mm 9: 1?^ ,7> :>7.y #LIBRARY OF CONGRESS,* FORCE COLLECTION.) ^ $ — - --LjL — 1 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. | S*3 ^^S» ^^^^ ^^^5. ^^^ > >^^J>> 'mm «i'4>,'. ^ ^^ "^fc^ -> :> m»: 3b»3>I>0!?>> :>3^ ,,' > >^ ► r:> m^ J»>x: ^2>..j@»^ ~:^rs^ ^M i> >»> -^»> 3^3^ ^ j> >^ ' * »> ^ -^^ >> ->:3Br > JS> > > _>' ^ _:>:5. > ^^> O^ 3 :3> >> ^ e» :>- ^i "r»>^ iz^ ^ ^> :>^ ^ ►^3> 2&->T>~^>> ~3 ^3 o> ^^ ►^^-> :>>^ ':> 3»:> O » i>i >:> 3 > >>)>.^>^> ~>'i^:2 » 3 » » >i>::k) >r> ^»^^ 1^ !>-> » •.^■> >j>'":i»^> :>-«-.o ^ >> >:> ^> ":>i> ':»> o :>■'- o 1^ ^> y> >^ ili ^^ AN ACCOUNT CONFLAGRATION THE URSULINE CONVExNT AT THE REQUEST OF SEVERAL GENTLEM-EN, THE AUTHOR WAS INDUCED TO PUBLISH THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT OF FACTS, IN RELATION TO THE URSULINE CON- VENT, WHICH WAS DESTROYED BY FIRE, ON THE NIGHT OF AUGUST 11th, 1834. BY A FRIEND OF RELIGIOUS TOLERATION. [COPY-RIGKT ^ECURCD.] l^Tl BOSTON: PRINTED FOR THE PUBLISHER. 1834. C-, '■#'^.. <- PREFATORY REMARKS The occurrence, of which it is our intention to give a coriect stale- ment, transcends in many respects in enormity, any transaction to b* found on the records of mankind. In making this assertion, we have taken into consideration, the general advance of the human race in knowledge, and we did hope 'also in virtue, and that this is particularly true of the favored inhabitants of Massachusetts, than whom we do believe there is no other collection of people on the globe, where information is so generally diffused, or deportment more morally cor- rect. How could it happen, that in the midst of such a people, such an outrage against humanity should be perpetrated ? It is impossible t/iat the ostensible causes which led to it could be the true ones. The uii- founded and scandalous rumors against the members of the Ursfiline community have all vanished before the torch of truth. The fact is, there is one passion, awd one passion alone, that could lead to such re- sults, and that is fanaticism. It is not to be concealed or denifd, that for some years past, there has been an endeavor to get up an excitement against the Catholic Religion, as one of the greatest curses to which our country is exposed. The Constitution of the United States recogni- zes no religion, but extends protection to all. It is too late now to in- quire as to the expediency of tolerating the Catholic Relig^n in a pro- testant country, if the United States, as a nation, may-bf called such. It is here, and it is here by constitutional right, entitled toprotection, and must be protected. We are no Catholics, nor are we big-ots of any other sect. We do not believe that it is the tendency of the catholic, or any other christian sect, to make men bad, but on the contriry,to make them good, and fit them for heaven. Our remark hardly ni'eds illustration as it respects the Catholics in Boston, while they are West with such spir- itual guides as a Chkverus, a Matigno.v, and a Fen wick. We know... that man, in every situation and under all circupistances, is the same animal, and, unfortunately, that the majority everywhere are bad. It is not our intention, if it were within our ability, to go into a defence of the catholic system of religion, but we do know enough of it, to assert positively, that it is not what its enemies represent it to be, and that the Catholics, as a body, are as patriotic and loyal citizens as their brethren of any other denomination. The power of the Pope, as supreme head of the Catholic Church, to those who have taken pains to understand bj investigating the subject, when viewed in a temporal light, cannot in- terfere with the government of any country, in which that religion may be established. We have only one further observation to make before closing these prefatory remarks, and that is upon the false notions and prejudices that prevail in our community about the conventual life. Tlie language we have heard used, when speaking of the establishment at Charlestown, it would not become us to express with our pen ; and upon what au- thority has this been said ? Not upon the slightest tittle of evidence against the institution itself; but because similar communities, in other countries, have been perverted, as it is said, from the abodes of holiness and purity, into sinks of the lowest debauchery; and let us ask, what building that ever canopied the head of man, or what institution com- posed of men, that has not been disgraced by the crimes of man .' If con- vents are legal institutions, they have a right to exist, and are entitled to the protection of the law. The Legislature may have the right to guard against abuses as they may think most expedient; but neither the whole community, nor any part of it, have the right to exterminate them, with fire and sword. We do most nrdently wish, that those who shall be proved guilty of this great outrage against the law, may be held to answer strictly to the law. It must be apparent to every reader of this pam- phlet, whatever they may think of the cause assigned by us, that the causts, which can be found in the following pages, cannot be the true ones vhich led to the burning of the Convent. CONFLAGRATION OF THE CONVENT AT CIIARLESTOWN. Mysterious.— We understand that a great excitement at present ex- ists in Charlestown, in consequence of the mysterious disappearance of 1 young lady at the Nunnery in that place. The circumstances, as far as we can learn, are as follows : — The young lady was sent to the place in question to complete her education and became so pleased with the place and its inmates that shrwasiAduced to seclude lierself from the world and take the black veil After some time spent in the Nunnery, she became dissatisfied and made her escape from the institution-but was afterwards persuaded to return, being told that if she would continue but three weeks longer, she would be^dismissed with honor. At the end of that time, a lew davs since her friends called for her, but she was not to be found, and much alarm is excited in conseq/ence. -.^ercan^./e Jozcrnal, August 8. We heard yesterday of the excitement mentioned in the subjoined article from the Mercantile Journal, but discrediting the story which excited it, we did not ffive publicity to the rumor, and we are now au- thorized by Bishop Fenwick to assert, that the whole story upon which the excitement was founded is untrue. He will probably, on Monday, lay all the facts in the case before the public. In the mean time, it may not be amiss to say, )mefly, that the excitement has been immediately occasioned by the language of a Sister of the Convent, who is an inva- lid, and has been sometime deprived of reason by brain lever ' Transcript, .August V. The Nunnery.— Considerable excitement still exists in relation to the disappearance of the Nun, at Mount Benedict, notwithstanding what we stated on the authority of Bishop Fenwick, on Saturday. We expected to be able to-day to have laid the facts in the case before the public, on the authority of the Bishop, but we learn that he understand- ing that a gentleman of Charlestown, residing near the Convent, and who is not a Roman Catholic, having interested himself in the matter, and beinff satisfied that none of the rumors which occasioned the excite- ment weFe true, proposed to make a public statement, has preferred to let the facts be giyen to the public by one who could not be accused ot partiality, and has accordingly waited %at g^"^^^^'^^"" '|^\^^"^^^^'jj DREADFUL CONFLAGRATION ! [Office of the Morning Post, Avgust 12, 11 o'clock, A. .1/.] Fire— Outrage.— It is well known, that for some days past a groundless rumor has prevailed, in Charlestown and its vicinity, that a loung lady, by the name of Mary PIarrison, or Mary St. John liARRisoN, placed in the Catholic Convent, as a candidate for the veijf 1* .i has been secreted or abducted, through the machinations of the control- ling agents of the establishment, and was not to be found by her friends. In consequence of this rumor, a great excitement was created in Charlesiown, and open threats of burning down the Convent were ut- tered, but scarcely credited, till about 10 o'clock, last night, when a large mob gathered round the Institution, and communicated to the inmates their design to carry their threats into execution, and gave them a certain time to retire. At this moment, the Convent contained twelve Nuns, a.nd Jifty-scven female scholars, some of whom were of a very tender age. One of the latter informed us, that at the first annun- ciation, all, or nearly all, the Nuns swooned, and were not aroused to a sense of their dangerous situation, until the heralds of destruction re- turned and reiterated their mission, with threats of burning the Nuns with the building. The unfortunate ladies then retired to the garden, carrying with them such articles of value as were within reach. In order to accelerate their flight, tar barrels were brought near to the walls, and ignited, and as soon as the building was deserted, the assailants entered, with flaming torches, and, after flying through the apartments, which were fitfully illuminated by the transient, but glaring blaze of the torches, they were simultaneously applied at twenty distinct points, among the curtains and drapery of the rooms, and instantly the interior of the Institution was enveloped in one general conflagration. The astounded refugees at first gathered round the tomb, at the bottom of the garden, but were soon driven from this sanctuary , by the ruthless avengers of an imaginary wrong, and were compelled to fly to