COMMODORE BARRY.-We invite the special attention of our readers to the able memoir, in the present number, of the illustrious founder of the American Navy The life of such a man as Barry ought to be familiarly known to every citizen. It contains more than a moral-it contains lessons of practical instruction. From his example we learn the important lesson that the practice of our Christian duties is not incompatible with any station in life. But how little is the life of this great man known. How few in those days of hostility to Catholics and foreigners are aware of the fact, that Commodore John Barry, the "father" of the American Navy, the man that first unfurled the American flag on the high seas, and contended successfully and triumphantly against the veteran tars of England, was himself an Irishman and a Catholic! Too much credit cannot be given to the learned author of the memoir for the part he has taken in raising from partial obscurity the life of so distinguished a man. OUR COLLEGE COMMENCEMENTS.-During the last month our colleges and other literary institutions have closed the labors of another scholastic year. The hearts of parents have been rejoiced by the return of absent sons and daughters, who have been allowed a season of relaxation, while the professors and teachers are released for a short period from the anxieties and cares which none can comprehend but those who have had the charge and responsibility of youth. It would afford us much pleasure to speak in detail of the commencements and exhibitions of each of these asylums of learningfraught as they are with so many instances of interest and instruction-but so vast is their number, that to do so would far exceed our limited space. We must be contented to contemplate them at a distance, and speak of them as one grand and noble institution, at once the honor and the pride of Catholics. They are laboring in the one holy cause, vieing with each other like so many sisters, in training the youth of the land to science and virtue. View them as you will, in the difficulties that surrounded their origin, in their unparalelled prosperity, and in the manifold blessings they impart, and how sublime is the contemplation. Go, stranger, to our institutions: go, thou whose mind has been imbued from childhood with sentiments of hostility towards Catholicity, who hast been taught to look upon the Catholic Church as inimical to light and knowledge; go, stand at the threshold of the venerable college at Georgetown, enter the halls of the "old Mountain," visit the colleges at Fordham, Worcester, Bardstown, or any of the numerous Catholic colleges or universities, now spread over the country from the Atlantic to the shores of the Pacific; contemplate the zeal, the devotedness and untiring energy of the professors, and the acknowledged proficiency of the pupils, as evidenced by their annual exhibitions, and tell us whether the Catholic Church is hostile to education! From our colleges turn to our female institutions, now counted by hundreds in the country, and contemplate those virtuous, heroic ladies of the orders of Mercy, of the Sacred Heart, of St. Vincent, and the other numerous orders, who have forsaken all that the world holds most dear, to devote their entire energies to the instruction of the young; behold them daily and hourly engaged in their labors, like angelic messengers sent to conduct the fair daughters of our fellow-citizens to the temple of knowledge, along the flowery pathway of religion, and tell us, oh tell us whether our Church deserves the unmeaning charge of being an enemy to education! 57 VOL. IV.-No. 7. Record of Events. From June 20, to July 20, 1856. FOREIGN AFFAIRS. ROME. The 17th of June, the tenth anniversary of the elevation of his present Holiness to the pontifical chair, was celebrated by the customary ceremonies. To the thanks of the Sacred College, the Holy Father returned a dignified reply, tempered with that sweetness of manner for which he is so particularly distinguished.-In the secret Consistory held on the 16th of June, His Holiness conferred Cardinal's hats on Mgr. Grassellini, a Sicilian prelate, and formerly Governor of Rome; Mgr. Medici d'Ottiano, Papal Major Domo; and Mgr. Barnabo, who was lately appointed Prefect of the Propaganda, to which office he was strongly recommended by the late Cardinal Fransoni. Monsignor de Pietro, Papal Nuncio at Lisbon, Mgr. Lewichi, Polish Archbishop of the United Greek Communion, and Mgr. Kaulik, Archbishop of Zagabria, in Croatia, have been nominated members of the Sacred College. It is generally believed that Mgr. Bedini will succeed Mgr. Barnabo in the Secretaryship of the Propaganda. The office of Prefect of the Propaganda is not yet filled, and the rumor that Cardinal Wiseman is to receive the appointment is again revived.