Colonial Notes.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XVI, Issue 29, 9 November 1888, Page 2

Colonial Notes.

An event particularly interesting to invalids has occurred at Ashfield in New South Wales. It must be especially comforting to those persons who need the constant attendance of a doctor. It seems that for some years a gentleman, known as Dr. Edward Drummond, had been pracising in the locality. Dr. Drummond had a large clientage t j whom he had evidently given much satisfaction, for he had a massed a considerable fortune. It turns out, however that Dr. Drummond was not himself at all but quite another sort of a person, who had stolen the diplomas of the genuine Dr. Drummond, and turned medical man in his place. The Doctor has now disappeared, taking with him, besides his own money amounting to several thousand pounds, a sum of £6000 belonging to his wife, whom he has left behind, and whom he had also taken in, she being a most estimable and respectable lady. It would be interesting, meantime, to receive the testimony of Dr. Drummond's late patients as to the effects of the medicines ordered by him, and which we may suppose at best to have been rather harmless than eflcacious. Will the confidence of invalids at Ashfield continue firm towards bread-pills?

The humanity of the secular system has just had an illustration at Parramatta where certain pupils of one of the Government schools have inflicted serious and most probably fatal injuries on a little boy whom they accused of throwing a stone at them. Their treatment of the child was barbarous in the extreme, and amounted to positive torture, Only the most degraded and cruel minds could have suggested it. But the absence of moral training makes everything possible among the rising generation.

His Eminence the Cardinal Archbishop is expected (o return to Sydney by the R.M.S.J Cuzco. His Eminence will bring out with him a large reinforcement of priests and Sisters of Morcy for the missions of the diocese.

By the death of Mr. Robprt Butcher, Sydney has lost one of her naest respected citizens, and the Catholic community a deservedly esteemed member. Mr. Butcher, who was a native of Lancashire, England, came to the colony some thirty or thirty-rive years ago, and by his energy, perseverance, and uprightness raised himself speedily to a p"omincDt position, which he sustaiaed with honour. His loss is greatly regretted. Much uneasiness also prevails as to the possible results of a severe attack of illness from which the Eight Hon. William Beie Dalley is suffering.

The Rev. Father Kavanagh 0.P., in a lecture delivered by him the other eveniog on Father Tom Burke took occasion, in alluding to Father Tom's defence of his country in America, to claim for the priesthood their fall right to take part as citizens in politics. In referring to the attitude of Australia towards the Irish cause, the rev. lecturer gave it as the results of his personal experience, that Mr. Parnell, whose vindication of his character he looked upon aa certain,

had the sympathy of everyone whose sympathy was worth having. Those narrow-minded few. he added, who opposed him were not fit to live in such a land as Australia. Father Kavanagh went on to deprecate all hatred and revenge on the part of Irishmen towards England and to point out how mnzh better were the methods of reason and argument by which tha English masses were becoming convinced of the justice of the Irish cause.

It is not often that any man holding a his?h public office signalises himself by a public and unprovoked display of bitter sectarian bigotry. This distinction, however, has been reserved for his Honour the Chief Justice of Western Australia, who, v ider the pretence of delivering one of a series of popular lectuies lately given there, and taking for his subject, "The England of the 16th century," entered npon a fierce denunciation of the Catholic Church. Tbe circumstance, which nappily seems without piecedeat in the history of the judicial bench of the Australian colonies, has given reasonable offence among the Catholic community, with whom, moreover, the better disposed among the non-Catholic population are in full sympathy.

The announcement made that the Launceston district is 'about to be divided from the diocese of Hobart and created a separate see, has not been received very favourably in Tasmania. It is argued that the small number of the Citholic population makes sucu an arrangement undesirable, and more particularly, since, owing to the peculiar circumstances of the colony, no very lapid increase can be looked for.

The rather doubtful experiment of liberating several thousands of convicts in India in honour of Her Majerty's Jubilee, is reported after a year's experience not to have had anyjapprec table result upon the crime of the country. Whether this may be taken as a proof that the maintenance of prisoners in the country is a more or less useless expense, or that rejoicing loyalty has a salutary effect upon the criminal mind, we need not stay to examine. The effect upon the population generally, however, was not quite so wholesome, the number of malefactors, exclusive of the released convicts, being largely increased.

A case of voluntary suttee is reported from lhe neighbourhood of Cawnpoie, where a widow, having waited until the mourners had left the smouldering pile on which her husband's body had been conBurned, threw herself into the embers that still had sufficient strength to cause her death. The act of the unfortunate creature, however, is less attributed to despairing love or religious superstition, than,to the fear of enduring the degradation th&t is the fate of the Indian widow. In this the benefits that Christianity has ccuferred upon the world are once more apparent. But whatever excuse for British rule is offered by the preveniion of the suttee, as an established custom, it seems a good deal .modified^ by the, conditions] still, obtaiaing, of the woman's life.

If we are to judge of the prospects [of Christianity in India, meantime, by the success of Protestant missions there, it is much to be feared that heathenism will hold its own. A native missionary in Bombay has, for example, just read a paper on the Church, in which he states that, as a result of 75 years labours, the whole number of converts of all sects, except the Salvation Army, concerning which he has no certain information, i« 454, it adults alone be taken, or, mcludiDg children, 956. As to the Salvation Army in Bombay, they have not as yet made a regular ebtabl shment there, and if they have fifty native followers it is the must, Ko that, m round numbers, 1000 would represent the whole result of the seventy-five years. But if this be compared with the vast sum if heathenism, the prospects of Protestant Christianity are obvious.

As the habits of the Chinese should be of interest in colonies where some people intend that they shall have large settlaraents, and the sooner the better, a few details lately given to the Ivoynl Asiatic Society at Shanghai will not be out cf place in these notes. The subject treated of was infanticide which is suspected of existing very markedly in the country. It seemstbat. as the bodies of little children even among theibetter classes are haidly considered worthy of burial, among the lower classes they arc deprived of it altogether and thrown into the fields or canale. To such an extent does this practice prevail that in some ciliep, notably Pekin, cans provided by Government go round continually to gather up the. little corpses and convey tbem to a place of burial. No inquiry, say the authorities in question, is made into the condition of the bodies, which pioves that Government ia indifferent as to whether or not infanticide is committed. The tenderness of the parentp, however, is often testified to by the fact that the infants thrown out as dead are found to be alive, when, we arejtold, they are co iveyed to a foundling hospital, where the preservation of their lives depends upon their being speedily adopted. We see then what refining and civilising influences we might expect our Chinese settlers to bring at best amongst up. At best a barbarous and revolting habit, sinking at the most sacred feelings of civilised people, and at worst, and the worst is probably the fact, a habit of murder in a moat detestable form. Verily the advocates of our friend John show a deep understanding of morality in belauding his virtues, and a sweet solicitude for the future of thu colonies in desiring to establish him as a leader among their settlors.