the adjoining fields and neighboring houses for safety. A large number found a retreat in the house of Mr. Joseph Adams, at Winter Hill. The mob burst open the tomb, and ransacked the coffins, but retired without offering any other outrage to the ashes of the dead. The fire was first applied about 11 o'clock, and the Boston engines, responsive to the tocsin of alarm, immediately re- paired to. the spot, but were prevented from acting against the fire, by the surrounding multitude, which, we are informed, were not less than four thousand in number. We understand, that Mr. Runey attempted to read the riot act, but without effect; and the mobocrats did not cease from their exertions till the main building, together with the chapel, out-houses, and even the gardener's dwelling, were entirely destroyed. The few articles that the Nuns and scholars succeeded in conveying to the garden, were seized upon by the destroyers, and thrown back into the flames, and nothing was rescued from ruin except what was actually attached to their persons. When the nefarious undertaking was thor- oughly accomplished, fragments of fire and combustibles were collected, and a bonfire built up, as a signal of triumph. A majorit}' of the schol- ars were Protestants, some of whom have no relations in this vicinity, and their distressing situation, being stripped of everything, is inde- scribably lamentable. The theatre of the outrage, this morning, presented a melancholy scene — parents anxiously, but ^'ithout avail, inquiring for their daugh- ters, and brothers for their sisters, were to be met with on every hand. Thousands of spectators thronged the hill — some staring, more sorrow- iug, and a miserable few rejoicing, at the evidences of unparalleled desolation. The following letter, which was published in the Post this morning, shows that the rnob were actuated by erroneous impressions: — Mr. Edjtor, — Some excitement having been created in this ricinity, by misrepresentations that have come before the public, in relation to the disappearance of a young lady from the Nunnery in this place, I deem it proper for me to state certain facts that are in my possession respecting the affair. On the afternoon of Monday, the 28th ult., the lady in question came to my house, appeared to be considerably agitated, and expressed her wish to be conveyed to the residence of an acquaintance in West Cam- bridge. I lent her my assistance ; and, on the succeeding day, I called with the purpose of inquiring for the causes which induced her to leave the Institution. I was informed that she had returned to the Nunnery, in company with the 'Bishop, with a promise that she should be permit- ted to leave in two or three weeks, if it was her wish. Since that time, various rumors have been in circulation, calculated to excite the public mind, and to such an extent as induced me to attempt to ascertain their foundation ; accordingly, on Saturday, the 9th instant, I called at the Nunnery, and requested of the Superior, an interview with the lady re- ferred to. I obtained it; and was informed by her, that she was at lib- erty to leave the Institution at any time she chose. The same statement was also made by the Superior, who farther remarked, that, in the present state of public feeling, she should prefer to have her leave. As it has been currently reported that the lady was not to be found, to allay the excitement in consequence of it, I have thought the above statement due to the public Euwakd Cutter. Charlcstoicn, August 11, 1834. [From the Daily Advertiser of Wednesday , August 13.] TO THE PUBLIC. Whereas erroneous statements have appeared in the public papers, intimating that the liberty of a young lady was improperly and unlaw- fully restrained at the Convent in this town, and believing that said publications were intended to excite the public mind against that Insti- tution, and might result in unpleasant or serious consequences, the Selectmen, considering it their duty to endeavor to allay any such ex- citement, have, at the request of the Government of the Institution, fully examined into the circumstances of the case, and were conducted by the lady in question thro\urhout the premises, and into every apart- ment of the place — the whole of which is in good order, and nothing appearing to them to be in the least objectionable ; and they have the satisfaction to assure the public, that there exists no. cause of complaint on the part of said female, as she expresses herself to be entirely satis- fied witii her present situation, it being that of her own choice, and that she has no desire or wish to alter it, Thomas Hooper,"! Abijah Mokroe, Samuel Poor, )■ Selectmen. Steven Wiley, | Charlestown, August 11, 1834. John Runey, J As soon as the -transactions which we have above described, were know.i>in this city, yesterday morning, they produced, as might have been expected, a universal sentiment of rejjret and mortification, at the outrage thus committed at midnight upon a family of defenceless females, and at the indehble stain thus inflicted on the character of our community. The Mayor promptly issued a notice, inviting the citizens to assemble at Faneuil Hall, at 1 o'clock, to take such measures as the occa- sion might require. A very large number of citizens assembled at the ap- pointed hour, notwithstanding the heat of tliejveather,and the measures •,.i*i#-'i;', *^.'%i;^ yfj-; i 8 recited in the annexed official account were adopted with great unani- mity, and with ample demonstrations of cordial approbation. The remarks of Mr. Otis were listened to with great satisfaction, and elicited the repeated plaudits of the assembly. At an overwhelming meeting of the citizens of Boston, assembled at Faneuil Hall yesterday at 1 o'clock, in pursuance of an invitation from the Mayor, Theodore Lyman, Jr. the Mayor of the city was called to the Chair, and Zebedee Cook, Jr. was appointed Secretar3'. After a pertinent but brief address by the Chairman, explanatory of the objects of the meeting, Resolutions were presented by Josiah Qiiincy, Jr. pre- faced by some highly interesting and animated remarks. He was follow- ed by Harrison Gray Otis, in his usual felicitous style, when the Resolu- tions were unanimously adopted. Resolved, That in the opinion of the citizens of Boston, the late attack on the Ursuline Convent in Charlestown, occupied only by de- fenceless females, was a base and cowardly act, for which the perpe- trators deserve the contempt and detestation of the community. Rcsolccd, That the destruction of property and danger of life caused thereby, calls loudly on all good citizens to express individually and collectively the abhorrence they feel of this high-handed violation of the laws. Resolved, That v/e, the Protestant citizens of Boston, do pledge our- selves, collectively and individually, to unite with our Catholic brethren in protecting their persons, their property, and their civil and religious rights. Resolved, That the Mayor and Aldermen be requested to take all measures consistent with law, to carry the paregoing resolution into effect, and as citizens, we tender our personal services to support the laws under the direction of the city authorities. Resolved, That the Mayor bo requested to nominate a committee from the citizens at large, to investigate the proceedings of the last night, and to adopt' every suitable mode of bringing the authors and abettors of this outrage to justice. The following Committee was nominated by the Mayor. H. G. Otis, John L). Williams, James T. Austin, Henry Lee, James Clark, Cyrus Alger, John Henshaw, Francis J. Oliver, Mark Healey, Charles G, Loring, C. G. Greene, Isaac Harris, Thomas H. Perkins, John Ptayner, Henry Gassett, Daniel D. Brodhead, Noah Brooks, H. F. Baker, Z. Cook, Jr., George Darracott, Samuel Hubbard, Henry Far- nam, Benjamin F. Hallet, John K. Simpson, John Cotton, Benj. Rich, William Sturgis, Charles P. Curtis. - On motion of JNIr. George Bond, the committee of twenty-eight were requested to consider the expediency of providing funds to repair the damage done to the Convent, &c. On motion of John C. Park, Esq. it was Resolved, That the Mayor be authorized and requested to offer a very liberal reward to any individual who, in case of further excesses, will arrest and bring to p'unishment a leader in such outrages. Theodore LTmA>', Jr. Cliairman. Zebedee Cook. Jr. Secretary. Similar resolutions were adopted at Charlestown. We understand that on Monday the convent Vv'as opened to visiters, and was thoroughly examined from the belfrey to the cellar; that the Ifldy superior has always been willing to make every explanation to those who came to her in a suitable manner, and treated her with the civility due to her sex and station. From all that we can learn, the violence was utterly without cause. The institution was in its very nature unpopular, and a strong feeling existed against it; but tliere was nothing in the vague rumors that have been idly circulating, to author- ize or account for any the least act of violence. We should state perhaps that during the violent scenes that were taking place before the con- vent — while the mob were breaking the windows and staving in the doors of the institution — and while the fire was blazing upon the hill as a sinrnal to the mob — one or two muskets were discharged from the windows of the nunnery, or of some of the buildings in the vicinity. — Atlas. We learn that further excesses were committed at Mount Benedict on Tuesday night by a mob of ruffians. There was no force, civil or military, to oppose their