THE AMERICAN MONTHLY RECORD.

EFFORTS TO PROPAGATE POPERY IN

THE UNITED STATES.

The following startling information is gleaned from various quarters.

In the city of New York there are now three Roman Catholic churches, including a cathedral; in Baltimore there are four, including a large and splendid and richly endowed cathedral; in Montreal, U. C. a very large cathedral has been recently erected, sufficiently capacious to hold 10,000 persons; and in Mobile there is a similar erection of recent date. I have heard of some new and great institution at St. Louis, but my information respecting it, is too vague and indefinite to be insisted on. As for new chapels, they are too numerous to be here recounted.

The increase of monastic establishments is also worthy of notice. Twenty years ago there was nothing of the kind dreamed of above the 32d degree of north latitude; now there are nunneries at Emittsburg, Georgetown, and Bairdstown; besides a Carmelite monastery at Port Tobacco. In the monastery of visitation at Georgetown, there are sixty

nuns.

The city of Baltimore is well known as containing much Catholic influence, but there are a few facts concerning it which are not perhaps so well known. The Catholics have the press completely under their control, so much so, that no editor will insert in his paper articles hostile to their sentiments, not even animadversions on their own publications, although offered to be paid for at the rate of advertisements, under the risk of losing his principal patronage. And when Blanco White's evidence against Catholicism was published in this country, the booksellers in that city (if not all, as I was told, at least a great many) were afraid to expose before their doors printed notices of it, such as they hang out of other works. I have understood that the majority of the Catholics in Baltimore are Jansenists although there are also some Jesuits. Baltimore is the seat of an archbishop.

Another evidence of increase is the multiplication of journals avowedly Catholic, when till lately they had not one at their command. In Charleston, S. C. there is the United States Catholic Miscellany; in Baltimore there is a monthly pamphlet in prospect, to be called the

Metropolitan; in Boston there is the Jesuit; and the Catholic Press, in Hartford, Conn. in the midst of a country settled by Puritans.

Another source of accession is emigration. Crowds of Catholic emigrants are continually pouring in from the other side of the Atlantic, and dispersing themselves through the country. These are, for the most part, Irish labourers, who in large numbers find employment on new roads and canals, and who have in many instances proved a very turbulent popu lation.

Many of the chapels of recent erection have been designed for the accommodation of these Irish emigrants, so that the multiplication of churches is not a sure criterion of increase by the first mentioned source. But besides the are arrivals of French, Irish there Spanish, Flemish, and other emigrants. These settle generally in the southern and western sections, which have climates resembling their own. Among these are the expatriated Spanish inhatants of Mexico. The Ex-Empress resides at Georgetown, D. C. where her daughters are pupils of the sisterhood. Among these also we must reckon the foreign priests, sent over in such numbers by the Pope. In New-Orleans there were very lately not above 100 members of a Protestant church. Mobile the Roman Catholics compose two-thirds of the inhabitants. The Romanists are moreover spreading widely over the Valley of the Mississippi, Missouri, and all those adjacent tracts. In Zanesville, Ohio, there is now a flourishing church, where some years ago there was but one Catholic.

In

In addition to the influx of foreigners and natural increment, there is a third source of increase, and one which is gaining such importance as cannot longer be overlooked; their astonishing success in proselyting.-This arises from two causes, their ardour to gain converts, and their means. I shall but mention the immense and secret revenues at Montreal, where the priests possess exclusively the right to the seignory of the whole island, and only allude to the undoubted funds at Catholic disposal through the country. The Pope of Rome has devoted his treasures with an unsparing hand to maintain his emissaries and secure a footing in the South. There is a college at Rome, de propaganda fide, éx

tantism, and I have been told by others of repeated cases of the kind. I forbear to comment at present on these plain and simple facts; I will let them speak for themselves, and I think they will make but one impression on the minds of Protestants.

pressly designed for missionary opera-
tions, from which it is likely a number
have been sent hither. The Pope has
been said to expend more money on this
purpose than all the Missionary Societies
in the United States.-These Catholic
missionaries are described as most insinu-
ating in their address, of great suavity
and politeness in their manners; and aslany says-
ready in disputation to yield many points
of objection, or to explain them away so
as to seem no objections.

