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Like him who, breathing mercy to the last,
Prayed till the bitterness of death was past,
Ev'n for his murderers prayed, in that dark hour
When his soul yielded to affliction's power,
And the wind bore his dying cry abroad-
“Hast thou forsaken me, my God, my God?”
E'en thus the monarch stood; his prayer arose,
Thus calling down forgiveness on his foes;
"To thee my spirit I commend," he cried,
"And my lost people; Father, be their guide!"

But the sharp steel descends: the blow is given,
And answered by a thunder-peal from heaven;
Earth, stained with blood, convulsive terror owns,
And her kings tremble on their distant thrones.

From the Annals of the Propagation of the Faith.

SACRED GEOGRAPHY OF INDIA.

NDIA is, without doubt, one of the finest migrations gradually covered the whole sur

I which the finger of God has tra) face country, came from the north,

probably from the vallies of the ancient Bactriana, and gave themselves the name of Aryas, which means strong men. They spoke the Sanscrit, which is at present a dead language, but which is immortalized by the literary mon

ced out on the face of the globe. It occupies an immense space, from the sixty-fifth to the ninetieth degree of east longitude, and from the thirty-fifth to the eighth degree of north latitude. The Himalaya mountains, the Indus, the Ganges, and the ocean trace its outlines;uments it has left behind, and still more by its a tropical sun is prodigal of light and heat, whilst the snow-topped mountains, concealing within their bosoms the most valuable mines, present on their sides the vegetable riches of every clime. Rivers which periodically overflow their banks, water its plains covered with gigantic forests, which numberless tribes of animals inhabit, and the sea, which casts the pearl upon the shores, conveys also the tributary vessels of every nation.

wonderful affinity with the primitive languages of Europe. Four castes, which have since been subdivided indefinitely, formed, originally, the social organization of the country. The Brahmins, or priests; the warriors, who were called Kshatriyas; the Vaisyas, who were employed in trade and the labors of agricul ture; and the Soodras, who were destined to menial employments. Such as forfeited their social rights in consequence of some great

A hundred and twenty millions of men peo-crime, and perhaps the last remains of the conple this favored soil. Some tribes wandering through the woods, and many thousands of fishermen, dispersed along the southern shores, seem the remains of a population, which, masters of the country at an immemorial epoch, have lost their possessions and their independence. The principal race, whose successive

quered inhabitants, formed the impure castes ; the most abject and abhorred was that of the Parias. The warriors divided the conquered territory amongst them; numerous principalities were founded, the chiefs of which took the title of rajas; the two most powerful dynasties, the children of the sun and the moon,

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Moguls, driven on one side by the armies of China, and pressed on the other hand by the Ottoman power, crossed the mountains and overran the rich cities of Hindostan. There they founded an empire which for three hundred years was the wonder of Asia, and which, by its sanguinary proselytism, forced the Alcoran upon the conquered inhabitants. The former idolatry of the country was undermined by the Musselman faith: the cities of Agra, Lahore, and Delhi were embellished with inimitable monuments; academies were founded, and schools opened; but the doctrine of Mahomet brought with it the two scourges which have ever accompanied it,-polygamy and slavery.

fixed their residence in the cities of Ayodhia and Hastinapour, and during many centuries disputed with each other universal dominion. The religious belief of India is lost in the night of time, and the obscurity of mystery. There may be recognized some obscure traces of original sin and the promise of redemption, with the dogma of the Holy Trinity, disfigured under the names of Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva. At a later period, these three personifications of the Divinity were confounded in the chaos of an inextricable mythology; and at present the theological systems which once divided the colleges of the Brahmins are reduced to a proud pantheism, in which man deifies every thing, in order to make a god of himself, whilst the inferior castes are abandoned to a brutal fe- At length the hour marked in the designs of tichism, which prescribes the adoration of Providence arrived, and the Catholic faith was matter, and the sacrifice of human victims.carried with Vasa de Gama to those infidel Every year are the widows of Benares still countries. It is true that a venerable tradition seen to mount the funeral piles of their hus-represented the Apostle St. Thomas as the first bands; the chariot of the idol Juggernaut crushes to death the fanatical victims who throw themselves under its wheels; thousands of children are cast into the waters of the Ganges, and whole caravans of travellers perish under the sacerdotal knives of the Sicks. Who can tell the horrors perpetrated in the subterraneous temples of Ellore and Mahaba-Mar-Thomas had introduced the errors of Neslipouram?

