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 EIANG-SI

634

EIANG-SI

In 1842 a treaty between England and China resulted in the opening of five Chinese ports, among them Shanghai. Five new fathers and one brother left France for China in 18-12. They made the voyage with M. de Lagrene, ambassador of France to Peking, who in 1844 obtained permission for the preaching of the Cathohc religion in China. Bishop de Besi ap- pointed Father BruejTe to found the seminary, which was opened on 3 Feb., 1843, with twenty-three stu- dents. In 1853 it was established at Song-kia-tu. In 1849 all the Christian settlements were confided to the French Jesuits; they contained four thousand seven hundred and fifty Christians. The rebels in- vaded in 1853 a great part of the province and re- mained there eleven years. The Jesuit Fathers es- tabhshed themselves in 1S47 at Zi-ka-wei near the tomb of Paul Siu, at which period the orphanages of the mission were commenced. An asylum for girls was founded in 1855 at Wan-tang. In 1853 the Chang-mau rebels (Tai-ping) took possession of Nan- king, then of Shanghai, but abandoned the latter in 1854.

Bishop de Besi left for Rome in 1847, leaving the government of the mission to his coadjutor, Bishop Maresca. In 1849 the latter was named adminis- trator of the Diocese of Nan-king, but returned to Europe, owing to ill-health, on 8 April, 1855. On 13 Nov. of the same year he died at Naples. The Dio- cese of Nan-king was then suppressed, and the Vica- riate Apostolic of Kiang-nan entrusted to the French Jesuits. Father Pierre Andre Borgniet became ad- ministrator Apostohc in 1856. During the eight j-ears of his administratorsliip the rebels laid waste all the Christian missions of Kiang-nan, except that of Shanghai. Then followed the wars of the French and Enghsh against China, beginning in 1857. A treaty was signed in 1858, but the war w-as renewed in 1860, at the end of which entrance into China was obtained. In 1859 the rebels held only Nan-king, but suddenly became stronger. Father Massa was arrested by them, but made his escape; his brother Louis, how- ever, was killed while defending the orphanage of Tsai-kia-wan. The orphan as3-lum was pillaged and burned, and manj' Christians were massacred. A few Christian natives of Manila were able to defend Tung- kia-tu and Zi-ka-wei. In 1862 Admirals Hope and Protet opened a campaign, but the latter was killed at Nan-kiau. Major Gordon, who commanded from four to five thousand men, gained some advantage, but was dismissed in 1866 by the Chinese. At the end of the same year the rebels were driven out of every place they had held. The missions, however, suffered much in the meantime. Father Vuillaume was killed on 4 March, 1862; between 1856 and 1864 twenty-four missionaries died, and before the close of 1865 six or se\en were victims of tj-phus. Bishop Borgniet died of cholera on 31 July, 1862. Mgr Ilip- polj'te Adrien Languillat, Bishop of SergiopoUs and Vicar Apostolic of Chi-li since Sept., 1856, was named Vicar Apostolic of Iviang-nan on 2 Feb., 1865, and at once undertook to restore the ruins occasioned by the rebels. He went to Rome in 1867, and brought back with him religious Helpers of the Souls in Purgatory and some Carmelites. He founded the observatory about the same period, and took part in the Vatican Council of 1870, but in 1874 a stroke of apoplexy al- most disabled him for any active service. The follow- ing are the statistics for the years 1865 and 1878: in 1865, 42 European priests and 12 Chinese priests, 184 missions, 71,184 Christians, and 5038 pupils in the schools; in 1878, 56 European and 26 native priests, 585 missions, 93,310 Christians, 9135 pupils in the schools.

