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New Zealand Tablet, Volume XII, Issue 37, 2 January 1885, Page 15

Owing to the occunence of the holiday, we are again this week obliged to go to press a day in advance of our usual time, and therefore must once more claim the indulgence of our readers.

The Hibernian Society's Fete at the Caledonian Grounds, Kensington on St. Stephen's Day proved a marked success. It was attended by a very large number of people, and on the whole the weather was not unfavourable, The various events were well con-

tested, and Mr. Wiggins' dancing was an additional feature which was much appreciated. The Garrison Band contributed in no light degree to the pleasures *bf the day.

The celebration of Masses in St. Joseph's Church, Dunedin, on Christmas Day commenced at 6 a.m., the Rev. Fathers Walsh and Lynch celebrating in succession each the three Masses permitted to a priest on the Feast of the Nativity. His Lordship the Bishop, having previously officiated twice in the chapel of the Dominican Convent, acted as celebrant of Pontifical H igh Mass at 11 a.m., with the Rev. Fathers Lynch and Walsh as deacon and suhdeacon respectively, and the Rev. Father Burke as Master of Ceremonies. The Bishop, before addressing the congregation on the feast of the day, took the opportunity to thank them for the liberality of their contributions to the support of Church and clergy. He also congratulated them on having, notwithstanding allthelcalls they had to meet, subscribed the large sum of £2500 during the year to the Cathedral building fund. His Lordship hoped that next Christmas day would find the holy sacrifice offered within the newly erected walls.— The Bishop also thanked the choir for their valuable services. At St. Patrick's, South Dunedin, three Masses were celebrated by the Rev. Father Purton, 0.5.8.

The arrival at Melbourne of the Most Rev. Dr. Luck, on his re: urn journey to Auckland, is announced.

" • Civis,' the hydra-headed writer of ' Passing Notes.' "—Hydraheaded, indeed 1 Is there a head at all among the lot of them ? Say Briareus-handed, and you will come in some way near it,

The announcement made in Parliament by Mr. CampbellBannerman that the notorious George Bolton, although reinstated in his office as Crown Prosecutor, will not be employed in connection with the Coercion Act, serves as an additional proof that it was fear alone of the revelations Bolton, if provoked, could make that led to his recall.— Figuring as an ornament to the system of the Castle, he will be a prominent witness as to what that system means . — It is a pity that Lord Spencer does not preserve, a? well as despotic methods of inflicting death or imprisonment on his enemies, or those whom he regards as such, convenient means for the disposal of inconvenient friends. — A bravo or two would suit the requirements of the Castle perfectly, and would hardly be more infamous than many of its actual employees.

The usual fortnightly meeting of the Dunedin Catholic Literary Pociety took place on December 12, "when a debate on the relative merits of Freetrade versus Protection was the order of the evening. The debate proved to be so interesting that it was found it could not be finished lhat evening ; therefore it was adjourned for a week to give every member an opportunity of speaking on the subject. On the following Friday tbe debate was finished. Messrs. Hayes, Eagar, Hall, and B. Dunne weie the speakers on the side of Protection, while Messrs. Haughton, B. A. Dunue, Harris, J. E. Dunne, Dalton. and Carolin were the leading speakers on behalf of Freetrade. Both sides advanced argumentsin a manner which showed a thorough grasp of the subject, but it was found when put to the test that the Freetraders carried the day. The speeches of Messrs. Carolin and Hayes were especially good and would have done credit to a much more pretentious assembly.

The principal attraction of the week in Dunedin has been Chiarini's great circus. The performance may be fairly described as one of the best things of the kind that has ever been witnessed in this city, and a couple of hours may be very agreeably spent in attendance on it. The performers are all above the average, and some of them give very wonderful displays indeed. Some graceful and amusing feats of horsemanship are varied by athletic exhibitions of a most surprising nature. Those of the Faust family, and the man-serpent, in particular, being of quite an unrivalled kind. The young lady who walks on the invisible wire and seems to go through ker exercises unsupported in the air, is also possessed of very astonishing powers. Attached to the circus is a menagerie containing Eome very fine specimens of wild beasts, remarkable among them being the formidable-looking tigers which are exhibited under the control of their tamer, Mr. frame, at the conclusion oE the performance. There are besides some witty clowns who contribute much to the amusement of the audience. The management, moreover, is extremely good, and no tiresome delays or hitches of any kind occur all through. On the whole, a visit to this circus must result in complete satisfaction.

