The Sun.
London, England, 1858-10-23 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVEMNG, OCTOBER 23, 185 S.

FOREIGN.

THIII D EDITION.

ROME.

THE JEWISH CHILD KIDNAPPED IN

The correspondent at Rome to the Arnzonia, a
Jesuitical journal of Turin, makes the following
statements about young Mortara :
It was with great joy that this child entered the
Institution of the Catechumens. When he arrived
he perceived above the gate a statue of Our Lady
of Tears. " Why does she cry 9" he asked. " She
is weeping," they answered him, " because the Jews
do not become converted, and are not willing to
acknowledge her divine Son." " Then," replied
the child, " she is weeping over my father and
mother."

When they announced to him his father's visit
he was delighted at it, for the Catholic religion,
very far from extinguishing filial love, strengthens
it by sanctifying it. Besides, he imageind he should
be able to convert his father, and render him a
Christian like himself. This was his hope, and he
showed it artlessly. But when he saw his father,
and found him deaf to all his prayers, he began to
weep bitterly.
In fine, this child is firm in the faith like an
apostle. His father begged him to go back with
him to Bologna, saying to him " Why don't you
come to me ? Have you forgotten God's command.
ment, ' Honour thy father and mother ?" The
child remained pensive for a moment, and then re-
plied :—" The Pope knows the commandments
better than you or I, I shall do what the Pope
says !"
He knows the catechism admirably, and makes

the profession of ihith in the most complete and
exact manner. He insists on this point, that the
Jews have neither an altar, a Holy Virgin, nor a
Pope. He says he should like to convert them, and
by his tone you perceive that it is grace which is
speaking in him.
The Pope wished to see him, and was enchanted
with him. The child blesses the servant maid that
baptised, and thus opened to him the entrance to
the Catholic Church. They asked him what the
Pope was ; he answered, " The vicar of Christ."
" And Je,,us Christ," added they. His face coloured
up, and he said, " Jesus Christ is the Saviour of
men, whom the Jews crucified."

And they want a child of such quick faith to be
delivered up to the Jews ! That would be a cruelty
without a name, and the most open violation of that

principle of liberty of conscience which the Liberals
have ever in their mouths. The young Mortara
finds at Rome, in the Catholic Church, the protec-
tion necessary to him, that he may be able to pro-
fess his faith freely, and be instructed in the duties
of his religion.
It is not in Rome that they use violence, and seek
to convert people by force. Cases similar to yonng
Mortara's are rare, for rarely do we see such signal
triumphs of grace. For the rest, no one here makes
the least opposition, and the parents themselves are
satisfied at seeing their child brought up in the
Hospital of the Catechumens..

There are certain journals that declaim on this
subject, but their declamations are only inspired by
the hatred they feel for the Pope, catholicism, and
baptism itself. Suppose the young Mortara had
been born a Catholic, and had turned a Vaudois
protestant or a Turk, these self-same journals would
not have anathemas enough to launch against any
person wishing to prevent it. And now they want
him to be constrained by force to turn Jew again !
Let us pity them. They gnash their teeth with
rage at the news of this conversion, and this sign
of grace makes them blaspheme like demons. But
on this occasion, in attacking the Holy See, they
have not well chosen their ground ; it would seem
they really believe that in Rome the eternal salva-

tion of a 'Christian is not something far more pre-
cious and important than the capture of the Cagliari
can be at Naples.

The Journol des Debats has received the follow-
ing letter from Bologna on the same subject :

Bologna, Oct. 18.
We have not been surprised at the article in the
Osservatore, which, after long hesitation, has at
last come forward to break a lance in favour of the
Holy Inquisition. The low and trivial language of
this article is in keeping with the cause it upholds,
and in this respect leaves nothing to be desired,
. . . . It is entirely false, as correspondents
assure me, that the father was able to see his child
freely. He could see him, but only in the presence
of the rector of the Catechumens, and the child
continually declared that he wished to go back
to his father and mother. WhQn Mortara left

Rome, they promised him that in his absence the
secretary of the Jewish committee at Rome should
be allowed to visit his son. But the moment this
individual presented himself at the mansion of the
Catechumens, not only did they refuse to admit
him, but the rector answered him from a window
of that monument of religious intolerance that
upon the return of the cardinal inspector of the
Catechumens to Rome, a formal order had been
given no longer to admit any Jew, the interdiction
being extended to the parents themselves.

