Roman Notes.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIX, Issue 27, 3 April 1891, Page 2

Roman Notes.

AMONG recent visitors to Rome has been his Royal Highnes3 the Duke of Cambridge, who was accompanied by his soo, Colonel Fitzgeorgp. His Royal Highness obtained an audience of the Pope, and is said to have afterwards given his opinion very freely to some members of King Humbert's suite as to the manner in which his Holiness was treated by the Government.

Italy also has experience! a winter of unu3ual severity. For very many years such a fall of snow has not been witnessed in Rome. Thesnowing-upof trains and ota. r casualties have been reported from various parts of the country. At a place called Reggio Emilia, a most distressing accident happened through the falling-in of the roof of a military riding-school, by which several lives were lost, aad a number of men were seriously, though less severely, injured.

Signor Crispi has been turned out of office owing to an attack made by him, during a debate on a Bill for increasing the taxes on spirits and oils, on the foreign policy of the G ivernment in 1575 — His accusations led to a loud outburst of indignation in the Chamber, and when the measure was put to the vote the Premier was he*vily defeated.

News from Rome just now must be taken with even gnater reservation than usual. Some more than ordinarily imaginitive iournalieta have been giving Fewral newspapers the fruits of their invention, and th" consequence hns bren a complete deluL-o of false reports. Both the Vatican and the Qirrinal have bern favoured by the attentions of these scribe^, and it is very necessuy, therefore, to be cautious in receiving as tine paMgnphs that are going the rounds of the Press.

The latest official re: urns show a grave increase of crime in Rome. The Procurator (ioncral, in an aibhv as recently delivered by him, attributed this state of thing-ilothe presence in the city of a laige population from other paits rf the kingdom. Such, therefor?, we may conclude, are the consistent effects of tho Piedmontese usurpation. l

According to some of the French pipers an ad l:o=ts recently rmde byCardinil I'arocchi, in inaugura* ng -i ru mum Tit to the late Card .'nil Czacki, who was a lYe, has been disapproved of by the Holy Father, as tending to give off>nce to llussu, with whom the Huly See desires to presei ye a good understanding.

Theencycl.eil of the Pup: <n the -onal question if? anxiously looked fo-ward to. Tne forecasts cf it, h iwver, published by eeitaiij newspipers ire alnolut-ly wi-hout authority. Nothing what* ver as loits trin- c interns ha-t vet <r,wisj in-l. C juncture on! v is. therefore, to be accredited with whateur ha, at neared with regard 'o them.

The reproduction of the O'd Testament, from the ancient copy t f the Bible kmwn as t'.e Ai.-sandn le Viti.vn C.vl x, is closely approaching com pUt lon. Tie v,. w TeM im wit. -imihrly rr produced, has already been pubi-she.l. Tr o work h<s Ik"jii mo«t txnotly executed and forms m cvory r,'-|,r, ; ; , t p ,.,t,e- <• >pi- of th- oi I,'inal. The Codex dat"s liom t c fourth c ntuiy.and is of th" highest pnsMb'e interest.

A report to the effect that Cardinal Lavigerie was likely to succeed the present Pope, idle though it must seem to all who were batter instructed, was still not without some meaning. There can be little doubt that it originated in a sinister desire to arouse the jealousy of Germany with regard to the election of a French Pope— and thus to bring about the interferer.ee of the Government alluded to with the conclave, when, in the natural course of events, it was called npon to assemble. True, the death of Cardinal Lavicrerie might previously occur, but German sensitiveness being once acted on, some deeireable consequences would be likely to ensue. Tho enemies of the Papacy are both ingenious and provident.

Even in the judgement of men who are less favourably disposed towards the Cathoic Church, the restoration of the Temporal Power is no longer the chimera that some people would have it to be. The wretcbtd state of the country, and the crushing taxation — with every prospect of disastrous increase, have led to a proposal for the foundation of a federal republic to replace the kingdom, and under which the Pope would re-enter upon the possession of at least a considerable portion of his former terriiory— including the city of Rome. In any case, it seems impossibles sible that the present condition of thinga can last much longer.

Among the more notable deaths of the new year has been that of Father Larocca, General of the Order of Bt. Dominic. He was a native of Spain where he was born in the year 1813, and had been elected in 1880 to the high position filled by him. He died at a house of hin Order in Rome.

A sensation has been caused by the removal by the French Government of Mgr. Puynl, Superior of the church of Saint-Louis dea Franfais. The offence giv en to the Government of the Republic by Mgr. Puyol, was simply his having fulfilled a commission entrusted to him by the HoJy Father to forward certain honours to some pries^ in France who had incurred the Government's displeasure. The step thus taken in revenge is generally considered as a direct affront offered to the Pope. Mgr. Puyol is an ecclesiastic of the highest distinction.

The Pope has written a letter to the Archbishop of Genoa giving his approval to the religious celebrations appointed by the Archbishop for the f urth centenary of tha discovery of America by Columbus. Hia Holiness Pays it is most fitting that the celebration should take place in Genoa, the birthplace of tho discoverer 1 That it should take a r.-I'gious character, his Holiness add?, m also most appropriate, the chief motive of Columbus having been to prepare the way for an extended spread of the gospel light.

Lord Salisbury's attack at Cambridge on the Archbishops of Dublin and Cashel and tbelii-h priesthood, has causfd some sensation at Rom^. The Pope himso f is sai I to have pointed to it, as an rxarnplc, not unexpected by him. of the tone of the Protestant spirit in England. The Monitrvr <]< Homr, the enjan of the Vatican,appeals to it 33 testimony borne to the unswerving fidelity of Catholic Ireland and fuither ficda in it proof of the weakness of the ptsition occupied by the l'lime Minister. All thoughts of a possible alliance between the \ .tticai an 1 the Tories have necessarily been put an end to by the iterance m question. Not even the mofct obstinate of the English party can any longer entertain such a hope.