WELLINGTON.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XX, Issue 50, 30 September 1892, Page 5

WELLINGTON.

(From our own Correspondent.) September 19. The devotion of the forty hours' adoration began at St Mary's Cathedral yesterday with solemn Pontifical Mass, of which his Grace the Archbishop was celebrant ; Ray Father Sullivan, deacon ; Rev Father Lewis, sub-deacon ; and Rev Fathar Dawaon, master of ceremonies—the Very Rev Dr Waters and tbe Rev Father Power being also in the sanctuary. The musical portion of the Mass (Mozart's elevfntb) was eplendidly rendered by a numerons cboir, ass's'ed by a strong orchestra voder the direction of Mr B. Cohen. The principal soloiscs were Miss McOlean, Miss Gibba, Mrs Sweft, Mr La'shley, and Mr Loughnan. As an Offertory piece Miss McCiean sing " Bcca Paniß," io her accustomed finished style. At the conclusion of the Mass there was a procession of tbe raosti Ble9sod Sacrament arouad the interior of the Cathedral, during which " Moliques March," from the oratorio of Abrat an?, was played. Mr S. Ctmioo, conductor, and Miss Kelly presided at tbe organ. The sanctuary was tastefully decorated for the occasion, being hung with crimson cloth, and the high altar was very prettily oraamented with white and red camelias and white lilies, and pot plants. la the afternoon there were special devotions for the children, and in tbe evening solemn Vespers were sung, when the Rev Father Dawson preached a very impressive Bermon on the Blessed Sacrament. This morning at 9 o'clock a " Missa pro pace " was sung, and this evening there will be solemn Vespers, at which his Grace the Archbishop will preach. The devotions will conclude to-morrow with the Mass of the Deposition. In the meantime arrangements have been m»de by the coufraternities of the parish to keep up the continual adoration of the Moat Blessed Sacrament. The quiet of the city was rndely broken whilst the people were at divine service yesterday morning by a most foul murder, and an attempt at another, which happily failed. The whole affair seems to have arisen, in a great measure, out of drink, or, rather, the effect* of it. It appears that a party of sailors and mates from the vessels (American), tbe Doris Bckhoff aad Flint, were up town on Saturday night drinking, and that a row occurred. On Sunday morning the mate of the Fliot (Seel) and the mate of the Doris Bckhoff (Finley) were proceeding along Waterloo Quay about 11 p.m., when they met half a dozen sailors whom they recognised as being their assailants the previous night. Some words passed between them, blows were struck, and aventually Finley pulled out his revolver and fired at two of the men, killing one dead on the spot, and wounding the othsr

Several shots were fired, some say five, and some say more, but it is •vidsnt that the shot which struck the man, who now lies wounded in the hospital, was not intended for him, but for a man named Lynch, who seems to have had a most providential escape from death. Both vessels from which the men came from are American, having arrived here some time ago from New York, so that perhaps that accounts for the facility with which shooting irons were utilised for the occasion. I understand that the Bey Dr Kennedy, who went home from Christchurch some 12 or 14 years ago to study for the priesthood, and has been since that time in Ireland, and also latterly in Borne, has arrived in Sydney, and is very likely to arrive in Wellington in a few days. Dr Kennedy will very likely be located at Meaoee to assist in the educating of candidates for the priesthood. Before going tbere,\bowever, he will pay a visit to Canterbury to see his relatives, when his old schoolmates and his former teacher Mr O'Connor, will be gtad to see their distinguished acquaintance. September 24. There was a large assemblage of people at the Oddfellows' Hall, Lower Hutt, on Monday night last, when a social was held for the purpose of assisting the building fund in connection with the Catholic Church there. The first part of the entertainment consisted of vocal and instrumental selections, which were well received by the large audience. The musical portion being concluded, the floor was cleared, and dancing indulged in for a couple of hours. The ladies of the congregation provided the refreshments, which were most liberally supplied by the following ladies :— Mesdames Ondby, Parker, Casey, Bullivan, Bunny, M'Caulty, Galven, B. Hayes, and Cruicksbank, and Misses Cudby and Casey. The arrangements were carried out in a most successful manner by an energetic committee, noder the direction of the Very Bey Father Lane, who are to be congratulated on the success of the affair. It was a remarkable coincidence, or, perhaps, if you like to call it something else, that at a recent religious ceremony at the Buckle street church, the three lepreseotatives of the three daily papers present on the occasion were Catholics. It shows that the odium theologieum does not enter very largely into the management of the Wellington papers. It will undoubtedly interest many of your readers to know that Mr Clampett. alia* Sullivan, alia* the evangelical teetotaler and regenerated pugilist, who created such a stir amongst the religions and goody-good people of Canterbury a few years ago, is at present in Wanganui, where he has been lately discoursing on the benefits of *otal abstinence and such like subjects to the sinners of that northern town. The sensation of the' shooting affray on Waterloo Quay was only at its height on Tuesday morning when a rumour went about town that a prisoner, who had been brought over under arrest from Sydney by the Hauroto, which had arrived at the Heads at 9 p.m. the previous night, had been drowned in making an attempt to escape from custody . The report was only too true, as the body was f onnd floating close to the baths in the early morning. The deceased, Carl Mceller, was engaged in business here as a cabinet-maker, and, getting into financial difficulties, he forged several promissory notes and suchlike bills, and, on being dishonoured, the discovery of their falsity was made. In the meantime the forp er had left for Sydney, where he was arrested, and was being brought back by Constable McGill by the Hauroto on Monday night, when, about 9 o'clock, just as the boat got to the Heads, the constable left his charge on deck for about five minutes for the purpose of getting some papers, preparatory to landing. When he came np again the bird had flown, and, after diligent search, could be found nowhere. The vessel was stopped out in the harbour, about two miles from land, until daylight, aod on coming to the wharf next morning the constable and the ship's officers were informed that the body of Moeller was found floating in the harbour with his great-coat on, and, underneath, a life-belt. What distance he swam, or how he got in to the water, will, it is presumed, remain for ever, as far as the world is concerned, a mystery. How sweet are the blessings of liberty can only be guaged by those who have sacrificed their birthright for a mess of pottage, and who will jeopardise their very life, ev«n for the brief enjoyment, under the disadvantageous circumstances, of a few hours of that freedom and peace of mind which they valued so lightly when they had it. I regret to say that the constable has been suspended from duty at pie- ear, pending the decision of the Minister for Defence ; bat it is to be hoped th»t be will look at it in the same light as the coronor's jury, that the constable was not to blame. No sooner, however, had we got, or partly co, over the sensations of the early part of the week, than it became whispered abont by the political gossips and others of that ilk on Thursday, that during the small hoars of the morning a serious verbal encounter had taken place in one of the hostelries of this city, where politicians most do congregate. It was further stated that the controversy became so heated that physical arguments were appealed to, and that a Minister of the Crown had utilised a well-filled pickle bottle with which to enforce his views on his opponent. The facts, however, unhappily

