News of the Week.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume V, Issue 233, 19 October 1877, Page 12

News of th e We ek.

We clip the following remarkable paragraph from our Southland contemporary the Weekly Times: — "From a telegram that appears elsewhere it will be seen that Cardinal Sforza, who was generally looked upon as the successor to Pope Pius IX., is dead. Amongst English Catholics it is thought that Wiseman, Sforza being out of the way, possesses the highest claims to the triple crown." We should have thought that English Catholics would have had the nous to perceive that the objection applied at least quite as strongly to Cardinal Wiseman, his Eminence having been dead for a much longer period than Cardinal Sforza. When egregious nonsense, however, is written or inserted in the columns of our contemporaries, the mere question of its degree is not of the slightest consequence. A complimentary supper was given at the City Hotel, Dunedin, on Friday evening last to Mr. and Mrs. Murphy. A numerous company were present and a most agreeable evening was passed. A most extraordinary missive has been received by the Immigration Officer in Dunedin, assuming to come from the minister of the island of St. Kilda, North Britain, and which states that a party of eight persons, long supposed to have perished by the loss of their boat at sea, are now believed to have been carried off by the wicked captain of some ship, and scattered in places " far abroad." Heaven knows why ! but where they arc thought to languish under the impositioH of an oath which prevents them making their case known. The object of the letter purports to be the discovery of anyone of these unhappy wights who may linger spell-bound amongst us here in New Zealand, and if any of our readers suspect an acquaintance of pining under such a burden he will do well to communicate the matter to the gentleman who has received the epistle alluded to. His Lordship the Bishop of the Diocese left Dunedin yesterday for Invcrcargill, where he purposes to hold a visitation on Sunday next, 2 let inst. From Invercargill his Lordship will proceed to Qucenstown for a like purpose, and will be present in that town on Sunday, the 28th inst. A visitation will also Joe held in Oamaru on November 11th. It will be seen that in one most important matter at least, the retrenchment policy announced by Sir George Grey, affords a striking contrast to the miserable tactics pursued by the late Government. It is with relation to the integrity of salaries of small amount which are not, in the case of other officials, to suffer the fate of those of the police fore«, most unfairly docked, not only to the injury o£ the parties concerned, but to the well-being of the whole state of society in the colony. It is, however, " never toe late to mend." The matter is not irrevocable.