violence. In this city nothing occurred worthy of special notice. The Civil and Military authorities were on duty all night, prepared to act in case of necessity. — Com. Gaz. We understand that the Catholics were called together on Tuesday afternoon by Bishop Fenwick, who addressed them in a most earnest and impressive manner. He assured them, that acts of violence, which terminated in the destruction of the Convent at Charlestown. were re- garded with deep regret and indignation by their protestant fellow citi- zens of Boston : that it was their duty to leave the vindication of their rights to the guardianship of the judicial tribunals and the civil authori- ty : and that, as citizens and Christians, it was equally incumbent on them to refrain from every thing, which might appear to be dictated by a spirit of revenge. He concluded by solemnly enjoining on all who heard him to communicate to others the counsel which he had given to them. — D. Adv. On Wednesday evening, there was more agitation and alarm in the city than at any previous time ; the civil and military authorities were on the alert ; but the night passed without disturbance. It is scaice ne- cessary to sa3% tlmt all good men view the proceedings of the mob with abhorrence. — Recorder. PROCLAMATION, By his Excellency, John Davis, Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Whereas, it appears from representation made to me by the several Committees of Vigilance of Charlestown and Boston, winch representa- tion, in substar.cc, is confirmed by the Attorney General of the Com- monwealth, that on the night of the 11th inst. a i£\rge number of per- sons assembled at Charlestown, by preconcerted designs of violence, and proceeded, in a high-handed manner, in disregard of the Civil Au- thorities, and in defiance of the Laws, with fire, and acts of outrage, to demolish the building called the Ursuline Convent, to lay waste the gardens and grounds, and to break open and desecrate the Sepulchres of the Dead, having previously compelled a large number ol females, then dwelling in said building, many of whom were pupils in a school, and of tender age, to seek safety in flight, and to take refiioe in the fields. And whereas it also appears that alter much investigjticin, the civil magistrates and other officers of the law are unable to discover the perpetrators of this daring outrage, and that the ordinary and common course of proceedings is thus proved to be ineffectual. 10 Therefore, in compliance with the request of said Committeesi, and in pursuance of the authority vested in me by law, 1 do offer in behalf of the Commonwealth, a reward of five hundred dollars to such person or persons, as shall cause the said offenders, or any of them, to be appre- hended and brought to conviction, which sum of five hundred dollars, shall be paid to one or more persons, as existing- facts upon conviction of an offender or offenders, and the ends of Justice, may require. And I do further call upon all good citizens of this Commonwealth to aid in healing the wound which the laws have received by the open contempt of their authority, and the wanton disregard of private rights. I appeal to them to be vigilant in preserving the public peace, and in sustaining the civil authority. This discountenance of such pioceed- ings will restore confidence, and make our peaceable institutions suffi- ciently powerful to overawe insubordination, and to meet any emer- gency. If the people will it, there will be no more destruction of pri- vate property, or invasion of private rights^ by open acts of violence. Given under my hand, this fifteenth da}"^ of August, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty-four, and the fifty-ninth year of the Independence of the United States. JOHN DAVIS. By His Excellency the Governor. Edward D. Bangs, Secretary of the Commo7iweaUh. The following is a list of the names of the pupils at the Ursuline Convent, at the time of its demolition. As many of the scholars owned much valuable property, such as Piano Fortes, Harps, Guitars, Silver Cups, &c., upon which their initials were engraved, and which were stolen at the time of the conflagration, the publication of this list may lead to the detection of the thieves. Editors of papers in this city and vicinity, will confer a favor upon the public by copying the annexed list, and the statement of property missing. Any information relative to the subject will be .thankfully received by the Committee of Investi- gation, now slt'lng at the Ccmuion Council Room. Boston: Penelope R. Williams, Elizabeth W. Williams, Sarah E. Williams, Melancy A. Williams, Mary Anne N. Eraser, Jane Eraser, Mary Anne BuUard, Caroline Bullard, Louisa Murdoch, Rosamond A. Moriarty, Ellen Maria Moriarty, Abba Vose Bemis, Louisa Goddard, Elizabeth S. Willis, Frances Anne Whitney, Ellen Jackson, Augusta Willis, Mary Utley, Maria Barnard, Hannah Thompson, Elizabeth McGuire, Elizabeth Page. South Boston : Sarah E. Howe, Lucy Howe. Cambridge : Maria D. Fay. Carnbridgeport : Mary S. Bent. Charlcstown : Penelope B. English. Watertown : Lucy W. Thaxter, Mary L. Thaxter Gloucester : Ann Mason, Harriet Mason. Brighton : Anna Augusta Parkman. Milton : Rosalinda Russell. Brookline: Marietta Whitmarsh, Caroline Whitmarsh. Bath, Maine : Ann Julia Robinson. Quebec, Canada: Susan Perault. Savannah, Georgia : Martha Ann Lamar. Mew Orleans: Gertrude Pend, Rebecca E. Nye, Elizabeth Jones, Mary Ann Wales. Porto Rico : Malvina Storer, Rosalinda Storer, Catalina Mason. 11 Statement, as far as can be ascertained, of the Instruments, Plate, and other articles, lost by the Young Ladies, in consequence of the late riot and conflagration at the Ursuline Community, Mount Benedict, Charlestown. Miss Frasex: one Harp, Piano Forte and Guitar, 13 Music Books; a Portfolio, containing about 200 pieces of loose Music ; a Silver Tum- bler, inlaid with gold ; Dessert and Tea Spoons ; two Settees, of ma- hogany, covered v.ith rug work ; rosewood Desk and Paint Box, com- pletely furnished, inlaid with brass, (imported); fancy work of every description ; more than 800 pieces of Drawing and Painting, a gold Watch, Cross, and two Ciiains, with other articles of jewelry. Books to the amount of more than a hundred volumes, and all her wearing apparel, except what she had on at the time of her escape ; Miss Pearce : Harp and Stand. Miss Pk-ussell ; Harp, Music Books, Silver Tumbler, Spoons, Books, and wearing apparel. Miss Jackson : a Piano Forte, Music Books, Paint Box and other drawing materials, Silver -Goblet and Spoons, Books, and wearing apparel, Miss Moriarty : a Piano Forte, Music Books, drawing materials, Spoons, Books, and wearing apparel. Miss Fay : Guitar, Music Books, Paint Box and other drawing mate- rials, a valuable Work Box, and wearing apparel. The Misses Williams, (four sisters) : a Guitar, two Paint Boxes and other drawing materials, Silver Tumblers and Spoons, fancy articles, a number of Paintings, Books, (English, French, Italian and Latin,) and all their wearing apparel. Misses Whitney : Guitar, Music Books, Silver Tumblers and Spoons, wearing apparel and Books. The oilier Young Ladies, as far as can be ascertained, lost their Sil- ver Thiiiibles and Spoons, Music Books, Drawing and Painting Mate- rials, valuable Birth-day Presents, Gold Watches, Rings, Chains, and various other Jewelry, Work Boxes, Books, and all their wearing apr parel, with one exception. All the Plate of the community, except what belongs to their place of worship, was marked Ursuline Community, in full. They have also lost several Portraits of living and departed friends. Miniatures of relations and friends, Harps, Piano Fortes and Guitars, a superior grand Harmonicon ; six Bureaus, filled with patterns for drawing and painting; Beds and Bedding, furnished by the commu- nity to every young lady, with the exception of three or four; Gold Medals, Watches and Chains, Clocks, two Libraries, one for the com- munity, and the other for the young ladies, and innumerable other arti- cles, among which may be numbered dear and pre,?ious mementos for the living and departed, which time will not permit me to detail. Nothing was saved — and in the loss was also comprehended money, to a very large amount, in gold, silver, and bank bills, the sum of which cannot be exactly ascertained, as all the papers and account books were destroyed by the flames. The Superior of the Ursuline Convent. Boston, August 15, 1834. To the Editor of the Daily Advertiser and Patriot. The interest the public have manifested in regard to the School of the Ursuline Community, whose buildings have, witliin the last week, been burnt to the ground, and the near connexion 1 have had with it for more than three years, renders, I trust, any apology unnecessary for 12 the statement I now make. No request, or intimation even, from any person or persons, has induced or influenced me to make this communi- cation. Bat I frankly avow that the defamatory and vilely wicked re- ports which have come to my ears, circulated insidiously, and no doubt, by some with great zeal and industry, have, in my opinion, made it my duty to present myself to the public in a statement of such information as I have in regard to this Institution. My first acquaintance with this Institution was in the year 1829, and my inquiries were then made to enable me to answer a letter from Mrs. G-uisinger, of Philadelphia, the lady of Capt. Guisinger, of the United States Navy. In the discharge of my duty on that occasion, I acquired such information as induced me, two years afterwards, to place two of my children at this School, and also the child of a deceased friend, left to my care by the will of her father, and v/hose mother was also dead. From thfe time, viz : April, 1831, my acquaintance with the School be- came very intimate, and my visits to it were, on an average, from that time to the present, once a fortnight. In December. 