General News.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume VII, Issue 334, 12 September 1879, Page 16

General News .

The Commission of Historical Monuments has voted the necessary funds for the rurchase of five tombs of the Grand Masters of the Knighto Hospitallers of St. John at Jerusalem, which have been preserved to the present time in Rhodes. Four of these belonged to as many celebrated French Grand Masters — namely Dicudonn6 dc Gozon, Peter de Corvillon, Robert de Jolhac, and James dc Milly, The fifth tomb is that of John Baptist des Ursins.— Arc Maria. The world came very near losing Dr. Newman by his late illness. The correspondents at the time of his late illness made light of his cold, consequent upon excitement and fatigue ; but the Lancet announces that he was at death's door, for senile pneumonia, with which he was attacked, is one of the most dangerous of all diseases, and his rapid recovery is proof of the skill with which he was treated by his doctors.

The Lambertini-Antonelli case is ended at last. The result this time is conclusive. The "claimant" goes out of court beaten at every point, and with costs amounting to about 2.~),000 dols. entered against her. She was successful in the civil tribunal in which her case was first tried, but the decision there was reversed by the court of appeals, and the action of the latter body is now confirmed by the supreme court. The latter court declares that '* there is no written evidence that the Countess Lambertini is the daughter of Cardinal Antonelli." It also avers that "it would be immoral for her to abandon her legitimate social position to become illegitimate for mercenary purposes." The case was clearly one of imposture and conspiracy from the first. The final issue of it is gratifying, though doubtless a great disappointment to the mercenary countess and her unscrupulous instigators. The Pope exhibits a marked predilection for the Church and the people of Ireland. His greeting of Irish prelates visiting Rome is most cordial aud emphatic. When his brother was raised to the cardmalate, he assigned him to the Church of St. Agatha, the Irish church of Rome. It will be remembered that this is the church which contains the heart of O'Connell.

The Prince of Wales is not stupid himself, but he likes to have stupid fellows about him as butts. Lord Aylesford has long served him in such a capacity, and Lord Clonmel is often put into requisition. The latter is grandson of an Irish chief justice, who would not resign his office for less than an earldom, which he consequently got. The Prince likes to get up "bear fights" between his butts, and derives a great deal of laughter from them. After all, great men have done very silly thiugs for diversion. Cromwell used to delight in putting sticky things on scats. An Ohio editor has been fined one cent, for calling a man a • scalawag."

Chinese laundries, with opium dens attached, are numerous in Memphis.

, ° coloured children living on Col. Ledbetter's plantation, near Wadesboio, N. C, died soon after earing snake eggs, which they found in the woods and cooked, supposing them to be partridge eggs. A man at Cbapmanville, Va., had a chance to find out how long he could stand on his toes. Robbers took his money, banged him to a tiec, and left him. By pressing his toes on the ground he could relieve the choking of the noose around his neck, and in that way lie stood for thiiteen hours, but was on the point of giving up when help came. *

It is estimated that Amciican shoppers spend nearly 10,000,000 dollars evciy season over the counters in London. Some time ago it was announced that a daily Protestant newspaper would be published in Paris. The experiment has been tried, and it has failed. The busines-s management and the editorial conduct seem to have been alike unfortunate. The patronage was at first small, and it soon fell off altogether. There is no probability of an immediate renewal of the experiment. The Boston bicycle club went out on Sunday f>r a ride on their two-wheeled vehicles. Ten of them were arrested on a charge of violating the Sunday law, and a justice fined them ten dollars each on the ground that they had been " playing or sporting on the Lord's day." They appealed, and the legal question will be biought before a higher court.

Lord Edmund Howard, brother and heir presumptive of the Duke of Norfolk, is about to be married to Lady Mary Bertie, eldest daughter of Lord Norreys and granddaughter of the Earl of Abingdon. Lady Mary is the niece of the wife of Lord O'Hagan, Lord Chancellor of Ireland. She is remarkably beautiful and just nineteen. Cardinal Manning will perform the ceremony. Of the Hou.se of Commons at the Queen's accession only eight members survive, of whom Mr. Gladstone is one. Two were members prior to the Reform Bill of 1831. Mr. Mansel Talbot is we believe, the senior and the father of the House. He has sat from the age of 22 for Glamorganshire, of which county he is also Lord Lieutenant, and has seen his |property quadruple in value through the extension of colliery and other mineral enterprises in the principality. v

A prosecution for Eitualistic practices was before Lord Penzance on the 31th June. The defendant was the Rev. S. F. Green, rector of the Church of St. John the Evangelist, Miles Platting, who was charged with a \aiiety of offences against the laws ecclesiastical committed during the celebration of holy communion. The offences were those which have formed the ground of most of the Ritualistic prosecutions, but there was one novel charge, that of washing the communion cup after the celebration of the communion. °The defendant was also charged with placing a large biass cross on a ledge over the holy table. After hearing evidence his lordship found all the charges proved, except the last one, which was withdrawn and directed the defendant to be admonished, to remove the brass cross, and to pay the costs of the proceedings. A writer in the Atlantic Monthly is satisfied the people of .his continent are physically the equals of the best in Europe. He says,

