The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-07-26


left Santiago dc Cuba on July 10th, and arrived
here yesterday.
The Presbyterian chaplain of Spike Island
Government Prison in Ireland reports to the
directors OF convict prisons in that country that
few OF the Oldest of the cOnyiCts and those
coming from the furthest North, came to him
with request that in the praises of God he
would use only the Psalms of David, and not
introduce hymns, which they objected to as not
being inspired. 1t so happened that the
cOnyicts who led the singing liked to have some
hymns, and as the chaplain was favorable to
their partial use himself, he persuaded the OBJ
jectors to yield, and the singing of both psalms
and hymns now goes on harmoniously. He
adds that this introduction within the walls of
prison of Il veXed question well known outside
of them evinces more thought about religion
than some people would give cOnyicts credit for.
If the Spike Island COnyicts had shown the same
reverence for inspired writing before their in
generation as they now show, they would have
saved themselves much trouble and the country
much expense.
"A very good move in educational matters is
reported from France. By recent arrange
ment on the part of the Minister of Education,
NJ. Duruy, on the one hand and the authorities
OF certain German States on the other hand, a
regular exchange of German and French stu
dents in training for professorships at public
schools willhenceforth take place between the two
countries. While the Germans will finish their
education chiefly with regard to French at
are to be admitted free of all expense to the
benefits of German colleges for certain number
of years.
1t is gratifying to find that during the early
period of the Papacy there existed Pope whose
humility was rs remarkable as the high preten-
sions of his later successors. We reproduce
translation from an inscription set up by Da-
masus, Pope of Rome, which was found some
years ago broken into 120 fragments. 1t is in
honor of certain saints and martyrs and was
found near u crypt where they are buried in the
Via Appia. 1t runs as fOllows:-
Here, if you would know, is heaped together
whole crowd of holy ones. The honored sepuchres
enclose the bodies Of the saints. Their noble souls
the Palace of Heaven has taken to itself. Here lie
the companions of Nystus, who bear away the tro-
phies from the enemy. Here number Of elders who
guard the aars Of Christ. Here is buried the priest
who long lived in peace. Here the holy confessors
whom Greece sent us. Here lie youths and boys,
old men and their chaste offspring, who chose for
the better part to keep their own virgin chastity
Here, |, Damascus confess wished to lay my bones,
but feared to disturb the holy ashes OF the saints
To the genuine hagiologist so much anOny-
nous saintship is we are free to confess, little
irritating. 1t reminds us of the unfortunate ac-
cident which occurred at the Escurial ON its cap
ture by the French, when the nnumerable nails
teeth thumbs, jaw and thigh-bOnes and other
fragments of saints and martyrs, which till
then had been kept separate, carefully labelled
and docketed were thrown into one hideous
iumble in which state they have remained ever
since. Any one, therefore, who is anxious to
revere any part of the body, however obscure
or Insignificant, of his or her patron saint is
obliged to go in for blindly adOring the whole
mass of relics, in the hope that the blessed frag
ment more particularly aimed at may be still
included in the heap. One, however, perhaps
the most priceless gem of all, has unquestion-
ably been lost for nothing is now known of tina,
gorgeous specimen of archaug elc pumage, u
feather from Gabriel's wing, six feet long which
the author of ''Vathek' saw there in the year
1850. We tremble to think what may become
of the remainder of these inestimable treasures
1.gr I,,~ ,gt t.1,,
in Spain.
"A correspondent of the Bombay Gazette
who visited the SueZ Canal in the middle of
May, gives an interesting account of the works
in progress along the line. Personal inspection
made him believer for the first time in the
canal as "a really great achievement" especially
when he saw the waters of the Mediterranean
rushing past him in a strong current $50 feet
broad into the Bitter Lakes. Already the water
let in through the deUerSOir near Serapeum has
flooded the basin of the lakes into n good depth,
but vast quantity more must yet be
introduced before the lakes raised
to the level of the canal. In point
Of fact he writes, ''the whole country
must be covered with water before the desired
level is reached and the embankment can be cut
away. Nj. Layalley proposes to bring the Red
Sea into the aid of the Mediterranean in order
to accomplish the work, and has fixed the lst OF
October as the date for effecting communication
between the two seas. But the works at Chalout
will certainly not be completed at that date, or
for some time after it, and observe thaJ the
contractor has ingeniously provided loophole
of escape for himself by proposing to cut through
the bank of the canal at the head of the Suez
lagOons, several miles from the entrance to the
channel and so let the water into the Bitter
Lakes from this side by fresh deCerSotr. inns
will certainly be one mode of establishing
through communications but need not
say that it will be n quite different thing
from the opening of the canalfo the Navigation
of heavy ships Ismailia is a charming niue
town but 'it makes one smile to hear every
man talk of it as likely to supersede AleNan-
drian There is no port yet in Lake lllnsan,
much less any trade but it is pleasant place
for bathing and in 'one respect, at least, IL ls
| already i'm advance of some parts nearer home
there are regulations that every bather snitll
wear Il full dress in the morning. thouSh III t tuo
evening he may be allowed to go into the WAFER
with a ''simple calecon Inc cahal aI El-alsli ,I
| is very narrow, and to make bad worse, instead
| of running in straight llne through some
| hinder on the part of the engineers, 1t de-
| scribes "a regular corkscrew curve presenting
| verv awkward points for big ship to
| steer round" The navigation of the canal from
| Ismailia to Port Said is perfectly free all the
way for river boats of light draught OF water,
| but dredges are constantly at work deepening
| the channel. After reading the foregoing ac-
| count 1t seems very uncertain whether the canal
| will be open for navigation at the time fixed by
| NJ de Lesseps. We observe that the Ipdepen-
| dance Belge, on the authority of a letter from
| Paris, states that the Emperor OF Austria and
| the King of Italy have declined the Egyptian
| VicerOy's invitation; and IL is doubted whether