The Press.
London, England, 1858-10-02 00:00:00

THE PRESS, OCTOBER 2, 1858.

placards and handbills, widely and freely
scattered, have informed the Roman Catholics
that the errors of their Church would be
exposed. Roman Catholics are invited to ex-
amine for themselves and to test every assertion
by their own version of God's Word. An open
challenge is given ; and if Dr. CULLEN, or
Father RINOLFf, or Cardinal WISEMAN himself,
would take up the gauntlet, such an issue would
rejoice the hearts of the missionary. This open
but friendly aggression is admirably adapted for
special emergencies. For instance. A series of
lectures is announced in Dublin by some well-
known Roman Catholic priest. At such times
the Roman Catholics arc implored to search into
the truth for themselves, and to see how far the
missionary's statements are borne out by their
own version of the Sacred Scriptures. They are
told, too—and this is just one of the statements
which carries conviction with it—that every Pro-
testant doctrine is to be found in the Douai ver-
sion of the Bible, but that, on the contrary, not
one peculiar Romish doctrine can be found in
;t. The recent visit of Cardinal WisnmAN to
Ballinasloe was the means of proving in a signi-
ficant manner how promptly and efficiently
an open demonstration on the part of the
Romish Church could be met at once by an
equally open protest and exposure from the side
of Protestantism, at the time when a prince
of the Romish Church was inviting the
temporal allegiance and claiming the spiritual
submission of the people. Seven missionary
clergymen, and a number of the most experienced
of' the Society's lay agents, were sent to the scene
of action to await the arrival of the Cardinal,
and it was resolved, besides the judicious distribu-
tion of handbills, to hold two lectures every day
throughout the week of demonstration, the sub-
jects chosen being such as were best adapted to
excite a public interest. The effects of such a
moral demonstration on the Roman Catholic
mind cannot well be over-estimated. The lec-
ture-room was crowded, the interest intense.
Here was a Protestant challenge on the one side
met on the other side by silence. Naturally
Irish Roman Catholics would ask themselves
which course was the most honest and the most
like that of men conscious of being supported by
the truth. But there is another point of great
interest elicited from these proceedings at Ballin-
asloe—namely, the feelings with which they were
regarded by the Roman Catholics themselves.
They have awakened a spirit in the people which
has not been unheeded by Rome. Controversy
and inquiry have been strenuously demanded.
Dr. CULLEN, it will be observed, has felt him-
self compelled to join in this warfare; and the
publication last year of a new edition of the Douai
Bible with the sanction of 1)r. CULLEN and his
brother prelates has proved a greater boon to the
country than any which could have been looked
for by the most sanguine of its supporters.
Thousands of copies of this Bible have been sold,
and many Roman Catholics have likewise pro-
cured our own version in order to compare the
volumes. And this is one evidence of
the Protestant spirit which has been infused
through the island. Among the most important
agencies employed by the Society are their schools.
At the beginning of this year, sixty-six school-
masters and sixty-five schoolmistresses were
employed by the Society. These masters and
mistresses have been previously trained, most of
them at the Society's own training establishment,
and this training is sustained by the periodical
visits of the missionary secretary, who inspects
every school, examines every agent, and gives
them counsel and encouragement in their work.
Through the aid of these schools, more than
5,000 children are being educated in the prin-
ciples of the Established Church, and as useful
members of society. Over and above the scrip-
tural knowledge imparted, the errors of Romanism
are faithfully explained by such suitable argu-
ments instilled as can be easily apprehended by
children. On minds thus early and scripturally
trained, Romanist"' can scarcely take a permanent
hold. Besides these organized schools, upwards
of 200 Irish teachers are employed, who read the
Scriptures to the peasantry in their own lan-
guage, and at the same time assist them in
committing texts to memory.
As offshoots of the mission, and still under the
head of schools, we may mention the Connemara
Orphans Nursery, a noble institution, which,
since its first opening in 1849, has rescued up-
wards of 300 children from bodily destitution, as

