The annual receipt, we can only report what is paid for tuition and boarding, which with the products of our farm, enables us to support the Students and their Teachers.

There is no salary given to our Teachers, all of them being members of a religious society, the Society of Jesus and being satisfied with a moderate maintenance.

The annual expenditure comprises the boarding of all the inmates, he support of the teachers and the wages of the workmen employed or the service of the College and the cultivating of the farm.

MEM. In response to the letter dated March 20, 1865, permission was granted; but the provisions procured and brought by way of Red River, together with those for the Sacred Heart Convents of Grand Coteau and Natchitoches, were seized by the Confederate soldiery, and carried to Shreveport. They came to hand after the downfall of the Confederacy, greatly reduced in quantity and quality, and after great difficulties and expenses.

LETTERS BEARING UPON THE FOUNDATION OF THE SISTERS OF NOTRE DAME DE NAMUR IN AMERICA. TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS FOR THE AMERICAN CATHOLIC HISTORICAL SOCIETY BY THE SISTERS

of Notre DaME OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

In 1839, Bishop Purcell, of Cincinnati, arrived at Namur, motherhouse of the sisters of Notre Dame, while the former boarders were assembled or their annual retreat. Among the young ladies, who assisted at these holy exercises, was Mademoiselle la Baroness de Coppins, whom the worthy prelate desired to see, to give her news of her sister.

We had the honor of receiving, on this occasion, the first visit of this holy bishop, accompanied by Rev. F. Brossac, his former vicar general. His Lordship was very happy to be able to close the exercises of the retreat, and pronounced, on this occasion a discourse which produced the most deep impression.

His Lordship showed himself well satisfied with all that he had occasion to remark during his short sojourn at the motherhouse. He asked Mother Ignatius many questions relative to our institute, and found that our manner of life was precisely the most suitable to his designs for the good of his diocese. Before taking leave, he expressed the desire and the hope of seeing us, one day, in America.

The Divine Master who inspired Mother Ignatius with the ardent zeal for extending His glory in distant countries, wished to conduct Himself this holy enterprise; for, eighteen months later, Bishop Purcell solicited rom Mother Ignatius an establishment of her daughters in Cincinnati.

His Lordship charged Mr. Brossac to be his interpreter with our superior general; and this good priest wrote the following lines from Paris :

"REVEREND MOTHER :-Often times Divine Providence makes us wait for a long time before He manifests His designs, and this in order to try our fidelity and the sincerity of our desires. . . . It is now eighteen months since my very worthy friend, Bishop Purcell, visited your establishment, and at that time, this holy prelate formed, in the secrecy of his heart, the plan of establishing a house of your order in his immense diocese. He spoke to you, on the subject, and you did not seem to discourage his desires. Until now, circumstances did not permit him to make you a positive proposal on the subject. At present the obstacle is removed, and I come on the part and in the name of my worthy friend, to ask, if it will be possible for you to make a foundation of your order in his diocese of Cincinnati, and probably in his episcopal city. I shall not dwell on the good which a house of your order would be capable of procuring in a large city of 45,000 inhabitants, in which there is not a single house of education, even a respectable Protestant one. I shall not say anything of the merit which will accrue to those among your worthy daughters, who will be the first to lend themselves generously to this laudable undertaking, for it is in the Heart of Jesus, that sentiments worthy of such zeal can alone be found. I assure you, that the order, the simplicity and the piety that both I and Bishop Purcell had the occasion of admiring in all the houses of your institute, have inspired His Lordship with the sentiments which I now express."

On receiving the letter, Mother Ignatius, in the effusion of her gratitude, blessed the Author of all good. Nevertheless, she judged it prudent before accepting the proposition, to consult Father Varin, S. J., a devoted friend of our institute, then residing in Paris; he sent the following reply:

"REVEREND MOTHER-I believe Divine Providence makes use of everything to open the door of America to you, where I am persuaded you will procure the glory of God and the salvation of a great number of souls."

Mother Ignatius also consulted the bishop of Namur, before taking the final decision. His paternal benevolence in our regard urged him to take all the precautions possible regarding the spiritual and temporal well-being of the sisters, who were destined for the good and great undertaking. Consequently His Lordship begged the bishop of Cincinnati to make, himself, a formal demand for the Sisters of Notre Dame; begging him at the same time to give some particulars of the circumstances in which the new missionaries would be placed.

Bishop Purcell responded in the following terms:

"MONSEIGNEUR :-The solicitude that Your Lordship has testified in his paternal and enlightened letter of the 24th of April, to secure the happiness and perseverance of all Christian and religious virtues of

those whom your universal and fraternal charity will, in concert with the holy Mother Ignatius, choose for the foreign mission, adds much to the motives I have for thanking Divine Providence who has sent me the almost miraculous means of making the acquaintance of Your Lordship, and of appreciating the immense utility of the Srs. of N. Dame, for the instruction of youth. Behold, Mgr., a very long clause, but thus the heart works when it exerts itself to express profound sentiments of veneration, of anxiety and of religion. I thank you for this pledge of charity all apostolic and I call Heaven to witness that I will respond to it with His Divine Grace, without which I could do nothing. Thus, in order to conform myself to the instructions of Your Lordship, I make here a formal demand for the sisters. The number I cannot specify.

