tion. Of his literary acquirements we need not speak: no one has disputed them; and the Sixth Book of Decretals will attest them so long as Christ's undying church shall last..

ART. IX-Annals of the Propagation of the Faith. Vol. I. 1840. Vol. I. 1841.

T the close of the third year since these Annals were

A first translated from the French, we think we cannot do

better than take a slight review of the series since they have thus been made more completely accessible to the English public; and, in doing so, note the progress of the good work with which our country has now the honour and happiness to be associated. There is an analogy between these modest records of glorious deeds, and the simple means which are employed to accomplish them. The collected halfpence of children, of the poor, of ignorant artizans and peasants, whose knowledge of the world they live in is bounded by the half-dozen fields or streets adjoining their own obscure dwellings: these will evangelize the world; and the humble, naïve, detached letters of the missionaries, toiling in their inaccessible retreats, form in these annals such a body of astonishing facts, of touching incidents, of evidences of the truth and power of our faith, and of varied information concerning the condition of our fellow-creatures, as we are bold to say no other book in the world can parallel. There is no Catholic who has not perused with disgust and perplexity, in the news of the day, the records of the changes, revolutions, and strife, now going on all over the world. We look into them with a consciousness that upon such subjects we cannot be indifferent; a great mystery is carrying on under our eyes; the antagonist principles of good and evil are fighting the great battle; there is not a revolution, not a change of rulers, not an event of any kind, which does not contribute to forward or retard the progress of the Catholic Church; but where shall we find the clue to their hidden tendency? most! frequently in these Annals. Possessed of these, the Catholic whose faith is strong in the power of his religion, can more

*"Dicto anno (1301) statua sive imago Papa Bonifacii VIII posita fult in palatio Bladi."-Cronica di Bologna. R. I. S. tom. xviii. p. 304.

VOL. XI.-NO. XXII.

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securely prognosticate the fate of nations than those whose reasonings are based upon political economy. To take a single instance; how perplexing, painful, and contradictory have been the speculations concerning the new state of Texas? by some the assertion of its independence has been hailed with rapture; their "freedom" has been greeted with all the jargon of false liberality, yet not without a due reference to our own narrowest interests. The Texians were to become wealthy customers for our produce; properly managed, they might be converted into antagonists, at least an opposition, a balancing power, to our brethren of the United States. By another party we have heard them denounced as rebels (against the Mexicans! who have shown by their mode of governing themselves, how unfit they are to govern other people), outcasts, and the future encouragers of the slavetrade. For our own parts, knowing that this land-favoured by every blessing of nature-will be peopled, will grow up into a great nation, we are happy not to adopt either of these views. In the letter written by M. Timon, from Houston, we find reasons for anxiety respecting this new nation, but ample grounds of hope for its future destinies; and although have no very recent accounts, we are, nevertheless, satisfied that the principle of vitality and order has been introduced there, and is growing with the growth of its society.

we

"The population of Texas is at present [1839] two hundred thousand souls, and is every day increasing rapidly. As the state contains seventy thousand square leagues, there is an immense extent of land uncultivated, for want of inhabitants. The climate is excellent and the soil fertile.

"Throughout this vast country there are only two Mexican priests, whose conduct is, unfortunately, not the most irreproachable; they reside at San-Antonio de Bejar, a town which contains fifteen hundred Mexicans, and fifty American Catholics, with about one hundred Protestants. The town possesses a beautiful church, which would not be built at present for £30,000; it has been considerably injured by fire, and is moreover kept in a disgusting state by the negligence of the priests to whom it is entrusted. Faith is not extinct amongst the flock, though they are discouraged by the bad example of the pastors. The Church possesses considerable estates, and the country round is the finest and most fertile in Texas, and perhaps in all America. The climate is also healthy."

"Two leagues to the southwest of Goliad, is the town, or rather the village of Refugio; the whole of its population consists of forty families of Irish Catholics; it possesses a church, which suffered much during the war, but which might be repaired at little cost.

It possesses some land, which might be sufficient for its support, and a trifling revenue is secured by law. Four square leagues (about eighty thousand acres) are destined for an establishment of education; a desire has been manifested to transfer this immense property to a Catholic institution, and there is every reason to believe that the Texian government would willingly consent to such a measure.

"The senators of San-Antonio are disposed to solicit from the government the grant of four square leagues of land for a Catholic College, and have no doubt of succeeding, if they were sure of having Catholic priests ready to undertake the establishment. As the situation of San-Antonio is the most healthy in all America, a great many children would be sent to the college, and in the course of time, even the youth of Mexico would be drawn there. I am most anxious to be able to undertake this good work, which would furnish immense resources to the mission.