1832, the child oi my deceased friend became sick, and after ;'emaining at the Institution al)out two months, was brought to my house, and d^ed there about one month afterwards. During th^ sickness of this child, a greater intimacy and a more thorougii acquaintance with the inmates of the institution was had, by me and Mrs. W., than had before existed. in the month of June following the decease of this child, I placed my two younger daughters at this School, — and my four daughters have reniained there ever since, except that my eldest has within that time bfe^n at home about three months. The teachers at this School were educated to teach female youth. — Their early instructions were had with special reference to lliis, as their prq^sion and duty for life, and when they have taken thtir religious vow.s they are withdrawn from the world, and have dedicated theiiiselves singly to, this service and duty. The School was upon a Catholic foundation, and the teachers were all of a Cathoflic order of Nuns, viz : of the order of St. Ursuline. The School was, however, in a Protestant community, and more than three fourths of the* scholars were of Protestant parents. The school was, "therefore,*- essentially a Protestant School. This will be more readily granted, when it is understood that the teachers have always given the assurance that no formula or catechism should be put into the children's hands except such as the parents should direct, and that in the absence of any direction, the children should be instructed in religious matters only in the broad and clear principles which are to be found in the pre- cepts and examples of our Saviour, without any sectarian bias whatever. This pledge has been always most faithfully redeemed in regard to my children, — and I believe it has been equally so in regard to all other children of Protestant parents. The teachers have paid unwearied attention to the tempers and man- ners of the children. Their conduct on this most delicate and difficult of subjects has met with-my entire satisfaction. The principles of moral right appear ever to have been kept in steady view. The health of my children while at the School has been always good. The child under my care, who was taken sick at the School and died at my house, died of consumption, as did also her parents. The atten- tion to her while sick at the School was every thing that could be done. .Parents, I think, would not have done more. 13 The pi-ogress of my children in their studice, ar.d in the ornainental exercises, has been to my satisfaction. There has been no want oi dili- gence or fidehty on the part of their teachers To all the vile surmises, and rumors, and reports u-hich have been put furth to the public, I can only say, that it has af)peared to me that as fast and as often as one is met and put down, anotiier has been usher- ed otT to tai^e its place. In regard to the past, the present and the future therefore, 1 have but one observation to make, one opinion to offer and it is this — If there is purity of life to be found by the fireside, or in the families cf any of our distinguished Protestant clergymen throughout iSew Eng- land, it in no way surpasses that of these excellent women sisters of the •order of St. Ursuline. 1 have here presented a view of my means and opportunities of ob- taining information, together with suoh information as I thought of most interest at this time — and my object has been to disabuse the public of the errors which have acquired currency in the cummunity. I add herewith for publication the prospectus of the school which waa put into my hands in the Spring of 1831. The School had existed es- sentially the same as tliis. prospectus presents up to the time its build- ings were wantonly destroyed by an infuriated mob This prospectus is now no other vviseimportant than as showing what this School promised, and w^hat all who knew it well knew that it was. SAMX K. WILLIAMS. Ursuline Community, Mount Benedict — Charlcstoun, Mass. This beautiful and extensive establishment is situated about two and a half miles from Boston, upon a delightful and healthy spot, command- ing one of the most beautiful prospects in the United Stales — In it young ladies are received from the age of six to that of fourteen. The plan of education, pursued by the Ladies of this community, is extensive ; comprehending all those attainments which may be found necessary, useful, and ornamental in society. Devoted by their Insti- tute, to the education of female youth, they spare no p^iiiis to adorn their minds with useful knowledge, and to form their hearts to virtue. To attain this twofold object, their first care is to instruct them in the great and sublime truths of religion ; — to endeavor to impress them with its salutary maxims; — and to point out the d utiles it imposes on them towards their God, their parents, and superiors, tow^ards other members of society, and towards themselves. The school consists of two Bepai tmcnts, d'lst'mgmshedhy the appella- tions of Senior and Junior Class, each occupying separate apartments and having no commuication whatever. The young ladies in the Junior Department are taught the common branches of education, such as Reading, Writing, Grammar, Arith- metic, Geography, History, ancient and modern ; and particular atten- tion is paid to Orthography. They are also taught all kinds of plain and fancy Needlework, and the Enra Branc/irs, if rpquiied: — when sufficiently advanced, they are removed to the Senior Department. Here are taui>ht plain and ornamental Writing; Composition, both in prose and poetry: — ancient, modern, and natural History; — Chro- nology; — Mythology; — the uee of the Globes ,—Astronom"v ; — Rhet- oric; — Logic; — Natural and Moral Philosophy; — Chemk^try ;— Arith- metic — (Geometry; — and Botany; — every kind of useiul and orna- mental Needlework: — Japanning; — Drawing* in all its varieties: — Fainting in Oil Colours ;— also, Painting on Velvet. SaMii, and Weed; 2 u and the beautiful style of Mezzotinto and Poonah Painting. Music on difl'erent inslruments is likewise taught. The Young Ladies in this Department may also attend to Cookery, during the last quarter of their residence in the Institute. They will possess every advantage in this respect, being superintended by a person, who, to a perfect knowledge of the art, has joined many years' experience : — the charge is $20. To accelerate the advancement of the Young Ladies in their respec- tive classes, every means is resorted to, which is calculated to act upon the youthful mind, in order to excite and maintain therein, a laudable emulation: such as, distinction of places ; daily marks; weekly repeti^ tiuns ; privileges granted to application and merit ; honorable mention, made every month, of those, wliose assiduity in their studies, and ex- cellency in good conduct, deserve approbation ; premiums distributed at the end of the year, &c. The annual examination takes place in the month of June, commenc- ino- on the 29th and continuing three days. At the close two Young ladies are crowned, one in the Senior, and the other in the Junior Class ; the former reqeiving at the same time, a gold medal, and the latter, a silver one. — These young ladies shall have been in the Institution, one year, at least; during which time, they must have distinguished them- selves,, by their amiable deportment, general good conduct, and excel- lence in their studies. The ladies who preside over this establishment, are scrupulously careful to supply those placed under their care, with abundant and wholesome food ; and to watch over their health as well as their morals, with all the solicitude of maternal tenderness. — Cleanliness and neat- ness are rigorously attended to. The garden adjoining the establishment, to which the young ladies always have access, during the hours of relaxation, is beautifully laid out, and consists of two acres of land. Besides this, they are allowed, on days of recreation, to extend their walks over the whole farm, which embraces twenty seven acres ; always under the immediate superin- tendence of. one or more of the ladies. During the summer season, tbev are allowed twoacres of land, which are divided into flowei gafdeiis>,aiid are cultivated by themselves. Every young lady on entering the establishment, must be furnish- ed with the following articles : — six napkins, six towels, one knife and fork, one silver goblet, one silver desert and tea spoon, and two prs. sheets and pillow-cases. F»)r the summer-uniform, each young lady must be provided with two dark slate colored pongee dresses ; — four pair hose, of the same color ; — two black boiubazett aprons; — two white dresses, — four pairs white hosir' ; — one light blue satin cape and sash ; — a blue belt ; — two black silk aprons ; — a garden bonnet, and apron, with long sleeves, both made of slate colored cambric ; and a Leghorn hat, trimmed with blue ribbon. For the winter uniform, each young lady is to be provided with two bbick Circassian frocks ; — four prs. black cotton hose- (jet black is pre- ferfd to blue black, on account of durability ;)a dark blue merino cloak; and silk hood of tlw same color. [This article has been changed, vary- Iul"" the uniform.] Parents being ever sensible to the happiness and welfare of their children, and anxious to know, even the smallest details of what con- cerns Iheni. every thn^e months. Bulletins will be issued, relalinir to their nealth, the exte'nl of their application, and their progress in study. Care will be likewise taken that their children write to them the 15th of each month. 