In 1791 the following students volunteered for the Ameri can Mission in Louisiana, then in the possession of Spain :Patrick Mangan, George Murphy, James Coleman, Charles Burke, Patrick Walshe, and Frank Lenihan. A few years after another batch volunteered, among whom was the future bishop of Ossory, Kieran Marum.

In 1807 Dr. Curtis asked to be relieved of the charge of the house, and desired the king to sanction the appointment made by the archbishops in favour of Dr. Patrick Mangan as his successor, then a missionary in Mexico; but this arrangement could not then be carried out on account of the outbreak of the War of Independence before the negotiations were concluded.

During this war the students acted as interpreters to the English army, and in that capacity did good service to Lord Wellington. The present College was occupied by the French as an hospital, and so many Frenchmen were buried in the garden attached, that even yet their bones are met with at every spadeful. After the battle of Aripiles, about a league from the town, Salamanca was finally occupied by the Anglo-Spanish troops. Dr. Curtis was exiled three times from Salamanca by the French, and on the last occasion he took up his residence in Cadiz, but returned in six months, when the French were driven out.

In 1817 Dr. Mangan returned from America, and took charge of the College. After thirteen years of active labour Dr. Mangan died in 1830, and was succeeded by Dr. James Gartlan, at the time curate in Monaghan, who for thirty-eight years successfully battled for the rights of the College during the trying times of the first civil war, and the seizure of all ecclesiastical property by the State. He died in 1868, and in 1871 the archbishops appointed the present Rector, Rev. William M'Donald.

Thus have we brought down the history of this celebrated College to our own days. It has now existed for the space of 282 years, during which it has done immense service to the cause of God and his Church in Ireland. For the greater part of that time the dreadful persecution to which Irish Catholics were subjected, continued to rage with unmitigated fury, and the Faith would have undoubtedly succumbed if God had not interposed His strong hand to save it. For this purpose He inspired that really great man, Father Thomas White, with the idea of founding these Colleges to repair the losses occasioned in the ranks of the priesthood by death and imprisonment, and thus perpetuate a line of confessors and martyrs, whose counsels and example should console and

The Irish nation

animate the suffering flock of Christ. should cherish the name, and be profoundly grateful for the services of the Irish College of Salamanca; and through it should acknowledge the deep debt it owes to Spain and the Spaniards, who gave the Irish exiles a home where they might labour for their native land. Ireland has been always dear to the Spanish heart; the very name of the sweet sounding Irlanda fills the average Spaniard with admiration and tenderness for the beautiful Isle of the West. He regards her as, and even calls her, the Island of Martyrs. He knows her history and the checkered tale of her sorrows, and is enthusiastic in admiration of the constancy displayed in her deep afflictions by the island sister of his own beloved Spain, one in origin, one in character, one in religion with her. Glorious old Spain! Never shall we forget thy sympathy, thy aid, and the hearty welcome given us by thee, when the doors of our own home were locked against us, and we were turned out on the highway to beg or die. Thy fate, poor Spain, has latterly been a hard one; but the Lord surely has in store for thee glorious days, the reward of thy firmness in thy Catholicity, of which no efforts are capable of robbing thee, and thy charity in feeding the hungry and clothing the naked confessors of Christ. We who have had the happiness of treading thy classic soil, ever bear thy image impressed on our hearts, and regard thee as our second country, while we pray God to remedy thy present misfortunes, and heal thy gaping wounds. A blessing on thee, "lovely Spain! renowned, romantic land!" A hundred thousand blessings on thee, glorious old Catholic Spain!

List of the Rectors of the Irish College, Salamanca, from its Foundation.

A REVISION of our Calendar of Canonized Priests, itself by no means final, suggests and demands some corrections, which we at once set forth. In the first place we are able to add four glorious names to the list of heroes, and they are: "Jan. 29, S. Aquilinus, Pr., Mediolani-Mart. 24, S. Pigmenius, Pr. M., Romae, sub Juliano-Jun. 14, S. Anastasius, Pr. M., Cordubae-Oct. 22, S. Severus, Pr. M., Hadrianopoli, sub Juliano." On the other hand, we must cancel and omit the names of St. George, Oct. 25th, and St. Hippolitus, Nov. 19th, the former being only named as the companion of St. Fronto, in the conversion of the Gauls, and the latter as the companion of Pope St. Pontianus in his exile under Alexander. It may be that these names will be restored

to their places when the untitled saints of the Martyrology will engage our attention. Meanwhile, it is important to adhere to our plan, and place in our Calendar only the Canonized Priests of the Matyrology.