moreover, that they are improving in physique. He says :— " During the last two decades, the well-to-do classes of America have been visibly growing stronger, fuller, healthier. We weigh more than cur fathers ; the women in all our great centres of population are yearly becoming more plump and beautiful, and in the leading brain-working occupations our men also are acquiring robustness, amplitude, quantity of being. On all sides there is a visible reversion to the better physical appearance of our English and German ancestors. A thousand men in the prime of years, taken by accident in any of our large cities, are heavier and more substantial than were the samej number of the same age and walk of life twenty-five years ago." j/p A system of insurance has existed for several generations among the Danish nobility of Copenhagen. A nobleman, upon the birth of a daughter, enrolls her name with the insurance society, paying at the time a fee, and subsequently an annual sum, until she reaches 21. She then becomes entitled to a fixed income from the society, and to appartments in the large building of the association, which is surrounded by gardens and a park. Should her father die in her childhood, she may immediately occupy the apartments if she so desires. Should she die or marry, the income and the right to a home both lapse. The plan is very advantageous for women leading a single life.

A despatch from Rome, under date of June 2, is to the effect that the Italian Government "has taken forcible possession of the Roman Observatory. Father Ferrari, who succeeded Father Secchi as Director of this observatory, declared that he would yield only to violence. The officers and guards then proceeded to drag the Jesuit priest out of the observatory." This action shows that the Government did not long retain the mask of hypocrisy under which it hoped to obtain certain concessions which it knows very well the Pope will never consent to.

The comments of most of the French papers on the death of the prince were in good taste. One of the exceptions was the article published by M. Emile de Girardin in the France, which has been replied to as follows by M. Paul de Cassagnac in the Pays .— It was at Biarritz a young girl was suffering, and her illness — a contagious one— drove everyone from her bedside. A woman approached her, watched and tended her ; and bending over her, received her last sigh in one last kiss. This young girl was your child, Monsieur de Girardin ; and this woman was the Empress. It was this mother who had risked her life near the beloved daughter whom you have lost. You dare to tell this woman that God has done well to take her son, who had never hurt you, and you have no pity for the sobs of the widow, for the horrible grief of this ill-starred woman, whom nothing now links with life, and whose husband, laid beneath the tombstone at Chislehurst. awaits the inanimate son.

A house belonging to Captain Bennet, Mackinac, situated on the north shore, near the Schneaux, was burned last week, Wednesday night. The three children of the Indian who had charge of the place had been locked up in the house, while he and his wife were visiting his wife's mother. The oldest of the children was a boy eight years of age. The house took fire in the night, and the boy, not being able to get out of the doors, and the windows being securely fastened, was only able to escape by taking an axe and chopping his way out of a window. He then took the younger children out. They remained about the house till morning, wrapping their feet up in some blankets to keep them from freezing. They waited until noon the next day for their parents to come, and they not doing so, the little fellow put the two smaller ones on a hand-sled and hauled them down to their grandfather's four miles distant. — Xorthcrn {Mich.) Tribune. Thurles was the scene of an impressive religious ceremony on Saturday and Sunday, June 21 and 22. The new cathedral wag consecrated by his Grace the Aichbishop of Cashel, and nothing was left undone to render the performance of the rite memorable for ever in the annals of the metropolitan diocese of Munster. Three-fourths of the Irish prelates, some two hundred priests, gathered from the South, East, and vVest, and an exceedingly large congregation of laity, including some members of Parliament, were in attendance, while the sermon was preached by his Grace the Archbishop of Dublin. The spectacle was one to bring joy to the heart especially of the popular and distinguished Dr. Crake. — JYation. Akh.'.m Church, near Shrewsbury, was struck by lightening yesterday afternoon (July 13) during Divine service. Five members of the choir were seriously injured. The injuries of Emma Cain and Eliza Challoner are the most seiious, as, besides suffering from general shock, they are badly burnt, and have their feet cut by the electric fluid. They were singing " Nunc Dimittis " at the time the lightening came through the roof, and coming down the organ pipes entered the choir. The congregation were greatly alarmed, and many rushed from the building. The roof of the latter is much damaged, but strangely enough the square tower and flagstaff appear uninjured. Liverpool was visited by a heavy thunderstorm yesterday afternoon. The electric fluid struck the large cross on the Roman Catholic poor schools of St. Francis Xavier, Salisbury street, completely shattering it. It fell with a great ciash, but fortunately no one was injured. The heavy rains keeping within doors the Sundayschool scholars. — Host on A'ovs.

The advertisement of Dr. Grant and Professor Wallenburg, which will be found in another column, and to which we desire to direct the special attention of our readers, testifies to many wonderful cures effcted by the gentlemen in question. Their tour "in Australia seems to have been attended with splendid results, and we have no doubt like success will wait upon their efforts in New Zealand. Mr. O'Hagan has been appointed agent for the New Zealand Tablet at Kumara. We would request our subscribers to be punctual in making their remittances through him. Our present expenses are heavy, and it is very desirable that we should be enabled to meet them.

Messrs. A. Grieve and Co. have commenced business as produce merchants in the Octagon, Dunedin. Messrs. Collie and Pnllen have opened a boot aud shoe-making establishment in Walker Street, Dunedin. They furnish admirable work at moderate charges.