15 Three months' notice of the removal of each young lady is requested. No boarder is allowed to sleep out, except in case of illness. Permission to dine out is granted once a month. No visitors are allowed on Sun- days. The religious opinions of the children are not interfered with. A vacation of six weeks is allowed every year, commencing on the 1st of July, and terminating on the 15th of August. Thb Convent. Religions" Instruction. — Mr. Samuel K. Williams' of this city, who had four daughters in the convent at Charlestown, hag published a statement in the Daily Advertiser, containing the following paragraph. Then follows a quotation from the foregoing letter of Mr. Williams beginning, ' The School was upon a Catholic foundation,' and ending, — " and I believe it has been equally so in regard to all other children of Protestant parents." This statement appears to us, and to some other persons, extremely vague and unsatisfactory. Will Mr. Williams answer the following questions .'' Had the pupils in the Convent Bibles in their possession, in any lan- guage which they could easily read and understand ? If so, in what language, and what translation ? if they had none, why had they not? If they had, were they permitted to use them at their own discretion ? If there were any restrictions upon their use of the Bible, wh.it were they .' — Did the pupils, while there, use Catholic forms of worship.^ In what ceremonies, or forms of worship, not in general use among Pro- testants, did they bear a part.? If in any, was it required of them .-' If not, how were they induced to do it .'' These questions are suggested by information, apparently worthy of credit, concerning other convents. We will gladly insert in our paper detinite answers to these questions from Mr. Williams, or from any other person, who will give definite answers and be responsible for them. — Recorder. To the Editor of the Boston Recorder. I answer the questions you propose in the Recorder of the 5th inst. Every pupil at the Convent school was required to have a Bible, or at least that part of it called the New Testament. Each of my children had one or the other of these books in the common English translation^ and the same they had used at the Protestant schools in the city before going to the Convent school — and these books they were not only per- mitted to read at pleasure, but were required to read them on the Sab- bath. It was also made known to me, at the time I first put my children at this school, that if I would furnish them with any book or books of prayers, the teachers would take charge of thein so far as to have such book or books of prayers read and studied by my children. And I did accordingly furnish my children with the book of prayers published by the Rev. Mr. Brooks of Hingham, and with the prayers used at the Stone Chapel in this eity. And I have reason to be satisfied with the use my children made of these books while at this school, and know that it was a matter of gratification to the teachers that these books were furnished. The Protestant children had prayers daily by themselves, morning and night, the children in turn reading the prayers in the order designa- ted by the teachers. I send you herewith copies of the prayers which 16 were thus read. At noon the children together repeated the Lord's prayer. All the children attended mass in the Chapel on the Sabbath. This was the only Chatholic service the Protestant children were required to attend. This service was in the Latin language. And my children, and all other Protestant children, u^ere not only allowed, but were re- quired, in attending this service, to have with them either such prayer book as had been furnished them by their parents, or their Bible or Testament, and to employ their minds in reading the same. In no other ceremonies, or forms of worship, not in general use among Protestants, did the Protestant children at this school bear a part, nor was it required of them to do so. It has been intimated in some one of the papers of the city, that the children were not allowed to pass the Sabbath out of the school ; that they were all required to cross themselves, and that they were also re- quired to read the Scriptures from a Chatholic Bible. To the two last intimations I state, that it is not true that my children, or that any Pro- testant children have ever been required to cross themselves at any time, or on any occasion while at this school. Nor have they ever been req2ured or eren allowed t» read from a Chatholic Bible. In regard to passing the Sabbath out of the school, I can only say, that my «hildren passed the Sabbath with me as often as I asked to have them, which was about everv fourth Sabbath in the year. SAMUEL K. WILLIAMS. Morning Prayers. Most holy and adorable Trinity, one God in three persons, I believe that thou r.rt here present ; I adore thee with the most profound humil- ity ; 1 Oiaiio, in the sincerity of my heart, to praise and glorify thee now and fcrevei. I give thee thanks, O Lord, from the bottom of my heart, for all th© favors 1 have received from thee. It is ihy loving goodness which has brought me safe to the beginning of this day. I mean, with the help of thy grace, to serve and honor thee, during the whole course of it. I offer up to thee all my thoughts, words, and actions. Give them thy blessing, that they may all be animated with thy love, and tend to thy greater glory. Adorable Jesus ! divine Model of that perfection to which we should^; all aspire, I will endeavor, this day, to follow thy example ; to be mild,- humble, chaste, zealous, patient, and charitable like thee. I will be- particularly attentive not to relapse this day, into those sins I have so often committed, but to guard against them, with tliy gracious assist- ance. Thou knowest, O Lord, my weakness. I can do nothing without the help of thy grace. Do not refuse, O merciful Lord, to bestow it on ine^ according to my wants. Give me strength, that I may avoid the evil, thou forbiddest, practice the good thou commandest, cheerfully bear whatever trials and crosses thou shalt be pleased to send upon me. Here they recited the Lord's Prayer. Hymn. The rising sun now brings the day, And drives the shades of night away ; Eternal Light. O God, inspire. With heavenly songs, our morning choir- Let our first voices sound thy name, Thy love, our first desires inflame. 17 That all our following actions may By thee be sanctified to-day. So rule our minds that they may be The unspotted seat of chastity ; Shut out all access by which the eyes Let in deceit and vanities. O God of peace, our tongues restrain, That we from quarrels may refrain, From slander let our speech he free ; Let's live in peace and charity. This prayer, most gracious Father, hear ; Thy equal Son incline his ear. Who with the Holy Ghost and thee, Doth live and reign eternally. Evening Prayers. I adore thee, O ray God, and most humbly acknowledging my un- 'vorthiness, in tlie presence of thy eternal Majesty. I believe in thee, because thou art Truth itself; I hope in thee, because thou art faithful to thy word ; 1 love thee with my whole heart, because thou art infinite- ly amiable ; and, for thy sake, I love my neighbor as myself. How shall r be able to thank thee, O Lord for all thy favors ? Thou hast thought of ine from all eternity; thou hast brought me forth from nothing ; thou hast given thy life to redeem me ; and thou continuest still, daily to load me with thy favors. Alas ! my God, what return can I make thee for all thy benefits and, in particular, for the favors of this day ? Join me, ye blessed spirits, and all ye saints, in praising the God of mercies, who is so bountiful to so unworthy a creature. O Holy Ghost, eternal source of light, remove the darkness which hides from me the number and grievousness of my offences. Show me, J beseecli thee, the sins I have this day committed, in thought, word and action. Give me a feeling sense of them, that I may detest them from my heart, and dread nothing so much, as ever to commit them again. Here ihey said the Lord's Prayer. Hymn. Before the closing of the day, Creator, thee we humbly pray That, for thy wonted mercy's sake, Thou us into protection take. May nothing in (mr minds excite Vain dreams and phantoms of the night; Our enemies repress, that so Our bodies no uncleanness know. i To Jesus, from a Virgin sprung, Be glory given, and praises sung; The same to God the Father be, And Holy Ghost eternally. These answers are intelligible. That we had some reason to ask them, will appear from the following. It is from a report of a com- mittee of the Synod of Indiana, signed ** Ransom Hawie/, Chairman." 