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Leader (1850-1860), 11th November 1854, Edition Town of 2, Page 1061

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      Untitled Article

      CONTINENTAL NOTES . The last Roman Catholic miracle is thus announced in a letter from Rome . The fire points the moral for the behoof of the pious idiots : — " Another miraculous image has been recently engaging the superstitious reverence of the lower orders and the circumstantial attention of the ecclesiastical authorities in Rome , being nothing less than a ' prodigious' image ( as the official paper terms it ) of the Saviour , in the chuich of Santa Maria in Monticelli , which has been observed lately to perform the usual feat of opening and shutting its eyes . A . triduum having been ordained in consequence by the cardinal-vicar , was concluded with great pomp at the church in question ; but unfortunatel y some of the decorations of the altar catching fire , a destructive flame burst forth , creating a frightful panic in the congregation , driving the cardinal and his suffragans into the sacristy , and actually consuming the frame of the ' prodigious image' itself . "

      Bad News for the Papacy . —The construction of telegraphic lines is making great progress in Italy at present . A direct line between Piedmont and Switzerland by Brissago was opened on the 1 st . Another line was Opened some time ago between the two countries by St . Julien . Caserta , and the towns of Cancello Santa Maria , Capua , Mola , Terracina , Nola , Salerno and Avellino , are now connected with Naples by telegraphic lines , which are open to the public . A line is also in progress to connect Bologna and Ancona , a distance of 150 miles , and has already reached Rimini . It is believed it will be continued at Rome . Important !—The King of the Belgians opened the session of the Legislature on the 7 th . In his speech he declared that Belgium sets more value than ever on its neutrality , confirmed by the sympathy and confidence of all Powers .

      The Vintage of 1854 . —An eminent house in Bordeaux writes : —" Bordeaux , Oct . 27 , 1854 . —Referring to the remarks of our circular of 1 st January last , relative to the very indifferent claret vintages of 1852 and 1853 , it is with regret that we have to announce the complete failure of this year ' s crop , the yield being estimated at fully 90 per cent , under an average . The Queen of England and the Young King of Portugal . —It appears that he and his brother , the Duke of Oporto , speak with delight of the reception and treatment they met with at the British Court . Queen Victoria went down to the very door to meet them ,

      kissed them both , addressing them at once as plain Pedro and 'Luis , and during the whole time they stayed with her , treated them as if they were her own children . On one occasion little Bon Luis , not having the fear of the cholera before his eyes , was feasting gloriously upon an enormous bunch of grapes , when the Queen , chancing to come up , took them from him , and flung them away , administering at the same time a dose of good advice on the subject of diet . This affectionate familiarity so endeared her Majesty to the young strangers , that they both cried when they took their last leave of her , as if they were parting from their own mptlier . <—Lisbo 7 i Correspondent of the Morning Herald .

      Bucharest . —The Bucharest correspondent of the Daily N " ews writes : — " The German papers liave occupied themselves for some weeks back in maligning Sir Stephen Lakcman ( Massar l ' asha ) , the Turkish commaudant-de-placc at Bucharest , whose great crime seems to be his differences with the Austrians ., which are now a matter of public notoriety ; and , secondly , his being an Englishman , which gives any one a fair claim to the detestation of an imperial functionary . Sir Stephen Lakenian , according to them , is a . renegade , an adventurer ; they are shocked and indignant that the deep-laid plans of a mighty Austrian chieftain should bo thwarted by a young Englishman , in a position so extremely equivocal .

      " Let us look into the matter . Masaar Pacha is not a renegade , but to the bent of my belief and opinion a good Christian of the Established Church of Great Britain and Ireland ; possibly lie may bo a dissenter , but in any case , ho is not a Mahoinoclan . InHtetid of being an adventurer , ho is un officer of the English army ; is in possession of a largo private , fortune , probably larger than ten Austrian generals of division put together , in their wildcat night droains , ever imagined themselves in pon-HesKion of ; raised mid equipped at his own expense the well-known regiment of Wuterkloof Rangers at the Capo

      of Good Hope , eomnmndftd it in person in the two campaigns against the Kailim , and rendered services ho important that ho received thfl 1 hanks of the Government ., tho honour of knighthood , and the I'roHrt of the , Unt . li . Partly from lovo of Hohlicring , partly from . sympathy with Turkey , ho took nurvico under tho Sultan n few monthtt ago ns inHjiect . or-goiuirul of cavalry , and bore an active part , in tho concluding portion of tho pant , campaign . Instead of receiving anything of thu Turkinh Government , ho Iuih boon upending bin own money largely . So much for this gunt . luiiiun personully . "

      There is reported to be « strong pro- Kusniun fueling among tho Austrian ottleors in tho Principalities ! Duels between tlmso and Hunguriiuis , and Italians , officers in tho Turkish army , arc of constant occurrence .

