Colonial Notes.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XV, Issue 45, 2 March 1888, Page 3

Colonial Notes.

The Bey. Father Keane, late of Geraldine N.Z., was found dead in his bed at Manly, on the morning of February 3. Father Keane had been in declining health for some years, and had biea pronounced by the doctors to suffer from consumption. He, however, appeared in no immediate danger, and was not incapacitated from fulfilling the duties of his sacred cillinsr. He had retired early on Thursday evening the second inst, intending to celebrate Mass as usual for the nuns on the following morning. His not keeping the engagement, led to an inquiry, and he was found dead in his bed n ith his rosary clasped to his breast. Father Keane was a gentleman of high attainments as a scholar, and his amiable disposition mada him a general favourite wherever he was known, The funeral took place on Baturday morning in the cemetery at Manly, the Most Rev. Dr. Doyle, Bishop of Grafton, and a large number of the clergy, as well as a fall attendance of the laity being present. — R.I.P. The great success of the Patrician Brothers in theix school at Bedfern, Sydney, which they have raised in two years from an attendance of 30 to 300, has necessitated the erection of a new building. A very handnome brick structure has been built, therefore, on theplans of Mr. Charles O'Neil, late of Wellington, N.Z., which was opened on Sunday, February 5, by the Cardinal. His Eminence spoke strongly in support of Catholic education, and then alluding to the question of federation, on which, however, he said he did not intend to dwell from a political point of view, he recommended the establishment of a federation of charity. Great things, he said, were looked forward to for Australia, in the second century, on which sha had just entered, but for his part, he hoped the coming generations would be able to salute her as a great Christian and charitable nation. A lot of gossip has been caused by cablegrams published to the effect that certain priests of the diocese of Ossory were demanding from Cardinal Moran an account cf a sum of £2000 entrusted to him for the relief of the poor and infirm clergy of the diocese. The explanation is that a widow lady who has now married again had funded the sum of £2000, the interest of which was to be applied either to the benefit of sick andjinfirm priests, or, if not required for that purpose, to other charitable uses, as the Bishop decided. Cardinal Moran, when Bishop of Ossory, had employed the interest as it was intended he should. And the Dublin Rolls Court has approved of his action. As it was the re-married lady herself who moved in the matter we may draw our own conclusions. But fickleness is among the privileges of woman — and that not only, it would seem, as regards affairs of the heart. A rather serious shock of earthquake occurred near Wolumbi, N.S.W,, on Sunday, February 5. It resulted in opening at Bllalong • chasm some eighteen or twenty feet in depth and a quarter of a mile in length, The absence of inhabitants only averted a catastrophe. But of course tr-e cause was quite sufficient. On Sunday, February 5, the foundation-stone of a Convent of Mercy was laid at Gundagai, in the diocese of Goulburn, by the Most Rev. Dr. Murray, Bishop of Maitland. There were also present the Bishops of Bathurst, Wilcannia, and Goulburn. Their lordships, in the addresses made by them on the occasion, dwelt earnestly on the subject of Catholic education. The Most Rev. Dr. Lanigan, in particular, condemned the unfair dealing of the State in this matter, and showed how every condition of a reasonable arrangement could be fulfilled by subjecting Catholic schools to Government inspection, and regulating the system of payment in each district by that of the public schools in the locality. The Bishops also spoke highly of the successful and energetic labours of the Rev. Father Finnegan, pariah priest. A disastrous flood has occurred at a place called Greenough near Geraldton in Western Australia. An immense body of water came down suddenly from the higher grounds, surrounding or submerging the houses, and without giving the majority of the inhabitants time to escape. Four persons — two of them women, were drowned, and many are suffering severely from the effects of exposure Rafts were availed of to take off those who had sought ref vga on the tops of

