The Sun.
London, England, 1867-07-23 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, TUESI)AY EVENING, JULY 23, 1867.

Miscellaneous Foreign News.

A letter from Rome, dated July 11, says :
A few days more, and we shall again find our-
selves in the midst of that solemn silence and
repose which best teaches the higher order of minds
to know and love Rome.

Our Testival has passed away like a bright vision,
and this week has been one of partings and dis -
persions. Of English there are hardly any left.
One of the papers has amused itself with calculat-
ing that to have given each of the bishops an
audience of only half-an-hour would have occupied
the Pope from the middle of June till the end of
August, devoting four hours a day to the purpose
every day, except the great festivals. With regard
to the approximate number of foreigners who have
visited us, I know on the best authority that, two
or three days before St. Peter's, 75,000 passports
had passed through the office at Monte Citorio,
15,000 of which belonged to ecclesiastics, and in
those last days numbers more came in. This mass
of people cannot have spent much less than a mil-
lion sterling during their stay.
The ceremonies since my last, though splendid
and significant in themselves, are paled by the
greater glories that have gone before, and one writes
with the impression that your readers will have
but little interest left for them unexhausted.
Sunday's function, especially, was an important
one. It was no less than the solemn beatification
of what may be reckoned a whole army of martyrs
—Alfonso Navarrete, Pietro di Avila, Pietro di
Zuniga, Carlo Spinola, Gioachino Diaz, and two
hundred others ; some Europeans, Jesuits, Francis-
cans, and Augustinians, and many native Japanese,
among whom, children of tender years—ten, five,
and even two—all having suffered for the faith be-
tween 1617 and 1632.

The officiating bishop on this occasion was a
Capuchin. The Pope is not present at a beatifica-
tion. The ceremony commenced at ten
.o'clock, and
was performed at a special altar put up in the place
where the Pope's throne stood for the canonization,
in front of an architectural screen erected a few feet
within the line of the apse. I was fortunate in ob-
taining an excellent place close to it in the Palco
dei Procuratori, by favour of a member of the family
of one of the beatified. The first procession,
headed by the officiating bishop, was modest enough
in its proportions ; but, before Mass began, another
entered, consisting of the heads of all the orders
who counted any of the candidates for beatification
among its sons, and advanced towards the Cardinal
Vicar in his stall, and one appointed to speak for
the rest preferred the request that the decree of
beatification might be pronounced. The decree
was subsequently read from a raised desk ; it was in
Latin, of course, and detailed the performance of
all the necessary preliminary steps ; it occupied
about half an hour. As it concluded, the curtains,
which, up till then, had covered the pictures repre-
senting acts in the life of the beatified, both within
and without the church, were lowered, the Te Deum
was intoned, a salute was fired from Sant' Angelo,
and the bells of Rome set ringing.
At six in the evening the Holy Father came into
St. Peter's to venerate the relics of the new beati,
attended by cardinals, cameriere, and guardie nobile ;
he was presented with a life of the beati in hand-
some binding, and a large bouquet of choice

