The Portland daily press., 1874-06-23
Dominion Notes.

An interesting and somewhat peculiar suit
has just been decided by the Superior Court in
a district of the Dominion. The action was
brought by layman who alleged that his cure
had publicly slandered him in sermon. De-
PENDANT was a trader and on Annunciation day
the cure used these words in regard to him:
''There is a man in this parish who has the au-
dacitv to demand from the council license to
sell liquor. forbid them to grant him one; he is
lazy, lanky fellow, living at your expense
and fattening on the sweat of your brow" The
court decided generally that there was no slan
der, and laid down as principles of law that a
layman cannot sue his cure in secular court
for ecclesiastical affairs and that the laws of
the Dominion recognize the liberty of the pull
pit as the liberties of the press or the right to
speak at the bar, and that the courts will not
strike blow at such liberty except in the cases
of the gravest character.
In the harbor of Brighton, on Lake Ontario,
dredging has reached deposit of the best
quality of peat. 1t has been tested and has
been found to burn we'll. The deposit is extern
sive, and is believed to be very valuable.
The Dominion Council have passed an order
admitting the vessels of Norway and Sweden
to the Canadian coasting trade on the same
footing as Canadian vessels. The government
undertook to suppress the publication of this
announcement, but,so far as we have seen, have
not pretended to deny its truth. ie8
Potato bugs are infesting some sections of
Canada, and promise much damage.
Mr. William McDougall. a member of the
Canadian Parliament, and a colonel in the U.
5. army during the war, is under arrest for per-
jury. hy1a 1854 esa
The Dominion is agitating cheap transpor-
tatlon, and at a meeting recently held in Tor
oEtoit was resolved that the inland water COM
munication should be so improved as to admit
vessels drawing not less than ten feet of water:
that the Huron and Lake Ontario ship canal
should be pushed and that the city council, of
Toronto should appropriate $4,000 to assist in
its completion l f.u
In the Diocesan Synod (Episcopalian,) re-
Gently in session, Canon Baldwin stated that
an address would be sent to the Archbishop Of
Canterbury expressing disapproval of the con-
duct of the 4S3 clergymen who favoredithe con-
firminal.
Some portions of Canada are visited by
plague OF grasshoppers and the farmers expect
to lose their hay crop. p4l
Mr.. Wakem, Premier of the province of
Victoria, has gone to London as delegate to
lay before the Imperial government the griev-
ances of the Pacific slope about the Canada
Pacific railway.
An order in council was passed recently to
transfer the Pictou branch of the Nova Scotia
railway to the Eastern Counties Railway Com,
pany. The latter company agrees to extend
from New Glasgow to LouiSburg, to be COM
pleted in three years. The local government
guarantees a land grant and bonus of $4,000
per mile of the extension upon the COM
pletlon of which, the transfer agreed to by the
COVE rnment will be made
Mr. ID.
mr Bright has written to gentleman in
birmingham, England, expressing his warm
appioVai OF system of domestic missions as
tend'ng 10 decrease drunkenness. He adds that
sympathy and kindness to the weak will do
much to make them strong