—The Grand Duke of Tuscany, who a month ago was in Rome arranging a concordat with the Papal Court, left the city before the completion of the concordat. It is stated, however, that the instrument will be signed as soon as the excitement caused by the Paris conference has subsided.Although order and quietness reign at Rome, and the people seem perfectly satisfied with the administration of affairs, in other parts of Italy, indeed along the whole line of peninsula, the partizans of Mazzini are actively engaged in endeavoring to bring about a convulsion in the country. Incendiary publications, inciting to plunder and assassination, are numerously circulated. That this state of things is encouraged by the government of Piedmont, there is little doubt; let order be once disturbed, and then his Sardinian majesty will step forward, in the hope of being acknowledged king of Italy. The Holy Father, on learning the disasters caused by the inundation in France, contributed fifteen thousand francs in aid of the sufferers. Conversions.-The Journal de Rome announces the conversion, on the 13th of May, of a Miss Isabella Ferrier (daughter of the late Capt. Wm. Ferrier), a native of London. She abjured the errors of Protestantism, and was received into the Church at Bologna, by Mgr. Grassi, Archpriest of the Metropolitan Church there, having been previously duly instructed in the Faith of the Catholic Church by Father C. Curei, of the Society of Jesus. It is also publicly stated, that a short time previously in Isquillace, Calabria, an English gentleman, a Mr. William Henry Drew, a native of Woolwich, in Kent, solemnly abjured the errors of Protestantism, embraced the Catholic faith before the bishop, and in presence of the chapter, the clergy, the seminarians, and a great number of the faithful. SPAIN. The condition of the country is unsettled. Serious riots had occurred at Valladolid and other places. The cause of these disturbances can be best learned from a speech in the Cortes delivered by Marshal O'Donnell, minister of war, in defending the government against certain charges of a want of energy: "The government has been accused of being visionary in the view it takes of the situation of the country. But events have not failed to prove that it was not so. I will not indicate the authors of the disturbances, the excesses, the acts of violence which have taken place since the revolution of July, but those events are not isolated or accidental. At Barcelona there have been disturbances, and what was the cause of them? Socialism. At Palencia and Burgos there have been disturbances likewise, and they too were caused by Socialism. At Saragossa acts of vandalism were committed. Thou sands of men, armed with muskets, hastened to Palencia, and it was not assuredly to preach the gospel that they went! At Barcelona and Palencia incendiary publications are circulated, and what is their character? Socialist. For my part, then, I doubt not that the insurgents are the instruments of the chiefs of the Socialist party, and it is certain that the movements which take place everywhere are Socialist. At Valladolid men, women and children burnt and pillaged, and they did so under the same direction. All this shows that there exists a truth which must be proclaimed, and that is that subversive ideas, previously unknown in Spain, have become prevalent among the masses, and it is these which lead to terrible conflicts, sometimes even contrary to the intention of the apostles who preach them. What is now at stake is not this or that political flag, but the preservation of family ties and property. The government will chastise excesses with a strong hand, and whoever may be the instigators of them shall be punished, because they are more guilty than those whom they send into the streets to fight." FRANCE. The inundation of the Rhone has been a serious calamity, spreading ruin and distress over whole districts. Nothing could exceed the interest and intrepidity manifested by the Emperor. He visited the scene of disaster, and distributed money for the relief of the sufferers. The scene when he arrived there is said to have been very affecting. Surrounded by peasants who had lost their all, he, with a face pale with emotion, and with tears in his eyes, called to his side the poor women, and according to their families, gave them little bags containing fifty francs, one hundred francs, and in some cases two hundred francs and three hundred francs. Upon his return to Paris, he proposed to the Senate to grant a rate of ten million francs for the relief of the sufferers by the inundations, and this was unanimously agreed to. The Empress has given twenty thousand francs, and ten thousand in the name of the Imperial Prince. The frightful character of the inundations may be gathered from the fact that four hundred houses have been swallowed up and twenty-five thousand persons deprived of homes. The Archbishop of Lyons at once gave up the whole of his palace to the poor victims. The baptism of the Prince Imperial was the great event of the month. This event took place at the Cathedral of Notre Dame, on the 14th of June. The ceremonies and the proceedings even surpassed in interest the gorgeous display of the Emperor's