2* 18 A daughter ol pious parents was sent to one of their schools in this state, and boarded with her instructors. She was soon reproached for reading her Bible; this sacred treasure was taken from her, and not re- turned until she promised not to read it. She wrote a letter to inform her parents that she was dissatisfied, and wished to return. But un- fortun itely this, like all letters, having to pass the inspection of the principal, was not permitted to be sent. This unhappy pupil found no way to communicate her views to her friends for several inontiis. If any of her friends came to see her, one at least of the sisters must be present to hear the conversation, and in her presence she had not cour- age enough to make known her situation. In this i;r;ileasant situation she remained about five months, and by dropping a hjnt to her father, soon bid farewell to this nursery of popery. The Vermont Chronicle of last week states, that four young ladies from a town in Windsor Co. Vt. were pupils las! summer in a nunnery in Montreal. Their Bibles and all Protestant religious books were taken from them, they not allowed to walk out without a nun in com- pany, and were required to attend Chatholic worship exclusively. Their case was stated to us some months since, on what we considered good authority. The Convent at Cliarlestown seems to have differed very materially from some others. It is of no use to try to keep the public still on this subject. The pub- lic will not be satisfied, without evidently sufficient reasons. We shall therefore freely throw oat whatever pertinent questions occur to our own mind, or are suggested by others; and our columns are open to any pertinent reply, from any responsible source. With these views, we submit the following communication. Mr. Editor, — Although all candid, respectable men disapprove of the burning of the Convent by a mob, and hold, that existing evils should be corrected only by moral influence, public sentiment and the law, yet many, very many, of the most respectable and influential of our citizens, have a deep conviction that Convents have been, are jioic, and while continued, ever will he, higly injurious to the great interests of the community. They do not believe that a company of tawiarricd ico- men can be placed, for life, under the sole control of a company of un- married men ; be excluded from the society of others, except so far as their directors are pleased to permit; and every thing which maybe said or done, be hidden from inspection and kept an inviolable secret, without great mischief accruing to tlie persons themselves and to the public. Though nearly all condemn the outrage committed by the mob, and hope that the perpetrators may be brought to justice, yet the conviction is daily deepening, that the establishment of such Institutions it! anti-christian, anti-republican, strongly to be deprecated, and in every lav.'ful and Christian manner, to be strenuously, perseveringly, and unitedly opposed, by all the intelUgently patriotic and humane of every Christian denomination in New England. There is an ardent desire to have the facts connected with Convents, published ; especially the facts connected with the Convent in Chnrlestown. Will you, not, Mr. Editor, invite some one, acquainted witli these facts, to publish them, for the information and benefit of the community .■* And from them, as well as the principles and regulations of such institutions gen- erally, the community will be able to judge whether their establishment is consistent with its'^highest interests. Prove all things. Becorder. 19 TO THE PUBLIC. The Selectmen of Charlestovvn, in their Card of 15th inst. promised to lay before the public, a Statement of all the facts, which might come to their knowledge, in relation to the wanton destruction of the Con- vent, on the night of the lUh inst. The Bunker Hill Aurora, of Satur- day, ICth inst. has, however, given so full an account of that catastro- phe, and as examinations are now pending before the proper authorities, the result of which will shortly appear before the public,— the Select- men have little else to perform, than to give some brief account of their own official conduct in that affair. Previous to August 4th, there had been some vague reports, such as that a Nun had made her escape from the Convent, had again returned as some said against her will, &c. but these reports were for the most part confined to a small circle, and created little or no alarm. At the date above named (Aug. 4) it being the monthly meeting of the Select- men, a representation was made to them that the female alluded to was probably then improperly and unlawfully restrained in her liberty, con- sequently a Committee was appointed to inquire into the circumstances of the case, and if found necessary to ask legal advice, and report. The week ensuing passed away with occasionally hearing of some expres- sions of dissatisfaction about the detention of the lady in question till Sunday 10th, when several placards were found posted up in several parts of the town, one of which con^tained the following words : " To tilt' Selectmen of Charlestown ! ! Gentlemen— It is currently reported t!'it a mysterious affair has lately happened at the Nunnery in Charlestown, now it is your duty gentlemen to have this afiair investi- gated iinmediatehj, if not the Truckmen of Boston, will demolish the Aunnery thursday night — August 14." Boston Aug. 9, 1834. On that day (Sunday) one of the board called at the Convent and had an mterview with the lady Superior, and also with the Nun who had occassioned the excitement, and came away satisfied that there was no cause for any complaints against the Institution. . This was the same evening communicated to other of the Selectmen, when it was propos- ed if agreeable lo the government of the Convent, that they as a body should°visit and examTne the whole establisliment.— Accordingly the Chairman of the Board called on the Bishop at his house the next morning, and made known to him that there did then exist some con- siderable decree of excitement, and that it was difficult to for^'tell to what extent it might proceed, and proposed to him for the Selectmen to make a full examination into the whole affiiir, and report their doings to the public. The proposal met with the Bishop's entire approbation, and he gave assurance that the Selectmen should have free access to every part of the House. Accordingly they lost no time in delay, but on the same afternoon (Monday), made a most thorough examination of the whole premises : that occupied their time till about sun setting, when they made up their report or certificate, which was immediately sent for pub- lication both in Boston and Charlestown. It may be proper here to say that when the Selectmen left the Convent on Monday evening, they had not the least apprehension that any riotous proceedings were about to take place on that night, and it appears that Judge Fay, and also Mr. Thaxter of Watertown, had both left their daughters there at the School after the departure of the Selectmen. 20 So far as we have ^one, it will be difficult to point out any remissness or want of promptitude on the part of the Selectmen. They did not wait for tlie Proprietors of the Convent to request their official aid, but went in person and proffered it to ihem — and they had good reason to believe that their statement was to appear on Tuesday would tend in ome degree to quiet and allay the public mind. We come now to the riot and conflagration. About 9 o'clock the mob began to assemble, one of the Selectmen [Mr. Runey] living in that vicmity, was early on the ground and used his utmost endeavours to still the tumult, but which proved ineffectual ; soon after this a fire was made at some distance, in an easterly direction from the Convent, and the bells rang (the usual alarm for fires.) JMr. Runey at this lime left the mob and rode into town to get thp assistance of his colleagues. They, on arriving at the Convent, found that the mob was about forcing in the front door which opened into the room containing the altar, &c. Soon after the mob entered in, two of the Selectmen went in among them, and made an appeal to their humanity, by saying [in words as near as can be recollected] that the story which had been told about the JNun, was entirely false, that she was then in the house and should, if required be produced; that there were then in the house a large number of females, mostly childien, and one lady sick, and that a certificate would appear in the morning fron> tlie Selectmen that must satisfy every one. This seemed to produce a momentary pause, but the work of destruction was again resumed, when some one said that, thai Cross must come down," but that no female should be injured. Immediately on this, several voices were heard to cry out for a torch ; the object of this could not be mistaken, and the idea' of seeing an edi- fice like that, containing within its v>^alls so large a number of female children, set fire to, at midnight, as may well be supposed, produced no other feelings than those of horror and concern. And they were then told that if they would then desist and disperse, they might possibl}' escape detection ; but if u torch was brought in among tiiein; they would most assuredly be exposed ; but this had no effect, and not being able to identify any one of them, it was thought to be imprudent to remain there any longer. At this time, a torch v,?as seen approachiiig ; when all other considerations were absorbed for the safety and protection of the inmates ; and recollecting that their sleeping chambers had been seen on the north-west side of the building, the two Selectmen went immediate- ly round to that place, and called aloud for the Superior, e revolting to our feelings, to look down upon a theatre where we behold every black and fiendish passion wrought into the temi)est's fury, and devastating every principle human and divine— if the heart throb with unusual agony, whilst, by the glare of the midnight flames, the eye beholds the affrighted matrons with