The Express.
London, England, 1863-05-26 00:00:00

[Stamped, Id. Additional.]

remains to ascertain the numbers of 188
mendicant establishments, which may be reckoned
at nearly 3,000, making altogether 17,000 people.
The inventory of the properties of every kind be-
longing to the 460 endowed monasteries has not as
yet very much advanced, on account of the diffi-
culties thrown in the way by the interested
parties. We have a return of only 214 of them,
which states an income of 3,185,014 Italian lire,
that is to say, an average rent of 14,883
lire for each establishment, so that the total
income may be reckoned at 6,846,350 lire, or a
capital at 4 per cent. of 171,158,755. To this
must be added money invested in the public funds
to the amount of 350,296 lire, representing a capital
of 7,592,000, making altogether nearly 180 millions
of francs, whicii become the property of the state.
This calculation, however, cannot be reckoned de-
finitive until the inventory is completed.
One of the first obligations which the adminis-
trators of the Cana Ecclesiastics had to fulfil
was that of assigning and paying a pension to each
member of the suppressed monastic establishments.
Here a contest of another kind retarded the ope-
ration, to the great discontent of a large number of
these idle bodies, who had time and breath to spare
in abusing the government, and had will enough to
embarrass it to the utmost of their power. Intrigues
of every kind were set at work either to make the
number appear much larger than it was, in order
to extend to friends and relatives the benefit of the
pension, or to shift from a poorer into a richer
order, so as to obtain a larger pension, or to con-
ceal documents in order to enrich partisans of the
Bourbons. The government officials were obliged,
therefore, to establish searching and vexatious in-
quiries, to cross-examine aumberlses people, and to
extract revelations which were made little by little,
partly through fear, partly through interest, of
titles of property and valuable documents. By
this time, however, 9,000 monks and nuns are in
reoeipt of regular pensions, and the rest are provi-
sionally aided by the same fund.
The same administration was also called upon, by
especial clause of the law of suppression, to provide
for the charitable and useful institutions annexed
to the suppressed establishments, and for the
public worship. Local committees of the
meet respected citizens were appointed in each
locality, to whom the duty devolved of fixing the
sum necessary for the object, according to the
usages of the place and the requirements of the
church services.

Next to monastic establishments, the collegiate
churches, also most richly endowed, were not
spared by the decree of suppression. They are at
present 192, many of which are already under state
patronage. The church benefices and livings,
chaplainships, and abbeys, which were recognised to
the date of the report are 397, and 369 of them
have been taken possession of. Their number,
however, seems infinite, for in Gerace, a small
commune of Calabria, with a population no larger
than 6,355 inhabitants, fifty-five church benefices
were discovered through the fourth part of a torn
document which had been somewhere concealed.
At Cajauo, with a population of nearly 6,000,
thirty-one benefices have been registered. 130 that
the reporter argues that there must be se-
veral thousands through the country. Lastly, there
were the so-called Conference dells Mission, a spe-
cial institution of the city of Naples, whose
members went preaching about and dispensing
alms during their mission. They were dependent
on the Archbishop of Naples. They also have been
suppressed, and their properties, to the amount of
nearly seven millions, have gone to increase the
ecclesiastical treasury.

The 1,107 monasteries and nunneries had as many
buildings. Of these only 162 have been entirely
or partially turned into barracks, military or civic
hospitals, or educational institutions. Others will
be adapted gradually to the same objects, or dis-
posed of otherwise. The libraries have been des-
tined to enrich the provincial colleges, or to form
the nucleus of municipal or local libraries for the
people. The pictures, statues, and other objects
of art have been left at their places, but two
inspectors of the Museum of Naples have been
charged with a complete inventory, and a full
description of them. All ancient historical docu-
ments and parchments of historical value have been
deposited in the great royal archives of Naples.
These are the principal features of the report I
have tried to condense, leaving out, for the sake of
brevity, much which would have been interesting
to many of your readers. The work, as may be
seen, is unfinished ; but its main part is already
accomplished, and it will prove a great boon to the
country.
I must leave to another occasion the particulars
of a most useful institution, to which some of the
few surviving monastic establishments are lending
their aid, in keeping with the spirit of the age—l
mean the Agricultural and Naval Reformatories
for young vagabonds or juvenile criminala.

THE POLISH INSURRECTION.