I shall need three different houses; one at Cincinnati, one at Fayetteville, where I will give them one hundred acres of land in perpetuity, and a third at Chillicothe, a beautiful city, well situated, in a healthy and pleasant country. I will lose my life rather than let the sisters suffer from want or any privation, spiritual and temporal, but such inconvenience is hardly possible in a country like ours. As to what concerns a school for poor children, which is the desire of my heart, there will be nothing easier. The Sisters of Charity have already an orphanage where fifty of these little unfortunates are cared for, the sisters having besides a gratuitous school of one hundred little girls. Three other parochial schools would be desirable for the poorer class, which is always the most interesting of our population of Cincinnati. The only embarrassment is to find in the city a suitable house and garden for the sisters. The lots are extremely dear in Cincinnati, and you are aware, Monseigneur, that it was poverty, which obliged me to undertake my voyage to Europe, two years ago. I will help the sisters as much as lies in my power, to make this acquisition, but I beg you to use all possible efforts to furnish the first expenses of the purchase.

This ground will increase in value from day to day, and they will hold the title themselves. I, myself, would borrow, if they could find in Belgium a creditor, who would have the charity for such a work, and as soon as God will give me the means I shall pay him, but I have been occupied until now in founding establishments for His glory, without any other resources than His Divine Providence which has never failed

me.

Oh Mary come to our aid, and take under your protection the house and its inmates, who have the honor of enrolling themselves under your standard and bearing your name. Bless all those who generously contribute to this establishment and for the love of Jesus and the salvation of those young souls remove all obstacles.

The clock calls me to the closing of our provincial council, where there is one archbishop and twelve bishops, among whom is Monseig

neur de Forbin Janson, bishop of Nancy in France. Never has there been seen in this country such a grand and imposing scene. I beg you to overlook the length and the faults of this letter. May I make a holy alliance with Your Lordship, as with your clergy and your diocese, the vicar general, the canons and all our Brs.

Your unworthy Brother,

J. B. PURCELL,

Bishop of Cincinnati."

After serious deliberations, required by an undertaking of such importance, and above all, after fervent prayers addressed to heaven, in order to know the Divine Will, Mother Ignatius understood that God called her daughters to devote themselves to the salvation of souls in these abandoned regions.

She undertook without delay the task of choosing subjects proper for such a distant and important mission. Eight sisters had the advantage of composing this new colony; the good mother gave them the name of "The Privileged and Happy Ones."

How much Mother Ignatius desired to conduct them, herself, to America and share in their labors! Obedience, however would not permit it, but, she tried to satisfy her maternal tenderness by presiding, herself, over the preparations for this long journey.

The moment of departure was finally decided on. The evening of September third, our eight missionaries left Namur for Antwerp, where they awaited the vessel which was to convey them to their distant home. Although it was the time of the great retreat, a time when the presence of the reverend mother is always indispensable, yet she could not resist the desire of accompanying them at least as far as the shore. She wished to visit, in person, the vessel which was to carry them across the ocean, and she would have remained with them until the final moment of departure, had it not been for the closing of the retreat, which required her presence at the motherhouse.

The separation was keenly felt on both sides and the adieux were spoken midst tears of the most lively sorrow; nevertheless, courage was not wanting as those devoted hearts were happy to offer to the Lord this great sacrifice.

A French priest, F. Rappe, charged himself with the care of the sisters, during that long and painful voyage. Rev. F. Brossac also took the deepest interest in them and rendered an account to Mother Ignatius, how her dear daughters had begun their voyage. Behold, how he expresses himself in two letters of the 9th and the 10th of September:

"We have just left the shore, with the tide, our dear daughters (for they are also, in some manner mine, since they are those of the good bishop) have taken possession of their floating house, with calmness

and intrepidity of true missionaries. A few moments and we were all on our knees, in a little room, prostrate before the Crucifix and invoking, through the intercession of Her, who is truly called, 'Star of the Sea,' the protection of Him, who commands the winds and the waves. Our hearts were, I assure you, in accordance with our voices, in begging a blessing on our admirable missionaries. They did not leave the harbor until the next morning at the low tide. All has gone on admirably, and we have only to bless the Lord for the benedictions and graces that He has granted us. Mr. and Mrs. Boree have been admirable, to the end, displaying great generosity and an indefatigable complacency.

I have written to-day to Bishop Purcell, to apprise him of all, and I have given to F. Rappe, both for himself and the sisters letters which will be useful to them in New York. We have done all in our power to insure the happiness and well-being of those dear children, so we may remain tranquil and feel sure that Providence will supply whatever is wanting to them. . .

As the wind was calm, in the afternoon, about four o'clock, the pilot at last decided to weigh anchor, and the vessel is abandoned to wind and waves, but above all to Divine Providence, whose arm is not shortened on the broad sea. The bishop of Ghent was on the shore at the moment of the vessel's departure, and our dear daughters, having received his blessing, he remained but a few moments. After this, we were alone with our chaplain and our good Father French-we withdrew to a retired part of the deck, where we fell on our knees, and turning towards the Tower of Notre Dame, recited the Veni Creator and the Sub Tuum, then we sang with great feeling the verses of the Canticle; 'Je mets ma confiance. . In the few words which I addressed to the sisters, I chose for my text the last words of the hymn: 'I would offer my life to gain a soul to God,' and then I gave them my blessing. I have given it, come what may. I bade them a last adieu and I turned my face towards Antwerp, which was a league distant. I followed them with my eyes until the masts were but a speck on the horizon.

Yesterday evening I returned to the ship and presided at the general supper. I chose the places that I thought most convenient for the sisters and Rev. F. Rappe, leaving the others to arrange themselves as they pleased; it was late when I left. This morning at half past five I returned to those worthy children and we conversed, until the afternoon, on subjects from which we could derive spiritual advantage. These dear children had already commenced to work, some were sewing and knitting, others writing and drawing, others again studying, everyone of them calm and peaceful, showing neither enthusiasm nor discouragement. I envied that purity of conscience, that sublimity of sentiment and simplicity of manner so characteristic of those heroines of Faith. God will bless them do not doubt it, my dear mother, and these blessings will reflect upon you and your worthy counsellors. God