"Houston is the capital of the new republic. Two years ago there was not a single house on the spot where it is built, nor within two leagues around; and now it contains a population of five thousand, including three hundred Catholics. We arrived at that town on the 3rd January; and as it was crowded to excess, in consequence of the meeting of Congress, we were a long time looking for lodgings. I have not brought any letters of introduction with me, and all those to whom I applied seemed to be afraid of a priest, or ashamed to be known as Catholics. There happened to be, however, on board the vessel which conveyed us to Texas an Irishwoman, to whom I had rendered some little service during the voyage; by her influence with a Protestant lady, she procured us a small miserable room, in which we prepared an altar, and celebrated the Holy Sacrifice on the octave of St. John the Evangelist. On the same day I had the good fortune to meet a senator and two members of Congress, with whom I had made acquaintance, and by whom we were put in communication with the Catholic members of the Congress. They readily gave us all the information we desired, and introduced us to the most influential members of the republic. I was invited to preach on the following Sunday in the hall where the Congress holds its sittings, and in the presence of the representatives of the state, and a considerable concourse of people, amongst whom were four Protestant ministers. After the sermon, which lasted an hour and a half, Mr. Burnet, vice-president of the republic, expressed a wish that I would call upon him; and many senators, and other persons of distinction, made me an offer of their services. From that time forward none were ashamed to declare themselves Catholics, and I had soon the consolation to discover that there were many sheep in Houston belonging to the fold of the Saviour. We concerted together on the means of obtaining a proper site and the resources necessary to construct a Catholic

church. All entered with ardour on the undertaking, and gave me every assurance that it should soon be finished; it will be the first religious edifice constructed at Houston. There are many Protestant ministers in the town, but they have not yet been able to construct a place of worship. Those of them who were present at the sermon in which I developed the Catholic doctrine, did not notice it in any of their religious meetings: it is true that I endeavoured on the occasion to imitate St. Francis of Sales, and speak on controversy without however seeming to seek it.

Every day some persons assisted at mass, and on Sunday we had a considerable number; I heard the confessions of seven persons, the first fruits of the mission of Texas. I was introduced to General Houston, ex-president of the republic, who manifested much attachment to the Catholic religion. I paid a visit to the vice-president, and was invited to breakfast with him; he soon turned the conversation upon religion, expressed in the politest terms his objections, and appeared satisfied with the explanations I gave him as I could not remain to discuss with him at length the important questions upon which he required to be enlightened, he permitted me to send him some books, which I hope may bring conviction to his mind. ***

"In two or three years the Church of Texas will be able to support itself: but at the present moment everything is to be organized, and that cannot be done but at considerable expense. Everything is very dear here; the number of emigrants is so great, that provisions are at an exorbitant price. In two years hence this will not be the case, but now is the moment for action, otherwise the Protestants will be before us."-Vol. i. pp. 219-24.

It is no less interesting to watch the influence of religion in regenerating an ancient people, than in guiding the progress of a new one. Into the unvenerable age of China we sce a principle introduced, which is to raise up a new people from its decay; the "salt" which must preserve it from decomposition. The letters from China are heartstirring to the last degree; there, in these latter times, the triumphs, the charities, the sufferings of the apostles' days are renewed; there, the glorious martyrdom of Perboyre has been succeeded by a new triumph of the cross-M. Delamotte has died of the fatigues and sufferings of his imprisonment. "There is strong reason to believe that Minh-Menh is anxious to preserve the life of his prisoner. The English at war with China are on the frontiers of his dominions; they might bring him to a strict account for the European blood which he has shed; he will therefore postpone the gratification of his cruelty till their departure." Hence his blood was not shed; and we

have since heard, from an authentic source, of the death of the persecutor, Minh-Menh. If this be true, may we not hope, from the coincidence of his death with the English war with China, that a new era is about to open upon the persecuted Church? In the islands of the Oceanica there is a different problem to be solved by our all-sufficient religion. The missionaries have not there, as in Texas and parts of the United States, to lay the foundations of a society, amongst crowds of men assembled from all parts of the world, held together by no common association, no prevailing feeling, little restrained by government, roaming at will over trackless wilds, resuming the reckless unrestraint of savage life, into which they carry the enlarged ideas and multiplied wants of civilization. In the Eastern and Western Oceanica, and in New Zealand, they have a population of naked savages, in many instances cannibals, to train like children, step by step, to civilization as well as faith. There are more glorious missions, there may be many more important to the destinies of the world, but there is not one of which the account is more delightful than that to the Gambier Archipelago, a cluster of four small islands. We experience the same satisfaction in marking their progress, as when we watch the training of a luxuriant and pliant vine, or of a docile child. They truly are guided by a father's hand. The good missionary puts himself at the head of his people, and goes through the small territory to divide it into portions, and the islanders receive each their allotted share with cheerful acquiescence. To rouse them from their southern idleness, the priests set to work themselves, to till the land, and free the roots of the precious bread-fruit tree from the weeds that destroy it; and after watching their labours for some time with wondering admiration, the young men are excited to imitate and to work with them.

"Idleness is here, more than any where else, the source of vice; it is not less opposed to Christianity, than to the civilization of those people; and hence we were anxious to procure, as soon as possible, some means of giving them profitable employment. Though the soil of these islands is naturally very fertile, it had been for a long time so little cultivated that it no longer sufficed for the support of its inhabitants. Such a state of things required to be immediately remedied by prevailing on the natives to clear away the soil which was overspread with reeds, and it is no easy matter to give the inhabitants of Oceanica the habits of constant labour. We were obliged first to preach by example, and await