Dublin Notes.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXI, Issue 48, 30 March 1894, Page 21

Dublin Notes.

(From Contemporaries.)

We find the following testimony from Rev Thomas Morgan, Presbyterian minister of Rostrevor, County Down :— " Though the Catholics are 90 per cent of the population, I have never, daring the long period of forty-four years spent in the ministry of the Presbyterian congregation at Ros'rcvor, received the slightest ineult from a single one of them, nor aoything but the greatest goodwill, frisndship and respect." The first important meeting outside Dublin for the preservation of the Irish language as a spoken tongue, under the auspices of the Gaelic League, was tbat held at Galwiy, Most Rev Dr M'Cormack taking the chair. The Rev Professor O'Growney said that the great principle of the Gaelic League was their appeal to the people, knowing that tens of thousands had always been most anxious to learn to read and speak the native tongue. They had never bad any doubt of the sucesa of thir appeal, but the meeting of that night in Galway would give immense encouragement to those working for the preservation of the Irish language as a living tongue. Tne Gaelic League had arranged with all the booksellers in Galway to procure any Irish books or papers that might be wanted, and anyone wishing for or unable to proenre Irish books should communicate with the Central Branch, 4 College Green, Dublin. After paying a tribute to the devotion of many national teachers to the old tongue, he added that a great number of teachers could now easily procure certificates for teaching Irish, and thus make a handsome addition to their salaries, while at the same time doing a patriotic work. The Gaelic League would be happy to adviße and assist in every possible way luch teachers. The Most Bey Dr M'Cormack. in acknowledging the vote of thanks, told several stories about the hardships of those who in the past, knew nothing but Irish, and who, in consequence, were boycotted by the anti-Irish taskmaster. We direct attention to an advertisement appaaring at the foot of our military correspondent's notes. It comes all the way from the camp at Raj pur, in India, where the Weekly Freeman solaces the lives of soldiers during their exile from home and friends. This advertisement is the effort of a comrade to find out the relatives of an Irish soldier who had made himself beloved by every man in the battery of artillery with which he served. But there is much more to be learned than this. The private letter accompanying the inquiry for certain persons gives us the reason that influences our correspondent. He bad been stricken down with cholara and was watched by his Irish comrade (Hogan), who refused to leave him, and the faithful and devoted fellow caught the disease and died within twenty-four hours. A feeling of grati'ude no doubt actuates the surviving comrade io his endeavour to discover the relatives of the man to whom he owes his life, and we trust that some of our readers may be instrumental in aiding him in bis object. A meeting of the Glasgow Gaelic Society last week, ending Feb 3, was favoured by a lecture from the Professor of Gaelic in Maynooth College, Rev Father O'Growney. A crowded a' tendance of the members and friends assembled to hear what proved a learned and most interesting discourse on '• S otland and Irish Gaelic." Father O'Growney held and the meeting concurred — (1) That the stndent of early Scottish history, archeology, music, manners, Bnd cuitoms mußt look to Irish history for a firm foundation for his ■tndies ; (2) that if we Btudy the Christian and more recent periods in Scotland we cannot ignore the corresponding periods in Irish history with their •imilar characteristics ; (3) that Ireland and Scotland had for many centuries one common Gaelic tongue, and that the modern formation of that old tongue must be studied in the light of the older language ; (4) that the older Gaelic literature, now for the most part preserved in Irish MSS., is to a great extent a common inheritance of the Gaelic-speaking people of Ireland and Scotland, and that as it enshrines iv most fitting language the thoughts and aspirations cf our ancestors, it merits at our hands our most careful study and appreciation. Father O'Growney's lecture, it may be added; has formed another factor in cementing the union of hearts among the people of Scotland and Ireland. The greatest difficulty has been experienced ia obtaining information respecting the Allan Liner Corean, which put into Kilrueh harbour on Friday, February 2, in a disabled condition. Some important particulars have been, however, obtained, from which it would appear that the vessel had a narrow escape from complete •hipwreck off our coast on Thursday night and early on Friday. Tbt crew are mostly German, and the rest are from Glasgow and Donegal, who had joined the ebip at Glasgow. The passengers are men, women, and children, and most of them appear to be very poor. They had taken passage in the Corean, which sailed from Glasgow for New York about nine days ago, and would by tbic being a tenday boat, have reached her destination but for the late severe weather ehe encountered when rive dajs on her voyage, being then about six bundred miles west of the Insh coast. Despite all efforts she drifted

