cooperate with his Highness in prayer on the 1st of September, on which day he had signified his intention of celebrating mass, for the purpose previously stated.

Arrangements to this effect were in consequence made; and on the morning of yesterday, at the hour pointed out by Prince Hohenlohe, Mass was celebrated in the lady's chamber, at which ten persons assisted. After the de Profundis, the clergyman (the reverend Richard Henry, of Arran-quay Chapel) approached the patient, who had received the Holy Communion, but who had yet shown no symptoms of recovery, and asking her how she found herself, desired her to arise. At the instant, and apparently herself unconscious of the return of her strength, she gradually arose, stood erect in the bed, and with a voice and countenance beaming with gratitude and joy, declared that she felt completely restored, and that she would accompany her friends to the parlour. This she did; her principal attendant, Mr Crampton, who had visited her on each of the two preceding days, and witnessed her unmitigated suffering, was sent for that he might be an early witness of the surprising event. Mr Crampton on his arrival, proceeded up stairs, towards the lady's chamber, when he was recalled by the young lady's mother, and entering the parlour, was thunderstruck at being saluted by his patient in person, who stood up to receive and salute him. "This, exclaimed that distinguished practitioner, "surely beats out Hohenlohe." "You will, doctor, be much astonished to learn, that it is to Prince Hohenlohe that I attribute my daughter's recovery," was the parent's reply, who immediately acquainted Mr C. with the particulars. "Madam," rejoined Mr C., "this is, indeed, wonderful." Although, as may be easily supposed, the young lady is extremely emaciated, she now experiences no weakness whatever; on the contrary, her confidence in her strength, and in the permanence of her cure was so great, that she insisted on going to public prayers to return thanks to Him, of whom, " if you ask any thing in Jesus's name, he will give it to you.

We have deemed it fair to the wonder-mongers, of whatever description, to insert the details of the two cases on which they chiefly rely; and, without entering into any lengthened argument upon the subject, we would remark, that all these instances are of cures performed in private; and that no person of known credit has come forward to vouch for the particulars, except as the repeater of hearsay reports. The chief conjuror at Bamberg, performed his incantations not merely for Mary Stuart, and Miss Dowell, and Miss Lala, on the 1st of August, and 1st of September, but for all the infirm who should join him at seven in the morning on those two days, within that part of the United Kingdom called Ireland; and yet, of the many congregations which assembled, and the sick thousands who joined in the ceremonies of the occasion, nothing is recorded to have happened in publick; but three females in private circles are said

to have been benefitted by the hocus-pocus work that went on. The following admission to this effect comes from a stout Ca tholick, who suggests, in the sequel of his epistle, that probably the failure arose from the individual names of the afflicted not having been laid distinctly before the wonder-worker at Bamberg! It seems that, for the sake of greater solemnity, a Novena, a nine running days service, was performed in many of the chapels and private houses, and was to terminate on the morning of the 1st of September, at the hour prefixed by the instructions from head-quarters in Germany. These preparatory operations were attended, we are told, by anxious and devout crowds of believers, including many afflicted persons; and we conceive, from the total absence of contrary statements respecting the event at other places, that the following account of the result at one meeting, pretty accurately describes the general course of the proceeding on the great day so much looked for by the faithful.

I attended the Novena in the Chapel of George's-hill Nunnery, which, from the commencement to its termination, was conducted by the reverend Mr Maher, in the most edifying manner. On Monday morning he recited the Rosary of Jesus, and other prayers that corresponded with the devotions recommended by the Prince, with the greatest fervour, preparatory to his ascending the Altar to offer the ever-adorable sacrifice. The Chapel was crowded with infirmity in all its varied shape; and if ever Mass was heard with devotion, it was on that morning-if ever hundreds of Communicants presented themselves at the table of the Lord, it was on that occasion-if ever expectation outstretched itself, it was on George's-hill on that morning. If a crutch fell, anxiety to know the cause was visible in every countenance-if imagination could perform the wonders lately attributed to it by those who, for several reasons that could be assigned, do not choose to acknowledge the finger of Omnipotence in the prodigies of the present day, never were its powers more vigorous-and yet the lame man was obliged to call for the crutch, and the blind man for his guide, to conduct him out of the sacred temple! If the sacerdotal robes were but covers for the legerdemain and craft with which ignorance and malevolence have aspersed the sacred character of the priest, never did a better opportunity present itself for the practice of the art. That would have been the moment to kill a living tailor by an attempt to raise a pretendedly dead one to life! But the reverend Mr Maher was so unskilled in the imputed trade, that he went forward and told the people, that " nothing had occurred.

It must be admitted, that nothing can be more decisive upon this subject, nor tend more to multiply the cavils of sceptics' which the Archbishop of Dublin anticipates, than the fact, that there are no miracles wrought in publick by his Highness the Reverend Prince. We fear, that as long as he only holds par

ticular intercourse in corners, with Lady Abbesses, sick-nurses, or spinsters living in the bosom of zealous families, we shall not be found among the number of those whom his Grace expects to be stricken on the ear and the heart by the voice of facts issuing from the sanctuary, and publishing the glory of • God with the loudness of thunder. Still less are we likely to be found among those dear brethren wandering from the ""one fold," and conducted back to venerate that Holy Mass, of which the hand of the Omnipotent has attested the sanctity, so that as far as the bulk of men are concerned, little glory will redound to God and his church' from such suspicious miracles as these. Nay more, we will venture to assert, that there is not one rational Catholick, who, in his cooler moments, does not lament the attempt now making to palm such gross impositions upon the world. Were these efforts successful, indeed a grievous consequence would ensue. The breach between the conflicting sects would be widened, through that worst kind of alienation which is engendered by just pity in the one party, for the weakness of the other, mingled, perhaps, with contempt for the trickery of which that weakness becomes the easy prey.

