Dublin Notes.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXI, Issue 3, 4 November 1892, Page 21

Dublin Notes.

{Weekly Freeman, September 10.) It is staged, with what foundation we know not, that Mr John Morley's opposition to a legislative eight hours day for miners has been considerably modified. During the Newcastle election he had many earnest discussion with several Labour leaders on the subject, and though he emphatically refused to make any public statement which could possibly be tortured into a vote-catching dodge, it was believed that the powerful arguments placed before him caused him to materially alter his opinions. Since his re-election he has carefully considered the various phases of the question, with the result that he is now less opposed to State interference than formerly. It is expected that Mr Morley will take an early opportunity of making a public declaration on the subject. The golden jubilee of the Bey Brother Slattery, Superior of the Christian Brothers in Limerick, has been celebrated in that city. The proceedings were characterised by the utmost enthusiasm, and an Address of congratulation waa presented on behalf of the pupils of the Sexton street schools. Brother Slattery, during his fifty years' work as a member of the great teaching order of the Christian Brothers, whose successes at the recent intermediate examinations have been of so remarkable a character, won the esteem of a wide and ever-increasing circle of friends. In 1822 he entered the novitiate of the Christian Brothers of Lady's Mount, Cork, and after a short period was placed in charge of the school previously conducted by the far-famed Gerald Griffin. Liverpool was next the scene of his labours, but the work was -so severe that his health broke down, and he returned to Mount Sion. In 1845 he resumed duty in Mill street, in the Liberties of this city, anJ for fifteen years, covering the famine times and the dark period that succeeded, he had to carry on the work not only of teaching the children, but in many cases of supplying them with food.

he states, the trade and industries of the country were at a low ebb ; bat since 1888— the report is dated last year, it mu9t be remembered —improvement has been most marked, and the prospect ia good; The number of factories of all classes on the register for Dublin city oo January Ist, 1889, was 316 ; last October it was 345. In hard times and under difficult conditions that increase is something to be thankful for. The number of factories in the whole of Mr "Woodgate's district at the date of his report was 3059, including scutch and corn factories. The chief increase in the number of factories of late has been in the butter and creamery factories, mineral after factories, and caw mills. We fear the increase in the number of saw mills is hardly to be welcomed. It is indicative of the process of denuding the country of trees, which has been set going by the Ashbourne Act. Most Bey Dr Menrin, Archbishop of Port Lewis, Mauritius, on Sunday appealed to the charitable citizens of Dublin on behalf of the large number of his flock who had been sunk in poverty by the effects of the terrible cyclone which devastated the island last April. On Sunday hia Grace preached a sermon for that exceedingly meritorious object in the church of St Francis Xavier, Upper Gardiner stieet. His eloquent and pathetic address was generously responded to. His Grace, after drawing a vivid picture of the sufferings of the victims of the dreadful visitation, said imore;Jthan 1200 people were killed by the storm, nearly 20,000 houses or huts had been blown down or damaged so that they were nojlonger habitable. Seventeen of his churches had been entirely blown down, nine others had been unroofed, and nine others so damaged'that Divine service could not b i celebrated there J Three orphanages and over 40 schools had been destroyed. The loss to his diocese amounted to about £16,000, and tha poor people had no means of helping themselves. Most of the inhabitants were reduced to penury, and even those who were rich before were now obliged to seek alms. The day following ha visited the boys of the orphanage at the house of the parish priest, which had wholly escaped the storm, and here he found one who wanted an arm, one who had lost a leg. Oh, the wailing of these children wai dreadful I At the convent he saw four girls lying dead upon the

We are glad to see that the police authorities are beginning to take stepß to protect the Catholics of Portadown and the neighbourhood from Orange rowdyism. For a long time appeal was made to them in vain, and the negligence exhibited was disgraceful. On the occasion of the opening of the Monaghan Cathedral the Catholics going by train to the ceremony were exposed to unchecked Orange violence between Richhill and Portadown, though the Catholic authorities, remembering the disgraceful scenes that attended the opening of Armagh Cathedral, appealed for protection. On Saturday a man named James Mullen was beaten almost to death retumiug from the Portadown market, and on the same evening a fi9b -dealer named Robinson was beaten in the same neighbourhood by the constituents of Colonel Saunderson. It is time to stop this attempt of the Colonel'e constituents to realise his aspiration and " put their heels on the necks" of their Catholic and Nationalist neighbours. All decent Protestants of every party unite in denouncing such outrage as a disgrace to their name and cause. We have no doubt the authorities will have the support of all the respectable inhabitants of Portadown in bringing the reign of terrorism to an end. The report of the Chief Inspector of Factories and Workshops is published at too late a date to be of much value as throwing light on the condition of trada. The chief report of Mr Woodgate, Inspector of Factories, embodies extracts from the Dublin district. Mr Woodgate gives us some interesting information on the condition of certain Irish industries. We are sorry to see from a table furnished him by the Registrar-general that the cultivation of flax is gradually diminishing. In 1881 the area under flax amouated to 147,145 acres ; last year the number of acres under the crop was only 74,672, or little more than half. Seventeen years ago the numb- rof scutch mills iii Oleter was 1330 ; last year the number was only 1005. Unremunerative prices and the exhaustion of the soil are the causes alleged for this falling off in the cultivation of flax. According to the statement of the report, a very large part of the land of Ulster has been " flaxed out." This is serious news. Is the same rent paid for the •' flaxed out " land. ? With regard to the general condition of trade in his district, which embraces all Ireland except the busy Belfast corner, Mr Woodgate's report registers progress. In 1887,

ground, and one poor mother who knelt beside her daughter's corpse sought to bring life back into her child. The debris of the convent lay round on all sides, and one of the nuna was bo wounded that he could not recognise her. It pierced his heart to see around all those dead and mutilated children. When he visited the church of the Immaculate Conception the roof had fallen in. On the pinnacle of the roof had stood a statue of the Immaculate Conception extending her arms to the people. When he visited the church the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary was still on the pinnacle, but her arms were no longer extended towards the people — they were raised towards heaven — a miraculous fact which showed that after all the Blessed Virgin was with them. A hundred and seventy sugar factories were wrecked, and in one 250 workers, with the son of the administrator of the factory, who had taken shelter there, perished. When the storm was over poor Father M'Carthy came to him and said—" Let me go to Ireland, to America ; I know I shall get help." But he could not spare the good priest's services, and he himself had to come. As the friends of Job had helped him, so also he hoped wouid their friends all over the world help them to restore what had been thrown down by permission of the Almighty God.