marriage. His eminence Cardinal Patrizzi, Legate of the Pope, performed the ceremony, surrounded by eighty prelates, including several Cardinals. The water used on the occasion was brought from the river Jordan, Palestine. After the ceremony, the Cardinal Legate chaunted the Te Deum, which was executed by the orchestra. During the Te Deum the Archbishop of Paris, accompanied by the Cure of St. Germain l'Auxerrois (the parish priest of the Tuilleries), presented for the signature of their majesties the register containing the entry of baptism. The representatives of the sponsors and other persons indicated by the Emperor also affixed their signatures. The Pontifical benediction terminated this ceremony; it was bestowed in the most solemn manner by the Cardinal Legate, the Emperor and Empress kneeling at the priedieu. The reception and the respect paid to the Cardinal Legate during his stay in France, were most cordial and enthusiastic. Whenever he appeared in public, the population thronged his path, imploring his blessing; showing forcibly the Paris of to-day is very different to what it was even a few years back. The Emperor, on the occasion of the reception of the Cardinal, said with particular emphasis: "I am very grateful to His Holiness Pope Pius IX, for being the godfather of the child which providence has given to me. In requesting this favor from him, I wished to draw in a particular manner on my son, and on France, the protection of Heaven. I know that one of the surest means of meriting it is to testify all my veneration for the Holy Father, who is the representative of Jesus Christ on earth." The presentation of the Golden Rose to the Empress by Cardinal Patrizzi, followed the baptism of the Prince Imperial. This rose was blessed by His Holiness Pius IX, and sent to the Empress. On the occasion of its presentation, his eminence delivered an address in Latin, of which the following is a translation: "Receive from our hands this rose, which we present to you in virtue of a special commission entrusted to us by the Very Holy Father in Jesus Christ, Pius IX, Sovereign Pontiff by the grace of God. This rose signifies the joy of the two Jerusalems that is, of the Church triumphant and the Church militant-this rose representing unto the eyes of all the faithful the most magnificent flower-that is to say, the joy of all the saints. Accept this rose, beloved and noble daughter, powerful, and adorned with numerous fine qualities, in order that thou mayest be still more ennobled by all the virtues in Jesus Christ, like a rose planted on the banks of a full flowing rivulet; may this boon be granted unto thee through the over-abundant favor of Him who is Triple and One in all eternity. Amen." The Emperor has communicated to the Senate an act in relation to the appointing a council of regency, with the Empress at its head, in case of his death before the Prince Imperial should reach the age of eighteen. The project seems to be well received by the people. ENGLAND.-A great deal of loud and angry talk followed the reception of the news of the dismissal of Mr. Crampton, the representative of her Britannic Majesty at Washington. Some of the English journals demanded the dismissal of our Minister from the Court of St. James; others, and the majority, talked round the matter, and the subject at present seems almost entirely forgotten.-The proceedings in Parliament have not been characterized by anything remarkable. Mr. Spooner again brought forward the Maynooth bill, but suffered a defeat, and then withdrew it; so the subject is at rest for another six months. Death of the Countess of Shrewsbury.—This estimable lady died in Paris on the 6th of June, after a short illness. The Countess was a daughter of the late William Talbot, Esq., of Castle Talbot, county Wexford, by his first wife, a daughter of Lawrence O'Toole, Esq., of Buxton, in the same county. In 1814 she married the late Earl of Shrewsbury, then John Talbot, Esq., who succeeded to the earldom on his uncle's death in 1827, and died suddenly at Naples in November, 1852. Lady Shrewsbury was a zealous member of the Roman Catholic Church, with which the name of her own family and her late husband are so closely identified; and she was well known for her extensive charities. Conversions.-Two clergymen of the English establishment have been received into the Catholic Church-the Rev. F. Semple, M. A., fellow of Baliot College, Oxford; and the other the son of the celebrated Dr. A. K. Arnold, of Rugby. IRELAND. The political aspect of the country is quiet; in some sections, however, the Orange faction has committed the most wanton outrages. Near Dungannore, an old man named Donnelly became the victim of a brutal assault from the hands of a party of Orangemen. Inflammatory publications and handbills like the following were circulated and posted up in different places with a view of inciting to disturbance: "Protestants of Down! Assemble in Thousands, On the 17th day of June, 1856. In Finnabrogue Demesne, To meet Gregg, Drew and other Protestants, GOD SAVE THE QUEEN." These outrages are said to have caused the victims of their assaults to form themselves into secret bands, with signs and pass-words for mutual protection.