before the gale on the Irish coast, and her position was extremely critical on Thursday, when showing distress signals to the coastguards at Searield, on the Malbay coast, below Miltown. From the stress of weather in a terrible sea some of her boats were taken away, and the cargo, which was a general one, shifted, aod this caused the ship to list to the port side, and a large quantity of water got into the stokehole. Her pumps, rendered defective, were worked by the crew, and a good deal sf paDic set in among the passengers, some of whom helped at the pumps. The alarm bad reached its ntmost when it was found that her fires had been quenched by the water, and the coastguards signalled to keep off the coast, as there was no possible chance of escape for the vessel on the weit coast of Clare, and to make for the Shannon if possible. The pumps were again taken to with euperhurmm effort?, and in this way the safe anchorage of the Scattery Roadsteads was reached on Friday. His Grace the Most Rev Dr Croke, Archbishop of Cashel, arrived in Westport quite unexpectedly on Monday evening, February 5, accompanied by Mr William O'Brien, M.P., to whose beautiful residence, Mallow Cottage, they both drove. Great disappointment was felt tbat the Archbishop of Cashel's visit to the Wtst was not knowo beforehand. As soon as it was learned that hia Grace had arrived at Mallow Cottage the greatest excitement prevailed in town, and it was immediately decided to testify the feelings of veneration that are entertained for his Grace's name and fame in Westport. A meeting of the leading townspeople was at once held, and a deputation went down to Mr O'Brien, M.P., to request the Archbishop to give the priests and the people of Westport an opportunity of presenting an address of welcome. The deputation were informed tbat his Grace's visit was entirely a private one, but that the request of the townspeople would be comamnisated to him. To-day the Bey Bernard MacDermott, Adm, rec< ived the following letter in reply :— " Mallow Cottage, Westport, Cotmty Mayo, February 6, 1894.--My Dear Father MacDermo t and Friends— I am given to understand by our mutual friend, Mr William O'Brien, that the priests and people of Westport are desirous of publicly welcoming me to their neighbourhood and presenting me with an address. For this gratifying proof of their good wishes and esteem I feel deeply grateful, and only regret tbat, for reasons which it is »eedless to specify, I am constrained to forego the contemplated honour. lam here on a strictly private visit to Mr O'BrieD, and I shall content myself with thanking yon, as I sincerely do, for the high compliment that you meant to pay me, and remain, my dear Father MacDermott and friends, yours very faithfully,-— T. W. Cboke, Archbishop of Caehel. The Bey B. MacDermott, Adm, the Presbytery, Westport.' The brilliant and most successful conversaaione held oa Feb 6, in St Vincent's Hospital, Stephen's Green, may be fairly called the secular side of the celebration of the golden jubilee of Mrs Margigon, Superioress-General of the Sisters of Charity. To the singolar success of the festivities there is no doubt the popularity of the great hospital in charge of the good Bisters and of its staff of medical attendants in a large degree contributed. The whole institution was en fcti for the occasion. The spacious rooms and interminable halls and passages were all exquisitely decorated with flowers and thronged even to overflowing with deligh'ed visitors. Never was there such a crowd. It is no exaggeration to say that every square foot sustained its man or woman as the case might be. All the world and his wife and sons and daughters and relatives to the tenth degree appeared to be there. The living stream moved slowly through the long balls, overflowed into the spacious rooms, and tilled them with interested and interesting visitors. With all the throng, so admirable wert the arrangements, theie was nothing of pressure or confusion. The J aestmbly was like a score of '• at homes " rolled into one. Old friendi met and interchanged greetings at every corner. There was the cheerful murmur of pleasant chit-chat and subdued peals of laughter of the throngs that moved, slowly indeed, but without roughness, from one to another of the many places of entertainment provided within the spacious precincts of the institution. The question of which room was most popular with the visitors is, perhaps, haid to settle, but the palm must, perhaps, be awarded to the room where Dr M'Ardle, Dr M'Hogh and others made Bcience, ■tripped of pedantry and bard names, exert itself most successfully for the general amnsement. There were there microscopes and a multitude of other scopep, whose final syllable only it is possible for the lay memory to retaic But most popular of all was the table on which were piled the complicated cords and the innumerable receivers of a telephone in direct communication with a concert in Belfast. It was only necessary to place two of these receivers to one's ears and one was transported to the Northern capital, over a hundred miles away—so far at least as the sense of bearing was concerned. Here was, iDdeed. annihilating space with a vengeance. Everyone knows, of course, that these tbiDgs can be done, and »re done. They have grown almost common place to hear about. But it was quite a different thing to actively participate in ths scientific miracle. A concert of the first data was given in another room. The demongtratioii theatre of the hospital scarcely knew itself, filled to over flowing as it was with a gaily-dressed crowd tbat shook and shouted wi'b

laughter at the pleasantries in the several items of a variety entertainment. The doctors were everywhere, doing the honours of tbe profession. Tbe nurses, in tteir neat, cbeerful costumes, passed up and down among the visitors, and now and then ore canght a passing glimpse o! the good Sistera in whose honour the function whs held. It was a revelation to pass from the theatre, the concert ball, or tbe chamber where science held its levee to the long, airy ward 9, with the long rows of spotless beds on which the patient suS.'rers lay, their sufferings alleviated, their health restoied by every device that the highest medical skill or tbe moat tender human sympathy could bring. It was an effective reminder that the festivities were being held in the very temple of the highest and purest form of oUtnty ol which modern civilisation can boast. Tbe last return of agrarian outrages is a record. In the quarter there were only three offences against the person in the whole of Ireland, all of them aggravated assaults. There were only fifty-nine offences of all kinds, and of these twenty-one were threatening letters. Toe number of offences in Clare waa twelve, of which six were threatening letters. We are sorry to see that there were still nine cases of cattle maiming distributed among all the provinces. Tbe Dublin correspondent of the Daily News states that there is some donbt at to tht effect of the certificates of conformity which has been given to Mr Michael Daviit by the dec sion of the Court of I Appeal, but it is almost certain that it is not a certificate which makes him eligible to re-enter Parliament. The Bankruptcy Act of 1883 does not extend to Ireland, but section 32, which provides that bankruptcy shall disqualify a debtor from sitting in Parliament! does ; and it is provided that " the above disqualifications " (includ. ing exclusions from Parliament) " will be removed and cease, if and when the adjudication of bankruptcy against the bankrupt is annulled, or if he obtains from the Court bis discharge with a ctrtifi. cat* to the effect that his bankruptcy was caused through misfortune without any misconduct on his part." The certificate obained by Mr Davitt does not correspond to this description, and as his bankruptcy has not been annulled it is feared the disqualification still exists. If bo (says the English journal) it will be a matter of extreme regret to every Irish Nationalist. Tbis imperfect state of the law with regard to Ireland is evidently the result of an oversight, and while it remains as it is it is difficult to see how any person adjudicated a bankrupt in Ireland could have his disqualification as to Parliament removed.