_
well as from mental and spiritual darkness. This
Nursery is not supported by the funds of the
Society, but it was set on foot through the same
agency, and is generally assisted by those who
are at the same time the most liberal friends
to the Irish Church Missions.

manner h
thorfouthgeh Irishtth ee
It would be difficult, perhaps, by the aid of
sta-
tisticsmoral
le
improvementtlovhpi
crho
prove .has ibnileethsanetiecosfaeeneedttioedtrioyn
labours of this Society. And the reason is
obvious; for during the last few years so ma
agencies have been at work for the social amelio-
ration of Ireland, and so much good has been
effected, that no one can point out the peculiar
benefits which have followed from any oneof
them. Thus much, however, is clear—and it is
a fact which can be attested on any portion of
the ground covered by the missions—that wher-
ever free scope has been given to missionary
labours there the spirit of earnest • • inquiry has
been aroused, the authority of the priests has
been diminished, discussion has been freely
entered upon, instruction has been sought after
with avidity, and, even where no higher results
can be pointed out, an amount of intellectual
freedom. has been gained which is totally alien to
the diffusion of Romanism in the country. Much
of this is of course subsidiary to the main object
which the Society has in view, and yet these are
n o light benefits, and must not be lost sight of
in estimating the value of the missions.
Still more difficult is it to prove by statistics
how far the Protestant faith has been infused into
the minds of the people. There are a thousand
evidences of this, and we have already mentioned
some of them, but they are not such as can be
displayed in any tabular statements. Yet there
are some data of the most satisfactory kind,
which prove that Protestantism has made rapid
strides in the districts where the mission force
has been displayed. Connemara, the " Wild
West," as it used to be called, no longer deserves
the appellation. In 1846, the Protestant church
of Clifden, the chief town in the district,
contained, we are informed, an average con-
gregation of seventy-five persons. At the same
time, there was no other Protestant place of
worship within many miles, and the traveller
might have journeyed from Oughterard to
Clifden, and from Clifden to Westport, a dis-
tance or more than seventy miles, without seeing
any other Protestant church than that at Clifden.
The Rev. 11. D'Aucv, who is the Rector of
Clifden, and also a missionary of the Society for
Irish Church Missions, states that his congrega-
tion now averages about 100 persons; while in the
same district of West Galway, twenty congrega-
tions have been gathered, where before there
were only two churches. So large has been the
increase of Protestants within a tew years from
the commencement of the missions, that in 1853
the Bishop of TuAlt made an appeal for fends, and
by this means eleven new churches were erected.
Another appeal, put forth by the Prelate at the
close of last year, for contributions towards a
Church Endowment Fund for West Galway.,
expressly states that these churches are the fruit
of the Society's labours; and it may be mentioned
in passing, that the object of this appeal was
deemed of such importance by the Lord Primate
Archbishop of ARMAGH, that he at once con-
tributed 5001. to the fund.
Another well-known prelate, the Lord Bishop
of OSSORY, has borne testimony in the most!
striking manner to the "extraordinary success
which has resulted from the operations of the
Society ; and in speaking of Kilkenny, where the
Society has a mission station, he states his belief
that so far as personal liberty is established there,
and mob-law discomfited, " the community, Pro-
" testant and Roman Catholic, owes these great
" blessings, mainly, if not wholly, to the resolute
"assertion of their constitutional rights by the
"agents, lay and clerical, of the Irish Church
" Missions Society."
We have said enough to show the value and
efficiency of this Society. It only remains to
add that while its organization has been made
thoroughly efficient, the want of sufficient funds
not only prevents the Committee from breaking
up new ground, but has also compelled them to
withdraw from some important stations and to
reduce their missionary staff. They are making
now an earnest appeal to the public, and we trust
that those who value the blessings of Protes-
tantism will come forward and assist the Society
at this crisis.

jortign Rub Colonial 3uttlligcnte.