-A meeting of the Catholic prelates of Ireland was lately held in Dublin. With the exception of the Archbishop of Cashel, all were present, and he was represented by the Very Rev. Dr. Leahy, V. R., of the Catholic University, The Most Rev. Archbishop of Dublin, as Apostolic Legate, presided. Amongst other matters, it is said that the "vexed question" of the interference of the clergy in political affairs, was taken into consideration. The Irish Catholic prelates have forwarded, out of their private resources, the sum of three thousand five hundred and fifty francs in aid of the French sufferers from inundation.-A remarkable cure was effected lately in Kilkenny, which is thus spoken of by a journal of that place: "A circumstance has just occurred in Kilkenny of so extraordinary a character that many are disposed to consider it a direct interposition of providence. Every one acquainted with our city knows poor little Sally Hewitson, the lame beggar child, who has been seen every day crawling about or riding on a donkey, begging alms for the support of herself and her mother-the latter also a cripple. She was born a cripple, and Mr. Dunne, the relieving officer, recollects that when she was admitted to the workhouse some years ago, her useless limbs had to be bandaged to her body. Now, what was the astonishment of the citizens of Kilkenny on Tuesday, to witness this poor child walking about perfectly well! Her statement was that she had been miraculously cured by a venerable priest named Father Nolan, who resides at a place called Dunane, beyond Castlecomer. This pious and venerable clergyman has the reputation of great sanctity, and is said to have wrought many other equally marvellous cures. The case of Sally Hewitson seems to us beyond question; she is known to have been a cripple from the birth-she is seen walking through the streets of Kilkenny to-day." AUSTRIA. The correspondent of the Times, writing from Vienna, gives some account of the arrest of a large number of members of a "mysterious religious society." It is stated that about a year ago the police received information that the habits and manners of some of the workmen in the suburbs were such as to excite suspicion. Their movements were narrowly watched, but nothing discovered of which the law could take hold until Whit Sunday last, when they held a conventicle, and were surprised by the police. Those arrested call themselves "Brethren of St. John."-It is rumored that a meeting will take place between the Emperors of France and Austria during the summer. The most cordial feeling exists between the two governments, and it is no doubt, if true, with a view of binding more strongly the amicable relations that this interview is sought. RUSSIA. The only news from Russia of any importance is the movement of the government to settle her American territory. An Imperial decree has been issued, stating that to assist the development of the Russian naval power, the administration of fleets and harbors therein is to be placed under the independent control of the government of Eastern Siberia. An expedition is fitting at Hamburg by a Russian American Company, to sail shortly for the Russian American Territory. The expedition is of the nature of a new colony, numbering four hundred persons, including artificers of all kinds. The Russian ships Czrowitch and Constantine, and a Hamburg steamer, will convey the expedition. NORWAY. It is stated that Catholicity scarcely exists in Norway. For three centuries no church or chapel has been built for the exercise of the Catholic worship, and the country people are ignorant of even the existence of a Pope. This state of things has attracted the serious attention of the Sacred College. Some Catholic missionaries, familiar with the language and its dialects, have been laboring in the country since winter, especially in the district of Finmarken, at the extremity of the north of Norway, upon the White Sea. A Polish priest, Father Diunkowski, is at the head of this mission. SWITZERLAND. In the canton of Tessino, while the government is persisting in its course of aggression and insult against the rights of the Catholic Church, the Mormon emissaries are permitted every where to preach their pestilent doctrines, and are gaining crowds of ignorant and deluded followers. PORTUGAL.-In Portugal a highly important movement has been initiated by a number of influential members of the old religious orders in Lisbon. The object in view is to petition the government for the restoration of the regular clergy in Portugal. The meeting was held in the church of the Dominicans, attached to the college of Corpo Santo. The Very Rev. Father Patrick Bernard Russell, O. S. D., presided. The government, although aware of the movement, has given no intimation of its intentions on the subject. |