INTERCOLONIAL.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVII, Issue 48, 30 November 1899, Page 20

INTERCOLONIAL.

The Rev. A. S. Mullan, 0.F.M., of Waverley, left for England on the 25th inst. The Cardinal- Archbishop of Sydney intends to make a personal appeal in the parishes of the archdiocese in aid of the building fund of St. Mary's Cathedral about the beginning of the year. In the course of an address at Townsville his Lordship Bishop Higgins said that he intended to introduce the Christian Brothers into the diocese of Rockhampton. Miss Maud McCarthy has been giving concerts in various towns of New South Wales, where she has met with enthusiastic receptions. The Dickson Government in Queensland has resigned. There is some probability of a coalition Opposition-Labour Ministry under Mr. Dawson being formed. The many friends of Mr. William Comans of Temora (says the Catholic Press) will receive with regret the intelligence of his death, which occurred recently. The deceased gentleman was 88 years of age at the time of his death, which, though rather sudden, was not altogether unexpected, as his end from senile decay was expected for some time. Mr. Comans was a native of Tipperary Ireland, and came to New South Wales 56 years ago. Mr. Coghlan has decided to retire from the New South Wales Public Service Board, and retain the position of Government Statistician. This decision can be regarded with great satisfaction, as although the qualifications for a member of the Public Service Board are fairly high, a vacancy there has a better chance of being suitably refilled than if the colony called for a statistician. The resignation of Mr. Coghlan from the Statistician's office would have been a great loss. By the death, on the Bbh inst., of M. Emile Doublet at the age of 57, the French community in Sydney lost one of its oldest and most esteemed members. His remains were interred in the Waverley cemetery, a solemn Requiem Mass being first celebrated at St, Patrick's Church by Father Piquet, assisted by the Very Rev Fathers Aubrey and Le Rennetel, and Father Guillemin. M. Biard d Aunet (French Consul-General) and all the leading members of tbe French community attended the funeral. By the last mail a letter, written in Paris, was received from Miss Amy Castles by her friends in Melbourne. At the time of writing Miss Castles had just returned after having sung before Madame Viardot-Garcia, who enjoys a reputation as one of the greatest present-day female lyric artists. Madame Garcia gave it as her opinion that Miss Castles was the possessor of a wonderful natural voice that would ' stand plenty of hard work.' Among many splendid qualities, the intonation was particulaaly good, and altogether, Madame Garcia said, the voice was well worthy of the praise that had been lavished upon it. Last year Mr. Jerry Flynn, a former resident of Gulgong, was employed at Bullagreen station, near Gilgandra, N.S.W., weighing wool. One day during the shearing his waistcoat containing a gold watch, chain, and appendage, disappeared. Ihe articles were very much valued by Mr. FJynn, as they had been bequeathed to him by his father, who received them as a presentation while he was in the police force. He naturally concluded that the articles had been stolen, and put the matter in the hands of the police, who, however, failed to find the missing property. Quite recently Mr. Jones, the owner of Bullagreen, received a letter from an English wool-manufacturing firm informing him that on opening one of his bales of wool a waistcoat, containing a gold watch, chain and appendage, had been found therein. This, of course, clears up the mystery surrounding the disappearance of the articles, and they are now on their way back to Australia. On November 14 his Lordship the Right Rev. Dr. Murray Bishop of Maitland, had the happiness of celebrating the thirtyfourth anniversary of his consecration. Priests and people marked the occasion in the same spirit of rejoicing as when the venerable and beloved Bishop celebrate 1 his Bilver jubilee. There were not any public presentations of addresses and gifts as on jubilee day, but many tributes of love, gratitude, aud veneration were paid. His Lordship, whose almost complete recovery of health and strength is a matter for congratulation, had by his side on the present occasion his young Coadjutor-Bishop, the Right Rev. Dr Dwyer. Besides Dr. Dwyer, about 30 priests of the diocese took part in the happy celebration. All the Masses in the Cathedral on Tuesday were very largely attended. In the evening at the Town Hall a conversazione arranged by the ladies of St. John's Cathedral parish took place, and the venerable prelate was heartily felicitated on the attainment of 34 years' reign as Bishop of Maitland. Bishop Murray is now in his seventy-third year. When he arrived in Maitland in 1866 there were six priests, 20 churches, 12 schools, and one convent in the diocese, extending 160 miles along the coast districts, the remotest part being 800 miles from Maitland. There are now in the present much smaller diocese as regards area (portions having been cut off to form the dioceses of Armidale and Grafton) 60 churches, 24 chapels, one college, 16 high schools, 36 primary schools, one monastery, one orphanage, and an institution for the deaf and dumb at Waratah. The priests number 41 • there are 26 convents, with 165 nuns ; while 4370 children attended the schools out of a diocesan population of 30,000. The religious Orders Dr. Murray has established in his diocese are the Redemptonst Fathers, the Marist Brothers, Dominican Nuns Sisters of Mercy, Sisters of St. Joseph, and the Brigidine Nuns. '