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weighed but one drachm. You see, sir, we are moderate; do you think, sir, one hundred and fifty thousand drachms of gold would make a portable golden calf? :

What will your wise man say to this?-Will they de ny that the Hebrew women and children wore gold ear ings?-But besides that the sacred Historian mentions it; from the very time of Abraham such ornaments were common in Palestine and the neighbouring country. It was the custom of the Ismaelites to carry them even to battle: even to this day the Arabs, who are their des cendants, have them as part of their regular dress, and the custom was quite common in Egypt. Why then should not the Hebrews have them? Perhaps they left this frippery in Egypt, or that they were worn out in their ears in the space of three months, just like the soles... of their Sandals.

"But," you say, "these Jews were a poor people :" We could shew you that they were not, at least at the time alluded to. But supposing they were-must they be very rich, because we happen to find one hundred and fifty thousand pair of gold trinkets, weighing one drachm each, amongst two millions of people? what would you think if the most of these gold earings, were part of the spoils which they brought off from their old masters? Let us then conclude, Sir, that this difficulty, worth just as little as the others.

(TO BE CONTINUED.)

FROM THE LETTRES EDIFIANTES. Account of a Procession at Constantinople in a Letter from a Missionary to his Sister.

My dearest Sister-I am too well acquainted with your zeal for Religion, and too well aware of the very great interest, which you feel in every thing with which it is connected, not to feel greatly impatient to inform you of an edifying and moving scene which I have witnessed. Will you believe it my sister? in the very midst of Con stantinople itself, the Catholics have their solemn proces

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sions, with as much freedom and regularity as they have in Paris. I will merely relate what I have seen. And what I consider as most strange in the occurrence, is not the magnificence of the ceremony, splendid as it is, but the freedom with which it is performed, and the appearance of profound respect which was observable in the very Turks who beheld it.

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There has been for the last five or six centuries established in this place, a confraternity of St. Anne, and within the last forty or fifty years it has been attached to our church it is respectable for its antiquity.-This confraternity has very s ngular privileges, amongst others, the brethren are qualified to sing the Gospel, having Deacons stoles, and on Easter Sunday, after communion, to drink. wine out of a vessel which they have. It was formerly, composed, exclusively of the principal Catholics of the country, but for some years past the French and Venetian Ambassadors are members and ornaments of it. It is. rather an extraordinary circumstance, for generally in christianity, those pious establishments degenerate as - they are removed from their origin, but length of time has only contributed to make this more respectable..

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It possesses a rich treasure which it has always preserved, notwithstanding the various revolutions of this eity and the empire at large. This treasure is a Thorn of the Saviour's Crown, and the presious relic is authenticated by genuine certificates and documents of undoubted authority-and it is on this account the procession is formed. This considerable time back, it has taken place on the night of Easter eve.-I give you a description of its order, and the arrangement.

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It leaves our church towards two o'clock, and does not return until four in the morning; hence you may forin some idea of the distance which it goes. In front was a numerous band of violins, hautboys, trumpets, and horns, from the palaces of the Ambassadors, which makes the whole city resound with its music: next were carried three splendid banners, surrounded and illuminated by a... acore of blazing torches, after which the confraternity followed two and two, each carrying a Eghted flambeau; they were about two hundred in number, and dressed in

their habits which are a sort of albs of fine white cloth, and at proportionate interva's they had two choirs of singers suited to the taste of the country, which is something pleasing and melodious. Those choirs sung responsive to each other, after giving opportunities occasionally to the instruments to be properly heard.

Next was a portable altar magnificently adorned, and encircled by fifty lighted tapers, and nearly as many flambeaux; on this altar was a figure of the Resurrection, the workmanship of which upon close inspection, I look. ed upon to be very good.-It is an image of our Lord. after his having arisen, which was placed under a circalar dome, supported by many columns; the whole is silver,. and must have cost a good deal; round this altar were eight large lamps, which being gilt and graven, the entire produced a splendid effect.

The clergy then came: they were Cordeliers, Recollects, Trinitarians and Dominicans, all in copes, and the Jesuits in long cloaks.

