The Sun.
London, England, 1867-07-09 00:00:00

Sheffield Trades' Union Commission.

MONDAY.
Mr. William Bragge, managing director of the
ironworks of John Brown and Co. (Atlas Works),
gave evidence of a strike of the puddlers in their
employ, against a reduction, in February and March
last. Other puddlers from a distance were brought
to take the place of the men on strike, and the
puddlers' union picketed the works, and the men on
strike assaulted a number of the new (non-union)
men. In consequence of this witness had to employ
policemen to guard the place, and to establish a
commissariat and provide beds for the new men.
Witness bad since abstained from employing union
men, and had been able to obtain a sufficient num-
ber of non-unionists. There were from 800 to
1,000 men employed in this branch, and more than
3,000 at the works altogether. Neither witness nor
any of the principals had been assaulted or threatened
in any way.
James Dunhill, a puddler, said that in February
last he was working for Messrs. John Brown and
Co. He was not then a union man. When the
puddlers had struck, witness continued to work,
and he was molested " with a good hiding." About
three weeks after the men went out he was at
Tryer's, and a man named James Harris, who was
one of seven or eight, struck him. The others then
fell on him, calling him a " blackleg," and saying
that he was taking the bread out of their mouths.
He and a companion were shortly afterwards
assaulted again by the same men. He proceeded
Against them before the magistrates, and they were
bound over to keep the peace.
Faclmund Higgott, another non-unionist, gave '
evidence of the same occurrences. He also was as-
saulted, and was unable to work for nine days, and
John Skidmore having given evidence of ordinary
intimidation,
Thomas Rock, a puddler, said he came from
Derby a little before Easter to work at Mr. Brown's,
and was met at the station by some men, who told
him he was doing wrong to go there, took him to a
public-house, paid for his bed and breakfast, and
then booked him back to Derby.
Mr. Overend then stated that he would answer
applications for certificates.
Mr. Sugg applied for a certificate on behalf of Mr.
Broadhead.
Mr. Overend said the Court considered that Mr.
Broadhead was entitled to a certificate, but not to
his costs. Where a witness had come forward in the
first instance, and had told the whole truth, he
would receive a certificate and his costs ; but where
he had committed deliberate perjury, and had then
made a full confession in order to save himself from
the consequences of that perjury, he would not re-
ceive his costs. Mr. Overend further stated that each
certificate would contain a list of the offences on
which the holder had been examined.
Mr. Sugg then applied for a certificate for Mr.
Thomas Smith, secretary to the Sawmakers' Society,
and an accessory after the fact to thellereford-street
outrage. The certificate was granted.
Mr. Sugg applied for a certificate for Mr. George
Peace, late a farmer at Dore, who bad confessed to
employing a man to shoot Elisha Parker.
Mr.Overend said the certificate would be granted.
Mr. Sugg applied for certificatesfor the secretaries
of the file trade, on the ground of the papers having
raised a question whether picketing was not an of-
fence within the act—Certificates were granted.
Mr. Sugg asked for a certificate for Renshawe,the
man who blew up Wastnidge's house.—Granted.
In the matter of certain secretaries who hal de-
stroyed books the Court held that a certificate was
not required.
The certificate of Joseph Thompson, secretary to
the Scissor Forgers' Union, was withheld, on the
ground that he had not made a full disclosure.
Skidmore and Barker, the former president of the
Saw Makers' Union, and the latter secretary to the
Saw Handle Makers' Union, received certificates.
Certificates were promised for llallam and C roo k es.
George, alias " Putty" Shaw applied for a certi-
ficate for rattening, which was granted.
Joseph Copley, William Fcarnley, and Tucker
Clarke received certificates for the various offences
to which they had confessed.
The decision in the case of Sameet Cutler, concerned
in the Acorn-street affair, was deferred till Tuesday.
There being no more applications for certificates,
Mr. Overend said— We have now discharged the
duties imposed upon us by the Commissioners when
they appointed us to make the investigation into the
outrages in Sheffield, and we cannot conclude our
labours without offering our thanks to the mayor
and town council of the borough for the kind manner
in which they have granted us this room, and rendered
us assistance in every way. We are also exceedingly
obliged to the watch committee for granting us the
services of the various policemen and others whom
we have required. All of them—the mayor, the
corporation, and the watch committee—have been of
great service to us in the work which we have had to
carry on. We think it also right to make an obser-
vation as to Mr. Barker, our secretary. We feel
under considerable obligation to him, for he has dis-
charged his duties with the greatest possible ability,
and has assisted us in every possible way. Without
him Ido not know how we could have carried on
the inquiry—at all events with the same expedition
as we have done. We think that we, and not only
we, but the town and country also, are greatly in-
debted to him .for the manner in which he has dis-
charged his duties. There is another gentleman,
the Chief Constable of this town, to whom also we
are under very great obligations. He has shown
great zeal, he has shown great discretion, he has
shown great intelligence, and throughout the whole
of this inquiry he has afforded us the greatest pos-
sible assistance. We think he is an officer of the
utmost value, and that not only' has Sheffield cause
to be proud of such an officer, but without such an
officer a town subject to such lawless conduct as this
would be in considerable jeopardy. Mr. Shrubsole
has also been very useful to us; he has saved us a
good deal of trouble, and facilitated the progress of
the inquiry. It is not our intention to make any ob-
servations as to what conclusion we have arrived
at from the evidence that has been laid before
us. Our duties are first to the Commissioners,
to whom our report, which is now in pre-
paration, will be handed. No doubt it will be put
into print and then circulated, and the town will
have ample opportunity of considering our conclu-
sions. We do not, therefore, think it proper on our
part to make any observations on those conclusions,
but we purposely abstain from stating what the
effect on our minds has been. We are not only
obliged to the varioua gentlemen whose names I have
mentioned, but we are also very much obliged to the
press for the manner in which it has reported our
proceedings. We have found great advantage from
having, from day to day, short-hand writer's notes
in the press, and from having the opportunity of
seeing at once everything done. We have received
great support from both the leading papers of this
town by the way in which they have sustained us
in this inquiry. No doubt there have been very
serious revelations made of terrible crimes, things
the country never in any degree anticipated, and
although it has been a great disgrace to the town, I
trust the fact of there having been these revelations
will be the means of improving the position of the
Unions, and will enable the Commissioners to pre-
sent such a report to the Legislature as will enable
it to provide laws and regulations to put the Unions
in a better position. At all events, not only the
crimes of murder of the character we have heard,
but also the other various crimes it has been our
duty to investigate, have now come to light, and I
believe, and my colleagues believe, great good will
come of this (however painful the inquiry has been)
to the town and the country generally. These are
the only observations we think it right we should
make. As to the result of the evidence, as I said
before, we abstain from saying anything, because in
the first instance it is our duty to communicate with
the Commissioners.

