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Hawke's Bay Times, Issue 1635, 8 December 1874, Page 455

On the subject of Professor Tyndall and his late address delivered at Belfast as President of the British Association, the Otago Guardian's London correspondent writes:—"As a scientific man no one could have been more fitly chosen ; but, unfortunately, his discretion is not equal to his learning and wisdom, and he has consequently succeeded in placing the Association in violent antagonism with the people of " the Black North," thus. Unhappily, the Professor is of the order of aggressive unbelievers; and men of this class, while perpetually and loudly, raising thb cry of bigotry when a believer of any sect of Christians opposes their notions or controverts their teachings, never lose an opportunity of flinging opprobrium upon religion, religious professors, and religious teachers. Acting in this manner, Professor Tyndall, in his inaugural address, instead of attending himself to the exposition of any branch of natural science, or, which would have been more appropriate still, instead of impressing on his hearers the importance I of natural science generally as a branch of education, devoted three hours and a-half of speaking to a violent attack on revelation, and the believers in revelation. Needless to Bay that this roused, and very justly, the unflinching Presbyterians of the North. He has put a wet blanket on the meetings of the British Association in Belfast, and he has disgusted learned and liberal-minded men, who, holding fast their faith, justly demand as much toleration for their faith as Professor Tyndall demands for his want of it; he has aroused the fears and the prejudices of narrow-minded, and perhaps ignorant, but earnest, practical, and, be it said, useful Christian members of society; and, what thoughtful people may consider most of all, he has added tenfold to the bumptiousness of pretentious dabblers in science and learning. We are pestered with this class in our old world here at present. They are for the most part young people, who, having attended a few lectures, or read a few hand-books on science, and. having discovered during these profound researches, not any new fact in science, but the very old fact that some scientific people—as well as some very unscientific and indeed very ignorant and silly people —are unbelievers, forthwith conclude that their own highest claim to be considered scientific or learned must' be the profession of unbelief, and profess it accordingly. How logical the conclusion is, the italicised word sufficiently shows. These are the buzzers about the hive of learning, who are perpetually humming forth such expressions as "advanced opinions," "progress of thought," &c. That their own opinions, whether true or false, are founded on no correct reasoning of their own, and that their progress is often a backward one, need not be said."

The Mackay Mercury (Queensland) states that a most lamentable accident occurred on Saturday morning, October 24, which resulted iu the sudden death of four persons—a mother and her three children. It appears that on that morning the woman was heard, by some people who resided in the same house, making her children take some medicine, and she told her neighbors immediately afterwards that she had given each of the children salts, and had taken some herself. The eldest boy then started to a house a short distance off to get some milk ; but when he got there he fell down and rolled over in great pain. The mother then came over to look at him, saying at the time that the youngest child was very bad. Before she herself could get back to her house she fell down struggling on the road, and had to be carried in by two of her neighbors. Dr Harricks was obtained, who administered emetics, but without avail, as within half an hour the mother and her three children were all dead. It seems that Geunerich, the husband, had found, in a thatched roof of an old hut, a bottle containing what he thought was Epsom salts. He took it home and gave it to his wife, telling her it was salts. The bottle remained in the house over a twelvemonth before any of its contents were used, and then with the result stated, for the bottle contained strychnine instead of salts.