The canopy which was superb white damask, with rich. gold flowers and a gorgeous fringe, was carried by the prior and three principal officers of the confraternity, in their white habits like the rest of the brethren. I had the honour of carrying the sacred thorn. I was dressed in a cope, over which was a scarf embroidered with gold, the relic, which is a small sprig of thorn, covered with gold, is cased in a chrystal vase, the cap and foot of which are of vermillion colour. The canopy was surrounded by a. number of Priests in dalmatics, a great many torch-bearers, and four of the confraternity, who carried great sil ver vases filled with rose-water, with which they cont:nu ally sprinkled the bystanders, the odour of this, joined ‹ to that of the quantity of perfumes which were continu ally burning in the many censers which they brought along filled the streets with a delicious fragrance. The sides of the streets were thronged with people. The procession was closed by twenty of the confraternity, and some of the principal officers of the palace, who had each a flambeau : there was not the slightest breeze, and the whole heaven was calmn: you may conceive something of its splendour.

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All the Ambassadors were present, not even excepting the English and Swedish, who came to houses in the way for the purpose of seeing it pass.-Mons, the Marquis of Villeneuve, our Ambassador, who is as conspicuous for his rare and solid piety, as for his zeal for the support and propagation of Religion, came with, his lady to our Church, where we had a musical High, Mass. I believe our Church is the best which the Catholics have in this country, and on this occasion it was entirely hung with cloth of gold and silver, sent by the Prior of the Confraternity, who is a rich Venetian merchant.

The Armenians, whom our Ambassador has pretty much under his controul, and whom he has so far gained upon by kindness, that there is good reason to expect a speedy re-union, had, on this occasion, earnestly begged that the procession should pass by one of their Churches; we the more easily consented from knowing that the Bishop of this Church is a Catholic in his heart, and only waits a proper opportunity to make an open declaration of it, which he would long since have done, if he had not been prevailed upon to defer it, that without being suspected, he may with better prospect of success, labour for the perfect re-union-He respectfully received the pro-cession when it passed by his church. He had on his cope and mitre, and a good many of his Priests accompanied him-they were preceded by fifty flambeaux. The procession stopped for a few moments. One of our Deacons sung the gospel of the day, and the prayer of the patron of the Church. The Bishop then came up to me. I presented him the sacred thorn, which he kissed. At this place the rose water was not sprinkled but absolutely poured out copiously, and the flowers were thrown in such abundance, that I was obliged for a long time to keep my eyes shut. I am told that in this spot the very Turks threw grent quantities of flowers from the windows, but as I have not seen it I cannot vouch for the truth of this assersion.

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This, my dear sister, is a ceremony the relation of which has doubtless surprised you. I am sure you could never have supposed that our Religión had more toleratien from Turks, than from the English and Dutch. All

this passed off with an appearance of piety and modesty infinitely surpassing that of our other European processions; and Christians frequently negligent and dissipated in the bosom of Christianity, consider it a duty to appear more grave in the presence of infidels, for the purpose of impressing them with a better idea of the greatness of that God whom they adore, and of the sanctity of that Jaw which they profess. I am sure this little history will give pleasure to you, and to all others who feel an interest in the glory of Religion.-I am, &c.

Letter from Father James Xavier Portier, Jesuit Missionary, to Father Fleauriau, of the same Society.

MY REV. FATHER,

Naxos, 20th March, 1701.

The peace of our Lord be with you.

I thought it my duty to inform you, as you desire, of the blessings which God has vouchsafed to pour out on the missions which were made in the islands of the Archipelago. Siphanto, Hermia, and Andros, are those which we have gone through last year.-Assist us, my Rev. Father, to thank the Lord of all good for what he was pleased to do by means of our ministry.

The Island of Siphanto is about fifteen leagues in circumference. It is a beautiful country, and has a very mild climate. It contains a great quantity of very fine springs, a great many olive trees, the oil of which is excellent. It produces abundance of wine, corn, pulse, fruits, capers and cotton. Orange, and other trees of that description. would be more common if they were better cultivated.— The island appears formerly to have produced a great reveAue. To this day you are shewn large excavations, whence, they say, formerly great quantities of gold and silver were taken, and you may see what appears to be the remains of purifying furnaces for clearing the ore, when brought from the mine. Monsieur Gayon, the French Consul, assured me, that during the last war, an expert Venetian chemist, came to make experiments, and that from eighty pounds of ore, he extracted eighteen pounds

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