Irish News.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXII, Issue 16, 16 August 1895, Page 21

Irish News .

(From contemporaries.) Antrim.— Mr Robert Crorait, the author of " The Oraok of Doom," 1b now in middle lift, and spends his days behind a bank counter in Belfast, and his evenings, as be sometimes grimly s*y», in graduating for tht waste-paper basket of the London editor. Fifteen years ago he wrote ap a West of Ireland salmon river in the Field on behalf of ■ friend, and from that moment became convinced that he was destined to succeed in fiction, He is a much-quoted authority on peasant proprietorship. Mr Cromie is the son of an Irish surgeon* magistrate, and the brother of another doctor, and has no lower ideal in life than to rush round the Antrim coast on a Bunny afternoon in a coasting steamer in a smart breeze. Armagh*— James Morgan, of Portadown, has applied for a patent for " The Yarn Smash Preventive." CarlOW* — Patrick Kirwin, a barber, of had a narrow escape from drowning lately. He waa riding a tricycle on the Barrow Track Line, and when turning his machine rather short, he went headlong into the back drain at Carpenter's Pond. The cyclist having an artificial leg, the boot of which was btrapped to the pedal of the machine, was powerless te extricate hinself, »nd would certainly have|been drowned had not a carpenter named Monahao, and an employee of the asylum named Barnett gone to his aids They found Kirwin stuck fast in the mud. The unfortunate man, when taken ont, was quite exhausted. Cavan* — At the County Cavan Baronial Sessions recently concluded, the question of erecting a lunatic asylum for tht county or adding a new wing to the Monaghan Asylum, which at present serves the two countries, was submitted for decision. It appears that the asylum in Monaghan is not large •nough to accommodate all the patients, and a proposal was recently made to build a ntw wing to it. In the alternative some ptople proposed that a county asylum for Cavan alone should be built. These two proposals now came before tht baronial sessions, in order to ascertain the feeliog of the cesspayers, with the result that a considerable majority of them have gone in favour of the latter proposal. Corfe. An application had been made to the Lord-Lieutenant for an Order-in-Council authorising the construction of a railway between Cork, Middleton and Ballycotton. A Bum of £70,000 would be expended in the district by the construction of the line, and the fißhing industry at Ballycotton would be considerably developed by it. Borne interesting statements are given by the Army and Nay y Jmirnal of General Coppmger's ancestry. General John Joseph Ooppinger is ninth in descent from Stephen Ooppinger, Alderman and Mayor of Coik in 1569. Hia grandson was Sheriff of Cork, and waa outlawed for treason, us were two brothers, while others became the ancestors of the Bordeaux and the Spanish branches of the family respectively, the latter producing afterward General Jose Coppinger. After forfeiture the estates came back into the family. General Coppinger is tht oldest son of William Joseph Coppinger, of Bally donell, and his mother, who was Margaret O'Brien. He has among his kinsmen a captain in the British Royal Munster Fusiliern ( and a surgeon in the British Navy, and a commander in that navy was his father'B coußin. His own first service was in the Papal Guard of Romt, and he was one of a dozen young Catholics appointed by President Lincoln on the recommendation of Archbishop Hughes, receiving a captaincy in 1861. The first congresa of the Irish trade unionists held at Cork has furniehed an admirable contrast, to far as dignity and harmony are concerned, to the English trades congress. Hitherto the Iriiih have sent delegates to the English trades councils. At Cork 150 delegates, eoltly Irish, discnesed trade and political questions. There was hardly a trace of party or sectarian bitterness. The Socialists made the poorest ihowing at the congress. A Londonderry delegate proposed the usual resolution to nationalise everything and his motion was stconded by a Belfast man, but an amendment proposed by the president of the Belfast trade unions and seconded by the president of the Dublin trade unionists was adopted, declaring that the ultimate solution of labour problems wmld be more quickly obtained by effecting pressing reforms, on which a vast majority of working men were agreed, than in passing abstract resolutions. The amendment was passed by a vote of 57 to 25. Schemes to promote technical education and other practical questions engaged the attention of the coDgress. Donesal>-A preliminary meeting was held in the Town Hal), Ballybofey, for the purpose of starting a monthly fair in this important centre, as it was felt that the opportunity long looked for by the inhabitants had at last arrived for its establishment. Tht Btranorlar and GUnties railway opened up tor traffic on June 3, and the manager, Mr Liveßey. had erected a number of cattle pens in Ballybofey for the convenience of the trade.