FRANCE.
PRINCE NAPOLEON.
The Mouiteur of Monduy bus the following :
Ills Imperial Highness Prince Napoleon left this morn-
it; for Warsaw, presence eis sent by the Emperor on the
oe'cision of
the p of the Emperor of Russia in
that city.
Paris gossip assigns to the journey a matrimonlal
object. It is said that Princess Clotilde, the daughter
of King Victor Emmanuel, whom the Prince wishes
to take unto himself " for better for worse," is half
engaged to the Prince of Leuchtenberg, and that
Prince Napoleon is gone to sound the ground, and
see whether matters are so far advanced as to render
his suit hopeless. Such is the bruit du jour in Paris.
TILE MILITARY COMMAND.
Some difference of views has existed between the
Prince and Marshal Magnan as to who has the right
to command and review the troops in Paris during
the Emperor's absence. In military circles, it is
rumoured that the decision has been in favour of the
Marshal.

COMMERCIAL TREATY.
The Russian Navigation Company will be autho•
rized to establish a station in Algeria, and to have a
depot of coal there. The company is not bound by
its statutes to confine its service to the ports in the
Black Sea.

THE LATE PRINCE GREGORY GHIKA.
The funeral of Prince Gregory Ghika, former
Ilespodar of Moldavia, who was killed by a fall
from his carriage in the Champs Elysees on Wed-
nesday, the 22nd ult., took place on Monday. The
religious service was performed according to the
rites of the Greek Church, at the Prince's late resi-
dence in the Rue Tronchet. It was attended by
several distinguished personages, among whom was
remarked the Turkish Ambassador. The cortege,
which consisted of a hearse drawn by six horses, and
followed by twelve mourning coaches and several
private carr►ages, proceeded to the cemetery of Pere
h Chaise.

THE MIRACLE.
That piece of profane buffoonery the miracle of
Lourdes is once more on the tapir. A local paper
states that a great number of pilgrims had visited
the grotto, not without little apprehension lest
the Mayor—a sensible man, who it may be remem-
bered declared the miracle a sham at the outset, and
swore he would have all the pilgrims be could lay
hands on lodged in gaol pour encourager les autres—
should come down upon Minn. But they were
allowed to go tl•eir ways in peace. You are aware
that a commission of ecclesiastics are discussing
whether the miracle is to be supported by Holy
Mother Church. Meanwhile a Jesuit, pictate
gravis, who believes in La Salette, pronounces the
miracle a spurious one, a mere trick of the evil one
to run down the genuine affair at Salette. "No
connection over the way " is obviously the motto of
the miracle-mongers.

BELGIUM.
THE 'DUCHESS DE BRABANT.
The Duchess de Brabant is officially announced to
he once more enceinte.

PAPAL STATES.
TIIE LATE ADDUCTION.
The Journal de Bruxelles, a Belgian clerical organ,
ha, according to the Debate, published a letter from
Rome containing a semi-official explanation of the
late abduction of an lsraeliti.di child at Bologna.
The Dibats characterizaa the contents of the letter
as an infamous pleading of the cause of the Roman
Government, and expresses the hope that the French
Government, the responsible defender of the national
honour, will not suff:r to be imputed to the protection
of a generous nation the accomplishment and impu•
nay of such crimes.

THE DANUBIAN PRINCIPALITIES.
T►HE Independence Beige publishes the text of the
Convention for the final organization of the Danu-
bian Principalities, as settled by the Paris Con-
ference:—