Thursday last, December 25, bsing Christmas Day, two Masses were celebrated at North-Bast Valley — one at eight o'clock, and the other at nine— by the Rev. Father Burke. At the latter '• Farmer's Mass " was exquisitely rendered by the choir (under the leadership of Mr. Colclough), consisting of Misses B. Walker, E. Carrol 1 , E. Cantwell, M. Sheedy, and A. Conway ; and Messis 1 N. Smith, W. J. Cantwell, J. P. Harris, and W. J. Williamson ; Mr. Bnnis acted as organist. The altar was decorated with flowers and evergreens in a very superior style, and reflected great credit on those who were engaged in adorning it. It is to be hoped that this was the last time Macs will be said in Kirk's Hall on Christmas Day, as we understand

it is the intention of the laity at the north end of the city to have a suitable church erected by next year. The Christmas offerings amounted to over £23, a considerable advance on last year. OrjE excellent contemporary,' the Dunedin Evening Herajld, thinks he may legitimately promote pejace and good-will at this Christmas season by an entertaining, if rather a rambling, word or two about Guy Fawkes, O'Donovan Rossa, and dynamite generally ; that is the line his thoughts run in, and we wish him joy of them But would they not be better suited to tke sth of November ? At any rate, they hardly go well with roast beef and plum pudding. Our contemporary wants to know what use it would be to Irishmen to blow up the Canadian Houses of Parliament, or public offices in London— but as we do not know we cannot inform him. That an attempt to blow them up should be made by somebody, nevertheless seems of some gain to bigoted and malevolent scribblers for newspapers, who, having nothing on earth to say, choose a mischievous way of saying it. Until it has been proved, moreover, that Irishmen have made the attempts in question no decent man would accuse them of doing so. As to the explosion on London Bridge, since the road to the continent passes that way, who shall say whether some foreign Socialist did not accidentally drop his baggage there. And, by the way, it might be interesting to inquire whether the Evening Herald's scribe believes the Palaca of Westminster to be situated in close proximity to London Bridge, as we might gathor from his article. In any case, it would be as well for the Evening Herald, if he needs must publish the scribble of an imbecile hand, to insist on its containing merely harmless folly.— Ugly slander published at Chrisimas is doubly objectionable.

Oub contemporary the Dunedin Evening Star borrows a jumble of Irish affairs from some source or other— the Melbourne Argus it we judge correctly; Some particulars are given as to the charges brought against Allen, lately arrested in the office of the Freeman's Journal, on suspicion of being connected with a treasonable society, having its headquarters in Paris— and for whose defence, we may add, Mr. Timothy Healy, M.P., has been retained, this being his first brief. It is further stated that the letters incriminating Allen were to be used on Ihe trial of Fitzgerald, but Fitzgerald has been acquitted, and the prosecution of the Tubbercurry conspiratorsaccountable, according to the Star's informant, for " some of the foulest outrages of modern times" — has been abandoned. We perceive also that an attempt is being made to rehabilitate Cornwall but the verdict of the jury in his case and that of Kirwan places such a result beyond the reach of nope. It was simply a strong slap in the face administered to the prosecuting Government for withholding the evidence necessary to convict abominable criminals. As to Cornwall's threat of an action against Mr. O'Brien, that probably exists alone in the imagination of the Argus correspondent. The result of the action already taken by Cornwall against Mr. O'Brien was to place the plaintiff in the criminal dock, and the Dublin papers do not hide their conviction that had even the evidence brought forward by Mr. O'Brien been produced by Government, the desired acquittal could not possibly have taken place. The jury in Fitzgerald's case also administered a rebuke to the Government as to the witnesses produced. But the manner in which the accused wa» dealt with is well summed up as follows by the Dublin Freeman :— " Mr. Fitzgerald's case is one commandiug the greatest commiseration and sympathy. He was arrested neatly nine months ago after the most irregular and extraordinary method. He was seized in London without a warrant and in a fashion recalling the days of the Press-gang. He was transported over to Ireland, imprisoned, remanded, kept in confinement, subjected to the suspense and agony which a man must .suffer who knows that all the resources of the unscrupulous agencies of coercion are lequisitioned !o secure his con vie . tion, and finally when in broken health and with tortured mind be is" placed at the bar, charged on not less than thirteen several counts of high and mighty offences— from endeavouring to levy war upon and depose her Majesty the Queen down— he is confronted with two of the most infamous of the worst scum that any country in the greatest condition of ferment could produce, and a jury is asked to send him to penal servitude for life^on that rotten evidence. We say without fear and hesitation that luch a proceeding would be impossible in any civilised country save this one. We declare it to be as repugnant to the law of the Constitution of these Kingdoms as any act, legal or illegal, could possibly be, and the only satisfactory feature about it is its termination in a verdict of < not guilty,' and an addendum which is as clear, and as strong, and as bitter a vote of censure and indictment on the conduct of authorities as was ever pronounced in the presence *f a Judge and Court, and left on record by an impartia and reproachless Jury, above suspicion."— The jumble of Irish affairs then, quoted by our contemporary the Evening Star is clearly capable of some amendment. ■ !l •""