GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume II, Issue 92, 30 January 1875, Page 11

GENERAL NEWS.

His Eminence the Cardinal Archbishop of Paris has received a contribution towards the Church, of the Sacred Heart, which has a curious history attached to it. The Abb 6de Manneval, of the parish of St. Phillippe dv Roule, Paris, recently sent him lOOOf which he obtained from. Madame de Rothschild under the following circumstances :— When a young man, before becoming a priest, this abbe was an attache of the French Embassy at Vienna, and one day purchased a little miniature in an old curiosity shop for a few francs. The other day he showed it to Madame de Rothschild, who incaiu tiously pulled the frame off, and to her surprise found written on the inside these words : " Portrait of Madame de Pompadour, given by her to M. de Kaunitz," « I'll give you a lOOOf . for your good works, Abbe, if you will let me have this miniature." " Take it, Madame la Baronne," said the Abbe, who the next day sent the lOOOf . to the Cardinal with the above story. " I thank you, Abbe," said his Eminence, on receiving the money, "we will make a work of expiation of it, and pray for the soul of the unhappy woman whom the picture represented." •The ' Figaro' informs us that the Marquise de Caux(Adelina Patti) recently sung in Paris for the benefit of the Alsace-Lorraine emigrants. The large sum of 60,000f. was thereby collected for these poor people, and to the amount Madame Patti added a personal contribution of 1600f. In consequence of this act of charity, it seems that orders have been given that "the Diva" shall not be engaged in Berlin, or anywhere else in Germany. Patti, however, is equal to the occasion, and declares that if this is really the case, it is a matter of most supreme indifference to her, as she had not intended going to Germany at all as long as that country has a footing m France. The celebrated prima donna still further offends German susceptibilities by her answer to the letter of thanks which Madame de MacMahom addressed her, in which she declared that nothing pleased her more than to be of service to France, which country, being that of her husband, she now considers as her own. Ay AycvvL Tidal "Wave.— Additional advices from Macao and Hong Ivong report that the damage by tho typhoon and tidil wave as more than confirming previous reports. It is estimated that a total of twenty thousand lives were lost. At Macao the typhoon was of the most terrific character. The tidal wave broke on shore with a\r« ful violence, sweeping everything before it. When the tempest was at its height, fires broke out in six different places, maliciously caused by pirates for spoils. The church of St. Antonio, and a large number of houses in the neighbourhood were burned down. Many of the people lost everything, and are rendered homeless. Macao was laid m rums, and the misery thus cutaiied upon hundreds of its residents is fearful, while the loss of life is enormous. It is computed that over 10,000 lives were lost in Macao alone. Four days after its occurrence, the effluvia arising from tho thousands of decomposing bodies was so very great that the soldiers revolted and refused to bury any more bodies. The governor,, fearing that a plague would follow if the bodies were not disposed of, ordered them to be burned. Four thousand bodies were crema ted. The troops first covered the corpses with tar, and then set the heaps on fire. Tho loss of lives in and around and in the vicinity of Hong Kong will exceed 4000. A largo number of Europeans are among the killed.

Twenty Sisters of the Cross and- several Roman Catholic priests were passengers by the steamer St. Osyth, -which arrived at Melbourne at the end of last year,