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 INDO-CHINA

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INDOCHINA

but a few days before delivered over to massacre and pillage. Reinforced by the Catholics, the regular army defeated the rebels in several successive engage- ments, and quickly restored tranquillity throughout the territories. On 15 March, 1874, a new treaty was signed between France and Annam, which guaran- teed explicitly religious freedom and the safety of the missionaries. AH enactments against the Chris- tians were annulled; perfect liberty was accorded the Annamites to embrace and to practise Christianity; religion was to form no obstacle to public employ- ment; all terms and phrases in the official codes etc., objectionable to Catholics, were to be removed; priests and bishops were, accorded unrestricted free- dom to move about the empire without being sub- jected to interrogation or espionage; all confiscated property, not yet occupied, was to be restored to its Christian owners.

From 1874 to 1882 the Christians enjoyed a period of relative peace, but in the latter year the mandarins had again begun to act with such an absolute disre- gard of the treaty that France was once more com- pelled to interfere. Finding it impossible to secure any satisfactory engagement from the mandarins. Commander Riviere seized the citadel of Hanoi on 25 April and then occupied Nam-dinh, but was slain in an engagement with the Black Flags on 19 May. On 26 May Father Bechet and numbers of his cate- chists and flock were decapitated by the Annamites. A proposal in the Royal Council to decree a general massacre of Christians was vetoed by Tu-duc. This was one of the Annamite monarch's last important acts, and contrasted favourably with his general policy throughout his long reign (1S47-S3). Stirred now from its inaction, France dispatched strong rein- forcements under General Bouet and .Admiral Courbct. The bombardment of Thuan-an and the capture of Hue led to the Treaty of 25 .August, 1883. As, how- ever, the Black Flags still continued to massacre and pillage about Hanoi, .Admiral Courbet proceeded against Son-tai, and, despite its desperate defense, captured the town on 17 Decemljer. To avenge themselves for their defeats the Annamite authorities forthwith decreed a general massacre of Christians. Troops were dispersed throughout the country to rob, burn, pillage, slay, and leave no trace of Christianity in the land. The French troops meanwhile gained victory after victory; Bac-ninh, Kep, Thai-nguyen, and Hung-hoa were successively captured, and on 2 June, 1884, a treaty was signed promising indemnity to the Christians and a general amnesty to those who had assisted France. But the ambuscade laid bj' the Annamites and Chinese for the French at Bac-le (24 June, 1884) indicated clearly what confidence could be reposed in Annamite faith. France at once attacked China, annihilated the Chinese fleet, Ijombarded Fou- chou, seized the Pescadores, and blockaded Formosa. Such salutary terror did this prompt action cause the Chinese authorities that they hastened to conclude peace on 9 June, 1885. The Franco-Annamite Treaty of 1884 was ratified on 23 February, 1886. Annam became a French protectorate, and the influence which China had exercised over its affairs for more than 4000 years came to an end.

A detailed description of the sufferings of the missions during the "Great Massacres" cannot be attempted here. The following figures given in Piolet (op. cit. infra, II, pp. 470-1) will sufficiently indicate the ruthlessness of the butchery and the fierce determination of the Annamite authorities to destroy every vestige of the Christian Faith. In Eastern Cochin China the martyrs included 15 priests (7 native), 00 catechists, 270 nuns, and 24,000 Chris- tians (out of 41,234); all the charitable institutions and ecclesiastical buildings of the mission — including the episcopal curia, churches, presbyteries, 2 semi- naries, a printing establishment, 17 orphanages, 10

convents, and 225 chapels — were destroyed. In Southern Cochin China, 10 native priests and 8585 Christians were massacred in the Province of Quang- tri alone — the two remaining provinces supplied hundreds of martyrs; two-thirds of the churches, presbyteries, etc., of the mission were pillaged and burned. In the Mission of Southern Tong-king 163 churches were burned; 4799 Catholics were executed, while 1181 died of hunger and misery. These figures apply only to the year 1885; in 1883^ eight French missionaries, one native priest, 63 catechists, and 400 Christians were massacred in Western Tong-king, while 10,000 Catholics only saved themselves by flight. The carnage extended even to the remote forests of Laos, where seven missionaries, several native priests, and thousands of Christians were butchered.

Present Condition of the Catholic Church in French Indo-China. — Although but twenty-five years have elapsed since it had to endure a persecution, without parallel since the fiercest days of the Reformation, the Catholic Church has never been in so flourishing a condition in Indo-China as it is to-day (1910). Be- ginning with 5782 conversions of adults in 1887, the annual figure mounted rapiilly and steadily, and averages at present about fifty thousand. It will be instructive to set down here the latest statistics (at the beginning of 1909) for the twelve vicariates apos- tolic, into which Indo-China is at present divided, at the same time warning the reader that the vicariates are not to be taken as conterminous with the geo- graphical territories suggested by their names: —

(1) Western Cochin China: vicar, Mgr. Mossard, titular Bishop of Medea (residence, Saigon); total population, 1.. 566,000; Catholics, 63,640; catechu- mens, 1600; priests, 134 (58 European); 50 cate- chists; 2 seminaries with 122 students; 72 Brothers of the Christian Schools; nuns (Carmelite, St. Paul of Chartres, Filles de Marie), 6 houses with 713 sisters; 237 churches and chapels; 122 schools with 7960 pupils; 15 orphanages with 1109 inmates; 15 hospi- tals; 15 pharmacies;

(2) Eastern Cochin China: vicar, Mgr. Grangeon, titular Bishop of Utina (residence, Binh-dinh, Annam) ; population, 3,500,000; Catholics, 83,000; catechu- mens, 10,000; priests, 101 (64 European); 83 cate- chists; 2 seminaries with 204 students; Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres, 1 house with 6 religious; Amantes de la CroLx, 10 houses with (in 1901) 238 religious; 555 churches and chapels; 42 schools with 1889 pupils; 20 orphanages with 1567 inmates; 1 hospital; 3 dis- pensaries;

(3) Northern Cochin China: vicar, Mgr. AUys, titu- lar Bishop of Phacusa (residence, Hue, Annam); population, 2,700,000; Catholics, 58,6.33; priests, 100 (48 European); 47 catechists; 2 seminaries with 123 students; Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres, 3 houses with 11 religious; Filles de Marie, 18 houses with 523 religious; Brothers of the Christian Schools, 1 house with 8 religious; 205 churches and chapels; 30 schools with 707 pupils; 3 orphanages with 478 inmates; 2 hospitals (1 for lepers); 8 pharmacies;

(4) Cambodia: vicar, Mgr. Bouchut, titular Bishop of Panemotic (residence, Pnom-penh); population, 2,300,000; Catholics, 36,107; catechumens, 4500; 77 priests (45 European); 95 catechists; 1 seminary with 103 students; Sisters of Providence, 168 (37 European); Filles de Marie, 32; 156 churches and chapels; 72 schools with 4235 pupils; 6 orphanages with 951 inmates; 7 hospitals; 5 pharmacies;

(5) Laos — formerly included in the Vicariate Apos- tolic of Siam— erected on 4 May, 1899: vicar, Mgr. Cuaz, titular Bishop of Hermopolis Minor (residence, Nong-seng); population, 2, .500, 000 (about one-third in French territory) ; Catholics, 10,682; catechumens, 1172; 33 priests (29 European); 33 catechists; 1 seminary with 8 students; Sisters of St. Paul of