949

functionaries. The members of the Central Coil:
mission preserve their right of taking part in the
election of Hospodars in the Assembly to whilh they
belong. The members of the Commission are to
receive salaries. The constituting dispositions of the
new organization of the Principalities are placed
under the safeguard of the Central Commission. It
may point out to the Hospodatli any abuses it thinks
ought to be reformed, and may suggest improvements
in the various branches of the Administration. It
can also propose laws of general interest to Cie
Assemblies through the Hospodars. By laws of
general interest are meant—telegraphic communi-
cations, postal reforms, custom-houses, &c.
Article 38 establishes a high court of justice and
cassation at Fokschani. The members are appointed
tor life. Articles :0) to 41. define the powers of the
court of justice. Articles 4.2 to 46 refer to the in-
spection and calling out of the national forces
(minces). ":he Hospodars appoint a commander-in-
chief by turn. He must be either a Wallachian or
a Moldavian. The two militias maintain their old
national tiag, with an addition of a blue border to it.
Article 46 makes Wallachians and Moldavians all
equal in the eye of the law, equally liable to taxation,
and equally admissible to public employment in
either Principality. The Moldavians and Wal-
lachians and all Christian confessions will enjoy
equally political rights. Personal liberty is guaranteed.
No tnan can be expelled or punished except by legal
decree. All privileges, exemptions, or monopolies
still enjoyed by certain classes are abolished ; and
without delay the law will be revised whieh settles the
relationship between the landed proprietor and the
labourer with a view to improve the condition of the
peasants. The municipal institutions will also be
modified.
The above Convention is dated the 19th of August,
1858, and the ratifications are to be exchanged at
Paris within five weeks at latest.
The Convention is signed by all the representatives
of the great Powers at the Paris Conference.
To the Convention there ate two annexes. The
first annex only contains the design of the new Hag,
without any other description than that given in
Article 45 of the Convention. The second annex
refers to electoral stipulations :
Art. 1. The elective assembly is composed in each Prin-
cipality of members elected by districts and by towns. The
men opolitan and the diocesan bishops have a right to sit
in it.
Art. 2. Electors are either primary or direct.
Art. 3. A primary district elector is any one who has at
least 100 ducats per annum in funded property.
Art. 4. A direct elector in districts must be in the pos-
session of I,OIXI ducats yearly in funded property ; in towns
must have a capital, either personal property or by way of
dowry, embarked in industry or trade of at least 6,000 ducats.
Art. No one can be elected unless he is past the age of
twenty-five a born or naturalized Moldavian or Wallachian.
Art. 10. 'Priinery electors in the districts nominate in
each of their arrondissements three electors, who,
assembled at the chief town of the district, shall elect one

deputy.
The omitted articles merely regulate details as to
registration of electors, &c.
EGYPT.
TUE MINISTRY.
The Viceroy of Egypt is seriously engaged in re-
organizing his Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Cheriff
Paella, who now holds the post, is to he replaced by
Artim Bey, who is well acquainted with European
policy. Three of the other Ministries have been
modified. Mahmotul Pacha has been named Presi-
dent of the Council of State, Zellbar Paella Minister
of the Interior, and Itegaed Pasha Minister of Ft-
mince. The last section of the railway will be defi-
nitively inaugurated on the 15th inst. The distance
from Egypt to Suez may then be performed in
ten hours.

AMERICA.
FIRE IN GEORGETOWN.
A fire broke out in Georgetown, El Dorado County,
August 17, about eight o'clock. In a few minutes
the whole central portion of the town was in flames.
Two fireproof buildings alone remain to mark the
main business portion of the ill-fated town. The
citizens are preparing for the tourth time, with
undismayed energy, to rebuild. The total loss is
about 100,000 dole.

INDIA AND CHINA.
The following message was received at the East
India House, on Tuesday, as a supplement to Mr.
Secretary Edmoostone's message dated August 26,
1538

OLTDE.
On the '2l3th of August Sir Hope Grant sent a fares
across the Goomtee at Sultanpore, and occupied throe
villages in his front.
Bewares Division.—Captain Mac Mullen, with his Stith I,
fell in with rebels at a village near Reatien Ghazee, Puclten
district, on the 23rd of August, drove them out, killing and
wounding sixty.
Allahabad Division.--Captain Dennehoy, with detach—
ment of regulars anti a party of military police, came n p