The daily morning journal and courier., 1894-11-07

intoned. The saorlstan bishop pro- nounces the consecrated formula, the expiring pontiff. if he have the strength to do SO gives his benediction to the assembly. and the dirge of the mortua- ry hymns continues until the end. In order to make official record of the death, the camerlengo takes up q small silver hammer. with which he strikes three light blows on the dead mans head. and calls on him by his Christian name.
 On the 7th of February. 1878. the dead Pope was Plus K. and. after dealing the three blows evtth the hammer. the camerlengo. Cardinal Pecci-the pres ent Pope-called, John! John! John" and then, turning to the assembly. ex- claimed, The Pope Is truly dead" All present then kneel, and the camerlengo recftes the De profundis. The master of the chambers then removes from the dead Pope's finger the "fsherman's ring" and hands 1t to the camerlengo- a ceremony that Is intended to be the outward sign of the temporary trans fer of the authority of the Holy See. At the first plenary meeting of the Sa- cred College this ring. the seals, and other insignia are broken up. All ena- blems connected with the late Pope are destroyed. The temporary sovereignty pc sses to the hands of the Sacred Col lege.
 Lucius Lector infers that as the pres ent Pope, then Camerlengo Pecci. as- sisted Pope Plus TX. in framing the rules and regulations of the last con- clave. he himself Is not likely to modify the rules which are to be observed by the conclave which is to elect his suc- cessor. One of the curious and not generally known fundamental rules of a papal election Is that the choice of the Sacred College Is not necessarily limi- ted to a cleric, and that any faithful Catholic. even though he be a layman, IS eligible. It is true that this rule is more honored in the breach than in the observance" as the last layman was elected in the year 1924, when Cres- centfus, being raised to- the pontificate, was immediately ordained and became John XIX. Several attempts have SS~As AAAeAeS " ACclllCk lHc CHUlCc Ol lhe cardinals to clerics, but they have inva. riably failed. Neither does there exist any law or regulation to render compul- sory the choice of an Italian. There. fore, the future conclave has the whole Catholic world to choose from. The only rules that are indispensable are the following: A twoJthirds majority and the presence of one half plus one of the cardinals living at the time Thus, supposlng the Sacred College tc be at It's full complement of seventy cardinals, the number in the conclave must not be less than thirty-six, and twenty-five votes would be necessary for the election of the Pope. H|may be mentioned that fifty cardinals were present at the conclave which elected Plus K, and there were sixty at thai which placed Leo XIII. in the papa chair.
 One of the reasons of the advances made of late by the French govern. ment to the clergy is said to be a de. sire ito increase the number of French cardinals. As things now stand France would be greatly outnumberet in the conclave by the representative. | of the Triple Alliance, whose aim 1t will necessarily be to elect a Pontiff of Gal lie proclivities. French diplomacy however. is even now very active. I leaves no effort untrfed to keep up, ant if possible widen, the breach between the Quirinal and the Vatican, and ever the deceptive mirage of the possibility of partial restoration of the tempora power is held out as contingency thai might possibly be realized if French prelate were raised to the chair of St Peter. It is only fair, however, to ths | Italian cardinals to say that their sense of patriotism renders 1t more thar doubtful that they will ever allow suci considerations to prevail.-Paris Cor respondence London Standard.