At the conclusion of the learned Chief Commis-
sioner's observations there was considerable applause
from the spectators, which was not checked.
Mr. Chambers—These proceedings having now
been concluded, if you will allow me, sir, I wish
to offer my thanks for the courtesy I have re-
ceived at the hands of yourself and of your
learned colleagues. I may express my sorrow

that the gentleman for whom I appear (Mr.
Fretson) was prevented by a serious affliction of
Providence from conducting the labours I have en-
deavoured to fulfil. I am also requested on the
part of those gentlemen for whom I appear to tender
their thanks for the very successful and impartial
manner in which you and your colleagues have con-
ducted this inquiry. Ido not intend to make any
observations except to express a hope that your re-
port will be followed by a useful act of legislation
that will confer great benefits on this town and on
the country. I may venture to express the opinion
that upon no body of men will greater benefits be
conferred than on the working classes themselves.
Mr. Sugg.—On behalf of the Defence Committee,
I can only cordially endorse all that has been said
by Mr. Chambers. I quite believe with him that
this will be the means of purging the town of Shef-
field and the neighbourhood from a great many hor-
rible crimes. I also hope it will reform in a great
degree the Trades' Unions, that they will be put
from the date of this inquiry upon a sounder basis
than ever, and that it will make them what they
ought to be—unions for their benefit, and that alone.
There are other matters connected with the trades
which we shall be glad to have the opportunity of
speaking upon, and I hope you will mention in your
report that some of the Trades' Unionists of Sheffield
wish to have the opportunity of explaining their ob-
jects more than they have been able to do here.
Mr. Overend—Our duties were to inquire into
the outrages connected with the Trades' Unions.
We have gone also into certain facts we could hardly
avoid, but the condition of Trades' Unions generally
is for the Commission in London. We have con-
fined ourselves to the to the part allotted to us.
Mr. Sugg—l will only add in conclusion that my
clients, the Trades' Unions, have not the least re-
gret that they assisted in applying for the granting
of this Commission.
Mr. Overend—l now hereby close the inquiry.