their little children, flying into the streets, and imploring protection from persons, perhaps," never seen befqre ; it is some relief to this hideous 4 25 exhibition of every thing that is foul, base, and cowardly, to behold, as in contrast to it, the conduct of the Catholics there, on this awful and trying occasion. That conduct, taking all the circumstances of the case into consideration, was as glorious to them, as it was beneficial to the public. It was the triumph of principle over passion — of religion over tbe fierce feelings of revenge. For, Messrs. Editors, Catholics' are but men, after all. Descended from Adam, they have the passions which in common belong to the whole human race; and, not unfre- quently, under their influence, they sometimes sbake the very founda- tions of society, and add to the long catalogue of its crimes. Such are Catholics ; and this being the case, was there not much ground to ap- prehend, that on this occasion, forgetting, in the excitement of their passions, their obligation to the law, they would have trampled it under foot, and been themselves the instruments of its vengeance ? They had seen much, before even this, to arouse their passions, and whet their resentment. They had seen their religion misrepresented and slan- dered, in almost every Protestant press in our country. They had seen their priesthood charged with the commission of the foulest crimes, and designs hostile to the liberty of our land. They had seen their con- vents represented as the haunts of the most disgusting turpitude, and their inmates as the most infamous of their sex. They have seen all this, and forbearance marked their course. But, sirs, they were now called upon to witness a spectacle very different from this. They were now called upon to witness, not the vituperations of the press — not tlie roar of empty declamation — not the bold accusation unsubstantiated by one solitary proof — not the invective of the most deep-rooted mahgnity — but the torch of the fanatic, and the conflagration of their property. They saw one of the most outrageous violations of their rigfits, which had been perpetrated in this, or any other country. They saw a con- vent burnt to the ground, and its inmates, at the dead hour of the night, turned into the streets, almost without apparel. They saw its church robbed of its sacred vessels, and then reduced to ashes. They saw the resting-place of the dead invaded by ruffians, the coffin of its harmless tenant rudely burst open, and its contents pilfered by the monsters — and this, because they were Catholics. They saw all this, and was it not quite enough, sirs, to stir up their passions to mutiny and resist- ance ? Was it not quite enough to rouse the fierce spirits of revenge, and impel them to deeds of retaliation and blood ? The law, at least for the Catholics, had slumbered ; and, in this state, how natural for passion to grasp the sword, and vengeance to direct the stroke. Protection, at least for the Catholic, was suspended, and 1 need not say to you, sirs, that on such occasions men defend themselves. Such a state of things did exist in Charleslown. That Town was converted into a mob. The law there had ceased to be supreme, the bands of social intercourse had been burst asunder, and man was let loose, with no other guide than his passions, maddened to fury. But, notwithstanding this, the Catholics moved not an inch. Attached to the church of their ancestors, they listened to the discourse of her venerable bishop, and, submitting to his authority, they were guided, as they should be, by his counsels. And I, as a Catholic, thank God that it was so ; or else might have been ex- hibited a scene of carnage and of blood, from which humanity would have turned with horror and dismay. In pondering, Messrs. Editors, upon the scenes of Charlestown — scenes which, for their cold-blooded malignity and fiend-like atrocity, stand, under all the circumstances, unparalleled in the annals of na- tions, the mind is naturally led to inquire into the causes which pro- 3 26 duced them. A stranger to our history, our Constitution and laws, might, on contemplating the ashes of the UrsuUne Convent, inquire whether this Institution was erected ia contravention of the Constitu- tion, and in defiance of law ? No. The Constitution asserts the right, and the law protects it. if, as may indeed be supposed, without the imputation of any extraordinary ignorance, he were unacquainted with the rise, progress, and objects of these Institutions, he should go on and ask whether this Institution was hostile to the principles of morality.? This question, too, must be answered in the negative by every one whose mind is not clouded by ignorance, or swayed by malice. For, as to the riglit, who, that is acquainted with our government, will venture to deny it .'' Who will be bold enough to assert that a woman may or may not marry — may or may not frequent the society of the gay and fasiiionable ; or, if to her it seem fit, retire to the cloister of a Convent.-* The right to do either cannot be denied ; and as to the morality of Convents, it is rather too late in tJie day to object to them on this score. Established, almost at the day-break of Christianity, Monasteries and Convents have existed under all the varied forms of government in the civilized world. In England, Protestant as she is, they exist. In Eng- land, even when her penal laws were unrepealed, they existed, and were protected by the law. In Ireland, too — Ireland doomed to bear the lash of persecution for more than three hundred years — they were established — they existed — and in the law, they found their protection. The moralty, then, of these Institutions, cannot be called in question. It is settled — settled by the agreement of governments — settled, sirs, by the almost universal consent of mankind. Why, then, Messrs. Ed- itors, are they opposed with so much violence in our country .'' Whence, under a Constitution and government like ours — under a government and laws which proclaim universal protection in the exercise of the rights of conscience, has proceeded this ferocious, unprecedented, and lawless attack on the Ursuline Convent of Charlestown .-' This is an important question, and, if I mistake not, when traced lo its source, the cause will be found in the operation of those vile prejudices, and that rancorous and deadly hatred, which have been exerted against the Catholic and his Church. Thus his Church — his Church, which bears upon its walls, the frost of more than eighteen centuries — his Church, which is the Church of the Universe — his Church, which numbers more than two hundred millions of souls, as her children — his Ciiurch, which, as you know, has been the nursery of some of the most illustri- ous men that have ever adorned any age or nation — his Church, which has carried the torch of science in one hand and the flambeau of faith in the other, into every portion of the civilized globe — this Church, whose enactments are friendly to rational liberty, and in strict coincidence with the most rigid morality — this Church, which, but a little while ago, saw all Russia, all Germany, all France, all England, in fact, the whole Christian world reposing in her arms, and yielding, in faitli and morals, to her authority — is represented as a structure of idolatry, super- stition and crime, whose head is the anti-christ of the Apocalypse, and whose members are monsters whom it is just to destroy, and criminal to spare. Such is the portrait, Messrs. Editors, which is drawn of the Catholic and his Church — and although you know it to be false — false and black as the envenemed mind which conceived it— yet, thrown as it is among the ignorant, the bigoted and fanatical, it is well calculated to arouse their resentment, and direct it against the rights, and persons and property of the Catholics. Such has been the consequence of such vituperation in Europe. The penal laws of England have attested it. 27 The conflagration at Charlestown proves it. It is high^ime, Messrs. Editors, for this disgraceful course to be abandoned. The religion of the Catholic commands him to love his brethren of all religious denomi- nations ; and to consider the invasion of their rights as the invasion of his own ; and he is a bad Catholic and an enemy to our Government, vi^ho would not, sword in hand, if it be necessary, fly to the assistance of his Protestant brethren, whenever the spirit of religious persecution dared to molest them in the exercise of their constitutional rio-hts. I cannot conclude, Messrs Editors, without making a few remarks on the course of Boston, on the ferocious conduct of the mob at Charles- town. Boston has done well. She has added another to the laurels which she so justly wears. The Cradle of American Liberty, she has the boldness to proclaim, and the nerve to maintain the unalienable rights of man. The voices of men were heard at her meeting of Faneuil Hall, who have done honor to their own country, and would have re- flected lustre upon any period of history. The Olises and Quincys are not ordinary men. They are men known, and honored in tlie Republic of Letters; and whose course at the late meeting at Faneuil Hall, will endear them to the friends of civil and religious liberty in every portion of the Globe. A Catholic. 