Scotch Notes.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XVI, Issue 10, 29 June 1888, Page 5

Scotch Notes.

Whbk you are engaged in any nefarious transaction drink wine, not whisk v. Two burglars discovered the other d^y at Leith as they were holding a jollificntion among their spoils at once attempted to fscape. One of them, who was drinking wine, succeeded, but the other, who was drinking whiskey, wa9 captured. The moral is obvious : wine is the safer tipple.

The late demonstrations of the League in Ireland have brought Mr. Balfour into ridicule all over Scotland. The prominence and liveliness of the suppressed thousands are looked upon as completely proving the empty nature of his boasting.

A Koman congregation has decided in favour of Fort Augustus in a disputed case between th« Benedictines of the Scotch monastery aad their Knglish brethren. The question waß as to the right of disposing of a certain sum of money in making the Scotch foundation, which m ney, it was urged, had been meant for expenditure in England But, with the exception of two lesser sums, which tbe Bacred Con gregation at Borne ordered to be returned to the English community" it is decided that the outlay has been legitimate. ,

The branches of the National League are occupying themselves in seeing all householders of Home Bule principles pay their poorrates bofore June 20th. Failing this they would be practically disfranchised for twelve months and prevented from voting at any Parliamentary election that might take place. Tbe task is a useful one, and comes well within the province of the League.

The Papal decree has caused a flutter among Scotch Unionists* The idea that the party to which 'hey belong his bad recourse to the kind officps of the P >pc is most distasteful to them. Scotch Liberals, at the same time, are asking if an Irish Catholic university is the bribe offered by the Tories.

The Crofters' Commission ntill expoaeß the system of rack-renting that has prey iled. The Highfield estate in Kosshirehe^ds the latest list with an average reduction of 57 per cent, rental and 83 per cent, of arrears. But there are several others nearly as bad. As to the fall in the value of landed propor y, it has received proof in the failure to find a purchaser the other day for the Horn estate in Per hshireat the prioe of £4500, — the Bame estate having been sold some few years ago for JB9OOO.

The Glasgow exhibition to be opened on May 8, will be one of the principal attractions of the ye«r. It occupiei a fine and convenient position in the Kelvin Park, and is a very imposing and handsome structure, covering about 14 acres Tbe art galleries will be among its principal features, aDd the collection of [pictures and statuary will be very remarkable. A gigantic annexe* also will be devoted to machinery. Out of doors all sorts of games and displays will be held, varying from the navigation of the river by gondoliers fmm Venice, with their peculiar boats, to athletic competitions by Scotch clubs on dry land, and excursions skyward in a captive balloon. An exhibit especially interesting to Catholic visitors will be that of the work done by the chi'dren of the Whitevale Refuge, under the care of the Sisters of Charity, for which Archbishop Eyre has obtained a stall.

The victory of Mr. Philips, the Gladßtonian candidate for MidLannrk, has been the event of the season. Mr. Philips, who is a London bnrrißter, and the son of a Wiltshire baronet and vicar, con - t^s'ed the seat with Mr. Bon k fi> Id, the Tory candidate, and Mr. X ir-Hardie, the candidate put forward by Mr. Cunningham Graham and a Socialist committee, as an advocate of the interests of labour The conduct of thiß party, however, was much condemned, as they showed their willingnes s to iisk the return of the Tory, rather than abandon their Belfish projects. Mr. Philips, however, gained a striking victory, beating the Tory by a majority of 930. and both his opponents combined by a maji rity of 313. Tbe result of tbe contest, moreover, showed a large increase in the Liberal vote, which bad risen from 2 800 in '85, and 3.779 in '86, to 4,464 in '88. Mr. Philips ascribes his success in great part to the efforts made in his support by Messrs. T. D. Sullivan, O'Kelly, and Pinkerton. The elec'ion is taken i s giving an overwhelming contradiction to the assertion that Mr. Gladstone is losing strength in Scotland. And as to Home Rule, even the Tory candidate felt himself obliged to promise to support it in a modified form, and so exprcsseed himself on the subject as to show an agreement with Lord Randolph in his attack upon the Salisbury Cabinet, because of their broken pledges with respect to Irish Local Government.