But the grand and master means they have adopted is, getting the education of youth into their hands. They are establishing seminaries in many places, both for young women and young men. They have a college, St. Mary's, in Baltimore, another at Georgetown, and another at Mount St. Mary's, in Emittsburgh, where they have 120 students and 30 ecclesiastical students, chiefly American. There is another in Bairdstown, Ky., which has had upwards of 220 students, and in the female seminary upwards of 100, about the number in the girl's seminary at Georgetown. Industrious agents are scattered all along the valley, in Missouri, and those parts, with the object of establishing schools and seminaries. At these institutions, the_pupils are strictly debarred from all Protestant books, while they have free access to Catholic. At the college, in Bairdstown, they are constantly under the inspection of the tutors; they all sleep in one large common apartment, and are allowed to hold no private intercourse. There are two free schools in Baltimore under their management, and the results are manifest in the converts they obtain thence.

I will, in conclusion, merely relate two or three facts which have come under my own observation in regard to the effect of this last mentioned subtle plan. A daughter of a distinguished naval of ficer, a Protestant, educated at Georgetown, was induced to take on her the vows, and is now a nun. A gentleman told me of a young Protestant lady of Virginia, about fifteen years of age, whom he knew, who, eight weeks after being sent to George town, wrote to her father for permission to attend confession. I knew more than one young man who, after a residence at St. Mary's College, acquired and retained a strong partiality for Catholicism. Here the imposing service of the mass is regularly performed before them, so captivating to youthful fancy, while the behaviour of their instructors is conciliating and prepossessing; and all the arts of quiet, unostentatious persuasion are tried. Some of my acquaintances and even connexions have lately abjured ProtesN. S. NO. 64.

The United States Catholic Miscel

"The Rev. Mr. Reze, Vicar General of the Bishop of Cincinnati (Ohio,) in the United States of America, has departed to Havre, where he is to meet some priests who have devoted themselves to that mission. The Rev. Frederick Reze was born at Hildesheim, in Germany, and educated at the College of de Propaganda in Rome; previous to his being a candidate for orders, he was in the Hanoverian army in 1813 and 1814. He has been successful in France in procuring aid for the mission of Ohio, but he has in Vienna established a society to aid the progress of truth, and in Munich, the King of Bavaria has become a protector of a similar association."

From the above, says the Connecticut Observer, it appears, that a new supply of Roman Catholic priests is preparing to enter the valley of the Mississippi, and the Vicar General of the Bishop of Cincinnati, himself a pupil of the " College de Propaganda in Rome," has gone to consult with them previous to their entering on the mission

A writer in New York has addressed a letter to the Editor of the Christian Examiner, or Church of Ireland Magazine on the same subject, the greater part of which we transcribe, as we think our Episcopalian brethren are bound, by every solemn consideration, to listen to the appeal

Having announced a weekly Newspaper, to be called the Protestant, he proceeds:

"The cause of our commencing it is the astonishing increase of Popery of late, and their successful efforts among British Protestants in this great and increasing country, which, till very lately, knew nothing of Popery; they have, within a few years past, built five colleges and five nunneries, a thing never before known in this country; and, by the suppression of the Jesuits in Ireland, in this year, in France last year, and in Russia two or three years ago, large numbers of them are, of late, emigrating here, where they are preaching charity sermons, and calling on the Protestants of this country for money to build colleges, nunneries, orphan-houses, masshouses, and school-houses - they have entered the most vulnerable parts of this

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the Moravian, the Welch Baptist, the Dane, the French, and the Swiss, and the Dutch, and the Swede-all have their own country clergymen; but the poor British Protestants, seven hundred thousand, have none of their country clergymen who care for their souls! Will you be kind enough to call attention in Ireland and England to our spiritual wants?

"Is there no young David, in the apostolic and wealthy Church of England, who will come to New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Boston, and Charleston, and save our people from this Goliab of Rome, who threatens to swallow us up? Will you not, Sir, plead our cause?

"The Protestant Episcopal Church can do nothing for us; for their own people they cannot supply with the ordinances of our Church.