la tbe House of Commons T. D. Snllit an Mked the Chief Secretary whether the further inquiries which he said were being made regarding tbe alleged existence of severe distress in the electoral divisions of Oranford and Loughkeel in the Milford Union, County Donegal, have been completed. Mr Mor ley answered that as a result of the irqairies which have been made with regard to this district, directions have been given to provide employment on tbe relief works to the necessitous poor in the two divisions referred to ; and the inspectors of the Local Government Board have instructions to visit all localities whera distress is alleged to exist, and to obtain all reliable information they can procure on the subject. With this object they consult the clergy of the different parishes. Down* — A terrific dynamite explosion occurred at Banjor near the coastguard station watch -house, where Messrs Martin and Son are constructing a new pier ; tbe residence of Dr B. L. Moore was badly wrecked. Dr Moore aod child had a narrow escape on th« lawn. Mrs Qadd, a visitor, with Mrs Fitohie, while engaged in the garden, was struck with a large piece of rock on the shoulder. After an illness of two months, James MacMahon, J.P , oi Newry, die j recently. Deceased had reached his ninety-second yean and at his retirement, about a month since, from the chairmanship of the Newry Town Commissioners, was the oldest municipal chairman in Ireland— perhaps in the Three Kingdoms. At that time he had served at the board for fifty-one years, and has bean re-elected to the chair for the eleventh term in succession. Dublin.— Dublin contractors have had a very important army contract turned over to them for the first time. For the greater part of this century tbe strange-looking structure called Aldborough House, formerly the town residence of Lord Aldborougb, at the end of Gloucester street, has been used by the army authorities as a sort of training school for butchers and bakers for the service. Now it is found that a small bounty will bring into the service as many traintd men as are wanted for this service, and the system is to be discontinued. The Dublin Bread Company have got the contract for bread, and Rawkin and Molloy the meat contract. Things are looking bright for the Irish language, and the Gaelic League. At the last weekly meeting of the league, held at 57 Dame street, the proceedings were conducted exclusively in Irish. Now this is just as it should be, and may the day be close at hand when the G.el will have bis weekly paper coming to his door with his name in the same tongue, and the news dressed up with that flourish of Irish characer which ihe Boman type seems wanting in. The question of the Irish cross-Obannel mail service has at length bsen settled, and to the satisfaction of all concerned. The City of Dublin Steam Packet Company has andertaken to guarantee an increased speed of thirty minutes between Kingstown and Hollyhead for an annual subsidy of £100,000. Therms are four new Bcrew steamars.to be built, and increased passenger accommodation is to be provided. Toese are improvements of some magnitude, and regularity is sure to come after a time. Gal way.— T c £Ton Mrs Pery, of.Kinvarra, has invented a safety palm purse. It can be fastened to either hand by means of a neat little strap running round tbe wrist, and a small leather ring on the second finger. Kilkenny. — Owing to the long continued drought here some uneaßineßß was beginning to be felt about the crops, and Bishop Brownrigg gave direction to bie clergy that during the month of June prayers are to be off-red up at each Mass for more favourable weather and a good harvest. I^imerick..— lrish N tiona'ists on both sides of the ocean will learn with deep regret of the almost simultaneous death on June 7 of Dr William B. Wallace and his>nn, Dr Alphonse M. Wallace of New York. Dr Wallace was born in County Limerick, Ireland, fiftythree years ago. As a boy ba went to England to live, but returned to Ireland to be educated for the priesthood at Mount Melleray College. This career he soon abandoned, and entered All Hallows* Oollpge, Dublin, where he took bis degree. Dr Wallace came to New Yoik in 1868. Here he entered tbe College of Physicians and Surgeons, and was graduated in 1871. At the time of his death he was vißiting physician of the City Hospital on Blackwell's Island, and consulting physician of 8c Joseph's Hospital in Tonkers. He was a member of the Medico-Legal Society, the Celtic Medical Society and the Catholic Club. It was as an ardent Irish patriot, however, that Dr Wallace was best known, for he was a leader in all the Irish national movements inaugurated in America. He was considered one of the most eloquent orators in America, and was always liberal in snbscribing to Irish political movements. Dr Wallace was one of the organisers of tbe Irish Na ional Land Leagae of America, and a close friend of the late Richard O'Gorman. When the Irish Parliamentary party became divided owing to the divorce suit brought by Captain O'Bhea, in which Parnell was named as co-respondent, Dr Wallace became aa advanced anti-Paroellite, and with Dr Thomas Addis Emmet, the late Eugene Kelly, and other well-known Irishmen, formed tbe Iri*h National Federation of America, of which he was elected vice-president, ao office be held at his death.