flowers.
St. Peter's chair, which was to have been restored
to its own position in the apse on the octave of St.
Peter, was left, byspecial desire of the Holy Father,
till Tuesday evening, when it was replaced in pro-
cession, the Te Deum being sung the while. It is
200 years since it was last exposed to view.
Though an object of so great care and veneration,
it is in itself very simple and unpretending—in size
not bigger than an ordinary arm-chair ; in design
very plain, and made of wood, though partly inlaid
with ivory. The tradition concerning it is that it
belonged to the Senator Pudens, and was given up
to St. Peter's use when teaching the faithful while
living in his house. The front is enriched with
very fine ivory bas-reliefs, representing the labours
of Hercules, divided by little gold ornaments, all
I of such perfection of workmanship that they cannot
be supposed to have been executed later than the
time of Augustus. The back, which is ornamented
with ivory mouldings, terminates in a pediment-
shaped top, also inlaid with ivory. The shrine in
which it is usually kept is of 219,160Romanpounds
weight
piguht obfygißltebniroile, and cost 172,000 scudi. It was
under Alexander VI., and con-
sists of a metal cathedra, enclosing the original,
supported by four colossal statues—representing
two Latin and two Greek doctors of the Church—
St. Ambrose, !St. Augustine ; St. Athanasius, and
St. John Chrysostom. The casting occupied Aretusi
three years. Behind is a group of (somewhat
rococo) angels, clouds, and rays; behind these there
is a painted window, representing a background of
golden rays, emanating from the Sacred Dove.
While the relic was uncovered it was photographed
by order of Mgr. Giraud.
I understand that in the last Consistory the
Prince Primate of Hungary was dignified with the
cardinal's hat.
No banquet was given by the Pope this year to
the bishops ; most of them were anxious to return
to their flocks without unnecessary delay, and
many were quite overcome by the heat.
You will have remarked that in his reply to their
address, the Pope announces that the Council will
be opened on the feast of the Immaculate Concep-
tion, without fixing the year ; it is thought it will be
in 1868. The bishops will shortly receive, if they
have not already received, the formal invitation to
attend, with a syllabus of seventeen questions,
resuming the matters for the deliberation of the
council, all relating exclusively to ecclesiastical
affairs.
The Pope goes, I believe, to-morrow for a few
weeks' villeggiatura to Castel Gondolfo. The
change of air is but slight ; but though he has
borne up hitherto against fatigue like a man of
forty, he must greatly need some change after all
his late labours. His palace there, though a very
unpretending building, is delightfully situated in
the highest part of the little town, on the edge of
the crater forming the Alban Lake. He certainly
has not spared himself ; every minute of time at
his disposal has been devoted to giving audiences.
Hearing that there were still many who desired to
see him who were yet restrained from asking for
an audience by motives of delicacy, he has arranged
during all these eight days to take his drive within
the walls, several times walking on the Pincio or
along the Corso. Yesterday, again, he went all
down the Corso on foot ; a whole host of omnibuses
and cabs, loaded with passengers for the railway,
forming a sort of guard of honour of the home-
liest kind. The enthusiasm was, of course, immense.
Before getting into his carriage again he turned
and blessed the crowd on all sides. A more signi-
ficant combination of faith in one of the most in-
tangible acts of religion, with the everyday life of
our modern age could hardly have been witnessed.
There were no adventitious fascinations of entranc-
ing harmony, of medieval ceremony, or splendid
architecture, to make the scene imposing ;
nothing but a grey-headed old man, habited in a
acicootinh,mstrding in a narrow
n crowd of men and
womenom street,
mp ei simple
surroundedsiuit oi fetheir b whitey
most
ordinary
travelling garb ;
n
themeen
tsiaon
aav enwerreaattiohiei
aywete,ththeeresamesolemn were
eel ciiot eu
ds
a ff
round him when surrounded by all the prestige
c
insignia of his exalted office, which men commonly
as constituting the magic influence by
which these sentiments are produced.
The young scions of Roman noble families, whose
entrance into the Papal army I mentioned in my
last, have chiefly joined the Artillery corps as pri-
vates, but are allowed a special designation of
soldati di distinzione, with the privilege of each
having a room to himself, and wearing, when off
duty, a uniform of fine cloth. Among them is a
Borghese and a Rospigliosi.
We still hear of an occasional desertion or two
from the Antibes Legion, but, at the same time,
it is said above 300 soldiers who have desired to
be transferred into it from the French army, are
on their way to fill up the vacancies already made,
as well as any that may recur fun some time to
come.
The performance of Liszt's oratorio was well

