multitude of beings formed, like ourselves, to the divine image, descended with us from one common parent, and redeemed by the blood of a common Redeemer—yet hitherto infinitely less favoured in every way than we, being, for the moat part, wild and ferocious savages, strangers to the arts of civilization, knowing no other laws than those of brutal instinct, of manners and habits the most revolting to reason, and preserving, it may almost litterally be said, nothing of human nature, but the figure!
It should not here be omitted, that, in the year 1824, attempts were made to introduce the association for the propagation of the faith into England. But it would appear that these attempts were without success. May it not, however, still be hoped, that English Catholics, so liberal in their charities at home, will yet be induced to give them a wider scope, and feel a holy emulation to concur by their prayers and alms in extending the inheritance of the Lord, in unfurling the standard of the cross to the idolatrous nations of the eastern and western hemispheres, and subjecting millions of their fellow-creatures, who are still sitting in darkness and the shades of death, to the salutary influence of the gospel of Jesus Christ?
2.—The missions of Asia in general and of China in particular.
The Parisian establishment of Foreign Missions already noticed maintains five missions in Asia: 1.—That of Su-tchuen in the empire of China; 2.—That of western Tong-king; 3.—That of Cochinchina; 4—That of Siam; 5.—That of Malabar on the coast of Coromandel. The first four are governed, like the Districts of Great Britain, by bishops in partibus, nominated by the Holy See vicars apostolic of these missions. In consequence of the remoteness of the Asiatic missions from the great centre of Catholic unity, and to remedy the inconvenience which would arise from any of them being deprived for a length of time of a bishop, each vicar apostolic has generally another bishop, as co-adjutor. The Malabar mission is also governed by a bishop in partibus, who, however, takes the simple title of Superior of the Mission. The five missions have, moreover, a procurator general, who is a priest and whose office is to conduct the