, .^^••^^"'^•''•^''^"•nongtheiiewSeiiatorselected to the Unned States Senate. He is a native of Ballina, County Mayo, where he was born sixty years ago. He served through the Civil War, was tw.ce wounded in battle, and was breveted a BrigadierGeneral for distinguished service. Meatb.-Tbe Hon and Right Rev Mgr Talbot, recently appointed provost of the Chapter of Westminster by the Pope, is a eon of Lord Talbot de Malahide. His mother was a Miss Lambert, of Beauparc, County of Meath. He was in the army, retired, and sub•equently received into the Catholic Chnrch and given Holy Orders by Cardinal Wiseman. A courageous aot was performed in Oldcaetle on a recent market day. A horse and trap, the property of Patrick Murphy, of Boss was observed coming along the street at a breakneck pace, and no person m charge. As the animal approached the corner of Mr Porter's establishment,|Conttable Oir, who, with Sergeant Dowd, was on duty at that place, at great personal risk placed himself in front of the flying an i real and succeeded in grasping tbe reins, at the same time administering a sharp blow of the baton on its head. With the assistance of Sergeant Dowd the horse was pulled up, and handed over to its owner. Queens County.-J. J. Aird, auctioneer, and secretary of the Maryborough Branch of the Federation, has been appointed to the Commission of the Peace for Queen's County. In no county in Ireland, perhaps, does more need exist for the reformation of the Bench. There are about eighty magistrates and of these, inclnding those newly appointed, not more than fourteen are Catholics, and not more than five or six are Natiocaiists. Mr Aird will be a very desirable icquisition to the Maryborough Bench. It is also announced that W. H. Oobe, chairman of Mountmellick Board of Guardians, and F. Gowing, of Kilminchy, Maiyboroogb, have been appointed magistrates. Both are Nationalists. SligO.-The premises of Painck Kennedy, High street, Sligo, were recently burned. Attention was first attracted <o the fire by the screams of two young ladies, Muses Henry, who occupied the third story. In their efforts to escape tbe intense beat and smoke they got on the window sill, and with difficulty conld be restrained from jumping to the street. At length ladders were procured, and the girls were conveyed at great personal ri B k by their rescuers to the ground. The conduct of Messrs Lockhart and Smith, who went up the ladders through the sm-ke and fUme, is deserving of the highest commendation. The Bhop and back premises were completely gutted. The damage is not covered by insurance. Tyrone.— Accordiog to Rev A. A. Lambing, rector of St James' Chnrch, Wilkinsburg, Pa., who is an authority on Catholic historical topics, the priest who erected the first church at Pittsburg, away back in the earlier part of this century, wbb Rev Charles p! Maguire, a native of Dungannon, County Tyrone. He was born in 1767, going after his ordination to America, and dying in 1833 in the city where he had the honour of erecting the first Catholic church. Wlcklow.-The executors of the will of the late Charles Stewart Parnell have decided to destroy hii political correspondence. The letters cover the period of the Home Rule agitation, and are of value as matters of history.