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New Zealand Tablet, Volume XVI, Issue 6, 1 June 1888, Page 15

The Athencevm. says :— " Cardinal Manning has been engaged on a notice of Darwin's " Life and Letters," which he may possibly contribute to one of the magazines. The notice, as may be supposed deals mainly with Darwin's personal character, of which his Eminence speaks in terms of warm appreciation." During the late violent storms in the Channel the sea washed through a high and hard sand-bank near St. Malo, nearly four metre! thick, laying bare a portion of an ancient forest which was already passing into the condition of coal. This forest, at the beginning of our era covered an extensive tract of the coatt ; but with the sinking of the land it became submerged and covered up by the drifting sand. Mont St. Michel once stood in the Middle of it. The forest had quite disappeared by the middle of the tenth century. Occasionally, at very low tides after storms, remains of it are disclosed, just as at present. It is believed that some centuries ago the highest tides rose about twelve metres above the level of the lowest ebb, Now tha high- water level is 15.5 metres above the lowest.

Cardinal Manning on Sunday, April 1, at the Pro-Cathedral Kensington, performed another of those astonishing tew* de forel which render it difficult for his flock to believe that he really is an older man than Mr. Gladstone. The Cardinal, attired in fall pontificals-cope of gold of cloth, and jewelled mitre, held in his left hand his gold crosier or episcopal staff during his long sermon, which lasted exactly fifty.fi ve minntes . He held his congregation, also, which was even more remark* able than the holding of his crozier. Another old man, Prince Bismarck, has celebrated his seventy -third birthday. It is not, however, until men get into the eighties that they are really old. Since the German Empercr died, Cardinal Manning is almost the oldest of the illustrious elders of our time, and yet in sympathy, in intelligence, and in active interest in the affairs of this world he puts to shame the youngest amongst us. — PaU Mall Qtusett*.