WEEKLY EPITOME.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume I, Issue 36, 3 January 1874, Page 7

WEEKLY EPITOME.

APROPOS of Catholics not acting up to their principles — Bishop Moran incidentally referred iv the course of his sermon at 11 o'clock Mass on Sunday last, to a circumstance winch occurred quite lately. A Catholic was asked to do tint which he in principle as a Catholic could not do. He refused Being piessed he gave way, and did that, vhich as a Catholic he should not have done. The sole thanks he got for violating faith and conscience was this— the very man who induced him to act against the teachings of the Church said wiiat a " soft " he (the Catholic) was for doing so. It is said that the Wellington ' Evening Post' is now owned by a company, and that its late proprietor (Mr Blundel') is going home to " ould Ireland " to live at his ease The levee of His Excellency the Governor at Dunediu was a failure, very few attending. 33.772 shakes in the Standard Insurance Compiny have been taken up by Otago applicants. Shares have been taken up in the North, but the exact number cannot yet be ascertained. A large number of risks have already been accepted by the Company. 138 Immigrants have arrived at Port Chalmers by the City of Dunedin. It has been stated at Wellington on excellent authority t lat the Hon. Mr Bathgate will shortly retire from the Ministry, md be appointed Resident Magistrate for Dunedin, in place of Mr Strode. Mr O'Korke, it is understood, will become Minister of Justice. WELLINGroN gentlemen, Directors of the New Zealand Steam Navigation Co., lately visited Duuedin, aud were unsuceesful iii thennegotiations to buy the five steamers now engaged in the tiade between Melbourne and these ports, but it stated that there is a project already Bet aloot for buying the same five steamers, aud the trade connected with them, by a Company winch will have its headquarters m Dunedin. Me Colin Allan, Immigration Agent, Dunedin, gives the following as the nationalities of the immigrants nominated through the Dunedin office from theO th to the 24th December :— English, 39 souls, equal to 33 adults ; Scotch, 172 souls, equal to 144 V adults ; Irish, 53 •ouls, equal to 45 adults ; total, 264 souls, equal to 222^ adults. 316 applications for nominated immigrants wpre forwarded from Christchurth bj the last hng i-h riui At Iteeltou, Anuerson's c'uun jave a i turn <bi four we k»' ?ru?hinjj ol 3b'3 ounces gold. '£lw iheiy Cross* yield wua 790 ouuee* fro—

440 tons of stowe. Tl>e \)>\x Company, after 10 days' crushing, yi.ikied 233 ounces from 200 tons of stuff. The Dune. tin Choral Society g-ive " Tlie Messiah "on Christ-nas Eve in a way that fir exceeded our un'icip'itions. the performing ni»inb rs numbered about 90, and they were u-msto i b\ able prife:sional talent His Ifixcellni.-y the G >veriii)r and La ly Fer^u'sson vvers present. We read that at Wellm^t m the sn.nml performance of ''The Vlessi'ih " was the greatest s>i> cess yet achieved by the Choral Society. There Were over l,) 0 performers, an I the audience numbered over 1000. The choruses, s«olos and orch stra were excellent. The whole affair went off splendidly. \t Auckland the Choral Society performed "Tlie Messiah " in magnificent style. 150 performers took part, and tho hull was crowded.