A W eekly N ew spaper a n d R evunew.

DUM VO B IS G R A TU LAM U R , ANIMOS E T IA M ADDIM U S U T IN IN CCEPTIS V E S T R IS CONSTANTER M ANEATIS.

From the B r ie f o j H is Holiness P iu s IX . to The Tablet, Ju n e 4, 1870.

V o l . 90, No. 2988.

L ondon, August 14, 1897. P r ic e s d ., b y P o st 5 % d .

[ R e g i s t e r e d a t t h e G e n e r a l P o st O f f i c e a s a N ew s p a p e r .

CHRONTrt.F OF THE W EF.K ' 'P a g e

Imperial Parliament : Calamities in India— Famine — Earthquake and Pestilence—The End of the Session—A Memorial to T**nnys-~n— The Narrow Majority at Sheffield — Final Settlement of Cetywayo’s Country — Assassination of the Spanish Premier—The Duke of Norfolk's Awa^d to the Telegraphists—The Forthcoming Election at Brest — The Peace N e g o t i a t i o n s — The Sudan Advance : Capture of Abu Hanied —Turkey and Bulgaria— Ponce Henri d’Orleans—In the West of A frica .. . . . . . . . . 237

L F .A r .F R S :

lSt. Gregory and St. Augustine . . 241 I'he A rct:c Eldorado .. . . 243 Can We Restore St. Gregory’s

Mass Book? . . . . .. 244 The Catholic Conference and the

St. Augustine Centenary . . 247

CONTENTS.

L e a d e r s (Continued):

P r i v i l e g e s and Indulgences

Page

Attached to the Celebration . . 247 N o t e s . . . . ~ M . . 247 R e v ew s :

Five Books on the Bible . . . . 250 “ The Month” . . . . . . 251 The Gospel the Power of God,

and Other Sermons . . . . 251 A N ineteenth Century Miracle . . 251 C o r r e s po n d en c e :

Rome :—(From Our Own Corre­

spondent) . . . . — «. 253 News from Ireland «» 255 L e t t e r s to t h e E d it o r :

The Lambeth Encyclical and the

High Church Position . . . . 256 The Conversion of the Late Vicar of Kenn . . . . . . . . 256 The Orientation of Churches . . 257

L e t t e r s to t h e E d it o r (Con­

tinued : “ Gems and Notes of Roman

Page

Controversy ” . . . . . . 257 Catholic Disabilities . . . . 257 Our Catholic Volunteers . . . . 257 N ew Catholic Schools for Ilkeston,

Derbyshire . . . . . . 257

................... 257

A Suggestion Newman at Littlemore Italian Criminal Anthropology The Lambeth Encyclical Interview With the Bishop

^Roseau, Dominica The Irish University Question Hints for Anglican Processions Books of the Week . . . . . . 265 Ob it u a r y ......................................... 265 S o c ia l a n d P o l it ic a l . . . . 266

. . 257 . . 258 . . 260 of • • 203 . . 264

264

S U P P L E M E N T . Page N ew « from t h e S chools: Prize D a y s :

St. Joseph’s High School, Cardiff 269

N ew s from t h e S chools (Con­

tinued): St. Francis Xavier’s College,

Page

Bruges ..................................... 269 St. Mary’sCollege, Woolhampt^n 269 The Elementary Education Report 270 Schools Associations . . . . 270 N o n c o n fo rm i s t s and Village

Schools . . . . . . . . 271 The Lord Chancellor and Ancient

Foundations . . . . . . 271 Beaumont College . . . . . . 271 NF.w s from t h e D io c e s e s :

Westminster . . . . 271 Southwark . . . . . . 272 Clifton . . . . . . . . 273 L i v e r p o o l ..................................... 273 Plymouth . . . . . . . . 273 Salford .......................... . . 273 The Vicariate . . . . . . 274 G l a s g o w ^ ......................................274 A New Chinese Cathedral . . . . 274 Notre Dame de Boulogne . . . . 275

Rejected M S . cannot be retu rned unless accompanied w ith address and postage.