The rector of the Catechumens did worse still.
About the end of last month, little Edgar was by
his order taken out for a walk in the streets of the
Ghetto, either for the purpose of bantering the
young girls you see mending their rags there, or
to make an impression on the mind of the little
fellow, by putting his comfort in contrast with the
poverty of those unfortunate people, who recall to
mind the wretched state of the Irish catholics in
the days of Elizabeth and Cromwell.
These wretched instances of low trickery lead
me to mention another. To revenge themselves
for the horror produced so justly throughout
Europe by this abominable act, our impresario of
the Piazza Maggiore (where a sort of puppet-show
is exhibited) has received orders to put into the
mouth of his :marionettes, once a week, words of
hatred against the Jews, so as to kindle religious
fanaticism. But this has been of no use ; our city
has remained impassive to such incitements.
Such are the contrivances they have recourse to.
Sensible persons here say that this affair has been
an error on the part of Cardinal Viale Prela. But
it is to be observed that the Inquisition does what
it likes and listens to no advice, being quite sure
that no one will venture to contradict it.

THE ALLEGED FRAUD IN THE PUR-
CHASE OF THREE PER CENTS.

Adolphus Freeman, a young man described as a
stockbroker, was brought up on remand before
Alderman Salomons, at Guildhall, yesterday, charged
with unlawfully appropriating to his own use the
sum of £B5O, entrusted to him in April last by Mr.
Daniel Austin, a printer, of 5, lon-square, Hack-
ney, to invest in the Three per Cent. Reduced An-
nuities.

Mr. Wontner this case, sir, I appear
on behalf of the prosecutor to state that we arc not
prepared to go on with the case at present. At a
future day we may have further evidence.
Alderman Salomons—lt has been intimated to
me that the prisoner is not a member of the Stock
Exchange, and as he has been reprezented as a
stockbroker I should like to know if he is, or is not,
a member of the Stock Exchange.
Mr. Wontner—l believe it is a fact that he is not
a member of the Stock Exchange, and therefore
not entitled to act as a stockbroker.

Sergeant Webb (of the detective force)—The
prisoner has admitted to me that he is not.
Alderman Salomons—We must not act upon the
prisoner's admission alone, when the fact can be
otherwise proved.
_ _ _

Mr. Mo'rgan—l appear for the prisoner, and
may state that he is not a broker at all.

Mr. Wontner—l cannot say. what we may
be able to do hereafter, but I am not now prepared
with further evidence.

*Mr. Morgan—l understand it is not the inten-
tion of the prosecutor to press the case any further.
Alderman Salomons—l do not intend to dis-
charge the case. If there is no further evidence I
shall remand the prisoner.
Mr. Morgan—You cannot do so without evidence.
Mr. Martin (the chief clerk)—But we have the
evidence of the prosecutor as far as it goes.
Mr. Morgan—l think this case should be treated
as all other cases are. I was present this morning
when the prosecution was withdrawn in another
case and the prisoner discharged, and the same
practice prevails in all the metropolitan courts. It
is not customary to compel a prosecutor to go on
with a case when he wishes to withdraw from it.
Alderman Salomons—All must depend upon the
nature of the case in which such a course is per-
mitted. In some instances it would be an act of
humanity to extend such mercy to the party
charged ; but in the case before me the prisoner has
committed a double offence. He is accused of com-
mitting a wrong against a private individual, as
well as a public wrong, and I am not disposed to
deal lightly with a breach of trust of such a serious
character. This is one of those cases in which the
want of a public prosecutor is most felt, as so much
depends upon the good faith reposed in the mere
signature of a person, and it is of the utmost im-
portance that transactions connected with the public
funds should be conducted with the strictest in-
tegrity. I shall remand the prisoner for a week,
and should the evidence be sufficient I shall com-
mit him for trial ;'.but, if no further evidence be then
offered, of course I cannot compel a person to pro-
secute against his inclination.
The prisoner was then remanded.

A letter from Stettin states that operations had
been commenced for pumping out, by means of a large
steam-engine, the water of the Lake Gothen, near Herings-
doif. The complete draining of this piece of water, which
covers an extent of 3,000 acres, will, it is expected, be
effected ill the apace of sib montiw~