preacher of the gospel in those regions; that flourishing congregations were early formed there, and that at the time of Justinian a bishop resided there, who fixed his see at Calliana, a city which is at present unknown; his priests had penetrated even as far as the shores of Ceylon,* but from the ninth century, the Syrian

torianism into those distant churches; those Sunk so low in ignominy, India could offer errors were removed in part only at the voice but little resistance to the conquest of a people of St. Francis Xavier; even at present a conmore modern, and of a religion less impure.siderable number of erring Christians are subWhen the Mahommedan scimitar had extended (ject to the authority of the Nestorian metroits conquests through Syria and Persia, as far politan of Malabar. The inhabitants of whole as the banks of the Indus, the opulence of the districts fell at the feet of the great apostle of country on the opposite side presented a strong the Indies; and such was the number of catetemptation to cupidity, and the tents of the chumens who presented themselves for bapfollowers of Mahomet were soon seen in those tism, that the arms of the priests fell down fertile regions. The merchants of Arabia took from fatigue. Many episcopal sees were erecpossession of the coasts of Malabar; and the ted by the care of the Sovereign Pontiff's; in 1547 and 1611, the archbishoprics of Goa and Cranganore, and in 1557 and 1606 the bishoprics of Cochin, Malacca, and San-Thomé-deMeliapour. After the example of the Society of Jesus, the other principal religious orders

*By caste is understood a civil, political, and religions classification, which necessarily renders hereditary, the profession in life to which each belongs; which forbids all alliance, all social intercourse, and sometimes even so much as the contact of individuals; which permits no community of worship, and destroys the fraternity of men before God, by denying the unity of origin; * See Csoma's Indico. See also the Dictionafor, according to the book of Indian laws, "Brah-rie des Sciences Ecclessiastiques, article Inde;' ma the Creator made from his mouth; the Brah- the narrative of the voyages of Anquetil Du Permin, from his arm; the Kshatriya, from his leg; ron, first volume of his translation of Zend Avesta, and the Vaisyas and the Soodra, from his feet."- and Paulin de St. Barthelemi, Viaggio all' India Laws of Manou, i. 31. Orientali.

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er seemed only the seed of a more abundant harvest.

lately the intrusion of some ecclesiastical authorities, illegally nominated, has added schism

founded missions on different points; from the frontiers of Thibet to Cape Cormorin there was nearly a million of Catholics, who howev-to the evils already existing. Under these circumstances, the Sovereign Pontiff felt himself bound to interfere; and, in the exercise of that But unexpected events did not suffer those plenitude of power vested in him by God, His hopes to be realized; the Portuguese influence Holiness, Pope Gregory XVI., by a bull dated in India was suddenly annihilated, and only a 24th of April, 1838, suppressed the archbishopfew cities were left to Portugal. Holland and ric of Cranganore, and the bishoprics of CoDenmark disputed the possession of a part of chin and St. Thomé-de-Meliapour, and subthe sea-coast, whilst the number of English jected their territories to the jurisdiction of factories changed into so many fortresses, and Vicars-apostolic, with the titles of bishops in the address of the English merchants, who had partibus infidelium. On the other hand, the become as powerful as kings, secured for Eng-Society of Jesus, the Capuchins, and the Seland the empire of India. Its possessions are minary of Foreign Missions, encouraged by divided into four presidencies; that of Calcut- { the increasing numbers of vocations, and the ta, which embraces Bengal; that of Allaha- (succours they receive from the Propagation of bad, which comprises Hindostan ; that of Bom-the Faith, are resuming their former conquests. bay, for the Malabar coast; and that of Madras, At Madura 150,000 faithful have listened to for the coast of Coromandel. The Island of the voice of the new pastors sent them by Ceylon forms a government apart. Under the Rome; and a larger number still have been protection of the British flag, the numberless united together in the churches of Malabar. sects of Protestants were introduced into the Ceylon counts 200,000 faithful in the northern country, and exercised a proselytism which and eastern vicariates. A new and more conexposed them to no difficulties or dangers; soling era seems to be opening to our view; and though their efforts to convert the pagans (let us hasten its approach by our offerings and have signally failed, they were sufficient to prayers. Prayer was once able to keep back disquiet the rising churches. The suppression the coming night, which threatened to save the of the Jesuits left without succour the vast vanquished enemy from the pursuit of Israel; missions which they had formed; the revolu- and will it not be still more efficacious in hastions of Europe, during the commencement of tening the approach of that day which will rethe present century, dried up the resources and store to us so many brethren, by diffusing the thinned the ranks of the religious orders; in light of truth throughout those nations which fine, the episcopal sees founded under the pro- are yet sunk in the darkness of error! tection of the Portuguese crown, could scarcely subsist in cities which had not half their population; their authority was weakened by the non residence of the titulars, and by the neglect of the government of Lisbon to appoint to a see, when it became vacant. The native priests gradually became undisciplined; and

After this short sketch of the religious destinies of India, we shall give a summary of its present condition, and shall make known the ecclesiastical divisions into which it is now distinguished.

