me to solicit your notice of a case, which, I trust, will also engage your good feeling.

The Roman Catholics of this city are, as a body, the least wealthy of its religious denominations. In the other parts of the state they are exceedingly few and by no means rich. The Catholic diocess, of which this state is a portion, is, I believe, without question, that which of all others in the United States, has the least wordly means as compared with its spiritual wants, and thus its members in this city may be considered as the least provided for. I shall lay their situation before you.

From the number of Catholics in this city, and the manner in which they are separated, as well as from their situation in life, the larger portion of them having little power to dispose of their own time, even on the Sundays, it is absolutely necessary to have three churches; two in the city and one in the outlets. About thirty years since, a brick edifice of moderate dimensions had been erected and was used as the only place of our worship. It was surrounded by a cemetery, where the remains of those who originally worshipped in the church are deposited. The church, latterly known as St. Mary's, had lately undergone a thorough repair, and been fitted up in such a manner as gave the prospect of many years of service with very few demands for its preservation. A debt of upwards of $2,000 remained unliquidated, but which it was hoped the savings of a few years would extinguish, together with the interest to which it was subject. The congregation and their friends had subscribed to pay the amount of the expenses, and had defrayed all except the above sum. In one night, the church and its organ were destroyed, notwithstanding every exertion to save them. An insurance had been effected for a sum considerably under the value of the property destroyed, but of the money which will be obtained, when the sum of two thousand dollars, due as above stated, shall be deducted, the remainder will not be one-fourth of the sum necessary to place the congregation in the same state in which they were, for the convenience of the divine offices, previous to the conflagration; and its friends have suffered more or less by our general calamity. A subscription has been entered into for rebuilding the church, and though the sums promised are, under our state of loss and suffering, as large as can be expected, yet they fall greatly below what is absolutely necessary to build upon our ancient site, a church of such materials as our city council now wisely requires to be used in building within the incorporate limits.

About seventeen years since, it became necessary to provide a

location for a cathedral; and an excellent site was purchased, upon which the present temporary building of rough framework, used as a cathedral, (St. Finbar's), now stands. Years had passed away before, even by extraordinary exertions, this purchase-money and its accumulating interest could be paid up. Indeed I may say, that it has only just now been effected. The situation itself is most eligible and convenient; though by no means near the centre of the city, and very remote from the outlets. Our poverty is such that we have been obliged to consider as likely to be used for many years at least, as our cathedral, a rough, low frame building, originally thrown up merely as a temporary accommodation, upon the rear of the lot, and which was only intended to be used for two or three years, within which time it was hoped a substantial cathedral would be erected. This is now the only church we have in the city and its vicinity.

Previous to the fire, when it was used exclusively for the accommodation of its own congregation, it was filled to overflowing, and now the congregation of St. Mary's have been invited to use it with those who previously frequented it! I need not dwell further upon a description of what you must conceive!

During some years, the necessity of providing a place of worship for the Catholics on "Charleston Neck," or the outlets of the city was manifest, and ground was purchased which has been used as a cemetery, reserving a sufficient portion for the church. Several efforts have been made to raise the funds necessary for this purpose, but they have proved abortive. Mass has, however, been celebrated in a private house on the Neck during a considerable time past, for the accommodation of those who can be admitted within so limited a space:the foundation of the church (St. Patrick's) has been laid; a contract was entered into with a very respectable mechanic, for the erection of the building, and it was hoped that by an effort, which promised well, the sum necessary for defraying the cost of a frame building would be procured. A small part only of the subscriptions had been collected, when the fire consumed the larger portion of the frame and other materials which were in the shop of the architect, who is himself one of the heaviest sufferers by the conflagration! But our chief loss was, the total ruin of many of our subscribers, and the almost insuperable obstacles to our obtaining a sufficient collection to meet the payments which we have undertaken.

Behold then our situation! Deprived, we may say, of two churches; having left to us only one, exceedingly mean and insufficient; in the diocess which of all others in the United States has the least re

sources among the members of our communion; with our fellow-citizens in our community, who would be disposed to our aid, severly smitten, and our own means exhausted, we appeal to you, to extend to us your benevolence! You have given food to the hungry amongst us,you have given drink to the thirsty, you have clothed the naked, you have sheltered the houseless and consoled the afflicted. We now intreat you, to afford us an opportunity of worshipping according to the dictates of our consciences, at those altars before which our fathers and their progenitors bowed in adoration of the heavenly Father, of his beloved son Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Ghost. So shall our suffrages be there offered on your behalf, that you may be protected from the consuming fire, from the blast of pestilence, from the scourge of famine, from the noon-day evil, from the shafts of malice, from the snares of darkness, from disquiet at home and from disaster abroad!