The proceedings terminated at half-past 3 o'clock

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

The large amount of unemployed capital depo.
sited in all the banks in Europe prevents any down
ward movement in Stock Exchange securities ; the
bullion in the Bank of France has reached:the
large sum of £34,800,000, and the Porte-feuille
has fallen from £19,280,000 to £19,040,000. This
decrease has taken place principally in the country
branches of the establishment. Business has been
rather flat of late, but a return of greater acti-
vity is expected, as there exists no apparent reason
for a fall in prices. Money is cheap and abun-
dant, and political questions are less threatening.
The speech of Lord Stanley is still looked upon as
a guarantee of peace, and the publication of the
papers referring to the London Conferences, which
were only laid on the table, in France, last week,
are now looked upon more as events of the past
than presenting any new feature. Those docu-
ments have no kind of influence on men of busi-
ness, as it is expected that the discussion that will
take place in the chambers on that subject will not
cause any awkward incident.
The news from Italy is still full of uncertainty.
The Budget is discussed in a spirit which shows
that there remains no kind of Conservative prin-
ciple in that country. The committee is still of
opinion that there is no other mode of raising the
£24,000,000 but by the spoliation of the Church,
and that the best plan is to leave the Government
free to carry out in the best way they are able that
measure. So it remains to be seen if Parliament
will allow their privilege to be broken without any
opposition. In Rome all is quiet. About 400
bishops are now surrounding the successor of St.
Peter, to celebrate the eighteen hundredth anni-
versary. It is from that quarter alone that the
moral power of the world can hope to receive
any help. Other negotiations have taken place
between the Courts of Rome and of Florence to
try to come to some better understanding ; but
nothing has taken place beyond a few visits be-
tween Cardinal Antonelli and General Durando.
In Spain the principal preoccupation is the pro-
posed law for the settlement and conversion of
outstanding debts. Several modifications have been
proposed by the committee; and it is said that they
intend to increase the pecuniary aid to railway
companies. Although the discussion of the budget
is over, M. Bazzanallana has not as yet made
known the measures by which he intends to carry
out his financial plans. In Prussia the return of
the King to Berlin has been followed by another
political success. After a protracted discussion,
Bavaria has given in and agreed to the new cus-
tom laws. The Emperor of Austria has returned
to Vienna after receiving every mark of sincere
friendship and devotedness from his subjects in
Hungary, and he has given orders to suspend the
works of fortification at Vienna. The Sultan is
now in Paris. Before leaving Constantinople he
promulgated the law to enable foreigners to pur-
chase freehold property in Turkey. It is said that
his visit to Paris will cost half a million sterling.
There is a report that the Viceroy of Egypt has
been unsuccessful in obtaining a loan in Paris.
In France Parliament has sanctioned the proposed
arrangement between the Victor-Emmanuel Rail-
way Company and the Italian Government to be
carried out, so as to place that line, which unites
the French lines with the tunnel under Mont
Cenis, in the hands of the Paris and Lyons Railway
Company. However, the measure is only to be
carried out provided the shareholders give their
consent, and a general meeting will be called for
the purpose.• Although the report of the com-
mittee on the budget does not speak of any loan,
it is possible that a loan will become necessary,
as the floating debt is now 887 millions of francs,
or £35,480,000, against £35,680,000 on the Ist of
June, 1866. Government cannot safely increase
this debt, and they will be compelled to bring
out a loan if more money is required. Already
the committee, in their report to the Chambers
speak of extraordinary and supplementary credits
amounting to 158,592,719 fr., or £6,353,708, for the
Ministers of War and Marine. Of this sum,
£3,520,000 are for the pay and maintenance of the
army, and £1,280,000 for the Artillery and Engi-
neers. The Marine takes £1,291,474, and nothing
is said about the conversion of arms into needle-
guns, which, no doubt, will require a further cre-
dit. It is expected that a loan will be brought
out in France in November next ; but the com-
mittee, in their report, give no explanation as to
the ways and means, so there is no clue to show
what will be the probable amount of the loan.
The Anglo-Egyptian Banking Company held
their half-yearly meeting on Friday, the 28th of
June. The chairman explained that in November
last year the losses were £205,000 ; that on the
11th of March, which is the date of the recon-
struction of the company, the profits were £llO,OOO,
and the net profits ascertained since that time up
to this date have been £45,000 more, so that in
less than ten months£lss,ooo have been recovered,
with every prospect that the entire loss will be
made up by the 31st of December next. The
bank has adopted the prudent measure of restoring
the entire capital before paying any dividend, and
although the profits next year will not, it is ex-
pected, be so large as this, there is every prospect
that the bank will be able
t
par. whenTt
There
ep raircee
4150 f sthheareslhioalrdeoes
rpwsaiylalnaci fairo
only
dividend,
twenty-
four
go up again to
p
have not paid up their 'calls. The gross
amount unpaid is £15,475, which is charged 10
per cent.
AwiCiilelhili,atnlBl3,o;ohialasvbeeebneeitsissuielic)l subscribed
.tedl,ll.lol9c,7hoiio
of i,
7 per cent. at 92, in nine instalments, extending to'
the Ist of April, 1868, to be redeemed by half-
yearly drawings, at par, in about twenty-one years,
to commence in October next. Allotees will have
the option of paying up in full, on allotment, at
89.5. There is nothing in the prospectus to show
upon what guarantee this loan is raised, nor what
may be the resources of the country ; and no kind
of compensation is offered to the holders of the 44
per cent. which was subscribed at 92, with a sink-
ing fund of only 1 per cent. to be employed by
purchases in the open market ; also, the stock is
unsaleable.
There are rumours of a new railway loan for the
Russian Government. The object is to purchase