      " Their conduct to the population they profess to deliver from the Russians is far from amiable . The same treatment which Florentines and Milanese have borne for years is now experienced b y the unhappy inhabitants of Bucharest , where Count Coronini , seemingly a rather intemperate commander , has fixed his quarters . The coarse military insolence which has been the fashion throughout the Italian States is now exercised upon a population equally inoffensive , and equall y sensitive to insult . But the political difficulty arises from their conduct to the Turks themselves . "

      Untitled Article

      A NEW OCRACY . The Sheffield Free Press is learning Greek and Latin , and is suggesting that the new National Party should call itself the " Orthocracy , " or the " Egocracy . " There is much good sense in their quaint politics : — " We lately consulted a friend of ours , who is more at home in Greek than we can pretend to be , how to form a ¦ word which should express the rule o the Right , as Democracy is the rule of the people , and Aristocracy is the rule of the upper classes . He replied , ' Orthocracy ' is the word that you want . But ( added he ) perhaps you do not know that Aristocracy ought to suit you better still ; for Its true meaning is , the rule of the Best , which says nothing about upper or lower classes . —This led to more questions and reflections , some of which we venture to give our readers .

      " It appears to us , that among ourselves the party names of aristocrat and democrat by no means mark out the fundamental points which distinguish men ' s political action as good or evil . It cannot be denied , that many persons have a theoretic love of democracy , but a far greater practical love of being themselves rulers . They ¦ would cut down all above them to their own level , but forbid any below them to rise to that level ; and would wish to dictate their own opinion as a law to all . Such , though fighting under a democratic flag , are ( unaware to themselves ) monarchists , ot rather despots , and their despotic tendencies are neither softened nor glorified by loyalty and monarch-worship , as with the old Cavaliers . So neither can it be denied that of avowed aristocrats

      some are selfish , proud , and overbearing ; thinking more of their class or order than of the nation , and more of their personal greatness or wealth tlian of their class . Thus we have selfish despotic men alike among democrats and aristocrats . What are we to call such people V said weto our friend . Really ( said he ) I am afraid emocrats would not be good Greek , and you will better understand my calling them egocrats . Good , replied we ; everybody will understand what egocracy means : it is a word that the English language wants , for egotist scarcely contains the full thought . —But to return : the true democrat wishes tlie nation's voice to be heard , yet he does not wish it to prevail , when it is unjust or foolish ; for instance , if ( as in America ) a majority vote to keep a minority in slavery . Thus a reasonable democrat does not desire the prevalence of Numbers over Right , but a prevalence of Right over Force and Fraud ; and hopes to

      gain this end by a system which permits the voice of All to be heard . It is therefore evident to us , that what aro called the two parties of Politics , viz ., the aristocratic and democratic , have each of them a more generous , and each a baser , element . Neither can get rid of Egocrats in their own ranks ; yet tho Orthocrats in each ought to sympathise far loss with the Kgocrats than with tho Orthocrats of the other side . Kor only so , but tho existing division of parties is not a moral , that i » , a deepseated , division , but one in part of form , and brought about by the mere outside of circumstances . The true moral division would be of Orthocrats , or champions of the Right , against Egocrats , or champions of Number One : but Egocnicy is too Helf-ontwincd to give cohesiveness to any party ; bonce Egocrats uniformly fight under a false flag , taking advantage of minor differences between good men , and no open party can possibly succeed in excluding them . "

      Untitled Article

      IRELAND . Mu . Gavan Duffy- lias pronounced , atarecentTonant Kight Meeting , on the dangerous question , for a Roman Catholic member , whether n Bishop has any moral right to inderdiet Priests from politics . Ilia speech was eloquently bold : — " lie thought no danger evor threatened the Independent Party , and the pcioplc whom they represented , ho formidable as one , which perlmjin , long existed , but which now for the first lime Hlood nakedly rovoaled . I In referred to tho exercise of (! celoH » nnticnl authority by -which Father Keeflu watt prohibited from taking part in

      their proceeding that evening . Ciod forbid that ho nhould intcrpoon between a prieHl . and his bishop in tho legitimate excrciso < , f hiH ojiiHcopul functions . PerhapH tlio Ilifthop of ObHory had not , exceeded his power ; ho would exproHH no final opinion upon that Nubjoct , liul . lie v / iui prepared to express ft very decided and perfectly final opinion upon tho result , this courwc ! of proceeding , if not rtivcrm : d uh far as tho post was concerned , amti tcrminntcd for t . lic future , would liavo on tho roligioun and political libnrtics of Ireland . It would hand uh over without succour or shultvr to the bigotn of Kngluud . Why ? liocuuao no honest m « n would connent to cntor

