GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume III, Issue 137, 17 December 1875, Page 9

GENERAL NEWS.

Among a long list of nominations to the Legion of Honour. ( accorded for devoted conduct during the recent inundations at | j Toulouse, which appeared in the 'Journal OfficieV appears the f name of Sister Penin, Mother-Superioress of the Hospital de la 1 ; Giave. " She has," says the decree, " displayed proofs of the i rarest devotedness." The Cross of Chevalier is the good Sister's ] reward. A story is told on good authority which I cannot resist ' ■ sending you. When Marshal de MacMahon visited the hospital , for the express purpose of thanking the Superioress for her heroic exertions on behalf of the sufferers, it was necessary, so great is | her modesty, to have resort to a stratagem in order to '.induce , Sister Penin to allow herself to be presented to the President. • The moment she -was introduced to him the Duke of Magenta recognised her. " "Why Sister,' 3 said he, " this is not tho first time , we have met. It Avas you who expended such gallant devotedness r in caring for the soldier-patients at the military hospital at Gros - Caillou during the epidemic of 1855 \" Sister Penin blushed and ' bowed. It -was, indeed, the good Mother-Superioress avlio then ' showed the same courage as on the late occasion. The London ' Standard ' thus describes the Catholics of the Black Forest, and the beneficial influences of Catholicity on their customs and manners :—": — " Everywhere I saAv a brawny, handsome, industrious, frugal, clean, honest, civil, and thriving peasant pcopie, with children beautiful as flo Avers or fruit, respectful, and ' trained in the precepts of reverence. The theory Avhich cotiples Koman Catholicism with idleness, poverty, dirt and unthrif t, Avill not hold. There is no more Roman Catholic part of the Avorld than the Black Forest, and the testimony of one's eyes compels one to - say, that the creed here, at least, has done no harm, and must have i done much good. They are priest-ridden, if you like ; that is, they • telieve what the priest tells them. I presume, then, the priest tells ' them to fear God, honor the king, honor their father and mother, 1 work, pray, tell the truth, and make the best of earth heaven has given them. If these mountain folks have a fault, I know not what it is. They are not ugly and greedy, like the Swiss ; they ! are not insolent, like too many Germans I could name ; they do not cringe or lie ; they do not rob or maraud, noi' does the pig live in. the parlor. They give you good morning or good-evening, Avith 1 true courtesy, and they bestoAv upon you flo Avers, which they cultivate with love and care. There is much church-going-, and no trawling anywhere. All is decent and prosperous." The insurrection in Herzegovine is creating much excitement j in Italy. It has been discovered that recruits are being made secretly in Piedmont and Lombardy. The Government not only connives at the fact, but through the press, especially ' La, Gazette <Tltalia,' endeavours to rouse the spirit of tho Italians, to aid the ' insurgents in punishing the Turks, lecau.se — mark it well — the Turks have treated the Christians -very badly. What a lively zeal for the defence of the poor Christians ; One would think that the spirit of Tancredi had come back into Italy, and that he was again leading the Italian hosts over the plains of Palestine to liberate "II gran sepolara, di Cristo." And yet there are twenty-seven millions of Christians in Italy in bondage, their altars are desecrated, their priests insulted, their dearest traditions sneered at, and then- liberty of conscience trampled on. No one talks of raising an army to liberate the Italian Christians. A writer of a trip through Central Australia says :—": — " The spiders 3 webs are -very numerous and strong on this road, and they give you rather an unpleasant check if they catch your face whilst riding. I have seen some Avhip-crackers made out of these webs which are far superior to any other, and it is impossible to break them. I have heard that one of the men on the line collected a large ball of it, Avhich he sold in Melbourne for manfaeturing purposes for a considerable sum. I firmly believe that if this web Avoro collected in any quantity it Avould be utilised to a great extent, as its strength seems superior, and quality equal to silk.' 3 The f Deutsche Reichszeitung 3 announces "on unquestionable authority " that a German Jesuit, Father Martin Egger, has discovered an electromotor. It Avould seem that for the last fifteen years F. E. has been endeavouring to find out a Avay of making electro-magnetism useful in machinery in the same way that steam is empleyed. He has at last succeeded in excogitating a machine in Avhich electro-magnetism will be employed as the moving power, just as steam would be employed. He laid his project "before the Imperial Society of Arts and Sciences at Vienna, which, upon examination, pronounced it practical, and decided to furnish this inventor with the means for fully completing his machine. The inventor has obtained an Imperial patont, and is hoav engaged in completing his invention, which, when finished, will be sent to the Universal Exhibition in Philadelphia. The Imperial Academy seems to take very great interest in this discovery, which, if it does not prove too coatly, seems destined to effect great changes in machinery and the means of locomotion. Father Martin "E^o-cr was bom in 1832 at Zell in the Zillerthal, in the Tyrol, made Ms preliminary studies at the Gymnasium of Salzbourg. He became ii Jesuit in 1852, and Avas ordained priest in 18(30. He made his divinity studies at the University of Innsbruck ; and has boon for many years Professor of Mathematics and Physics at the Jesuits' College at Mariasohen, in Bohemia. AtNeuAvid (in the Rhine province) on Bth September, a singular case came before the police-court. Ft. (iabriel, one of tho Capuchius from Ehvenbreiteustein, aviis charged with having offended against the May LaAVS, inasmuch as half-a-year before he had refused absolution to the burgomaster of Vallender, Avho declined to pledge himself not to obey the May LaAVB. Of course the only Avitiicss was the burgomaster himself. Avho, hoAvever, admitted that tho absolution had been refused to him on other grounds also. The Court seutcuccd I'r. Gabriel to throe months imprisonment.