We cannot close these remarks and details, without taking notice of a singular incident in the course of the controversy to which the alleged miracles have given rise. Observing that the Catholicks were making some way by means of the marvellous, the High Protestant party must needs fight their enemies at their own weapons; and, accordingly, we have Orange miracles to meet those of Bamberg! The following is extracted from a letter, addressed to a noted Orange Journal, and signed by the well-known name of Veritas,' a subscription which always puts the experienced reader of such communications in an especial manner on his guard.

I pledge you the word and honour of an Orangeman, that the following facts occurred yesterday evening:-A party of 'five gentlemen dined with me, and after dinner a vase, con⚫taining some orange lilies, was placed by my servants on the table, by my directions. We drank several toasts; and on the Glorious and Immortal Memory being given, an unblown lily, which the party were remarking, expand'ed its leaves, and appeared before us in all its splendour. Our astonishment never was so far excited before, as at this (I may call it) phenomenon. Should you for one moment doubt the assertions I now make, I will take an affidavit of the fact, and have it further corroborated by the gentlemen who were present, and who are ready to come forward to verify • it.'

1

The Editor gives this as coming from a known and highly respectable correspondent.

It is with much compassion towards the ignorant, and with great allowances even for the temporary hallucinations of the wellinformed, that we read such stories of popular delusion as have now been occupying our attention. The proneness of human nature to look out of this world, and beyond this life, is one of its strongest propensities, and one most connected with the better parts of its composition. There is thus a tendency to cling by every thing that, partaking of the marvellous and supernatural, seems to furnish a more direct and precise proof of Divine agency than the lights of reason afford, and a more lively and present evidence than older revelations can supply. Dr Johnson, who, with all his vehement dogmatism of speech, was plainly much affected with doubts in his belief, indulged far more in such speculations, and lent a far more ready car to ghost-stories, than seems consistent with his natural strength of understanding, or than he would have done had he reasoned on such subjects without any bias from his wishes and his fears. On one occasion he betrayed the motive of all his anxiety that such things should be found true. Speaking of Lord Lyttleton's vision (now known to be a mere fiction), he characterized it as 'the most extraordinary thing which had happened in his day;' and added, I am so glad to have every evidence of the spiritual 'world, that I am willing to believe it.' His pious and amiable friend Dr Adams said, You have evidence enough; good evidence, which needs not such support;' but the sagacious moralist answered, I like to have more. '-(Boswell's Life, iv. 320.) Such are the feelings which prepare even the wise and the learned for credulity. But it is not to those feelings, in this higher class of persons, that the Doctors of Bamberg and Dublin address themselves. They seek the easy faith of the vulgar, and they pursue their own objects by inventing or propagating fictions worthy of a darker age. For the sectarian prelates there may be the excuse that they have themselves been duped, and in the state of oppression which they and their tenets suffer, they are fain to attempt whatever may augment their influence and strengthen their means of self-defence. But for the German Prince, what excuse shall be urged? Can he be ignorant of the truth? Can he really believe himself gifted with supernatural powers? Making every allowance for the natural intermixture of enthusiasm with hypocrisy, can he really be, and in these times, like some of the wretched creatures who, some centuries ago, suffered themselves to be put to death for dealing with spirits, avowing that they knew they had held this intercourse, in the very face of torture and the stake? It is E

VOL. XXXIX. No. 77.

barely possible; but certainly few things can be less likely than such an explanation; while it is the only conceivable means of avoiding the inference which would stamp him as the very chiefest of impostors.

Happily there is little chance of the deception producing any effect. The days are past and gone when prodigies could be safely imposed upon whole nations, for the benefit of a prince or a priest, and the ignorant people be beguiled of their reason, that they might be the more expeditiously cozened of their rights and their possessions. The general improvement of men's minds is a sufficient guarantee against such tricks; but there is another in the direct and constant operation of that mighty engine of instruction to which, above all others, their general improvement must be ascribed. The rapid conveyance of intelligence, as well as the easy communication of discussion through the press-and, above all, the periodical press-renders the most wonderful accidents, and the best contrived plots, alike harmless in alarming or in deceiving the mass of mankind, even of the least enlightened. Natural occurrences or incidents, which in the days even of Livy would have astonished the vulgar, and figured in the page of history as prodigies, are now so speedily made known among those who can scientifically explain them, or who are acquainted with the precise fact which accounts for them, that no wonder can ever last long enough to serve the purposes of imposture. And the planners of holy artifices for the furtherance of their own designs, instead of laying the foundations of their success by secretly making some progress among the weak and ignorant, before they are exposed to the light of science and the conflict of reason, must, from the very first, carry on their operations in the glare of day, and under the pressure of attacks from a thousand adversaries. To rear up a false religion, then, has become absolutely impossible; to advance an usurper would be almost equally hopeless. These are the fruits of free discussion-and, above all, an unfettered daily press. Let us add its equally legitimate produce, the publicity which it gives to Laws: the force with which it arms them, and the obstacles which it opposes to evading them, by making all men present in all courts of justice, and of police--and we shall be able to estimate how deeply indebted the Religion, the Government, the Justice of the country, are to the Periodical Press for their security. Now, this is that very Press, which the Throne, the Altar, and the Bench, are but too often found to unite in reviling as their common enemy. It may have its failings, no doubt-and there may be those who have a right to feel and to expose them. But of the number assuredly they are not, who have any peculiar interest in the stability of the Law, the Government, and the Religion of the State.