of her arrival ere long, ifc being now sixty-three days from her date of sailing. By a telegram which has kindly been forwarded from Invercargill, wo learn that a branch of the Hibernian Australasian Society was opened in that city on Monday evening. Mr F. J. Bunny, late president of St. Joseph's Branch, Dunedin, had been delegated to formally open the lodge. The following are the office-bearers who have "been elected : President, Bro. Maher ; Vice-president and Hon. Secretary, Bro. McMenamin ; Treasurer, Bro. Kirwan ; Warden, Bro! Flannagan ; Guardian, Bro. Walsh. In the evening the event was celebrated by a supper which was attended by over seventy persons, including ladies. The chair was occupied by the Rev. J. Carden, and the vice-chair filled by the Mayor, Thomas Pratt, Esq. The telegram states that everything passed off most satisfactorily, and will no doubt prove a red-letter day in the Invercargill calendar. A full report will appear in our issue of next week. "We have to acknowledge the receipt of a little work entitled " Astronomy for Beginners Who Live in the Southern Hemisphere," by Archdeacon Stock. The principal object of the author has been to eimplifiy as much as possible the science of astronomy. ' A great difficulty has also been obviated to the beginner, who laboured considerably under a disadvantage by the use of books which had been prepared in the Northern hemisphere, where the apparent direction of the heavenly bodies is not the same as in this hemisphere. The publisher is Mr T. Bowden, of Wellington, and the work will be found a most desirable aid to beginners. We also wish to ncknowlego from the same sotirco a phampleb entitled "The Transit of Venus, and how to Observe it," by the same author, being the subject of a lecture delivered in the Provincial Hall last year, which will be found to contain a fund of information on that great astronomical event. la? had been decided by the Concert Committee that the adjourned entertainment and excursion to the Port should have come off on Wednesday, the 21st, but in the face of Maori meteorologists, who have predicted six weeks of continuous rain — which has been somewhat confirmed by the experience of the past five — they have deemed it unwise to tempt further postponement, until the expiration of the allotted time. It has been determined, however, that it shall come off on Wednesday week, the 28th, when it is to be hoped that Jupiter Pluvius will have exhausted the vials of his wrath, and old Sol once more have restuned his sway. An entirely new and attractive programme has been in preparation, which will appear in our next issue and from what we can learn, the patrons of the entertainment will be amply repaid for the severe task upon their patience and indulgence. His Excellency Sib James Febgttssox arrived at Port Chalmers on Saturday morning last, in H.M.S. Blanche. The visit is not tin official one, Sir James being on a, cruise round the Island, accompanied by his aid-de-camp, Mr Le Patourel, and Mr G-ully, the wellknown artist and landscape painter. Four years have elapsed since the last visit of the Blanche, on which occasion sho was the bearer of H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh, and it is more than probable her service on the Australian station will terminate in a short time. The investigation at the Port Chalmers Court, which resulted in. the committal of the second mate of the Oneco, disclosed a state of affairs seriously involving the character of the commander. The accused repeatedly asserted that the captain of the vessel was the primary cause of Green's death, and were it not for the manner in which he had been hounded on by his superior officer, the lamentable occurrence would never have happened. He further stated that he had been repeatedly advised by Captain Henry to make away with two other seamen who were cognisant of the crime, and intended to give evidence against him. Although, of course, the assertion of a man placed in the position of the prisoner — who would possibly seek to somewhat lessen his own guilt by such a statement — should be received with great caution, yet matters have since transpired whicli servo to show that the treatment of the unfortunate crew was brutal in the extreme. On Saturday last one of the ship's boys sought the protection of the Port Chalmers Bench in such a condition as necessitated his removal to the hospital, steps being taken to place tho matter before the American Consul. We regret to learn from the ' Sydney Freeman's Journal ' of the death of the Rev. Pere Monnier, late parish priest of St. Patrick's, Sydney, which took place in that city on the 15th ult. The funeral oration was delivered by his Grace the Coadjutor-archbishop, by whom the Requiem High. Mass was also sung. The deceased gentleman had had a most varied experience as a missionary, his labors dating as far back as the year 1856. In the course of the panegyric His Grace stated thai the Bey. Father Monnier was born in the year 1825, in the archdiocese of Bensancon. In 1848 he was professed a " Religious," and in the same year was ordained as a priest of the Society of Mary. Ho was appointed a professor of theology, and afterwards acted as a missionary at Agon Agen, in the south of France and at Valenciennes. In 1856 he went to Tonga, in tho Friendly Group, where he was engaged in missionary work till 1864., when he was appointed to take charge of a college at Windsor for the education of South Sea Islanders. He next went to Peurith, and afterwards conducted missions in several parts of the colony, and six years ago he was appointed priest of St. Patrick's parish. The funeral procession is stated to have been one of the largest ever wil/nossed in Sydney. Ik future we intend to devote a portion of our space to the pub-

