Colonial Notes.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIX, Issue 33, 15 May 1891, Page 2

Colonial Notes.

IK reference to the bazaar held last week in Wellington in aid of St. Joseph's Orphanage the .V. Z Times of May 4th speaks as follows : — "The Hon. Dr. Grace, in introducing the St. Joseph's Orphanage to the notice < f the public, mentioned a fact not generally known. It is that tbe site on which that institution stands is one of a number act aside by Sir G. Grey, with the foresight which distinguished him for the very good purpose to which it is conservated. How excellently the Nnns do the work they have there undertaken, Dr. Grace rery eloquently described. Ihese ladies are the mothers of the forsaken children. What more can be said for them ? Having rescued their charges, they train them admirably, they give them a home, they fit them for the battle of life. They are appealing to the public to help them erect a building which wi 1 give shelter from the weather and room to live and woik in. Wo feel sure tbeir appeal will not be in vain.

The Rev. Father Dsvoy, S.M., has been appointed by the Archbishop of Wellington Chaplain of St. Patrick's Branch H.A C.B.S.

Tbe census returns * o f ar published show rather a melancholy Itate of affairs with respect to Dunedin, The increase of our population for the last fi/e years reaches the sum total of 58— instead of the five or six thousand that under more favourable circumstances «nust have been the reault. Christchurch makes a better show, but still bat not much to boatt of — the increase being 667 — ing'tad of something over four thousand, as it ought to have been. Of the three cities for which returns are given Wellington alone makes a good display. There the population has increased by 5010, The populations are respectively .--Wellington, 30,955; Christchurch, 34,363 ; Dunedin 45,831.

The wisdom of the Sydney branch of the Irish National League io resolving to maintain an attitude of neutrality towards the split in the National party was proved on the evening of Monday, April 27, when an attempt to dis'urb their meeting was made by members of a bodj calling themselves the Tarnell Leadership Committee. Order, however, wti icßtoied. and a resolution was pmbcU appointing

May 26 for tbe holding of a convention to take measures for tbe relief of the evicted tenants. It was further resolved that a snm of £500 in hand should be forwarded at once to tbe Mansion Honse Committee, which Mr. Cox, M.P., who was present on the occasion, described as perfectly trustworthy. Mr. Cox has since left Sydney for Melbourne, where a conference will be held. Afterwards it is his intention to make a tour through South Australia.

The Most Bey. Dr. Lanigao, Bishop of Goulburn, has left his diocese on a visit to Europe. Oa the eve of the Bishop's departure he was presented with several addresses — that from his clergy accompanied by an offering of 200 guineas, being the principal. In making the presentation on behalf of the clergy tbe Very Bey. Father Gallagher, Adm., bore strong testimony to the flourishing condition of the diocese.

A correspondent of tbe Sydney Freeman't Journal who signs himself " W. Percy ,"and writes in defence of the shearers, under date Cobar, April 25, explains the situation as follows :— " If the dispute was merely between the squatter and shearer, it would hava been long ago settled, and instead of gatlings and rifles and demonstrations of artillery being all the go, both parties wouLl now be amicably writing to each other arranging for the coming season's work. The financial institutions, it may be shortly said, are merely making tools of the squatters for their own selfish ends. Many of ♦he squatters are now deeply involved, and should they farther b» impoverished by another struggle — which I sincerely hope will not take place— the runs will inevitably fall into the hands of those cormorant corporation, which are sucking the life blood of the country for the benefit of foreign Shylocks. An inetance of this has just recently come nnder my notice where a runbolt? er (or manager, as the case may be) made acknowledgment that he had agreed to shear with members of the Bhearers* Union, bat since had received 'nstructions to carry on his work nnder the pastoralist agreement. He is thus compelled to break his word through one of those institution?, If a shearer had done this he would have been summoned, compelled perhaps to travel a distance of a couple of hundred miles, been lectured by a J.P. on the Jrightful iniquity of his action, which imperilled society, and probably been consigned for several months to the society tf felons in order to improve his morals and recognise the sanctity of contract Tbe South Australian pastoralisti found that they were accorded fair and honourable treatment by the shearers' rtpresentatives at the conference held in that colony, although they afterwards repudiated the agreement arrived at. This would Barely be called an exhibition of breach of faith on the part of the shearers, if they had pursued a similar course.''

The Archbishop of Brisbane returned to his diocese from his visit to Europe on Saturday, April 25th. His Grace was enthusiastically received by his people. In alluding to the fine palace erected for him during his absence, the Archbisbo,) inslu led e^pecia'ly in his acknowledgements the numerous non-Catholic subscribers.