the present line from St. Petersburg to Moscow,
with a view to advance the development of rail-
way enterprise throughout the dominions of the
Czar. It is rumoured that the sum required is
£16,000,000.
A drawing has taken place of 275,950 Bonds of
the Peruvian Five per Cent. Loan of 1865, to be
paid off at par.
Nerbudda shares are now quoted discount to
premium. With regard to the establishment of
the through railway route from Bombay to Cal-
cutta, the Bombay Gazette states there is very little
doubt that it may be obtained by the beginning
of the next year, with the exception of the break
at the bridge over the Towa (a tributary of the
Nerbudda), if the Government would urge the con-
tractors not to mind waiting for the bridge, and
would sanction the running of trains from Calcutta
to Bombay, to either side of the river. The respon-
sibility, however, of coming to such a decision rests
with the Government of India, not with the Go-
vernment of Bombay.
English railway shares have beenvery flat of late.
All suffer from the want of confidence brought
about by the fiction of past accounts. In future,
each line will have to stand upon its own merits,
as directors will no longer be allowed to carry to
capital account what ought to be placed against
revenue account. No permanent rise will take
place in railway property until the next half-yearly
accounts are published, as the public will only then
be able to judge of the intrinsic value of each
company.

Foreign stocks have generally been dealt in at
lower values, each new loan brought out depreciates
former loans, and when it is considered that almost
every kingdom in Europe is in want of money, it
i$ not surprising that foreign stocks remain so low,
although discounts are at 21 per cent.—Westmin-
ster Gazette.

LOUIS VEUILLOT'S LETTERS ON ROME.

