Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1847-12-23
From the N Y. Journal Of Commerce.



predecessor had pursued. He went through the
streets on foot, which the five preceding Dopes had
never DONE He preached, which no pope had done
before for three hundred years. He sought the soc-
ely OF men OF talents and information, and spent much
time with them, and with the officers Of the govern
ment, discussing projects Of reform. He gave audi
ence without the ordinary ceremonies, and appointed
days which the meanest subject could have free
access to his person. Nor these mere tricks to
gam popularity, but the fruit of honest desire TO
be acquainted with the of the people, that he
might relieve them. common soldier brought to
him loaf of miserable bread, and said 1t fair
sample of their ratOns. Plus took the loaf. and laid
1t on the plate Of the minister OF war; whom he had
invited to dinner; and the asonished fuDctionary
turned PALE charged him with the fault After that
he went through the barracks found 1000 loaves of
similar character, which he distributed to the poor
he degraded the minister imprisoned the bakers and
gave each soldier money to buy bread for himself in
order that he might be informed of all grievances, and
render the of complaints to himself easy
possible, he caused etter-box 10 be put up the
outside OF tie palace in which the people were nvi
ted to deposit letters for him. The key he kept. and
went himself for the letters. The night of his cleo
ton, he wrote to his two brothers, informing them of
his election, but requesting them not to Rome,
and not to expect any office. There other incl
dents of less importance, but yet showing the charac
ter of the man-such these: Immediately his
accession, he sold off part of the carriages, horses,
&C. of the establishment, and reduced the expense
and pomp of the Office He found that the table of
the palace was furnished with seven successive courses
dishes, and directed the royal cooks thereafter to
prepare only three, that the number to which
he had been accustomed &C., &c.
On the 10th of July, Just month after his ele-
vatiOn, appeared the first great public act of his ad
mlnlstatOn, in decree Of amnesty for political Of
fences which restored to liberty their country, their
homes and the rights of citizenship the victims of
fho ozfIm atodp nuoho of
Many of them in great poverty, and subscrip-
ton started in Rome for their relief. Marln GO
vernon of the city, represented to the pope that dan
gerous political motive had prompted the movement,
the pope called for the subscription paper, put down
his own name for 100, and Marns for 10 scudi, and
ordered be handed around amongst the nobility.
Renzi, the leader of insurrecton at Rimn the pre-
vious year, called him return thanks for the
storaton of his liberty, and received n
ther than rebel, and during long and afectOnate
conversation Plus took from his desk copy of Rem
zs revolutionary proclamation, and said that although
parts OF 1t wrong, contained many useful sug
gestons Of which he should avail himself Gaetti,
another rebel leader, who had been In prison three
years. presented him memoir on the reforms which
were needed In the law of mortgages, and received in
return medal of honor. This conduct showed that
he sympathzed with the motives and actions of the
political offenders, well with their sufferings
He in fact put himself at the head of the reform party
very changes which few months before it was trea-
son to think of. my people, said he, laying his
hand on the New Testament, 'may expect justice and
mercy from me, for my only guide is this book"
He sent out circulars TO the governors of the pro-
vnces requiring them TO investigate and report upon
the temporal and religious condition of the people,
and the methods of improving them, and especially
with regard to the diffusion of education, and the es-
adjustment of a military school for poor boys at
thp he tod hoar
of education which had been first established by Leo
X, but called together since his time. He ap-
pointed number of committees, partly of ecclesias-
tics and partly of learned laymen each charged with
the investigation of some subject which concerned
the public welfare and the drawing up of plans for
melorating the condition of the people, Among these
subjects were the foowng-Reform of the munich
pal organizations of the criminal and civil
CODE the commission which have already reported
In favor of trial by jury-Suppresson of vagrancy-
Improvement Of forests and rivers-Construction of
railroads-The condition of the Jews in Rome-The
tariff on mpOrts-The duties upon salt and other ar
ticles of home production The sanatory condition
of towns, and the erection of gas works He propos-
ed also to his council the abolition Of capital punish
ments, and the secuarzing of the state Offices which
had long been monopolIzed by the clergy. The car
dinals who composed this council were some of them
shocked at the infable radlcalism of the Holy See
and one of them told him that If he did not alter his
q
sand why" was the answer, 'should not accede TO
their DESIRE if constitution is necessary to the well
fare of my subjects" Such an answer did not salts
fly the uneasy dgnitarles, and conspiracy form
ed; but It's authors were discovered the council abo-
lished, and appointed in its place composed of
simple prelates with single cardinal for president
and now that also has given way to body composed
partly of laymen. Formidable opposition was expe-
rienced from neighboring despoiic governments and
especially that of Austria which made eneroefic nro-
tests, gathered armies, fomented Instructions and
marched her troops into the Papal territory.
Amidst all these difficulties, added to those which are
lnseparable from such immense labor of reform as
Plus TX marked out for himself, it is not wonderful
that he has been obliged defer the execution Of some
projects till favorable season. and to even re-
cede slightly in or two points from positions al
ready TAKEN In these cases, however, he has shown
the sincerity of his intentions by making as far as
possible, real concessions to liberty and only formal
concessions to despotism Thus in regard to the GEN.
sorship of the press point which the remonstran-
ces Of Austria supposed to have been especially
urgent, the subjects of the Pope greatly dsap-
pointed by the language of the decree which he issued
mitigating but slightly the severity of previous laws
and equally gratiied by the character of the new cen
who had been selected from the ranks of litera
ry men of known liberality. The execution of the
law has been satisfactory, that the number of
papers IN Rome has increased under its influence
and that Of other publications doubled, so that tn,
whole number of periodicals is not far from 30
Be the intentions of the new Pope what they nav
he has managed both his private conduct and pub
lie acts as to gain the unbounded confidence of hi
people, and produce such good conduct order and qui
ct among them as to asonish even his best friends
The number of offences committed against person O
property in Rome, in June, 1916, was 500; in July
$40; in August, $50; in September, 200 and in DC
tOber 112.
- f,lI 70 let 81