Dublin Notes.

New Zealand Tablet, Issue 26, 26 October 1894, Page 11

Dublin Notes.

(From contemporaries.)

The Catholic colleges and convents have more than held their own at tht Intermediate Examination?, the" pass " records of which have jusv been published. Of th*> five gold medals for senior grade students, the most coveted distinction in the intermediate, two go to Clongowas. one to the French College, Blackrock, one :o the Christian schools North Richmond street. St Mary's College, Merrion Bquare, conducted by the Dominican nune, is only one year in existence, yet it has obtained second place in the senior grade and second place t in the preparatory grade, besides several other distinctions in various subjects. The pupils of St Mary's have won the second senior grade exhibition, value £50.

An Orange evening contemporary, referring to recent party dis. tuibances near Lurgan, says :—": — " It is a fortunate circumstance that the Protestants carried no arms of any kind on the occasions of the attacks upon them, as the consequences might have been serious.'. Tbis inflammatory insinuation will no doubt be worthily appreciated by the worthies, most of whom rarely appear on any public occasion without being fully armed. But what a howl would go up from the Unionist Press if such a hint had b?en given by a Nationalist journal to Nationalists on the occasions of the recent attacks by infuna ed Orange mobs on unoffending Catholics !

The Daily News in a review cf the poetry of R cbard Dilton Williams', says :— " The songs of th» sroup of writer- d* irh this gifted writer belonged will always tuve their value fur the historian. For this reason, apart from their undoubted poetical merit, a certain immortality of reference is assurprt to them No oae cm understand the Ireland of O'Conn-ll's time ani the despairing movement that preceded the constitutional struggle of our day, "without some acquaintance with thesf fiery ou-bu'-itfl of revo t and of revenge. Id that dark day, no one c u'd bop ■ tn have a bearing from trie Irish people who did not address tb^m in terms like thes«\ The literature has passed, with the wnngs and miseries that inspired it. It must be our care that neither shall evT return."

The hitherto fastest eastward passage acroßß the Atlantic of 5 days 12 honrs 7 minutes, made by the Campania in October, 1893, has now been eclipsed by the same vessel Between the 27th and 28th of August she encountered nine hours fog, during which her engines were slowed down, and she lost equal to 60 miles distance, or eqaivalent at her aver^gi speed to 2 hours 50 minutes. The whole passage, from New York to Queenstown, was, nevertheless, made in 5 days 10 hour 47 minutes, or 1 hour 20 minutes better than the previous beat, and her passage would have been 5 days 8 hours but for the fog referred to. A passage performed under these unfavourable circumatanjes in nine houri and ten minutes less than any other steamer afloat save her sister ship the Lucania is a distinct advance in the history of steum navigation.

The police authorities would do well, now that they have some leisure on their hands, to consider whether it is a wise rule ttat excludes policemen from all s-icehPß "except that of (he Freemasons." Why should they be permitted to become members (if the Freemason body except to give to hose who c n be Masons an advantage ovtr those who cannot ? If it were allowed to all, then there might be less causa of compluat, bu f as it is, and as the Freemasons are " bonded brother?, " it is p rfecily idle to say that being a Freemason does not give o' c mem v > r an advantage ov«r an itner, as things are in this country. Wqv should this grave distinction be made? It is an intolerable i- j utice to the young men who have joined the force, and who will n ,t and ca mot become Freemasons by disobeying the precepts of their Church. Councillor John Ferguson, of Glasgow, the other day was treated to the publication of his portait and close on two columns of biography by a daily paper. The Councillor, a native of county Antrim, and now 58 years of age, is highly eulogised as a well-known

democrat and land reformer, and a writer and speaker on Home Rule, on politics, and economic subjects throughout the three kingdoms. Rising from the position of an apprentice to traveller of a stationery business, he was long a partner of the Cameron and Fergnson firm of stationers and publishers. He came to Glasgow 36 years ago, and here it was that h« broke from the " usual prejudices acquired by association with the Assendancy class in Ireland " and became a Nationalist. The " conversion " was the result of a chance visit to the old Democratic Hall in Nelson street, wb*re he took the sid« of a few sturdy Irishmen defending the rights of the old country. Soon afterwards Mr Ferguson became an ardent Nationalist, and to his energy and ardour is rine Glasgow's credit of forming the first Home Rule Association in Great Britain.