In Paris are sometimes to be seen, wearing a
costume half Parisian, peasant girls who pretend
to be Neapolitans or Romans, but who do not put
one at all in mind of the Madonnas of Raphael.
They have now and then a remnant of picturesque-
ness about them ; God grant that they have a
remnant of virtue in their hearts, but chi lo Sc?
Such as they are, shod in boots trodden down at
heel, and wrapped in a plaid cloak, living by
mendicity, or still more wretched labour—slaves,
into the bargain, of a master who trades on their
vices and makes a harvest of their misery —these
poor exiles afford us a true picture of the Italy of
Victor Emmanuel. The male of this species is
espec
especially
At
hcotnsepsictuatoiuesnof st
in thpeineeigjah,blouerahmoe Flo-
rence.aeodorfessaremarkable type of this kind.
He was a fellow of about thirty years of age,
magnificent in stature, face, and beard, with dark
eyes—an Antinoiis in moustachios and light-
coloured waistcoat--and yet his whole person,
even to his elegant and fashionable dress, bore a
ridiculous appearance. This pretentious simpleton
amused himself by walking beside a long file of
carriages filled with priests, muttering grotesque
invocations, full of insults to the names of Jesus
and Mary, and making game of the faith of the
travellers. Beside him was a poor devil of an
official, who smiled with forced complacency. A
significant look, and a word still more significant,
made him understand that he was observed ; on
which he hung down his head and was silent; but,
as soon the train was in motion, he looked up
again, stroking superbly his superb moustache,
with the air which General Fracassini might have
put on had he witnessed the Austrians in flight.
The journey across Italy is poisoned by the fre-
quency of such apparitions. Priests who have been
insulted, have been insulted, not by the people,
but by such gentry as these, who hold offices of
all kinds, which have been created for them here as
elsewhere. They end by drawing down upon them-
selves some severe rebukes, which they richly de-
serve, and then they become very cautious. For,
even in their war against the priests, which is
their chief glory, the heroes of new Italy keep a
careful look-out to save their rear. So spadone a
due (jambe always forms a part of their equipment,
and skeddadling is their principal mana,-suvrre
(la pourilre d'escampette est la principal° de leurs
munitions).
Neither the grossness nor the swaggering imper
tinence of the Italianissimi have as yet debased the
ancient, noble physiognomy of the Roman people.
Italian courtesy has taken refuge in Rome. No
trait of irreverence is to be seen ; the walls make
no obscene grimaces, and utter no shouts of death.
The whole city wears a look of cordial good bu-
masotbire,eystrangely
ypllvebaes
raen t e
ltsoe , s enee.itbTerhe
bcloaasephhmemene:
nor strike, nor make a row, nor refuse to drive,
and generally ask no more than their due. I have
very many other peculiarities to note, but this is
enter Rome. It
enio,:rigehgroesfssmurpre
ustiss fora
needs,
hedway.
ev et.,
is there already. I have just come across it ; it cost
me a baiocco. In the Piazzetta di San Carlo al
Corso, a little table before the door of a cafe,
pla
ced
in the
lryollt,et air
Nbvor
breakfast.
delicious
the
.0
sfA s r
eseld
hivapfiege, enticed
of
cafe
,cdarfoep dropping
me ie
gnrpa
ierta,rrla-s
of honey—two of those figs which the Emperor
Augustus loved so much—a large glass of spark-
ling water—the animated spectacle in the street
—the sight of a neighbouring balcony hung with
brilliant cloths, now silent, but which spoke to
me, for I have seen there life and death—how
much do you think all this cost me ? I paid five
sous, and that was too dear. It was a baiocco too
much—the baiocco of progress.
But to speak seriously. You cannot imagine the
abundance of life which flows at this moment
through Rome. The splashing and leaping foun-
tains which make glad the city are but a faint
image of this torrent. At Paris you have move-
ment ; it is not wanting here. You may regale
yourself with the noise of carriages —like the
waters in the gardens of Conde, they are never
quiet, day or night—but here, of three of those
carriages which drive by with such noise, you may
reckon that one at -least, and often two or three,
carry ideas. This is what Paris does not offer in the
same measure. All the visitors at Paris are there
out of curiosity or for worldly matters; all the
visitors at Rome are there for the sake of its gran-
deur, its beauty, its holiness—on account of spiri-
tual things, matters of eternity.
One may well be intoxicated with the wonders of
the Universal Exhibition. I will not deny their
beauty ; but it is one thing to visit the Chinese
department, or even the gallery of the history
of industry, and quite another thing to visit the
Vatican, the Colosseum, the Mamertine prisons,
the Appian Way. The imposing presence of Kings,
surrounded by their generals, does not inspire
thoughts of so high an order as the sight of Pius
IX. surrounded by his bishops, all impressed with
a comciousness of the Divine Presence. And,
again, it is quite another thing to speculate on the
secret views of the masters of human policy, and
on the effect of the last conferences of London,
than to estimate the effect of that divine policy
which convokes an (Ecumenical Council to reinstate
the disquieted reason of mankind. The council
is the subject of general conversation. It puts
completely aside a quantity of minor questions
and of miscellaneous topics which engage atten-
tion at other times. Anecdotes and reminiscences
are forsaken, to enter upon universal history.
At this very moment is being written one of the
grand and noble pages of the world's annals. The
most important event which the nineteenth century
will bequeath to the future is this council. De
lionald said that the Revolution, which began by
the proclamation of the Rights of Man, would end
bbyetherash,
proclamation of the Rights of God. It would
Revolutionisalmostdrawtiongmnadeanresist,a to
nassebrtut tthhaet
day
when the council shall be fixed we may say the
counter revolution has begun, and liberty ought
to rejoice thereover, for the Revolution is the great
negatione e
oflib
erty.
A eenAempya,
tthhewvilel
rYat last b
opened for
for us to come
out
and
aolfl
janarchy d
hmerint
ehaotu tm
ifalling
now un
eda
se rt tdyorwannnbyy;
their fatal isolation, will know the ground where
they may and ought to unite. It was an idea en-

