GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume II, Issue 98, 13 March 1875, Page 9

GENERAL NEWS.

Four large gold medals only have been struck, by order of Marshal MacMahon, President of the French. Republic, commemorative of the Franco-German war of 1870-71. One of these medals has been sent to Mr. Bernard 0. Molloy (one of the candidates for the King's County and County Louth at the last election), who served as a staff-officer during the -war, and took part in the disastrous campaign under General Bourbaki. The medal was conferred as a mark of the Marshal's esteem, and is a recompense for the services Mr. Mollov "rendered with courage and devotion during the war." Kecently the Paris police issued the following droll advertisement :—": — " There was found yesterday at mid-day, a bride, eighteen years of age, blue eyes, black hair. Can be obtained on applicntion at the Police head-quarters." She was a country girl, who came to Paris with her betrothed to get married. They took a cab at the station. On their way to the church the bridegroom got out to make some purchase. The driver was tipsy, and instead of waiting dove on ; so they were separated in the wilderness, and the police found the bride weeping in the cab. The following anecdote is related in the now famous Greville Memoirs : — A certain bishop in the House of Lords rose to speak, and announced that he should divide what he had to say into twelve parts, when the Duke of Wharton interrupted him and begged he might be indulged in a few minutes, as he had a story to tell which he could only introduce at that moment. " A drunken fellow was passing by St. Paul's at night and heard the clock slowly chiming twelve. He counted the strokes, and when it had finished looked towards the clock and said, ' you, why couldn't you give us that all at once ?' " There was an end of the Bishop's story. Mr. Turnerelli writes to the ' Morning Post ' as follows :—": — " The Hon. Mrs. Kinnaird, in presenting a Bible and an address to the Duchess of Edinburgh a day or two ago, alluded to ' her illustrious uncle and his love of the Bible.' It is quite true that the late Emperor Alexander, under the influencing dispositions of a lady — Madame de Krudner — consented to allow the Scriptures to be read and explained to his soldiers, but it is an equally historical truth that many of these same soldiers took the readings and the explanations so thoroughly to heart that they became Jews, and stuck to the Israelite non-Christian doctrines so persistently and disobediently that the Emperor had to send a whole caravan of these new converts to Siberia. This wjs a result by no means foreseen or wished by Alexander the Good ; and it took many a year, and many a long, bitter persecution to eradicate the seed sown by the feminine zeal and advice of the above-named ' very devout ' lady. The 7,572 subscribers may possibly desire to know this fact." A preparation warranted to banish wrinkles is among the latest toilet delusions. The Carlist chief, Lozano, has been executed at Albecete. Professor Shief , of Florence, has discovered a method of quieting violent horses. It has been found that it is quite enough to touch, the nostrils of a horse, simply passing the fingers along the sides of his nose, to stop the activity of his heart and respiration, and to stop consciousness in a measure. It is well known now that most of those men who succeed in quieting violent horses put their fingers on that part and sometimes on the nares. Merely touching these parts has the same effect ; pressing hard has more effect. It is not that the application be made there as a pressure of the lip may do the same thing. Paris possesses a new culinary wonder. It is " patent butter." It is not made from cream, but apparently from the ordinary fat of slaughtered animals. It is sold at half the price of real butter, and will keep sweet a year. Mr. H. Ei. Home, the author of " Orion," and who for some years was resident in New Zealand, and afterwards in Victoria, is about to publish in London a New Zealand tragedy in five acts, entitled "Te Aie Ya ; or Maori Wives and Daughters." A London paper says that such is the rage for London " advertising stations " that houses are purposely kept empty for this purpose, and a hig-her rent is obtained than if they were occupied. A beerhouse which formerly let at ,£6O a year produces .£3 a week in this way. With the exception of a few sketches and biographies the history of the Catholic Church in America is yet unwritten. Where can the intellect find a nobler theme ? The planting of the Church in Canada, its wondrous growth in the States, its establishment in Mexico, would be an interesting work for the pen of some bright child of genius. Who is to undertake the work ? The materials are abundant. Catholics discovered the country, Catholics explored it, Catholics opened it up and developed its resources, Catholics first taught religious toleration in Maryland, Catholic blood cemented the iinion. The fundamental laws of the land, the great charters of freedom, the Habeas Corjnts, the main features of the Constitution, are Catholic. No nobler martyrs ever lived than the early Jesuits who lived and died amongst the Indians. Within the limits of the United States we have 10,000,000 of Catholics, seven Archbishops, 60 Bishops, 4516 priests, 5327 churches, besides hundreds of religious comnranities, schools, asylums, &c. And for all this, what have we as a history ? Absolutely nothing. — Correspondent ' Sydney Freeman.* The Father of Sib Robert Peel. — Sir Robert Peel was the younger son of a merchant, his fortune was left to him in the house, and he was not to take it out. He gave up the fortune, and started in business without a shilling, but as the active partner in a concern with two other men — Yates, whose daughter he married, and another, who between them made up .£6,000. From this beginning he left .£250,000 a piece to his five sons, 60,000 each to his three daughters, and 22,000 a year in land with .£450,000 in the funds to the inheritor of his title. In his lifetime he gave to his elde st Eon .£12,000 a year, the ethers ,£3OOO, and spen&63ooo ayear himself. ■