The arrival of the steamship Arawata now places Messrs. M'Meckan, Black-wood and Co. in the position of still further providing- for the intercolonial trade in which they are now so largelyconcerned. She is a sister ship to the Ringarooma, and may he an improvement, if that is possible. She will, no doubt, be placed as soon as convenient on the route between Melbourne and NeAv Zealand, and will probably, in the course of the next month, -visit; the vicinity of the locality whose name has been bestowed upon her. It is understood that the firm has another and similar steamer on the stocks, and it is said that they contemplate also entering into the trade between Sydney and this Colony, a trade which lias lately been developing, and at present employs several steamers plying to Auckland, as well as the steamer Eas"by, to other ports. — ' Leader. 3 Pour deaths have occurred in New South Wales and two deaths in Victoria from the explosion of kerosene lamps. We mention this as a caution to our readers. Many things may occur to cause the flame to pass down the wick tube and explode the gas. 1. A lamp may be standing on a table or mantel, and a slight puff of air from the open window, or the sudden opening of a door cause an explosion. 2. A lamp may be taken up quickly from a table or mantel, and instantly explode. 3. A lamp is taken into an entry where there is a draught, or out of doors, and explosion ensues. 4. A lighted lamp is taken up a flight of stairs, or is raised quickly to place it on the mantel, resulting in an explosion. In all these ' cases the mischief is done by the air movement — either by suddenly checking the draft, or forcing air down the chimney to extinguish the light is a frequent cause of explosion. 0. Lamp explosions have been caxised by using a chimney broken off at the top, or one that has a piece broken out -whereby the draught is rendered vari- ; able and the flame unsteady. 7. Sometimes a thoughtless person i puts a small-sized Avick in a large number, thus leaving a consider- ! able space in the tube, along the edges of the wick. 8. An old burner, with its air-draxights clogged up, which rightfully should | be thrown away, is sometimes continued in use, and the final result is an explosion. — ' Weekly Mercury.' The Boston 'Medical Journal' mentions the following simple and economical apparatus for overcoming had odors, and purifying any apartment where the air is loaded with noxious materials. Take ono of any of the various kinds of glass lamps — for burning camphene, for example — fill it with chloric ether, and light the wick. In a few minutes the object will be accomplished. In dissecting rooms, in the damp, deep vaults where drains allow the escape of offensive gasses, in out buildings, in short in any spot where it is desirable to purify the atmosphere, burn one of these lamps. One tube chax-ged. with a wick is sufficient. i Under the personal superintendence of the Marquis of Huntley, i two large canoes, each hollowed from a single log of oak, were recovered from the bottom of the Loch of Kinnord, Aberdeenshire. Both canoes are in a wonderful state of preservation. It is believed they have been more than 1000 years under water. Another canoe 1 was recovered some years ago from the same loch, and attracted considerable attention at a meeting of the British Association. The largest canoe, on being drawn ashore, was christened the Mar1 chioness of Huntley, and a bottle of whisky was broken over tho 1 bow. The discoveries are considered of great importance.—' Court . Journal. 3 When the newspapers exclaimed against Catholic intolerance, apropos of Lord Ripon's resignation of llic Grand Mastership of tho 1 English Freemasons, they did not mention — probably they did not know — that in 1715 the Protestant Consistory of Hanover decreed that no clergyman under its jurisdiction could be a Freemason, and those who were ah'eady members were ordered immediately to disconnect themselves i'vom it. Neither did we then hear anything about the case of the Protestant Frederick, Prince of Orange, who resigned the national Grand Mastership of the Grand Lodge of the Hague, and a long list of other high Masonic dignities, on the ground that " the practice of Freemasonry was incompatible Avith the profession of Christianity." — 'London Tablet.' The Colosseum still continues in a most disgraceful condition, a mere lake of stagnant, dirty AA'titer, a disgusting impediment to all . visitors and a source of disease and death to the neighborhood 5 it is L Avondcrf ul that some English tourists have not before now -written to , the ' Times' : had it by impossible supposition, happened under the , Pope's rule, the world avouUl have rung with denunciations of the ! miseries and follies of Papal lnisgovernmeul. l Judge E. F. Dunne, of Arizona, a Catholic, has raised si commotion am ong>t the neAvspapor men by delivering a most able lecture ! on the Catholic view of the public school question. In the control vevsy ensuing, the Judge repudiates tho compliment of a friendly I editor, avlio calls him a " liberal Catholic." The best definition Aye r have ever seen of that species of hybrid is given by Judge Dunne, 3 and wo commend it to our readers : — "There is one epithet, however, 1 Avhich you hove applied to me, which Ido not feel like to pay over .• Avithout notice. You have called me a liberal Catholic. I deny the i soft impeachment. The Catholicism Avhioh I desix-e to have is truly ; liberal, but the term 'liberal Catholic' has come to mean in this 3 ' country ti nominal Catholic -who, in his intercourse Avith Protestants ■ is willing to concede every point of his f'nith which is unpleasant to ' them, and admit generally that his declarations of Catholicity arc to be taken in a purely Pickwickian sense This kind of Catholic is • looked upon by our Church us a weak-kiicod trimmer >vho has enough j of the faith left to shudder at denying \m religion altogether, yet not j enough to realise that taken in its entirety it embraces all that is or I ever can be known of religious truth. 3 ' NeAV Jersey is sinking, Avith Ncav York city and Long Island, 3! at tho estimated rate of about sixteen inches per century. The i 1 coast of Texas is ascending at a comparatively very rapid rate, i bunie observers statiny that it is us much us thirty or forty feet in the Libt half century.