houses several of whom had been exposed for many hour*. The settlement consisted for the most part of farmers and their families, and the loss in stock and agricultural produce has been very heavy. Many men are completely ruined. > The Nio-Calidmim publishes a vigorous protest against the infamous suggestion of the Melbourne Age that the murder in the New Hebrides of Mr. Lee Walker had been caused by French influence c?-e ?-P TC »S ainßt the Bri «sh interests represenced by him. The Age added the hope that H.M.S. Sr^r would not only take the reprisals she was sent to take, but would also hold an inquiry into the cause of tne|murder. But the Nio CaUdonien points out that the Raven was on the spot at the time, and, had there been any grounds for suspicion, could have acted upon them. Our Noumean contemporary attributes to the Age the motive of seeking to please its patrons without regarding the aature of the means employed by it; What a contemptible lot, it says, that staff of the Melbourne Age are, including w»e Vagabond to whose pen we perhaps owe this article, and the Hypocritical Paton with all his Wesleyan crew, who profit by such disgraceful matters and inspire them. Our contemporary goes on to quote a letter addressed by the brother of the victim to a friend in Noumea, and in which testimony is borne to the extreme concern and sympathy shown by the French residents and soldiers. It then gives a very reasonable account of the murder, which it seems was due to the rage of a native whose son desired against his will to take service under Mr. Walker. We woald not, it says in conclusion, hold Australians generally responsible for the calumnies invented by the Melbourne newspapers, but we beg of them to consider what weapons the party make use of, which sows between them and us division and natrbd that can turn neither to the honour nor profit of the two nations. r # A great fuss about the matter of ecclesiastical precedence has originated with Dr. Thornton, Anglican Bishop of Ballarat. His Lordship has been sadly scandal ised^at the deference shown by the Centennial Commissioners to Cardinal Moran, and the prominent poßition assigned to bis Eminence, especially at the banquet. Dr. Thornton,>mong the rest, declared that be himself, if it would do his Church any good, was ready to proceed, in the spirit, though not in the corporeal nudity, of Lady Godiva, all over Ballarat wearing a suit of pea-green. But probably, if it did his Church no good, neither would it do it any harm, and if the Bishop has a wish to see how he would look in glowing colours, there need be nothing to hinder him trying the experiment. Nor has Dr. Thornton done much to stir up bigotry and bickering. His effort has been generally ridiculed, and he has only succeeded in bringing forward the moderation of the dignitaries to whom he especially alluded, and their desire to make all reasonable concessions, to promote good- will and charitable intercourse. Cardinal Moran, for example, declares that piecedence goes with a Church Estabhshme^Snd that His Eminence has no desire to see hi Church established in New South=Wales. He adds that " in the matter of precedence he has always been on friendly terms with the Anglican Bishop of Sydney, and that be is always ready to waive any such claim m order to maintain these friendly relations. Dr. Barry, the Anglican Bishop, at the same time declares that legal precedence has lapsed with the letters patent which the Anglican Bishop formerly held as his official recognition oy the Crown ; and that he considers he himself was treated by the Centennial Committee with the greatest possible consideration. The right reverend aspirant to a suit of pea-green, always opposed to one of Roman purple, has not therefore gamed much by his interfereace. n 1 , The V l ry Rev - Dr - o>Brien . late Vice-Preddent of the Missionary College of All-Hallows, Dublin, who, on the invitation of his Eminence Cardinal Moran, has accepted the Rectorship of St. John's College, Sydney, has arrived by the Orient R.M.S Austral, A Mr. G. Henrickson recommends to the Victorian Government as a cure for snake-bite an acid, which he quotes Liebig as bis authority for stating to exist in the gall of the pig. He explains in this way the immunity with which pigs kill and eat poisonous snakes and proposes the extraction of the acid in question by some competent. Government chemist- Mr. Henrickson's assertion, however, that pigs are generally poison proof, is not borne out by facts. It is well known, for instance, that the gipsies -possess the secret of a poison which is instant death to these animals, but which does not affect the wholesomeness of their flesh as food for human beings. BSSAnother fight has occurred between members of the Legislature of New South Wales. The occasion was the debate on the Silverton railway in which the Member i^r Glen Innis was accused by the Member for Upper Hunter of acting on improper motives. An encounter with fists afterwards took place between the Hon. Members m the smoking room, and in which the representative of the Upper Hunter received severe treatment. The affair, however, is a mere trifle in the Parliament at Sydney. A Grand Duke of Russia and several members of the haute noblesse of that country, who are serving as officers on board of his Imperial Majesty's Ship, Rynda, have honoured Melbourne with a visit. The corvette may possibly put in also at other colonial ports.