attended, and appears to have given great delight
There were 150 vocal and instrumental performers
It was preceded by his Stabat Mater Gaudiosa
The Tu es Petrus was described to me as very
grand, but I was not able to be present, so I had
no opportunity of comparing it with Mustafit's con-
ception of the sentence. I think I forgot to men-
tion, when speaking of that, that the three choirs
employed to render it at the Offertory during the
Canonization, were intended to symbolize the
voices of the Church militant, Suffering and
triumphant ; that representing the latter being
stationed in the dome, and appointed to sing the
non prmvalebunt.
By the way, I see a slight error has crept into
the account of the function by the correspondent
of the Times. He speaks of the silver trumpets as
sounding on the Pope's entrance at the head of
the procession. There is always a flourish of
trumpets from over the Portico, at the Pope's
entrance, whenever he pontificates; but this is
quite a different matter from the melody of the
silver trumpets, which is reserved for the mo-
ment of the Elevation in his Mass. The music,
from its intrinsic beauty, the acoustic perfection
of its area, and, perhaps, in some measure, too,
from the rarity of one's chance of hearing it, has
a charm entirely its own. It is one thing which is
like nothing else in this world ; one thing so
sublime that it alone might suggest the belief in
a greater sublimity not of the earth. I have always
had a sort of " devotion " to this melody of the
silver trlmpets, and to this must be ascribed my
desire to vindicate their honour. I have no wish
to say one carping word against the beautifully-
written letter alluded to ; it cannot be too highly
praised for its faithfulness and candour, and its
intelligent testimony to the genial effect which
the majesty and harmony of Rome exercises on
all its visitors. I am, indeed, credibly informed,
it would have been more glowing still, if printed
in all its integrity as it left Rome.
You will probably have heard something of a
pamphlet printed here in the interests of Cardinal
d'Andrea. The following are, I believe, the facts
of the case :—A little work of such a nature was
put in circulation in May by the abate Modesti,
ecclesiastical agent of the Cardinal in Rome. It
bore no name of author or publisher—nothing but
Italia, Maggio 1867. The printer was, however,
dr:A:Anil!
discovered, and he declared that he had been
Masterhdirme
aa t theof
compromisingt he
authorized by the Padre Carnelli, assistant to the
d
Pontifical
Quirinal.n letterPala as fromfeo,u annCardinaliliving
last Thursday. The Master of the Palace dis-
claimed any participation in the matter, and the
assistant has been transferred to the Sacred Office
while the case is investigated.

would have split off. These divisions would be
bounded by the interests of the different regions,

and many communities established, whose object

would be to secure advantages even at the expense

of their neighbours. Thus the States would have
become hostile, and the American Continent would
have reproduced the European condition of affairs.
Does Mr. JOHNSON consider that this would be an

advantage? Does be suppose that this would be a
remedy for the ill-feeling engendered by distance ?
It is what Europeans predict for America, but what

Americans deny for themselves. What was it that
gave such an extraordinary energy to the Northern
people, when they awoke to the fact that unless
they acted vigorously and with the determination
to make any sacrifice to defeat the intention, that
the Union would. be split?—why the very know-
ledge implanted in every citizen's mind that the
Continent must be preserved intact, or their che-
rished idea would be lost for ever. With the slave-
holding oligarchy the domestic institution took
,precedence of every question, even of that so dear
to all other Americans. The rest of the nation
fought to prevent future interminable wars, to give
to continental unity a full and fair trial, and it
must be allowed that when the true object is
understood, it was one of the grandest for
which a nation could contend. Science aids
the American design of governing the Conti-
nent from one centre by the discoveries of the
telegraph and the locomotive. The rise of the
Pacific States will probably compel the Government
to remove to St. Louis, the most central and com-
manding city of the American Continent. The
unanimity of the American people will quickly place
in their hand of the chief magistrate in this city, the
end of every telegraph wire, which will enable him
to flash his orders to the extremities of the country.
From this great terminus the rail will branch into
every region of the vast Continent, while the seat of
Government will stand mid-way on the most useful
river of the world, draining a valley of unequalled

fertility and extent.
Mr. JouNsoN may feel that the whole cannot ge
along without the parts, but this is no argument for
lopping off the parts. It is an argumentfor strength-
ening and knitting them together. We hold with
him that Americans ought to be a united people,
and that when they are, they will be even a more
prosperous and happy people. It may be a pity
that the Continent is so large that its magnitude
delays the fulfilment of the time when it can be
well knit together, but the continent must be
taken as GOD -has given it, and whatever is
its magnitude, it must be preserved intact.
It is this future that distinguishes the citizens of
the Republic from all other communities. The
scheme that gives to North America its vast advan-
tages over other continents—the hope that sheds a
bright light over things to come, which, if lost to
the world, would be the extinction of the most magni-
ficent design ever conceived, and of the one great
chance given by the ALMIGHTY for the speedy regene-
ration of mankind. Above all things, should Ame-
ricans be thankful to PROVIDENCE for this. Nor is
that splendid destiny confined to the race now in-
habiting the Continent, for it is so broad in its ope-
ration as to embrace the welfare of mankind. In
this development all people may see a glorious in-
heritance for themselves or their children if adver-
sity befall them. Where on earth is such an asy-
lum opened—where does there exist so unbounded
a field for enterprise ? The political refugee, the
family broken in fortune, are received and incorpo-
rated on terms of equality by the greatest and freest
of nations, and a place supplied for their industry
from the unlimited resources of its soil. Is it of no
interest to mankind that the Continent should be
maintained under the Government which has shown
itself the most liberal and enlightened, offering to
humanity the greatest boons. Contrast these States
with such a country as Mexico, and learn how jarring
factions nullify the most bountiful gifts. See
how the finest countries are shut up, barred by
the follies and vices of their inhabitants ; then com-
pare how the United States develope the gifts con-
ferred on them. The one neutralises the advantages,
and, while refusing to avail itself of the good, re-
pulses those who would. The other, by every means,
extract these resources, and invites the assistance
and participation of others. Thus foreign nations
will learn in how large a measure they are interested
in the unity of North America, ruled from one
centre by the Anglo-Saxon race. The country may
be too large to be easily and advantageously go-
verned for the advantage of its present inhabitants
but it is the asylum of the world, and as such we
hope that it may yet extend from the Isthmus to
the Pole.—Anglo-Atherican Times.