I. The Archdiocess of Goa, created in 1557, comprises the territory of that city, Guzerat, and perhaps the Deccan and Nagpoor. San tion of the English Government. The four pre-Villa-Nova-de-Goa, where the population of * Ceylon_alone is under the direct administra- Pedro is the archiepiscopal residence; it is near sidencies belong to the East-India Company, and constitute its immediate possessions; the king- the ancient capital, now deserted, is concendoms of Nepaul, the Deccan, Mysore, the Mahrattas, &c. &c. are tributary to it. The French trated. This see has been vacant for some colonies in India are divided into five districts; years, but is provisionally filled by an adminPondicherry, Karikal, Yanaon, on the coast of Coromandel, Mahe, on the coast of Malabar, istrator named by the Portuguese government, Chandernagore, in Bengal. Goa, Villa-Nova-de-in opposition to the laws of the church; this Goa, Damaun, Diu, are the only remains of the Portuguese power. The Danes possess only the small island of Tranquebar.

last diocess is distracted by schisms.

The French settlements, which are subject

to the colonial administration, are placed under the jurisdiction of a prefect-apostolic, who resides at Pondicherry; the other four districts are entrusted to the priests of the Seminary of the Holy Ghost in Paris; there is, however, but one at Chandernagore. Karikal is under the spiritual government of the Society of Foreign Missions. The small congregation of Yanaon and Mahé is destitute of all religious

succour.

"2. The vicariate-apostolic of Bengal comprises the ancient missions which the Jesuits possessed in that country. At the period of their suppression they resigned their places to the Portuguese religious of the order of St. Augustin, subject to the jurisdiction of the Bishop of San Thomé-de-Meliapour; but, in 1834, His Holiness Pope Gregory XVI. created Bengal into a vicariate-apostolic, and named to this post the Rev. Father Robert St. Leger, an

II. The rest of India forms seven vicariates- Irish Jesuit; in 1838, he was provisionally reapostolic.

placed by Dr. Taberd, Vicar-apostolic of Cochin-China, forced by persecution to take refuge at Calcutta. This capital contains about ten thousand Catholics, and possesses three churches; there may be the same number at Dakka and in other parts of Bengal. The mission and college are attended to by six Jesuits, assisted by six Portuguese priests, who have submitted to the new jurisdiction, and three who have been educated at the Propaganda.

"3. It is not easy to determine with precision the circumscription of the vicariate-apostolic of Madras. The bull of 1838 assigns to it the ancient dependencies of the diocess of San Thomé-de-Meliapour, which had not been previously disposed of. It is supposed that it comprises the coast of Carnatic to the south, the cities of Gondeloor and Porto-novo to the north, the shore as far as Mazulipatam, or the mouth of the Kistna, as far as Bengal ; it would

"1. The Vicariate-apostolic of Thibet and Hindostan comprises the north of India, from Dear the tropic; Nepaul, and perhaps Bootan, which may be considered provinces of Thibet; a part of the country of the Mahrattas; that of the Rajpoots, the Seiks, the Afghans, as far as Persia, are also within its circumscription, but do not contain any Christians. In 1707, some Capuchin missionaries settled in Thibet, but in consequence of a persecution which was raised against them, were forced to retire in 1728, when they fixed themselves on the bank of the Ganges, where they have since remained. When the Society of Jesus was suppressed, the Italian Capuchins replaced them in Hindostan. A Vicar-apostolic of that order was sent there in 1803; since that period the mission seemed to have recovered its former prosperity. The functions of vicar-apostolic are at present fulfilled by Dr. Pezzoni, sixty-even seem that the interior of India, to the five years of age, who was consecrated at Rome north of that river, is to be added, as far as Bishop of Esbona in 1826; he resides at Agra, Nidzam and Nagpoor, for the Vicar of Madras and is assisted by a coadjutor, Dr. Joseph Bor- sends missionaries there. The ancient episcoghi, Bishop of Bethsaida, who was consecra-pal city of Meliapour, near Madras, and which ted at Constantinople in 1838; eight mission is thought to possess the tomb of St. Thomas, aries and a native priest are charged with the is included in the vicariate; the clergy is comspiritual interests of about six thousand Chris-posed of five missionaries and two native tians. Ten churches or chapels have been raised at the principal points, many of which are in a state of ruin; the city of Sardanah possesses a magnificent church, built by the pious Princess Begum Sumroo, by whom considerable sums have been also left for the founding of a seminary. Three capuchin fathers embarked last June for those countries, with the intention of preaching the gospel in the kingdom of Lahore, where General Allard, by his talents and services, has prepared the way for Christian civilization.

