Colonial Notes.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XVII, Issue 40, 24 January 1890, Page 3

Colonial Notes.

A{gou> discovery is reported from Queensland which savours in some degree of romance. Two miners were withdrawing from a district, which they had been prospecting in vain, when one of them stopped to look at a flower. The other, meantime, idly chioped a rock, and found it rich in gold. The result is Baid to be the discovery of a reef of which wonders are predicted, The claim has been named the Orchid after the lucky flower. It is eitnated in the Mackay district. Tbe time honoured "whopper" to the effect that Pope Pius IX. bad in his youth been a Freemason has once more been repeated — and now rather less excusably thaa before. A statesman, even capable of acting as governor of a Crown colony, if not better informed, should at least have more prudence than to repeat in public ■neb a tale — of whose truth he could not have felt certain, and which, as a matter of fact, had once for all received an authoritative denial. The calumny in question, nevertheless, was repeated tbe other day by the retiring Governor of West Australia at a banquet given him on tbe conclusion of his term of office by the Freemasons, to whose body be beloDged. The story is a particularly unworthy one, as not only iB it completely false, but it was the invention made by an atheistic Continental lodge for the express annoyance of the Holy Father. English masons who profess to have no sympathy with the Tencm of Continental masonry should be guarded against borrowing anything from it A man in the position occupied by Sir Frederick Broome should be doubly on his guard. Mr. Joseph R. Cox, M.P. for the County Clare, is now on a visit to New South Wales, where he will take part with Mr. Deasy in completing tbe work of the National delegates. Mr. Cox, however, haß come out to the colonies principally for the purpose of regaining his health, which has suffered severely in the course of the contest in which be has bravely dune his part, undergoing several terms of imprisonment. It was probably due to Mr. Cox's arrival that Sir Thomas Bsmonde was able to alter his plan as to returning to Australia, and to leave for Samoa en route for San Franciso. as ieported — with the intention of joining Mr. Dillon on board the Zealandia. There is, it would seem, near the town of Dunolly in Victoria a in^n named Faux who owns a vineyard. There is, in any case, a vineyard there which is known as Faux's vineyard, and whose owner now, uolfss circumstincf s not easily understood prevent it, must, in some degree, feel himself a mortified person. Close by tbe vineyard, and only a foot and a half beneath the surface, a nugget weighing nineteen ounces has been found. The inference is obvious. Had Faux, or the person who represents Faux extended his vineyard a little further, and dug the soil to a reasonable depth in the pro-ecution of his viticultural pursuits, he would naturally have been the party to fiad the nugget — which was worth a great many bunches of grapes. Whether, therefore, shall we commiserate Faux, or congratulate the lucky digger 1 It is a sign of the times not altogether without significance to see the lodian secular newspapers taking up the question of the Padroado, or Portuguese protectorate over the Catholic Church in British India, and hailing with ardour a prospect of its abrogation. The hope expressed by the papers in question is that the matter will form a subject of negotiation between the Holy See and General Sir Linton Simmons, the British envoy accredited there. Time was when secular English newspapers troubled themselves very little as to the relationships of the Catholics of the Empire, as Catholics. All that, however, has been changed, and we have now to learn whether tbe newly-awakened interest in Catholic affairs will result in good or evil. So far as Portuguese interference is concerned, probably its removal might prove beneficial, but there are cases in which British interference would be more mischievous than any other. These cases, however, do not occur in India. Prior to the eleven o'clock Mass (says the Nelson Colonist of January 13). a ceremony took place at St. Mary's Church yesterday morning in which considerabls interest was evinced. The ceremony referred to was tbe blessing of a memorial side altar, presented by Mr. Charles McGee in memoriam of his late wife, and which was erected by Mr. R. Stewart. Tbe altar was made to the order of Mr. McGee, and all the necessary decorations have been supplied by him, including six solid brass, gold-varnished candlesticks and crucifix, which were ordered from Sydney, besides the other fittings. This altar, which occupies a position in the Bide aisle on the rignt of the chancel as one enters the cbuTch, is a handsome addition to the ornamenadon of the building, and the ceremony of blessing tne altar was pei formed by tbe Very Rev. Father Mahoney, who in his instructions at Mass and Vespers, referred to the handsome present, and on tbe part of the congregation thanked Mr. McGee for his present to the church, remarking, too, that he hoped others would imitate Mr. McGee in beautifying and adorning their church. We learn that on