LOUIS VEUILLOT'S FIFTH AND LAST

LETTER ON ROME.

I hope the inspiration will come to some one to
write a volume on all that is passing in Rome, to
collect documents, to catalogue names, and give
some sketches of places and faces. It would be
an historic monument of the first order ; for these
days at Rome are a revelation of the state of the
world and a starting-point for its regeneration.
Never has a Sovereign Pontiff witnessed what Pius
lx. has witnessed. Two or three times, perhaps,
in the course of centuries, there have been as many
bishops here ; but so many priests come from such
a distance, that has never before been heard of.
Spiritual Rome rejoices over it ; material Rome is
proud of it ; it has put revolutionary Italy into a
state of alarm.

I should not be surprised if some blow, prompted
by fury, were attempted. I should not be sur-
prised, moreover, were nothing of the kind to
happen. Things come to pass whose motives, on
the one side or the other, are not according to the
ordinary course of reason. Revolutionary acts are
below human sagacity—the acts of Pius IX. are
above it. The- first originate in pure chance,
as certain light-fingered gentry try a bolt hap-
hazard in the night ; the second are prompted
by an inspiration from above, and are
guided
by Providence. Pius IX. acts as did that saint
whom God commanded to pass over the sea, and
who, having come to the shore, and finding no
skiff, spread out his mantle on the agitated waves
and passed over on it. I ask pardon of the Siecle
for making use of this illustration. It will not be-

lieve that this happened. Yet it was St. Francis
de Paul, I believe, who did this miracle ; and
Pius IX. has done, does it, and will do it. I
grant that the Siecle will see nothing of it. The
Council will, nevertheless, be held.
0 marvels of God ! Peter being ordered to take
Rome from Satan, in order to give it to Jesus
Christ, took it with his staff. Pius IX. being
ordered to defend and preserve Rome against the
most prolonged and cunning attempts which Satan
could have made to get hold of it, again defends
and preserves it without any other weapon than
his staff. Of a verity the Siecle has good reason to
be astonished. Let us have pity on its astonish-
ment. For my part, I comprehend it, and to a
certain point share it.
Mgr. the Bishop of Tulle gave us the key to
this mystery yesterday in a discourse which he
delivered at San Luigi de Francesi. We were then
not all the French who were in Rome, but as
many as San Luigi can hold. It was the first day of
a triduo of solemn services in honour of Ste. Ger-
maine Cousin, the shepherds of Pibrac, canonized
on the Feast of the Centenary. To hear the
eminent► prelate—as great a poet as theologian
—the crowd had to undergo two hours of musical
Vespers in the midst of the most stifling heat of
Rome. This music, it must be confessed, is hor-
rible, and the wearied congregation appeals against
it to the Pope and to the Council with right good
heart. At last the biadop appeared, and then we

heard the veritable " music " of Rome and of the
festival. This " music," I hope to make you under-
stand. Ido not try to analyse it. The speaker in
no way altered his ordinary method. You know
he speaks in the pulpit as he does at his fireside,
touching on all things without method and without
confusion, rolling the waves of his thought like
those great rivers which seem less eager to return
to the sea than to catch the reflection of the mar-
vels of the Creation, in the midst of which they
hide. Several of us took notes, and we shall succeed
in restoring some beautiful fragments on the
mystery of Rome, on the mission of Peter, on
the great work which he accomplished in Rome