The Spectator, an organ of the We*leyan bo Jy, and one by no means well-disposed, as a rule, towards tbe Catholic Church, testifiesi nevertheless, as follows to thi work done in Melbourne by the Little Sisters of the Poor :—": — " The work of these ladies in helping them that are ready to perish is altogether Chnsthke, and their personal devotion is beyond all praise. Six years ago Sistei Beatrix Marie and her eight companions began their work in Melbourne, and now, without any Government grant, they have a building wbicti will accommodate nearly 300 patients. The theologian may sit down and prove to his own satisfaction that these good women are astray on certain matters of doctrine, but the public nas got into an inconvenient habit nowa-days of judging people by their deeds. We heartily congratnlate the Little Sisters of the Poor on the work they have done and are still doing, aad we pray for the blessing of God upon them."

At the March Matriculation this year at the Sydney University eight out of nine candidates from Hunter's Hill, the M irist Brothers' College, passed. Three of those who matriculated got first claw honours, and one third class. Three went into residence at St. John's to commence tbe university course for the B.A. degree, and each succeeded in winning a scholarship, J. O'Donohue being awarded the O'Connell scholarship for general proficiency ; P. O'Brien, the Fellows' scholarship for mathematics ; and A. M'Nevin the AH Hallows' scholarship for classics.

On Tuesday, 28th April (says tbe Sydney Freeman's Journal) the Marist Fathers, who last year held aa imposing Triduum in Sydney in honour of the saintly member of their Order who in the South m Sena had won the martyr's crowD, celeb r ated in the beautiful church at Villa Matia the Feast of Bussed Peter Aloysicu Mary Chanel, 8.M., the day bnng the fiftieth anniversary ol the beto miifionarj'B martyrdom, (28th April, 1541) Ja futufla, la Pflf 9*

the transepts of the church a beautifully-decorated hrone bad been erected, on which the very fiac life-s ze statue of Blessed Chanel was placed surrounded by lights and fliwers. The great number of Com fum ions, and tht* v ry large attendance at the High 51 iss anl the Brnedicrion of the B.essed Facr^ment were evident proi/9 of the confidence placed in the intercession ( f Blessed Chane 1 . A Vovena began on 'he 20 h, ar.d on the da, of tho feast a sovran o: tifi^al High Mass was celebrated by Archbishop Navarre. Vicar- »• ..nioiic of New Guinea; deacon, Rev. F. Muraire, 8.M.; sub-deicon. Father Cove, 8.M. ; and master of ceremonies, Father Caevreuil, SM. Whilst his Grace was being vested for the Mass, the choir sang thbeautiful English hymn lately composed in honour of Blessed Peter Chanel. The music of the Mass, consisting of selections from the great masters, was well rendered by the choir, assisted by a small orchestra, under the leadership of Herr Albert Wentzel with Mis 9A. Philippe at the organ. At the Graduale a vichn due' of a very devotional character was playei by Herr Wen zel and Master John Darby, one of his pupils from St. Joseph's College. For the Offertory Gounod's Aye Maria was Bung with sweetness by Mias O'Malley. In the evening after the solemn Benediction the relics of Blessed Peter Chanel were offered to the veneration of the faithful.

The golden jubilee of the Most Rev. Dr. Crane, 0.5.A., haß been celebrated at Sandhurst, Victoria. The Archbishop of Melbourne and the Bishops of Sale and Ballarat were present m the occasion, and the priesthood of the colony was numerously represented. The jubilee sermon was preached by tbe Very Key. Father O'Farrel,, C.SS.R,, who referred in eloquent terms to the great services r< ndered to religion by tht Bishop in the fifty years that had elapsed rnce he was admitted to the sacred ministry. Addresses and (ff iinge amounting to a large sum of money were presented rtspecively bj the clergy and laity of the diocese.

Five more nuns from the King William's Town O< ny t (says the Fert Beaufort Advocate) have passed through here m route to M&shonhiand, wbero they will attend'to the Bick in the hospitalsProm Vryburg they proceed to Macloutsie. Some of the noble, selfeacrificiDg ladles belonging to the same order are now nursing the Bick at Fort Salisbury, as well as at the other camps. The troopers of all denominations greatly respect the good Sisters.