Wednesday next, at 8 a.m.. there will b 9b 9 a Mass of Requiem said at the new altar for Mrs. McGee, to whose memory the altar stands. The Annales .of Mauritius, replying to a remonstrance made against the ad?ice given to toe Catholics of Port Louis to support, in the recent elections, a candidate of their own principles, or at least pledged to uphold their rights, challenges the production of even one instance in which they, forming nearly nineteen-twentieths of the otmstian population of the island, and having a preponderating influence, have ever used this influence to the prejudice of the interests or privileges of the other sections of the community. On the contrary, says our contemporary, they have always gone as far ai possible in the ways of tolerance and generosity, and have always been at the head of the legitimate progress and of the gradual emancip.tion of all classes of the population. At the last elections for Port Louis, he adds, Catholics generally voted for a Protestant. It is Irue that this Protestant was distinguished by the breadth of his views, and the elevation of his ideas, and let it be seen that he was not in league with the clique that aims to domineer over us. What prevents other Protestants from inspiring us with a like confidence 1 We will vote for them aa our co-religionists in Ireland do, who not only elect Protestants, but confide to a Protestant the guidance of their party.— But since the Catholics of Mauritius emulate the liberality of their Irish brothers in religion, let us hope that they also may be rewarded by fioding a Parnell to help them in their need. The grievance of Catholics in Mauritius is similar to that which we in New Zealand also suffer from — a grievance of 'ecular education. Some assia'ance is, however, given there to private schools. — But the spirit in which it is given may be gathered from the fact that the education of a child in the Government schools costs exactly double what it costs to educate him in the private schools— that is the sum of £4 annually. The education grant rquals one fourteenth of the revenue of tbe Colony — of which the Catholics, forming nearly nineteen-twentieths of the population, evidently enjoy anything rather than the lion's Bhare. The success of artesian borings is still reported from the arid distiicts of Australia. The latest report comes from the N^coleche district, East of the Paroo river, where, at a depth of 1227 feet, a supply of 720,000 gallons of water a day has been obtained. It iB, however, remaikable that all borings made W«jst of the river have prtved fruitless. Heavy floods have occurred in the North and We^t of Queensland. In the Normanton district they have been especially disastrous, the town being submerged and several fatalities having occurred. There were many cases also in which women and children were rescued with difficulty. From Aramac reports to a similar effect have been received. The trees there were filled with people seeking for safety. Many other districts likewise suffered severely. A more than commonly tragic affray has taken place at Penrith, in New South Wales. The chief actor in the matter was a native of Colombo, a young man of colour named James. He had been under the surveillance of the police for some days, aid accidentally meeting Sergeant Beatty, a member of the force, who had warned him to leave tbe district, he suddenly turned on him, drew from his back a sheath knife, and plunged it into the sergeant's breast. Beatty struggled with his assailant for some little time, but, getting weak from loss of blood, was forced to take refuge, which he found in a convent close at hand. A crowd had gathered, meantime, and an attempt was made by them to seize James, bat he stood at bay and kept them off with his knife and a supply of stones. A constable named Mosely next arrived on the scene, and, having first called on James to surrender, fired a revolver at him, but tbe cap snapped. James then attempted to advance, when the constable fired, with better success, and wounded him slightly in the abdomen. He was still advancing notwithstanding bis wound and a volley of stones directed at Dim by the crowd, and a man named Alfred Reid rushed up and tried to seize him from behind. He lunged at this man with his knife, and, finally, inflicted a severe wound on a youDg fellow named Zabu liter, who succeeded in seizing him. He wasthtn overpowered and carried away to the lock-up. According to tbe last report, Beatty was sinking rapidly and Zabuliter had been despaired of. Such an affray occurring in the broad day-light seems rather out of joint with our civilisation. — Were Northern Australia, as has been proposed, the special settlement of coloured races, would the civilisation of the period include many such scenes? The family cat in the household of W. A. Reyburn, at Glen, Pa. lately went to sleep upon the lace of the three-months-old daughter The child died of suffocation. It is reported that two yonng women and a young man are now engaged in a novel race around the world . The New York World has sent its reporter, " Nelly Bly " aDd the New York Herald has a man. The both started on the steamer Augusta Victoria, which left New York last Saturday, and will try to beat Jules Verne's hero in his imaginary trip around the globe. The Cosmopolitan has sent Miss Elizabeth Bisland, a writer, age 22. She started oveiland for San Francisco the same evening and sailed from San Francisco on Thursday. She expects to reach Yokohama on December 11, and Hong Kong six days later by special steamer. From China she will go to London, and thence will leturn to New York, arriving here, according to her plans, on January 25. If she succeeds )n aoing this in seventy-two days she will make the fastest trip on record, and have time to rest before she has to welcome home the two other rash young people who are running away from the sun while she is chasing it. If all goes well, the Eastbound and Westbound flyers ought to pass one another somewhere ja Asia.