FatherCarrere suffered much at Nan-king. Driven out of this city by Li Hinig Chang, he was recalled by the consul of France from Shanghai; he died on 17 Aug., 1868. A hospital for aged men was established

at Shanghai in 1867, and the St. Francis Xaviei' School was opened. A severe persecution broke out in 1876. In March some residences were pillaged, and a catechist massacred. On 13 July a Cliinese priest was massacred with one of liis servants and a boy from the schoool. The chapel was set afire, and the bodies of the victims were consumed. The girls of the school and their teachers were taken into captivity. Everywhere the property of the Christians was pillaged, and their chapels burnetl. Bishop Lan- guillat died during this persecution, at Zi-ka-wei, on 29 Nov., 1878. Bishop Valentine Garnier, already chosen coadjutor, was named his successor; he was fifty-four years old, and governed the mission nineteen years. The accounts of liis administration from 1879 to 1898 are as follows: in 1879, 55 European and 26 Chinese priests, 580 missions, 345 schools for boys with 6222 pupils, 213 schools for girls with 2791 pupils, 95,175 Christians; in 1898, 116 European and 40 Chinese priests, 896 missions, 390 schools for boys with 10,663 pupils, 449 schools for girls with 5208 pupils, 115,177 Christians.

The fathers succeeded finally in estabUshing them- selves in the centre of Ngan-hwei. In 1882 Bishoj) Garnier sent missionaries to Su-chou-fu, the most northern prefecture of the province of Kiang-su. The fathers bought a house in the city, and then com- menced their difficulties, which lasted fourteen years. On 5 Feb., 1889, the European concession of Chin- kiang W'as attacked by the Chinese, the Consulate of the United States was pillaged and burned, but the church and residence of the mission were spared. On 2 May, 1891, some of the rabble besieged the orphan- ages of the mission, but soldiers rescued the orphans. On 12 Maj-, 1891, Wu-hu and then Ngan-king were attacked, but the presence of a French vessel saved them. However, five or six chapels were pillaged or burned in the interior of the provinces. Tranquillity was restored, thanks to the presence of Admiral Bcs- nard. Bishop Garnier died on 14 July, 1898. Bishop Simon was named vicar Apostohc in Jan., 1899, and consecrated on 25 June; he died on 10 Aug. of the same year at W'u-hu. At the end of 1900 Bishop Paris, superior of the mission, was named vicar Apos- tolic and titular Bishop of Silanda. The following was the condition of the mission in 1907: 1 bishop; 142 Jesuits, of whom 26 are Cliinese; 35 native priests; 969 churches or chapels; 1 grand seminary at Zi-ka-wei with 29 students; 1 little seminary with 15 students; 558 schools for boys with 14,175 pupils; 604 schools for girls with 9360 pupils; 2 colleges for boys with 408 students; 3 colleges for European girls with 766 stu- dents (at Shanghai); 1 Enghsh school with 543 pupils; 1 French school with 336 pupils; 6 hospitals with 3898 patients; 6 asylums for old men with 197 inmates; 37 orphanages with 6584 children; 29 Little Brothers of Mary; 32 Carmelite nuns, 20 of whom are natives; 91 Helpers of the Souls in Purgatory, 33 of whom are natives; 31 Sisters of Charity; 9 Little Sisters of the Poor; 173 Chinese religious; 145,219 Cathohcs, and 92,081 catechumens. (See China.)

PloLET, Les Missions Catholiques Fran^aises au XIX" siiclc, III (Paris, 1900), vi; Missionea Catholicm (Rome).

V. H. MONTANAR.

Eiang-si, Vicariate Apostolic of Eastern. — The mission of Eastern Kiang-si was separated from the northern mission of Kiang-si in 18S5. It includes 8,000,000 inhabitants and is formed from the four prefectures of Fu-chou-fu, Yao-chou-fu, Kwang-hsin- fu, and Kien-chang-fu. The first vicar Apostolic is the present incumbent, Mgr. Casimir Vic, a Lazarist, named in 1885 titular Bishop of Metellopolis. He resides at Fu-chou-fu. The Catholic community in- cluded in 1809: 1 bi.shop, 16 Lazarists (inchiding three Chinese), .six native priests, six Sisters of Charity, forty-eight Sisters of St. Ann, fifty-six schools with