It ii a conparatively easy matter (says the Graaf Reinet Advertit&r)' for tbe Australian colonies to federate — one people, one language, no native questions, nc jealousy of the mother country with a comm on intemt in the external defence of the country against an invader ot assailant. Any little estrangement there is at present •moDg them has arisen from differences of fiscal systems. Tne command of the federal army will be ves'ed in one man. The Zuid Afrikaan, aftei reading the cablegram which gave the news, thou gh of what so many foolish people — Mr. Rhodes included— re thinking about, the union, or unification, of tbe sta r es and colonies of South Africa. It says : "In South Africa it would not be an easy matter to |*i t the j '>nt command of the federal forces in the hands of one "man ; and ehould it come here to anything like Federation, h would be difficult to come to an understanding about a federal legislative body as long as the Britith flag waves anywhere here." " Daar h'j' je dit." And the Z. A. knows all about it, and ia full to the throat with the anti-English spirit which dictates the remark. Englishmen will certainly not part with that flag. The Bepublics are tnug and comfortable and secure from a foreign loe where they are. Cuuld Mr. Rhodes aud other dreamers bring the Republics down to the sea. "they could then dcrjo to talk about the legislative udiou of Soutn Africa. All the Australian colonies front the sea, and, are, therefore, in danger of eaßy assault by a loreign enemy.

jL correspondent of the Diamond lields Advertiser, who evidently writes with some authority, enables us to for.v a more exact notion cf what the expedition of the Boere into Mas ocaland means. He describes the country as one of great ftrtiitt*, growing among other things coffee, sugar, rice and wheat, and }ie!di-g r even under 'he imperfect cultivation of native womea, 300 per cent. His proposal ii that the Chartered Company should promote the settlement there of British Colonis s, necessarily with a vie-vto annexation. He further describes the country, which, by the way, he says is only 260 miles from the sea, navigable rivers though beautiful scenery %xisting for half the distance, as the scene of great cv lty exercised t}y the Portuguese and the Matabele. He gives tbe following lns-anee : —"I may state that at Tete, a Portuguese village beyond th« Zambesi, where blavery is still rife, I myself was witness o' a Por.agese official being r.dden in a palanquin, carried by two slave girls hardly able to walk, I presume on account of illusage. Behind the palanquin wa'.ked an official armed with a whip, who urged them forward after the manner we drive oxen in this country ; upon one of the girls stumbling 6he was immediately whipped." We do not know meantime that the Boers are likely ts prove more humane ne gbbjurs where the unfortunate natives are concerned, We can fancy however, ttuft a. Boot inroad into territory such as that in question, which

moreover is reported of aa rich in minerals, and where a British company has already obtained an interest, is not regarded favourably bf British Colonists to whom a plan of settlement there bad been suggeste 1. The " trek "of the Boers seems to bave been contemplated for somo time, and ia evidently a Berioua undertaking.

Mr. Hayter estimator the population of the Australasian colonies on the list December as—Victom, 1,148 004; New South Wales, 1,170,000; Queensland, 422,776 ; South Australia, 331,056 ; Western Australia. 40,290 ; Tasmania, 156,622 ; New Zealand, 630,781. Total, 3,905,528.

From what we (Melbourne Advocate, May 2) haTe already said it cannot be suspected that we have any wish to excuse the shearers for the outrages that have been allege! against them. Tbe cases of incendiarism, intimidation, and attempts to wreck trains which have been reported are undeniable, but that the shearers are responsible for these offences they themselves and their friends here in Victoria deny. Appearances are certainly against them ; but only for violations of the law that have been clearly proved against them should they be held accountable. We would go even further and say that a body of men, many of whom have some stake in one or other of the colonies, and are reputed to be respectable, should not be blamed for the acts of individuals. What society ib there in which there are not members who are a disgrace to it I So far as the shearers are concerned, there is nothing but presumptive evidence that they have deliberately destroyed property aud risked life, and with impartial men evidence of that character could have no weight. On tbe other band, there is evidence of a positive character that some Of those shearers who fell into the hands of the military or police have been treated with inexcusable harshness, and subjected to indignities of a particularly galling nature.

The famous and terrible book-fiend (says the Southern Crtti) has appeared in Adelaide under a new and ingenious guise, and within the last few weeks has brought dismay to many neivous and gullible householders. The gentlemen in question have not hesitated to push the eale of their wares by means of false pretences. We refer to the Bc -called " Shrines of the Blessed Virgin," for which many orders, we understand, have been received from several Catholics in the city. The canvassers are of glib tongue, assert that they are patronised by the local clergy, and state that portions of the proceeds of tbe sales go to the pockets of some imaginary " missionaries." Then a sample is shown, and the unwitting victim promises to accept the " Shrines •' at an early date, and pay £1 10s for same. The sample shown is a trifle superior to the article de ivered, the commercial value of which would be about 53. Upon refusal to take the article, proceedings at law are threatened, and this threat has the desired tffect in many instances. Citholica 6hould give a wide berth to tbese itinerant hucksters,