CHRONICLE OF THE WEEK.

IM P E R IA L P A R L IA M EN T

C A LAM IT IE S IN IN D IA — FAM IN E . U ORD G. HAMILTON’S speech in explanation of the intricacies of the Indian Budget,

which covers an eventful period of three years, was characterized by admirable lucidity of statement, and contained much interesting and satisfactory information. He had no difficulty in showing that if circumstances had been even approximately normal Indian finance would have been in a gratifying condition. As it is, when the resources of the Government have had to meet the strain imposed by the threefold calamity of famine, pestilence, and earthquakes, in addition to frontier wars and the expenses at present inseparable from Indian administration, the net result upon three years’ working is a deficit of no more than two and a halt crores of rupees, or about ^£1,700,000 sterling. Almost at the opening of his speech Lord George pointed out that when he spoke upon the subject last year he had received news of ill-omen from India as to the unpleasant resemblance of the meteorological phenomena of 1897 to those of the great famine year of 1877-78. This had made him uneasy, and though he said nothing about the subject in public, events had fully justified his fears. It seems that the famine of the present year 'has affected a larger area, and scarcity has been felt by a arger proportion of the population than in any similar visitation during the present century. To make matters worse, however, the famine did not come alone. Plague, with all its attendant horrors and miseries, fastened on the west coast of India, and thus the Government have had to deal simultaneously with two of the most terrible scourges that can assail humanity. Though it is difficult to dissociate the losses caused by these two separate visitations, so as accurately to apportion the loss entailed by each, and putting on one side the loss of life, the misery, and the suffering inflicted upon the community, as well as their personal pecuniary losses, it is calculated that the actual financial loss caused by these disasters to the Government treasury alone for the two years 1896 97 and 1897-98 is Rx. 1 2,000,000, or about eight millions sterling. The less aud ruin caused by the earthquake in Bengal and Assam is not included in this estimate. It is reassurmg, however, to be informed that the whole of this loss has been met out of Indian treasuries within the space of two years, and without the imposition of any additional taxes. In an interesting comparison between the famine of the present year and that of twenty years ago Lord George stated that the area of square miles affected by famine in 1877 was 257,000; in 1897, 322,000. The population of the famine area in the first period was 58,000,000; the population this year, 68,000,000; and the highest number receiving relief at one time in 1877 was 3,178,000; in 1897, 4,224,000. There is a marked difference in the characteristics of the two famines. In 1877 there were two separate and distinct famine districts, one in Northern India and one in Southern India. There was an intense pressure from an absence of food in both districts, caused by an almost complete failure of the crops ; but in districts outside the crops were good, and surpluses of food for the distressed districts were, to a large extent, available. The peculiarity of the famine of last year was an almost universal shortness of rain. Crops in only a few districts— Bundelcund and the Central Provinces—were a complete failure, bnt almost everywhere they were a partial failure. British India is divided into 250 administrative districts. No less than 1 1 5 of these districts were classified as famine districts, although no district comes into that category unless it has upwards of 10,000 persons upon relief works. The death-rate in 1877 was terribly high; but this year the death-rate in the famine districts of Bengal, Madras, and the Punjab was normal, and even in those districts where the death-rate was high it was almost entirely due to the reluctance of the people to come lr. until too late, or to constant and severe outbreaks ot cholera.

— EA R TH Q U A K E

AND P E S T IL EN C E .

The earthquake is still too recent for the damage done to be even approximately assessed. Its effects were confined to the provinces of Bengal and Assam. Though it is comforting to be told that the loss of life is to be numbered by hundreds rather than by the thousands reported, the loss of property is great in many parts of the country. All masonry buildings have been destroyed, and bridges, railways, and roads have been greatly damaged; but the loss has mainly fallen on the well-to-do. It is the planters and manufacturers and the employers of labour who have lost most heavily. There will be no difficulty in restoring the mat-huts of the natives, especially as there is so great a demand for labour that no relief fund has been necessary in the district. In reference to the outbreak of plague in Western India, Lord George Hamilton explained

New Series. Voi L V I I L , No. 2,297.