modation of the members of the Catholic Congregation, to see that Temple raised and finished as expeditiously as possible, and whereas, the undertaking of so spacious an edifice must be attended with very great expense, altho' erected with all possible economy, and the omission of useless exterior ornaments, which latter can prove of neither advancement to Religion, nor convenience to the Members,

"It is resolved: that the Trustees of St. Peter's Church will respectively collect as many subscriptions as may be in their power and persevere with their interest to influence the same laudable purposes with their friends and acquaintances; and that every contributor may be convinced, that the Trustees do not covet, nor will they permit unnecessary expenses, to prevent the covering in of the Church, it is agreed upon, after the consideration of the considerable expense which the raising of a steeple would amount to, and thereby prevent the finishing of the Church by an unnecessary and useless appendage neither adopted by the recent Roman Catholic Church built in Philadelphia or in those of other religious denominations in this City, to recede from any idea which to the prejudice of contributions has been held out, of making a costly foundation for the erecting at a future period, a steeple to St. Patrick's Church, thereby procrastinating the building, absorbing the funds which may otherwise complete the Church for the only end proposed of having Divine Service in same with greater expedition."

The success of this quaint and earnest appeal is evident from the report to the Board on January 22d of the following year, when the treasurer, Mr. Morris, announced the subscription receipts to have been $8551.15, towards the payment of expenditures to date, amounting to $9439.09. It was at this meeting that the Patrician Society was formed, with the object of raising further funds for the completion of the church. The members of this society engaged themselves "to pay monthly one quarter of a dollar upwards, each in proportion to his means"; the names of such members were "to be carefully preserved in the Church Books, and prayers for them offered for time immemorial in said Church." "This great undertak

ing," the resolutions go on to say, "(so pleasing in the sight of Almighty God in every age of Christianity) of erecting a Temple is also most earnestly recommended to the female part of the Congregation (whose piety and zeal is every day becoming more conspicuous) for their support and patronage.”

Parents were asked to have their children's names inscribed on the list of membership, as it would "create in their tender minds a holy emulation or pride, when they shall have attained the age of manhood, to know that they contributed, even when at school, to the building of St. Patrick's Church."

In such a way, the resolutions tell us, was built the Catholic Church of St. Patrick in London, "by the great and good divine, so well known all over Europe, the Rev. Father Arthur O'Leary."

The zeal and earnestness of the trustees which the foregoing resolutions manifest is also evidenced by their action at the meeting of September 7th, when a committee was appointed to prepare an address to the Corporation of Trinity Church, asking for assistance towards the building of the church. This committee consisted of Andrew Morris, Thomas Stoughton, and Fathers Kohlman and Fenwick. We have not been able to find the result of this petition, as the minutes of Trinity Church have no record of its presentation, though in afteryears there is mention in them of more than one concession and favor to the struggling mother church of the diocese on the part of the great Episcopal Corporation of Trinity.

The amount of the collections and subscriptions for the year 1810 was $6471.32; of this sum $1000 was a subscription of Mr. Morris, and $1095.75 was the total receipts from the members of the Patrician Society.

There was now expended on the foundation and groundplan to the completion of the water-table nearly sixteen thousand dollars. It would be interesting to note the onward progress of the church and the zealous efforts made by the congregation towards its completion, but, as we have already remarked, the minutes of the succeeding meetings for many years have been lost or mislaid.

That there were difficulties to be met and overcome we are convinced by the fact that the building was not finished till the year 1815, when the labors and sacrifices of priests, trustees, and parishioners were rewarded by its solemn dedication to the service of God by the saintly Bishop Cheverus.*

From the study of these old Board minutes it is evident that the trustees of the church had full control of the material business of the corporation. At all the meetings, nevertheless, we find that the pastor, Father Kohlman, was present, approving and encouraging the plans and projects of the lay trustees.

