The Sun.
London, England, 1867-07-08 00:00:00

Miscellaneous Foreign News.

ROME, June 26.
The day before yesterday the Pope held a Cap-
pella Papale, according to custom, on St. John's
day, at the Lateran Basilica, and assisted at the
Mass celebrated pontifically. by Cardinal Altieri,
archpriest of St. John Lateran. Notwithstanding
the overpowering heat, he was surrounded, both on
the road and during the function, by a countless
crowd.

Romans have a very picturesque custom for
Midsummer Eve : rows of flower stalls are set up

in the open space round St. John Lateran, which
form a pleasing promenade for a number of holi-
day makers, to the sound of rustic music ; and as,
under ordinary circumstances, it is at? abstinence
day, an appropriate dish is prepared for the occa-
sion—in tents of striped sailcloth of many colours,
decorated with wreaths of verdure—consisting of
lumache (snails), prepared with herbs and
_bread-
crumbs and fried in oil.

Yesterday the Pope was pleased to give audience
to the foreign priests in the large hall called of the
Cena, over the vestibule of St. Peter's. He first
made an address on the duties of their condition,

and then they all defiled before him, and he gave
them his blessing as they passed. Each was to
have had a bronze medal and a copy of the Pope's
address, but it was impossible to get anything
like a sufficient number ready in time as there
were above 10,000 within the Sala and without,
vainly striving for admission. The Pope was heard
very well by all, but had to read very loud, and at
the close appeared somewhat fatigued. I hear,
however, that he was quite recovered by the
evening.

The excursion trains continue to bring us in three
flocks of pilgrims a day. A deputation is expected
shortly from Turin of a religious confraternity
which counts Victor Emmanuel among its digni-
taries. The members will appear in their habit,
and bear their insignia with them.

A commission of bishops, selected in due pro-
portion out of the various nationalities, in which
Mgr. Manning has his appropriate position, has
been appointed to draw up the address of the
Episcopate to the Sovereign Pontiff. An interest-

ing incident, which occurred at one of their ses

sions,has been mentioned to me. A bishop of
the United Greek Church, who was one of the
number, asked why, in a general assembly of

bishops of the whole Church, the address should
be written in Italian rather than any other tongue.
He spoke in perfectly fluent and very elegant
Italian, so he was actuated by a catholic, and not
a personal motive. Cardinal Alattei rose in reply,
and taking the address in his hand, dictated it off

in Latin.
The Pope held a Consistory early this morning.
After conferring the red hat on the Cardina
Archbishop of Seville, he pronounced the Allocu.
tion, which will reach you before you go to press
Subsequently he distributed to the bishops the
brief, authorizing them to wear the violet berretta
and zucchetto (skullcap).
I spoke in my last of the efforts being made to
tamper with the soldiers of the foreign legion and
bribe them to desert. It was, in consequence,
found necessary to adopt some stringent measures
which will have a better effect than too great leni-
ency. A picket of g:ndarmi overtook a party of
deserters on Sunday, about four miles out of
Rome, going towards Correse. Being summoned
to surrender, they showed fight, and in the fray
one of the gendarmi was slightly wounded, and one
of the deserters fatally. You have probably heard
of the exploit of a party of idle youths (some
150 in number), belonging to the neighbourhood
of Terni, secretly banded together, who were found
marching on the night of the 19th towards Rome,
uttering revolutionary cries. At the very moment
they reached the frontier, just beyond the woods
round Farfa, a detachment of Italian Infantry
came down upon them, and called them off---an
order which it seems they very quickly complied
with, and without venturing a single shot. Some
forty or fifty were made prisoners, but the re-
mainder took to their heels. Whether this was an
act of genuine good faith on the part of the
Italian Government, or was a concerted movement
to make a show of friendliness towards the Ponti-
fical regime, or merely an excuse for concentrating
troops on the frontier, cannot be made out decid-
edly. A telegram, announcing that such a move-
ment might be expected, was received by General
Kanzler, who sent a few Zouaves in the direction
indicated. Not the least importance is attached
to the circumstance here.
The officers of the Pontifical army give a soiree
in their Casino in the Piazza Colonna this evening
in honour of the foreign bishops. To-morrow
they are themselves invited in turn to a lunch
given at the Minerva Hotel by the visitors to
Rome.

June 28

We have been visited this week by an event
which has produced a very sad impression in
English circles here, and will throw many families
at home into mourning. The eldest daughter of
Mr. Howard, of Corby, who has been spending
some little time here with him, was taken ill at the
end of last week, shortly after their return from
an excursion to Naples and Capri. On Sunday
alarming symptoms were developed of typhoid
cerebral fever, which terminated fatally on Monday
night. She was in the first bloom of youth,
having but lately completed her twentieth year.
The funeral had to take place on Tuesday night ;
there was a most beautiful and impressive service
at Sta. Maria del Popolo, at 9.45, some forty
bearded Capuchins, an equal number of Augusti-
nians, and about as many of a Morti confraternity,
with their red capes, standing round the body to
chant the solemn office, their torches and tapers
relieving the gloom with a subdued and congenial
light. The Office of the Dead was at 8.30 next
morning. The Archbishop of Westminster and
many other bishops were prevented being present
by having to attend the Consistory at the Vatican.
The Bishop of Edinburgh, however, assisted, as
did Monsignori Stonor and lloward. Many of the
Italian nobility, and the principal English resi-
dents and visitors, attended to testify their sym-
pathy with the bereaved father.

We had a storm and a good deal of rain on
Tuesday, which everyone has felt a great boon.
his a curious speculation how many more thou-
sand visitors than we have (between 90,000 and
100,000 up to the present time) would have crowded
in for this ceremony if it had been appointed for
a pleasanter season ; and then, what would have
become of them ? Mgr. Talbot told me some days
ago the applications for tickets were then just
four times as munerowl ai tho plaices. Dishop