tertained by Rossi in the last years of his life. One
day, on the eve of 1848, talking with an eminent
priest of Rome, he was induced to recount to his
friend all the struggles and misgivings of modern
thought which he had experienced. At the end of
this kind of confession, he added :—" I can say
that I have seen all things except a General
Council ; and Ido not despair of seeing one yet."
He would, indeed, have seen one had it not been
for the dagger of the Revolution. But the dagger
of the Revolution is powerless against the designs
of God. The eminent man who listened to Rossi
was very much struck at what he said. It was
twenty years ago, and it was not then generally
thought that the world would so soon be ripe for
a council. Rossi was no ordinary man. He had
known something of the Church, and he had for-
gotten it, but he learnt to know it again, and to
know none better. One of the offices often Divinely
imposed on the devil is to teach the catechism ;
and he does his work well. Instructed by the
reviving light of faith, Rossi perceived that the
Church alone was capable of pronouncing the fat
lux which should extricate the world from the
chaos into which it had fallen.
The moment is come. Amidst all its marvels,
human skill has not been able to produce a light-
house capable of guiding the mind of man. In
the face of this want Pius IX. speaks, and the
mighty word, the fiat lux, passes his lips, and we
may almost see the light rising above the dark
horizon. To my mind, many men who may have
desired to have lived at another epoch, ought now
to rejoice at living in this ; for it will be one of the
famous turning points of history ; it will witness,
at the very least, the laying of the first stone of
the reconstruction of society. There is here, I will
not say a hope, but a kind of unanimous convic•
tion, that Pius IX. will open, preside over, and
sanction the council whose name, now about to be
inscribed, will last as long as the world lasts,
beside, or perhaps above, the great names of Nice
and of Trent. Once again, in this memorable Pon-
tificate, the astonished world will see events
arrested, or their tumult calmed, so that the Vicar
of Jesus Christ is enabled to do that which
he wishes to do to the glory of God and for the
welfare of the immortal Church of Christ.
Europe has now some reason to count on about
two years of peace, because it is necessary that
the council should be held whenever Pius IX.
shall assign the day. We invite Free-thinkers who
still venture to think to consider this : From the
windows of the Vatican Pius IX. can see the
tents of the Piedmontese—the tents of barbarism
—pitched upon his usurped territories. He is,
without arms and without frontiers, protected
against the powerful enemy who wishes to take
from him Rome itself ; he hears the cries which
welcome the impending fall of the edifice of
Christianity ; he may ask himself, as every one else
does, by what miracle it is that he has not yet
succumbed ; and it is at such a moment that the
bowels o f the earth are moved at the voice of the
Pontiff to beget anew the civilization of the Cross.
It was said that St. Peter's should be demolished ;
and we find the vast Basilica is become too small
for the crowd of the faithful. Its dimensions
ought rather to be enlarged to admit the world
to assemble around this immutable and immortal
tomb.

