MISCELLANEOUS.

Westport Times, Volume V, Issue 878, 24 October 1871, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

In an article on the death of the late* Mr Qrote, the " Times ". says ;t—" The ' joss of such a man at any period of our Kstory would be a grevious blow to hterature, but it seems irreparable at ft time when real learning is at sp'loW Webb in England, And when the purWit of tiny study for its own sake, and Dot for any baf>e and ulterior object, is *a exception so rare as to be. scarcely «redible to a short-sighted and timeserving generation. teeK A compulsory Education Bill, says *a English paper, is not required in

Hungary. They pre plenty of poor people, but they thirst after education and put themselves to great inconvenience to secure it, not only for their children,.but for themselves. According to a Pestb. ,<paper, the national schools recently established in Hungary are literally crowded. Peasants with families/go to school after their day's work, and study till midnight. In one of the villages the adults hesitated to go to school, being ashamed to study with the boys, upon which the oldest inhabitant hung a slate round his neck, with the words "76 years old " written upon it, and went on a Sunday afternoon to take his lesson. The consequence was that all the other peasants followed his example and the school has been full ever since. • ■

Report says, the Pope recently spoke as follows concerning the conduct of the Prussian Government towards the German Catholics-*'l had expected that the German Catholics would be treated' with greater justice. Ido pot conceal from you that I hoped so able a diplomatist as Prince Bismarck would not have provoked discord in the new Empire. All wars that have been undertaken against the church have always resulted in her ultimate gain. They have always reinforced her -—have made her members more compact, and have fortified them in their faith."

The Paris correspondent of the " Pail Mall Gazette " 29th of August, says Thiers is reported to have given a vast amount of information to the Committee of Inquiry into the cause and conduct of the late war. He found England, he said, hesitating and desirous of acting with Russia, and when he got to St. Petersburg he met with sympathy from the population ; and the Czar, though he said he could not declare war, was rrost favourably inclined toward France ; he was bound in some way to Prussia, Everybody at St. Petersburg assured him that the Cabinet at Berlin would accept reasonable proposals. Thiers then went to Italy, and found that the King most distinctly favoured Prance ; he calleda council of Ministerand Generals Thiers said you have 300,000 men march 100,000 men on Lyons ; you are covered by Switzerland and the Alps and will have nothing to fear by making a diversion in our favour. The Kincand his Generals were for adopting this plan, but the Cabinet refused to consent.

Mr Laughton, of England, in a late number of "Nature" examines the question whether the condition of the atmosphere can be influenced by artificial causes, in the course of which he •refers k> the assumption of Professor Espy in regard to producing rain, by means of fire, and the oft-repeated assertions that a heavy cannonade will effect a similar result. After a careful consideration of the subject he comes to the conclusion that no human agencies can be relied upon to bring about any material change in the atmosphere with any degree of certainty, although he thinks that large fires, explosions, battles, and earthquakes do tend to cause atmospheric disturbance, and especially to induce a fall of rain ; but that for such a result it is necessary that other conditions be suitable.

Mr Gladstone's supposed policy in relation to Irish collegiate education excites distrust among Liberals. He opposed Mr Fawcett's Dublin University Bill, and maintained that Catholics were entitled to a distinct college in the University. This view is objectionable to the bulk of his followers, and much uneasiness prevails.