12«A August, 1834. THE URSULINE CONVENT. From Mrs. Hale's Magazine. Who has not heard of the outrage perpetrated at Charlestown .' A community of helpless women attacked, and, with a large number of female pupils, compelled to flee in the darkness of night from their abode, escaping at the peril of their lives, from the rage of lawless men, who were demolishing the pleasant dwelling, with its furniture and dear r.;enientf's, and who did not feel their fury satiated till the buildings v.ere sacked and burned, the beautiful and cultivated grounds ravaged and trodden down, and even the tomb, the sanctuary of the dead vio- lated. Such was the first awful act of the drama ; the conclusion must inevita- bly carry shame, sorrow and suffering to many a heart, and into fami- lies, who little dreamed that their sons would, within sight of Bunker Hill, bring 'dishonor upon the American name, by the commission of a crime, which has no parallel in the history of civilized nations. Some may think that the various journals have sufficiently discussed this affair ; but besides its importance as a violation of the public peace, it appeals directly to the sympathies of our sex ; it is a cruelty, a wrong to woman, at which every female heart must revolt, being committed against women who, by the regulations of christian society, are entitled not only to the protection of the laws, but to the protection of man also. These feelings must prompt every lady, Protestant as well as Chatholic, to comdemn the outrage. Still, in order to judge correctly of its causes and consequences, information is necessary, and this we have taken every means in our power to procure. The result we will give in a sketch of the Convent and its catastrophe, and, believe that the details, many of which we have learned from the Superior, cannot but be in- teresting to cur readers. The Ursuline Convent was established in Boston in 1820, under the care of Madame St. Joseph* as Superior. The order of St Ursuline are, by their religious profession, devoted to the education of female * Madame St. Joseph died in 1823, and was succeeded hy Madame St. George. 28 youth ; consequently, the institution was, to all intents and purposes, a female seminary. This is an important feature in conventual life, which we American Protestants rarely consider. We think of nunneries as places of prayer and penance, superstitious rites and idle observances j we talk of nuns as beings shut out not only from the enjoyments of so- ciety, but from its useful employments also, condemned to exist without pursuits, pleasures or hopes that relate to this world. — Such may be the case with some of the most rigid orders, the Trappists,for example, but as relating to the majority of those who take the veil, it is an erroneous idea. The nuns are neither idle nor useless members of the State. Those who are not devoted to the instruction of the young are employ- ed with their needles, and in curious and tasteful fancy works, which are sold for the benefit of the order. In this way they earn their own support. But teaching is their great business, and in all Chatholic countries nunneries are now almost the only boarding schools where young ladies are educated. Till the time of Madame Campan, we be- lieve, no female seminary except the nunnery was known in France. And many noble English Protestant families sent their daughters thither to be educated, because of the superior advantages which these Catho- lic institutions offered in all that was then deemed the requisite accom- plishments of a high bred lady. To some of these conventual semina- ries particular immunities were granted, on account of their being se- lected as places of education for the princesses of the blood royal. And surely some regard is due from our sex to that order of women who, through the ages of ignorance and darkness, devoted themselves to the instruction of female youth. True, the system was very defective, but it was the best which the state of society permitted. Whether the convent is a fitting place for the education of the daugh- ters of our free citizens, is a question for parents to decide. There can, however, be no question that the Chatholics of these I'nited Slates have the right to establish such seminaries if they chouse ; and we never heard there was any objection when the Ursuline Convent was opened in Boston for the admission of pupils. It was a new thing, and probably the romance connected with the idea of living in a convent with real nuns who had taken the vows, and wore black veils, and kept themselves apart from the world, had some effect in procuring pupils. The success of the experiment was soon certain ; but the building in which the nuns resided was not in a pleasant situation, and they con- cluded to leave the city, and establish themselves where they could have gardens and grounds for those exercisesjand recreations which are so indispensable to the health of children and sedentary persons. In pursuance of this plan, they purchased an estate of about twenty-seven acres in Charlestown, and in nearly the centre of their grounds, on a hill which they named Mount Benedict, they erected a spacious and handsome brick edifice. Hither they removed in 1826, and entered zealously on their labors of improving their property, and ' rearing^the tender minds' committed to their care.* The situation of the place they had chosen was splendid ; Mount Benedict commanded the most varied and delightful scenery; Charles- town, Cambridge, Boston, the river and the harbor with its islands, might all be viewed from the windows of the convent. But when they purchased the estate its 'capabilities' was all it had to recommend it; Mount Benedict was a rough, bleak hill, and the land around a broken * The number of pupils was fifty, the nuns ten— not more than was necessary to manage the school. 29 looking waste. In eight years the institution and its grounds were the admiration of strangers, and the pride of Chatholics. The school in the meantime, had continued to increase. During the last year more pupils had been offered than could be accepted. The season had been propitious ; their gardens were in a state of high culti- vation ; every thing around them looked beautiful and flourishing- and nothing portended the destruction which was at hand. On Monday evening, August the llih, the inmates of the Ursuline Convent, in number sixty-six, retired to rest at the usual hour, halt past seven. All retired, with the exception of the Superior, and one sister who was a watcher by the bed side of an invalid nun. The Supe- rior felt some anxiety ; she had heard rumors that an excitement was gathering against her, on account of transactions which were reported to have taken place at the convent. Though she was consious of her own innocence, and had been solemnly assured, only a few hours before, by the selectmen of Charlestown, that she and her house were safe, and had nothing to fear; yet her responsibility for the young ladies committed to her care, could not but make her anxious. The ostensible cause of the excitement was briefly this A few weeks previous, one of the nuns, Mary St. John, had, in a temporary fit of derangement caused by illness, left the convent, and repaired to one of the neighboring houses, where, it was said, that she complained of being unhappy, and desired to be taken to a family in West Cam- bridge. Thither she was carried by the persons to whom she had ap- pealed. The very next morning she expressed to lier brother her desire to return to the convent; and did return willingly, and declared that she had no recollection of going away, or of any thing which had taken place in relation to it. Yet the circumstance that a nun had gone out from the convent, was the theme of much gossip and many terrible surmises.— Among other rumors, it was confidently stated that Mary St. John was a young nun who had been over-persuaded to make the profession ; that she stipulated before she returned to the convent, that she should not be obliged to assume the black veil again but should, in three weeks be dismissed honorably,' and allowed to return to her friends. It was farther stated that her friends had called for her at the time named, and she was not to be found ! This Monk Lewis story was mostly a fiction. Mary St. John had been a nun for nearly thirteen years— she is exceedingly attached to her profession, and no persuasion could now induce iTer to leave the sisterhood. She has no recollection of expressing a wish ta depart in three weeks ; nor was she ever denied to her friends. , But these rumors were abroad, they had reached the Superior, though she did not consider them entitled to any attention, till they ap- peared in the shape of a newspaper article. The same day, (Saturday the 9th,) the gentleman to whose house the nun first repaired, came to the convent, stating the excitement abroad, and requested to see Mary St. John.— This the Superior readily granted, and also permitted him to go over the whole house, and examine the cel- lars, where it was reported the horrid dungeons were situated. He found nothing to justify suspicion ; the nun assured him she was at perfect freedom ; that she staid from choice ; and he promised the Superior to Jay before the public, on Monday, a statement which would<;lear her, and remove or silence all these unfounded, injurious reports. On the next day, one of the Selectmen of Charlestown came to the •onvent, requiring to see Mary St. John, and to be allowed to examine 3* 30 the buildings. The Superior felt loth to have him take this liberty on the Sabbath-day, but she was aware that popular excitement is not apt to be very reasonable, and that should she refuse him, the clamor mi fe.c:<^ ci.^S - c <^ x-<^' ^^ '"' 'JJ ^CS^^t 1^^^-^-;^ ^^ "cfc^r^' "=^ ifci ->^*^ ^ <:«ii£< c <:< «L