for the good names of the parties implicated, proved only too teue. It appean that on the morning in question, after returning from the Home, Mr Fish, Mr Dawson, Mr G. F. Biehardion, Honi Seddon, McKensie, Ward, and one or two others were indulging in tome cold luncheon. Daring the time Mr Fish read an artiole from an Otago piper, which wat coached in language very complimentary to the reader, who, it said, was capable of crumpling up Sir Bobert Stoat like a piece of paper. This artiole caused tome banter, in which Mr Seddon wanted to know from Mr Fish how he " squared " the editor, and reminded that gentleman that the paper in question did not alwajß hold him in sach repute. Mr Fiih replied that he himself was as a mighty eagle, whereas another one of the Ministers, who was absent, was only a tomtit, and he oould do various things with Sir Bobert Stout, sach as. flattening him out, etc. Mr McKensie remarked that he was somewhat sceptical about the ability of the speaker to do so. To this Mr Fish replied that he was quite oompt* tent to undertake not alone the flattening out of the Dunedin knight, bat also the Minister of Agriculture thrown in, which, considering the superficies of the latter, was not a modest boast by any means, especially as it was not intimated either in a childlike or bland manner. The Hieland blood of the MeKencitt rose to some degrees above boiling point at this threat, and laying down his knife and fork, and swallowing a mouthf al of ham which he was mastioating at the time, he then and there solemnly warned the Member for Dunedin that should the latter repeat his already thrice published insults he would be compelled to give the said Member sach a showing up as he would remember as long as he lived —whether he'd remember after, Mr McKensie did not say. Whereupon the Member for Dunedin, in his most raucous tones, after getting to his feet, told the Hon J. that this was all due to his Hieland blood, and even went so far, I presume, as to speak in disrespsctive tones of clan McKenzie altogether. It is even said that he used strong adjectives in the above sentences with very emphatic qualifying parts of speech. Mr Fish says he was provoked beyond enduranoe by the Hon J, McKenzie. Thereupon the Minister for Lands, who had in his hand a bottle of picklea— whether it was Hayward Bros' well known brand deponent knoweth not— for which he was helping himself to some cauliflower and other mysterious ingredients, informed Mr Fish that if be repeated his observations he would be under necessity of throwing the contents over the said gentleman. Then report hath it that Mr Fish talked fast and talked furious and not at all in a very amiable manner, which was only stopped by the friendly hand of one of those present, which was placed over the offending organ until the member for Dunedin cooled down a bit. Mr Fieb, however, did not let the matter rest here, for he brought up the affair in the House, when speaking to a measure on Friday. He recapitulated the whole affair, capping the climax by informing the sympathising Members that be bad been boycotted in his hotel, and in order to prevent any farther unpleasantness he had to leave the lobby as it were, a vagrant, and was compelled to seek lodgings elsewhere. The foregoing is principally the Ministerial version, and, in justice to Mr Fish. I most say that he writes to one of the evening papers here, putting a different colour on the affair alto* getber, and as he succulently puts it, " places the boot on the other foot." There is one thing certain, however, that there was a row, that the pickle bottles were threatened to be used, and that as Mr McKenzie threatened to leave the hotel, the landlady requested Mr Fish to leave, as if ons Minister left the whole might leave, so thn landlady accepted the lesser of the two evils.