lication of short tales, of an instructive as well as an interesting character. This week we give our readers the first of a series of short stories from a recently published work, entitled " Tho King and the Cloister." The work is an admirable one for Catholic readers, each tale exhibiting some feature of the rapacity or fraud by which the convents and monasteries were destroyed in the sixteenth century. The subject to which the wo.k is devoted — that of throwing the light of modern research on the mass of falsehood, and showing the greed and immorality of their destroyers — is the more appropriate at the present day, when Protestant and infidel malevolence, alarmed at the progressing spirit of the age, has once more engaged in a crusade against faith and religion. The book has been published by subscription, and the list contains tho names of most of the Irish hierarchy and clergy, and a vast number of the Catholic nobility of Great Britain. The trial of Charles Dodd for the murder of John Green was commenced in the Supreme Coiirfc before Mr Justice Chapman on Wednesday. Mr Haggitt prosecuted on the part of the Crown, the prisoner being defended by Mr Stout. At the outset of the case the counsel for ac c ised applied for a postponement of the case, on accounl of the nationality of the prisoner, with a view to his procuring certain documents from America. The application was not entertained, but his Honor stated he would take a note of the objection ; and should the verdict of tho jury be adverse to the prisoner, the opinion of th& five judges would be taken on the subject. The trial had not finished on Thursday when we went to press. A meeting of gentlemen connected with the Press takes place this evening in the Provincial Dining ltooms, having for its object the formation of a Press Club. We are not aware on what basis the proposed institution is to be formed, but have little doubt that a recognised place where members of the Fourth Estate might meet to spend their leisure time, would be conducive of mutual advantage and enjoyment. What can it mean ? In our issue of the 3rd inst. appeared a paragraph headed " A Living Automaton," which we find transferred to the columns of the ' Mercury' the week following under the title of " A Curious Patent." Although, of course, the article in question was not new to us, we re-read it with a view, if possible, to learn if the context admitted of the strangely-altered title, but we are bound to confess it failed to throw any light on the matter. Had the mysterious heading appeared in any journal other than the ' Mercury" ifc might be supposed to have been a " printer's error ;" but such a presumption n! course was preposterous in connection with a paper which had so diligently sought out the typographical errors of its contemporaries, and held them up to ridicule. On the other hand, we scarcely imagine that some obscure witticism was intended, becausethere appears to be a somewhat difficult struggle to provide for the special column set aside for that commodity, and it could ill-afford any drain upon its very limited stock. "Curious Patent." Well,—wecertainly admit it in " curious ;" but the wisdom of the substitution is very far from "patent" — at least to us. We do not accuse the " Mercury" of being as bad as its fellows— far from it— but merely say " People who live in glass-houses should not throw stones." The ' Guardian ' of Wednesday has the following well-merited rebuke : — " Yesterday morning, at an early hour, notice was given upon the shipping board at the Telegraph-office that the p.s. Luna, having on board the Dunedin portion of tho San Francisco mail, was lying, weather-bound, at Akaroa ; and yet on the notice-board of the Post-office — but a very few feet off — appeared the announcement that the mail for tho North per p.s. Luna would close at noon, and people were rushing about in a desperate hurry in order to be in time to save the post — at least those who had not seen the telegraphic board. Now, surely, when such a thing as this occurs tho telegraphic people ought at onco to give notice to the Post-office people, and the latter ought at once to give notice to the public. But, perhaps, the rules of redtapeisni prevent this being done, and the public have to suffer inconvenience in consequence. A telegbam from Nelson states that a great deal of excitement had arisen by the strange conduct of Mr O'Conor, the Provincial Treasurer. AMr Ivnyvett presented a claim for payment certified by Mr Dobson, Provincial Engineor, Mr O'Conor refused payment, or to let Knyvett lave the document. Kynvett insisted on taking it away, and then Mr O'Conor called a policeman, and ordered him to take the document, and as Knyvett alleged, gave him in charge. He was released in about half an hour. He however brought an action for illegal detention, and tho resident magistrate before whom the case was heard gave judgment in his favor. He has also sued the Provincial Treasurer with a writ for £500 damages foy false imprisonment-