priests. Dr. O'Connor, who is about fifty-five years old, was named vicar-apostolic in 1833; he belonged to the Augustinian order in Ireland, and is assisted by Dr. Carew, Bishop of Philadelphia, in partibus, who sailed from Europe in 1838, taking with him six additional Irish missionaries. Madras is the episcopal residence: there are three churches in the city, and four others in the suburbs and vicinity; the number of Catholics in the vicariate may amount to twenty thousand.

"4. The vicariate-apostolic of Bombay ex

tends along the coast from Surat, in the north, to Rajpoor in the south. The priests here are numerous, the most of them Italian Carmelites, with a few natives; the vicar-apostolic and his coadjutor, belong to the same order; the former is Dr. Pedro d'Alcantara, consecrated in 1798, seventy-eight years old; the latter, Dr. Louis. The Christian population, though not exactly known, must be considerable.

part of the vicariate of Pondicherry, to the south of the river Cavery, with the exception of Tanjore and its province, and the port of Negapatim, is entrusted to the administration of the Jesuits, who, however, are subject to the jurisdiction of the bishop, and receive their spiritual faculties from him. This part, which comprises Madura and Marava, is diIvided into three districts; that of Trichinopoly to the north, that of Madura in the centre, and that of Tinnevelly. Six Jesuits, assisted by some native priests, are charged with a christian population of 150,000 souls. This is the classic soil of their ancient triumphs and the conquests of St. Francis Xavier. The territory, which has remained under the exclusive administration of the Society of Foreign Missions, is divided into twelve districts, including Tanjore: twenty-two missionaries and three native priests are charged with the spiritual

"5. The vicariate-apostolic of Verapolis is formed of the arch-diocess of Cranganore and the diocess of Cochin; it comprises Malabar and Travancore; that is to say, the whole coast from Cape Cormorin to within a short distance of Goa; the chain of the Ghauts forms its limits towards the interior. The prelate charged with the administration of the district is Dr. Francis Xavier, of St. Anne, Bishop of Amata, and seventy years old; this prelate, who is an Italian of the order of discalced Carmelites, is one of the oldest mis-instruction of 80,000 christians; Dr. Bonard is sionaries in India: Dr. Louis, of St. Theresa, has been just appointed his coadjutor. Five missionaries, and a considerable number of native priests, who follow the Chaldean rite, exercise the ministry. There are seventyeight churches or chapels, and near two hun-shone. dred thousand christians.

vicar-apostolic; he is forty-five years old, and was consecrated in 1833; his residence is Pondicherry. The Holy See has authorized him to send missionaries to the Maldive Islands, where the light of faith has not yet

"7. The Vicariate-apostolic of Ceylon was "6. The vicariate-apostolic of Pondicherry erected in 1836. This island, the entire popuwas erected in 1777, in favor of the Societylation of which amounts to 850,000 souls, conof Foreign Missions, who for a long time had tains no less than 200,000 christians; a numersupported many priests there. The bull of ous clergy is in possession of 256 churches. 1838, by enlarging its jurisdiction, has added › The Vicar-apostolic, Dr. Rosario, was conseto it the South of India, from Cape Cormorin crated in December 1838; he is a Portuguese, to the Kistna, with the exception of those of the congregation of the oratory of St. Philip parts of the coast reserved to Madras; all that of Neri."

From the Penny Magazine.

FATA MORGANA IN THE BAY OF REGGIO.

Rbria, most beautifully sitoute i on the emot ansicion tre to wx, which is backed by EGGIO is a considerable town in Cala- { lemon and citron trees extend for several miles Faro, or Strait, of Messina, which separates a grand range of mountains, whence descend Italy from the island of Sicily, and has at that numerous rivulets that refresh and fertilize the point the appearance of a majestic river. The soil. The Sicilian shores, with the fair city of neighborhood is rich in choice and most varied Messina and numerous white villages, and productions; continuous groves of orange, mountains of the most picturesque forms in the

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