      the British Parliament to maintain a painful and exhausting contest against the Spooners and Whitesides , if their hopes were betrayed and their strength scattered at home by Bishops of their own Church . " He cited other cases . " These were not the only cases , but they were all he felt justified in mentioning at present . They were quite enough , however , to show the impossibility of maintaining an independent party in Parliament , when thenchief supporters were singled out for ecclesiastical censure . What was the first danger against which the Irish party had been called upon to guard ? At the very opening of the present Parliament , and repeatedly since , they had been threatened by the English newspapers ,

      and the English bigots , with a bill to exclude priests from political affairs . And when they come home from this contest they find certain bishops doing the precise thing which the Newdegates had threatened in vain . In Parliament , Lord John Russell insulted them by describing their religion as narrowing and debasing to the human intellect ; and Sir John Young scoffed at them by assuring the House of Commons that there were still , perhaps , three or four millions of Catholics left in Ireland . When they come home they find Catholic bishops supporting the Government of tlmse very men ; and ,, what was far more fatal , they find in the case of Father Keeffe , a priest as pious and unsullied as any in the Church of-God , prohibited from the performance of his

      duties as an elector of that county for simply defending himself and the principles of the party with which he was united . It was happy for religion that there was a tribunal to which a bishop must be as submissive as the humblest layman—to this tribunal , he was rejoiced , to know , the case would be carried . He would not anticipate its decision ; but he had no hesitation in stating that if there was not protection for , the second order of the clergy—for that order whose zeal and devotion , whose sacrifices , and whose courage had won and maintained the liberties of the Irish Church—lie , for one , wOuld feel it his duty to throAV up his seat in Parliament , and not keep up the show of a battle in London which was betrayed and defeated at home . He believed this would be the decision , of the best of his colleagues . "

      Untitled Article

      HOW OUR TRADE STANDS . The Board of Trade returns for the month endingthe 10 th of October were issued this week , and continue to show a gradual contraction of trade , thefalling off in the declared value of our exportations as compared with the corresponding month of last year being 754 , 952 / . This diminution seems attributable to the reduction in the Australian and American demand , and is not to "be confounded with the consequences of the Avar , It was in October last year and the few preceding months that the mania for consigning goods to Australia was at its height , and owing to this , the item of haberdashery alone , which includes ready-made clothing , exhibits a decrease of

      209 , 5112 / . in the present return , although , compared with October , 1852 , it would give an increase of 106 , 000 / . The demand for saddlery and other articles of leather has been affected in like manner , while that for metals and machinery and for linen and woollen goods has been exposed to the double influence of the check to the colonial trade and the money pressure at JSIew York . Still , even under these circumstances , the return is only unsatisfactory n contrast with what was witnessed during the xciternent of last year , since , compared with the same month of 1852 , it would present an increase of nearly 700 , 000 / . Contrary to what might have been expected , cotton goods do not appear on the unfavourable side , but in futu . ro reports they will be

      likely to show a falling off . Tho aggregate v « l « e of our exports during tho first nine months of the year has been 67 , 727 , 108 / ., against ( 56 , 987 , 729 / . in the like period of 1850 , showing an increase of 739 , 40 ' . )/ ., or a little more than one pur cent . As compared with the same period of 1852 , there has been an increase of 13 , 035 , 700 / . With regard to Imported commodities the most rcmurknble- ll-nturo i » the small amount of foreign grain and flour taken during tho month , a long period having elapsed since the totals wore so insignificant . Of rice also the quantity has boon proportioriubly small , In other respects there is nothing to call for renmrk . Tlio consumption often , sugar , tobacco , and spirits , shows a alight increase , while in coffee , coeon , wines , fruits , und spices , there has been a little decline . There lias been a

      diminution in exports of ruw material , silks and cottons exempted . Tho importation of other articles during the month has also bocn on u rather diminished scale , so uh further to account for the Into improvement in tlio foreign exchanges . Jn dyes and dyeing HtuflH tlicro has been a decrease , oxwjtt of codiinoul , jrnnd - der , and valonia . -A grout reduction in shown in hides , und uJho in invtnln , except tin . Ofpnlmund train oiln tlio importation linn likewise hucn comparatively vary hiiiiiII , but other kinds present an increase . Tho arrivals anil consumption of timber huvo been steady , a lulling oil' In foreign being mado up by an inorcuuu in colonial .

      Untitled Article

      November 11 , 1854 . ] THE LEADER . 1061

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Nov. 11, 1854, page 1061, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2064/page/5/