I am so filled with admiration at the fine things
which the newspapers are relating about me, as
not to be able to resist a feeling of vain-glory.
According to the Memorial Diplomatique, the Im-
perial Government condescends to be uneasy at
the systematic opposition with which I persecute
it, and makes complaints on this head to the Ponti-
fical Government, which, no doubt, will let me
know that lam :doing wrong. In such an anxious
moment as this, in the midst of the Universal
Exhibition and of the centenary of St. Peter, I am
troubling, it appears, the Pope and the Emperor,
who are awaiting the arrival of the Grand Turk
and the Convocation of the Council. What a
wonderful position for an insignificant journalist of
8,000 subscribers to be in ? My fellow-labourer in
the press, M. Auguste Vitu and his abbe's, perhaps,
less innocently prepare for me another crown.
They cannot imagine that I have left my grand
office in Paris decked with names of 8,000 sub-
scribers, within an easy drive of the Exhibition, in
the sole view of kissing the foot of the statue of St.
Peter, and of reciting a Miserere and an Ave Maria
before the CrosS of the Colosseum. They ascribed
to me a vaster and a really grandiose design. I
wanted, it seems, to prevent the Pope from coming
to the Universal Exhibition, and to dissuade him
from convoking the Council. This is by far too
much ; these gentlemen are really too good to me.
I should have thought that they would not have
imputed plans of such importance but to men such
as M. Ravin and M. Girardin, entitled to have
implicit confidence in themselves.
It costs me not a little to dissipate illusions which
our profession, somewhat in ill-repute, might stand
in need of, at a time when M. Vitu himself is
compelled, in order to get himself read, to make
use of and champfleurism. I should be only
too happy
hgossip
a pgpo
ytpo raise the credit of these poor jour-
nalists, by exhibiting to all the world a journalist
so well up in the affairs of the day. By such means,
people will learn to appreciate better these ques-
tionable personages. This would explain, in a
' general way, why photographers invest them with
such proud airs, and exhibit them always with as
many orders on their breast as Abd-el-Kader or
Alexander Dumas. Unfortunately, the truth must
be told, and the truth is, that all these tales are
wrongly laid on my shoulder.
lam at Rome, it is true. I am all right here—
nothing more certain ; I have not come here for
nothing—so much I also confess. But what ought
alsotobe
padedresdonias,gethan myself, not only in my
that nobody here is a more in-
significantown eyes, but in the eyes of others. I live in a
small room at the far end of a back staircase, which
is not trodden by the feet of earthly potentates. I
hold no council there as to what direction ought to
be given to the affairs of the world. I go out to
I visit influential friends, and to learn their opinions :
but to tell them what I think myself I wait till they
condescend to ask my opinion. I have not yet seen
the Holy Father, and I do not know whether I shall
have that pleasure, on account of the multitude of
persons more important than I who have solicited
an audience before I did, and who have more to
say than I have ; and as the churches, moreover, are
not shut to me, and as the bronze foot in St. Peter's
is always within reach of my lips, and as, also, I am
atliberty to go down on my knees in the street be-
fore the Blessed Sacrament, and before the Pope
whenever they pass, so is the purpose of my journey
fully accomplished. Among the numerous reasons
on account of which I am a Catholic, and all of
which completely satisfy my reason, there is one
which is especially dear to me, and that is, that
the Catholic faith absolutely destroys in me any
desire of governing my Church, and, by way of
parenthesis, let me observe I cannot comprehend
why so enlightened
an intelligence as M. Guizot's
does not submit to such a reason. lam now making
my eighth pilgrimage to Rome, and please God it
shall not be my last.
I should not have visited Rome so many times
in spite of its incomparable beauty, nor should I
feel such a joy as that which irresistibly attracts
me hither had I to bring here advice and warnings.
It is proposed to Catholics to maintain and to de-
fend, even to the shedding of their very blood, the
belief in the infallibility of Peter. For my part,
I have long ago taken this vow, and 1 look upon it
as one of the baptismal vows. It cannot be renewed
explicitly, but I see no way of being a Catholic
without fulfilling it. But I am only at Rome to
hear ; to hear is to believe, to believe is to obey.
I am told journalism is essentially a calling which
consists in giving advice. I readily grant it, and
in truth I do not abstain from giving advice. I
profess even to give it in case others should not
give it. I should be the more inclined to be proud
of it since I know what it costs ; but it is not in
Rome that I find it necessary to give advice.
Though estimating
my profession, and the manner
in which I wish to practise it so high as to prefer it
to every other,
I
and to sacrifice much to it, yet I
flatter myself that I know its limits, and how to
observe them. I write a Catholic newspaper, not
as having a mission, but because
have permission.