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New Zealand Tablet, Volume XVII, Issue 30, 15 November 1889, Page 7

Certain statistics published a few diys ago famish some painful details relative to the increase of immorality in France. The population is at a standstill, the number of births among the French population being inferior to the numbei of deaths, and the birtrn nmoDg the foreign populatin resident in the country only preventing a decrease in the total population as compared with that of last year. The number of divorces, also, has increased in alarming proportions everywhere save in the Catholic Departments of the North and West, where cases of this kind are conspicuous by their absence. — Liverpool Catholic Times.

Kuig Leopold of Belgium has definitely decided to abdicate his sovereignty of the Congo Free State, in Africa, and as all of the loyal personages who are at present out of a job in Europe are quite familiar with Leopold's reasons for this course, it is not at all likely tnat the vacant throne will soon be filled. Enterprising Americana may be interested to lean that this crown and sceptre, with all the other appurtenances of royalty, will soon be on the market, and those who have an ambition to found a dynasty on the dark continent should make a note of it. The experiment of an African throne has been an exceedingly costly one for Leopold. Bveiy year the Congj State, with a population of twenty-seven million souls, such as they are, showed up a big 1< ser, and, as the deficit hid to be made up in some way, King Leopold sacrificed his private fortune year after year for the purpose. When this was all gone he mortgaged his civil list toL the sums necessary to keep the poor African State moving along, and to-day the Rothschilds hold mortgages against him aggregating 16,000,000 fraDCS. Leopold ha? quite nrned himself financially with this pet hobby of his, and finds himself in a position now where the only course left open to him is to abdicate.