ITALY'S VISITATION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 317, 7 January 1909, Page 3

ITALY'S VISITATION.

TILK POPE AND XUK.SL'H'KIIEUS. New Vork, January j. frantic scenes occured at >,'cw lurk among zW Calaunau and Sicilian iuini.grants who before lauding received their arst news of the disaster. Koine, January 3. At the instance of Signer .Nathan, the Jewish Mayor of Home, the \ alioiii gladly received a batcli of suffering (survivors at the hospital. Though outside his territory the Pope passed over the archway to the hospital Mid comforted the suliercrs. Signor Nathan visited the hospital later and exchanged cordial greetings rwith Cardinal Merry dc Val. King Edward telegraphed to the Ileut his high appreciation and approbation of the energy and gallantry displayed iu dealing with the disaster.

AUSTRALIA ASSISTS.

Sydney, January li. The State Government cables £SOOO to the Italian earthquake fund. The Lord Mayor presided at a meeting at the Town Hall to inaugurate a public fund, and £875 was subscribed in the room. MESSINA TO BE RE-BUILT. Rome, January 5. ' Kirtg Emmanuel and the Government have determined that Messina shall be re-built, the Government lending money •n very favourable terms. ' They expect to raise 180 million lircs for the purpose of increasing the tax •n land and incomes. Messina will be exempted from property tax for a quarter of a century. After the sharp shocks at Messina yesterday the British battleship Exmouth got caught ia a current and mapped her anchor chains and drifted two miles before control was recovered. entire "family was released at Messina yesterday, almost uninjured, though many of the ruins are being flooded with carbolic acid to overcome the stench. PORTSMOUTH'S APPEAL. Received li, 10.55 p.m. London, January 8. The Mayor of Portsmouth, in an appeal for contributions to the Naval Disaster Fund, remarked that the heroism, resourcefulness, and sympathy displayed by the officers and men in connection with the earthquake had made the country prouder than ever of the navy, but the terrible boat accident at Sydney necessitated fresh calls on the funds. The bulk of the amouut subscribed in 1908 had been allocated to the widows and orphans.of the men lost in the Timor and (Sladiator. The public is asked to put into practical shape the admiration which, as the King graciously expressed, all must feel. BRITISH WARSHIPS' GREAT WORK. FREQUENT SHOCKS AT REGGIO. ' Received 0, 0.55 p.m. 1 Rome, January 6. ' Four days elapsed before H.M.S. Exmouth was able to go to Gallico (a town of 5000 inhabitants, five miles north of Reggio) to establish a hospital of 250 beds and nurses. This has proved a veritable godsend, because it is the, only place of relief in the vicinity. The wounded from Catona, where out of 3500 inhabitants 2000 were killed, are con- : Teyed to Gallico on stretchers for several miles.

• Shocks are being experienced around Beggio at intervals of twenty minutes. ' H.M.S. Duncan has now established a field hospital at Catona. Other British ships landed seventy men and four doitors at Seilla and fifty men and thn.e doctors at Cantatello. The latter at? the most sanitary camps of any. HEROIC RESCUE WORK. ' Received 6, 11.15 p.m. Kome, January (i. • H.M.S. Minerva's men, amid recurring shocks and heavy groans, worked heroically among the ruins of the British chaplain Huleatt's house at Messina. They discovered Huleatt and his child in bed. Both were crushed to death. The search continues, as the wife and three other children are under the ruins. ' THE MANSION HOUSE FUND. Received (i. 11.15 p.m. London, January 6. The Mansion House fund now amounts to £50,000. AUSTRALIAN HEM". Received 7, Owl) a.m. Melbourne, Last Night. The Federal Premier, Mr. Fisher. 7ns reconsidered the position taken up regarding contributing to the Italian earthquake relief. Cabinet meets tomorrow. It is believed £IO.OOO will he voted.

Mr. Wade has intimated that in view of the Commonwealth's first decision, 3few South Wales purposed sending !.£SOOO.

'. MB. WRAGGE AND THE CAUSE OF IT. Auckland, Tuesday. ". One of the passengers by the Aparium, iwhich arrived in Auckland from Calcutta, wag Mr. Clement Wraggc, the eminent meteorologist and astronomer, who, with Mrs. Wraggc, is on a return iVisit to the Dominion after a two years' absence in India. Today Mr. Wragge was asked for his views in regard to the causes of the terrible earthquake. "We have," he said, "just come through the most remarkable period of | solar activity on record. The sun many times previously has had its maximum and minimum moods, and, during the former, the great cyclones which from the sun spots arc more pronounced than at any other times. On this occasion the maximum period has been unduly prolonged, and ought to have conic to •an end, according to all former observations, in the early part of 1!)I)T. As a matter of fact, ever since then the storms have been getting somewhat less, thoiHi there have been abnormal solar cvclones noticeable on several occasions •"Although the minimum mood of the sun is gradually coming, yet this abnormal maximum period is very stubborn, tad is, as it were, trying to hold its own. As evidence of that, there is tins rising solar outburst. Under its influence these vibrations have been flung off by two big storms now showing on the face of the sun, and which, 1 am able to show by means of the solar telescope. . "The portions where the smlace oi .the earth is weak at one respond.. Thus we have these fearful outbursts, wlncli bare occurred in South Italy, where the crust of the earth has responded only too readily to the vibrations set up by ithe two sun storms." • Mr Wra«ge then brought out w» solar'telescope, and, on pointing it a. the sun, a circle of light was reflected on a cheet of paper placed at the eyepiece. On this were seen, with startling distinctness, two prominent spots, with a third and smaller one at the side. •'Those two," w»id Mr. Wragge, "wcr 'without doubt the cyclones that caused the big earthquake. I first notie.nl .them appear on the edge of the sun about six or seven days ago-just a'. ithe time of the quake."