A circular letter from his Grace the Archbishop of Dublin was read in the churches of the diocese on Bunday, August 26, in which he warned the charitable public against fraudulent collectors soliciting subscriptions ia the guise of Eastern ecclesiastics. The only security against fraud, the Archbishop writeß, is the official diocesan authorisation signed by him or by one of the Vicars-General of the diocese and stamped with the diosesan seal. On Thursday last there arrived in the city three persona in foreign ecclesiastical garb who had travelled from Capetown for the purpose of making a collection for " religious purposes." Two of them spoke English, but only indifferently, while the third knew no English. Their language was

Synac Soon after their arrival the Assistant Commissioner of

Police sent for them. They stated that they were natives of Mesopotomiß, and as credentials produced a letter from an African Bishop permitting them to collect in his diocese, and also a letter from a French nun. Mr Mallon asked them had they any authority from Rome. They replied in the negative, and said they did not belong to the Roman Catholic Church, but were Catholics of the C laldean rue. That evening they left for London.

The Army returns for 1893 showed, unlike Ihose of previous years, jan increase in the army, but thia increase has not been contr ued. On the Ist of January, 1894, the number of Irishmen was under 26,000, a smaller number than in any previous year. But proportionately to her population Ireland still contributes her fall share to the army. Twenty-six thousand represents 13 p?r cent of those under arms And though the Insimen in the service have declined, the number of Catholics (including recruits from the Irish ia England) is nearly as great as ever. There are 36 000 Catholics in the army, as against 15,000 Presbyterians. It is sometimes said that political conditions in Ireland affect recruiting, but strangely enough the greatest number of Catholics in the army in any recent year was in January 1883, after all the excitement of (he Land League agitation, The best recru'in^ district in Ireland is Dublin, which sent 717 recruits last year. Bdlfnat seat 450; Armagh, 280; Galway, 400 ; Birr, 300 ; Tral^e, 476 ; and Naas, 300. The Irishmen in the army are found in larger proportions in the superior branches of the service Thus there are 1,350, or about sixteen per cent of Irishmen in the cavalry, and 5,120, or nearly fifteen per cent in the artillery.

It seems that the people of Talant, near Dijon, having erected a monument in commemoration of the fact that the only flag taken from the Germans in 1870 was taken at their village, have been compelled to erase the inscription, because the 57th Regiment also took a flag at the battle of Bagonville. We have no doubt that the|gallant men of the 57th have reason for their claim, but wt happen to know on the very best authority that a German flag was taken at Talant. Mr Molloy, M,P., was then a captain in the French army, serving on the stafE of General Pellissier. He found himself in the strange position tor an old Papal Zouave of being under the command of Garibaldi, who had comt to help the French ; bat Garibaldi's command was merely nominal, and he had no share ia the victories won by the army of Dijon, which were among the only French victories in the disastrous war. After th« war was over the German Emperor prea. nted a new flag to the Pomeranian regiment, and alleged, in presenting it, that their flags had not been captured, but had been stolen from them at night while they slept. Mr Molloy was abb at

the time to prove that the Emperor had been misinformed. He nimself had boine the dig to the staff quarters at Dijon while it wa9 s ill broad day light. Another staff offi2er was sent with the captured standard to the head quarters' staff of the Frenci army at Bordeaux. When he an ived there a gala performance was proceeding at the theatre, but the performanca waa stopped while the c nicer went on the stage and waved the white standard amid the enthusiastic applause of the excited people. So tha people of Talant are j entitled to keep their monument, deleting the word " only." I