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New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXII, Issue 9, 28 June 1895, Page 20

The King of Siam has presented to the Harvard L'brary thirtynine volumes of a Siamese book, the " Tripitka," or sacred booka of the Southern Buddhists. They are printed in coarse Siamese type, on dark smoky-looking paper, and are bound in yellow leather of primitive workmanship. The gift w«s made in commemoration of the twentj-nfth a: niversary of the King of SiamV reign.

There are growing differences in policy between A. J. Balfour, the Conservative leader in the H juse of Commons, and the Bight Hon Joseph Chamberlain, the leader of the Liberal Unionists. Tne latter is known to bitterly reßent tbe recent criticisms upon his conduct which appeared in the Conservative newspapers, and he has sounded a note of warning in his newspaper at Birmingham. Mr Chamberlain has represented Birmingham in the Parliament sinca 1876.

Mr Henry Labouchere cornea to the front with the foilowiDg double-pointed suggestion : " How about the solution of the Premier difficulty if Lord Rosebery is unable to retain the post through illhealth (and strongly as I opposed to him on political grounds, I trust that this will not be so) ? Let us ask Mr Gladstone to r«snme efflce. That remarkable old man Beema to have returned to England as fresh as a young colt. With him at our head we should win the general election."

The eminent Catholic actress, Signora Duse, who has been playing in Brussels was summoned, after the performance, to the Iloyal Box by the command of tbe Queen of the Belgians, but Bho refused the invitation, having a distaste to tbe practice. At the Stuggart the Signora similarly repulsed th« King of Wur'emberg.

The Geraldines are said to have derived their descent from the Etrurian?, and through them from the Trojans. I find it stated in that n markable historical work written in Latin by O'Sullivan Bears — " Hb onse Oath' licaj Hibermie Compendium," published at Lisbon in 1621 — " Hibernice Gcraldini suum genus ad Etruscos inde Trojanos usque referunt."