"I have written to Dr. Magee, Lord Bishop of Dublin, also to Dr. Jebb, Lord Bishop of Limerick, describing the spiritual wants of the British Protestants in this country; and showing, that no other country but England neglect the spiritual wants of their people; and, it is principally at the British Protestants, the Roman Missionaries are aiming to proselyte, and with success.'

MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE.

could not be infused into his suffragans; the consequence was, that the Presbyterian ministers and their flocks were exposed to considerable annoyance, and several of them compelled to leave the country, whilst others appealed to their Sovereign (Charles I.) against the treatnent to which they were exposed. In this state of affairs, the rebellion of O'Neill broke like a thunder storm over the heads of the Protestants of Ulster-thousands fell in battle, greater number by the hands of assassins or in general massacre, and many fled to England and Scotland for safety. The emnant that survived this awful visitation, earnestly petitioned the General Assembly of the Kirk of Scotland for ministers, and accordingly several of their former ministers and a number of military chaplains were sent over to officiate among the Scotch residents and soldiers in Ireland; and long experience having convinced them of the hopelessness of an union with the Episcopal Church, several ministers, military chaplains, and elders, met at Carrickfergus on the 18th of July, 1642, and organized a Presbytery. Several of the nobility and gentry declared their adherence to this Presbytery; but some of them were afterwards allured to the Episcopal communion by Ormond, during the time of the eventful struggle between Charles and his Parliament. At this crisis, the Irish Presbyterians remained firm in their allegiance: the Presbytery issued a declaration at a meeting held in Belfast on the 15th of February, 1648, entitled "A necessary representation of the present evils and imminent dangers to religion, laws, and liberty, arising from the late and present practices of the sectarian party in England, and their abettors." This attachment exposed them to many trials and persecutions, and the project of banishing the ministers, and the principal members of their congregations to the south of the kingdom, was only prevented by Cromwell's putting an end to the long Parliament, and declaring himself Protector. During the reign of Cromwell, the Irish Presbytery remained firm in their alle giance to royalty, publicly prayed for the king, and resisted every attempt to wring from them an acknowledgement of the usurper; and when they were threatened with deprivation of their government salaries, they expressed their readiness to suffer" any privation that God in his providence might see fit to visit them with." might naturally be supposed that this loyalty would have met with a suitable reward at the Restoration;, but they

were soon convinced that they had contributed to the restoration of a prince, of whose character gratitude was a small ingredient. The Presbyterians were exposed to all the harassing effects of the Act of Uniformity, the Test and Corporation Acts, and to the frowns and persecutions of a dominant, haughty, and jealous faction. The small pittance of royal bounty that had been granted to them was, upon frivolous pretences, withdrawn; and in this impoverished condition James II. found them on his accession to the throne; but these were only the beginnings of sorrows. James' zealous attachment to the Romish religion induced him to make efforts for its general establishment in the painful consequences of these measures, the Irish Presbyterians were melancholy participators; they were persecuted and prosecnted; death, banishment, and every misery that bigotry and cruelty could visit them with, was inflicted with unsparing rigour; and many were obliged to fly from persecution, and seek a refuge in foreign countries.

It is not to be wondered at, that whilst smarting under such trials, the Irish Presbyterians should joyfully hail the arrival of the Prince of Orange Upon his arriving at Bangor they flocked to his standard, and so well pleased was William with their loyalty, and attachment to his cause, that he issued an order, dated Hillsborough, 19th June, 1690, granting the ministers an annual bounty, which was afterwards confirmed by letters patent upon his establishment by Parliament on the British Throne. These allowances were continued during the reign of Queen Anne, and under the House of Hanover the Irish Presbyterians have largely enjoyed the blessings of civil and religious liberty, and have liberally shared the favours of royal munificence. In the reign of George I., the Schism Bill, which had long been a tool in the hands of intolerance, was repealed, and subscription to the doctrinal articles of the Epis copal Church, was, by the omission of a clause in the Toleration Act, not required from the Irish Presbyterians. Some further modifications of the Toleration Act were made in their favour in 1779, and in the 19th and 20th of George III., the Test Act with reference to the Irish Protestant Dissenters was repealed.

Several additions have been made to the government salaries of Presbyterian It ministers since the accession of the Guelphs. In the reign of George I. the sum of £800. was added to their fund; in 1784, £1,000. were added; -in 1792,