In the next place we cancel the seven unnamed priests of May 16th, as a disorderly, fallacious, and injurious exception. Their commemoration is disorderly, for names are expected to be given in a list like ours, and are given distinctly in every other case. The exception is fallacious, for it will be supposed to be the only such, whereas there are others. It is injurious also to the cause, which is thus made to appear to put forth all its claims, whereas, according to the spirit of our preliminary remarks, its unknown claims must far excel the rest. Moreover, as our examination is in a certain degree competitive between bishops and priests, and as there are at least as many of the former unnamed as of the latter, the omission of all such commemorations appears not only reasonable but most satisfactory. The following commemorations speak for themselves, and practically confirm what has just been said :-(1) Jan. 9," Antiochiae Multitudo Sacerdotum et Ministrorum Ecclesiae Christi igne cremata est." (2) Feb. 28th, "Alexandriae commemoratio Sanctorum Presbyterorum, Diaconorum et aliorum plurimorum." (3) May 21st, "Alexandriae commemoratio Sanctorum Episcoporum et Presbytero(4) Oct. 12th," In Africa, Sanctorum Confessorum et Martyrum quatuor millium nongentorum sexaginta sex, in persecutione Wandalica sub Hunnerico, Rege Ariano: qui cum essent partim Ecclesiarum Dei Episcopi, partim Presbyteri et Diaconi, associatis sibi turbis fidelium populorum. . . . Martyrium celebrarunt." This first revision leaves the number of canonized priests 170, which number we have already shown to to be, in the first place, no indication whatever of the actual numbers of saintly priests; and in the second place, as is evident, by no means in itself a small number; and in the third place, nevertheless, most certainly small when compared with the multitude of canonized bishops. How truly Father Vianney spoke will be still more evident if, as it is probable, he alluded not to priests in general, but only to parish priests such as himself. We, however, have no reason for introducing this invidious sub-distinction, which after all might be detrimental to our cause, as we shall see hereafter.

What, now, of our explanations? They may be reduced to this one: the best priests were made bishops; and hence more canonized in the exalted than in the common state. Another explanation has casually, as it would appear, been suggested, which we shall honestly though briefly examine.

The explanation might be thus put forward: there are more canonized bishops in the Martyrology than priests, because (1) in the centuries of persecution there were more bishops in the Church than simple priests; and (2) because the Martyrology records the saints principally of those centuries. These are two grave assertions worthy of consideration, but not after all of very much interest to us. In fact, if they be both admitted, do they explain the difficulty? Do they show how it is only natural that there should be nine or ten canonized bishops for every canonized priest? Do they account for the immense difference between 1,050 and 170? If, in the first place, we did admit that in the beginning of the Church the bishops did outnumber the priests, would we be asked to believe that the proportion was ten to one? We scarcely think so much would be demanded, and if not, the difficulty, though weakened, is still strong. And in the second place, if we admit that the Martyrology records principally the early saints, will that explain the disproportion of the later saints, even though they be not principally commemorated. Are we to suppose that the proportion of the early centuries may not be altered by the long course of years that followed? If this is not demanded, we cannot admit that the second part of the explanations is satisfactory. Hence the truth of the assertions is not of much consequence to our subject. And, nevertheless, they are interesting to us as connected with the subject, and shall be attentively examined. The first assertion is this: in the first three centuries there were more bishops than priests in the Christian Church. A fact is here stated, which doubtless demands an historical examination, but which, nevertheless, we may first consider theoretically, especially as early history is rather silent than outspoken on this as on many other things. Now the assertions taken theoretically is anything but likely or admissible. "More bishops than priests!" What would this be but more trunks than branches, more heads than limbs, more shepherds than sheep, more generals than captains? The very nature of the episcopal and sacerdotal offices, Scripture phraseology, and especially the figurative language of Christ himself, and the invariable style of Popes and Fathers, have consecrated these symbolic expressions beyond the possibility of error. What, then, of such a monstrous disproportion? Would it be becoming? Was it therefore introduced? Until such a statement be made clear as light, is it to be admitted? If we were asked to believe that there were more bishops formerly than there are now, that dioceses were smaller and councils more numerous, we would not object; if we were told that there were less priests in each diocese