The tendency, however, to meddle with the province of the clergy, which was so hurtful to the interests of the Church in early years, may be inferred from the necessity of a resolution that was passed at the meeting in October, 1809. It seems that a Mr. Gaynor complained that the priests did not accompany the funerals to the burying-ground, and therefore it was resolved "to represent to him that the trustees having no control over the spiritual functions of the clergy (their province being confined to the temporality of the Church only), cannot oblige the Rev. Clergy to attend funerals either in carriages or on foot." To us it seems strange to read that "the trustees not having heard of deficiency in duty of the officiating Clergy, believe that they are ready day and night to attend their duty, and as far as we know that they strictly comply with the exterior duties required from them as pastors and as divines of the Roman Catholic Church, and that therefore they are worthy of being recommended."

This commendatory resolution was signed by all the members present, with the exception of Patrick McKay, who, for some reason not stated, declined to assent to the views of the other trustees; his name does not appear on the list of members at the succeeding meetings of the Board.

The generous spirit of the men who signed the foregoing

The old Cathedral, which, as we have seen, was enlarged in 1842, suffered destruction by fire October 6, 1866; the four walls were left standing, and within these was rebuilt the church as it now stands, one of the finest specimens of Gothic architecture in the metropolis.

resolution appears again when, at the beginning of the next year, they voted an allowance of $500 a year to Father William O'Brien,* who for some years had been unable, through ill health, to officiate in St. Peter's. Among the other matters considered at the meetings which these minutes record we see with pleasure that the free school of the parish, established as early as the year 1800, was an object of solicitude to the trustees, who regularly appointed a committee of the members of the Board to visit the schoolrooms month after month. At a meeting, held on August 10, 1810, "the salary of Mr. James Moffatt, Master of the Free School attached to the Church, for his strict attention to the duties of his situation," was increased "to four hundred dollars per annum, commencing from the first of May last."

That the trustees were anxious to have the services in the church attended with all possible solemnity we may infer from a resolution, passed at the same meeting, making the salary of Mrs. Clarke one hundred and fifty dollars for her services in the choir.

While we must admit that the old trustee system failed in many ways to give satisfaction to the clergy and to the congregation, we cannot but be gratified by the evidence given in these minutes of the zeal, devotion, and energy of the men whom the peculiar circumstances of the times placed in charge of the temporal affairs of the infant Church of New York.

*Rev. William O'Brien was the first permanent pastor of St. Peter's. The tablet raised over his remains, which is now a mural memorial in the church, records his zeal and charity in the yellow-fever years 1795-96-97-98, when he was already advanced in years. As he was alone in the city during nearly all those years, the severe labors undermined his constitution, so that his infirmities caused him to retire from active pastorship. His place was taken in 1808 by the celebrated Fathers Kohlman and Fenwick. He was an invalid till he died, May 14, 1816, in his seventy-sixth year.

MONSIGNOR BEDINI'S VISIT TO THE UNITED STATES. THE OFFICIAL CORRESPONDENCE.

CONTRIBUTED BY MR. PETER CONDON.

WE have been favored by Hon. David J. Hill, Assistant Secretary of State, with the following copies of the correspondence between the Papal Government and our own on the occasion of Archbishop Bedini's visit, from the files of the Department of State at Washington. Monsignor Bedini, to whom they refer, reached New York in June, 1853, and soon after visited Washington, where he was received most courteously by the President, Franklin Pierce, to whom he presented an autograph letter of His Holiness Pius IX.

Some Catholic writers have maintained that Monsignor Bedini visited Washington and sought recognition as the official or diplomatic representative of the Holy Father; Shea even goes so far as to say (Vol. IV., p. 360) that "the administration determined not to recognize him as a member of the diplomatic body," and he speaks of Mr. Marcy, the Secretary of State, raising difficulties in the way of such recognition. The correspondence copied below does not prove this contention. The mission of the distinguished visitor related primarily to ecclesiastical affairs, and as this was the first time that an ecclesiastic of such rank had been deputed to visit this country as the immediate representative of the Holy Father, the occasion favored and courtesy required that Monsignor Bedini should call on the President and present to him the compliments and good wishes of the Pope. And the letter of the Holy Father would seem to indicate that nothing beyond this was intended. But it is likewise true that Archbishop Hughes privately sought to ascertain