Some of our brethren of other religious denominations have also been deprived of their places of worship, but their friends and their associates have with a creditable liberality come to their aid. Their edifices will rise from the ashes, more durable in their structure, more commodious in their arrangement, more decorated in beauty. Our expectations are more limited; we must be content with less. But even for procuring what is merely necessary, we must be dependent upon the generosity of our friends, of the charitable, of the benevolent, of the liberal.

We address ourselves confidently to all, but I think that we may, without any unkindness in the discrimination, feel, that we have stronger claims upon those who profess that same creed to which we adhere, and we rely upon them greatly, though not exclusively, to befriend us in the day of trial.

I am aware, that were I to send priests to solicit the benefactions of the well-disposed, it would be probably attended with more success than any appeal of this description is likely to be. It is not, however, in my power to do so, without going through a process, which I do not feel to be convenient to me at present, or subjecting the priest so sent to liabilities to which I would not expose him. Again:-the number of priests in this diocess is exceedingly small, and I could not spare them from the duties of their mission for even so important an object as this. There are many other objections which it would be useless to enumerate. I am, therefore, placed under the necessity of making this public appeal, requesting the aid of the clergy and laity, of the benevolent, of the charitable, of the friends of religion, and of

the afflicted, to enable us to build up in this city, and on the Neck, the churches of St. Mary and of St. Patrick.

Any sum transmitted to me for that purpose, shall be duly acknowledged, and applied according to the directions of the benefactor. Should no specification be made, I shall divide equally between both churches the sums that I receive. Should any specification be made, I shall have the sums applied to one or the other, as I shall be directed

I shall finally take the liberty of requesting the venerable prelates and their reverend priests, through the United States, to have the charity to receive and to transmit to me such sums as may be given to them for this purpose. And should any of my lay-friends be kind enough to act for me upon this occasion, I shall have their names published, so that they may the more easily receive and transmit to me the sums contributed in their vicinity.

I entreat you, beloved brethren, to remember us also in your prayers, that God may sustain us; and we shall also be mindful of you, and if our humble supplications shall find acceptance before the throne of Grace, we trust that our benefactors will receive from us that return which alone it is in our power to make.

May the peace of God be with you, brethren, is the prayer of

Yours,

JOHN, Bishop of Charleston.

CHARLESTON, S. C., May 28, 1838.

LETTERS IN THE HOGAN CASE

Introductory Note: The history of notorious Hogan case is fully given in the thirteen lengthy and exhaustive letters written by Bishop England. Led by a spirit of charity and by what he deemed, at the time, a spirit of justice, Bishop England undertook to investigate the case of Reverend Mr. Hogan with a view of peacefully settling the affair. His attitude deeply hurt Bishop Conwell of Philadelphia. The desire of removing this misunderstanding was the immediate motive prompting Bishop England to write the letters in question. These letters eminently show forth Dr. England's humility and his love of truth and justice.

Rev. William Hogan came, a young priest, from Ireland and after a short stay at Albany, N. Y., came to Philadelphia, where the administrator of the diocese gave him a temporary appointment to St. Mary's parish in that city. Shortly after the arrival of the new bishop, Doctor Conwell, the ecclesiastical faculties were with drawn from Mr. Hogan, who appealed to the Archbishop of Baltimore, but lost his case. Instead of submitting to higher authority, he continued to officiate at St. Mary's, supported by the lay trustees of the parish. He was excommunicated by the bishop, but still remained and now tried to defend himself before the Amer. ican public by publishing a pamphlet filled with an entirely false presentation of his case. The matter was also dragged into the Civil Courts. More infamous pamphlets were published by his friends and supporters. For two years the schism continued at St. Mary's, when Mr. Hogan finally left both, the place and the priesthood, to practice law. He died at Lowell, Mass.-ED.

LETTER I

CHARLESTON, Sept. 6, 1822.

To the Right Reverend Doctor Conwell, Bishop of Philadelphia.

Right Reverend Sir:-After the publication of a late pamphlet, by the Reverend William Hogan, entitled An answer to a paragraph contained in the United States Catholic Miscellany, edited by the Bishop of Charleston, under the head "Philadelphia," I feel myself called upon to give you an explanation of some of its statements.

The writer commences by asserting that I am the editor of the Miscellany and the compiler of the article, by pretending to answer which, he takes occasion to assail me. The fact of my being, or not being the editor of that paper, or of my having or not having written the paragraph, makes nothing for or against the statement I wish to explain.

In the pamphlet, page 9, is the following statement: "That at dinner, at Reverend Mr. Power's, at New York, I stated that I left