THE URSULINE CONVENT, AT CORK, WAS, we believe, mainly founded through the incomparable zeal of the exemplary Nano Nangle of Cork, whose panegyric has been spoken and written by the best and wisest of our bishops. The house, situated on the river between Cork and Cove, about three miles from the former, is most magnificent, healthy, and extensive, containing a beautiful chapel, large school-rooms, and commodious residences for the religious and boarders. The principal object of the institute is to communicate the benefits of religious and literary instruction to the children of the poor. In addition to this, however, from the excellent mode of conveying instruction, adopted by the religious ladies, many Catholic children of the wealthier classes, from various parts of the kingdom, have received, and are receiving, in this convent, an education combining all that is necessary for forming them perfect Christians and true ornaments of society. To this convent we are indebted for perhaps one of the best Catholic histories of Ireland and Great Britain, ever written in a similar compass; a history which received the highest commendation from that immortal prelate the Rt. Rev. Dr. Milner. It was compiled by Miss Young of this city, sister of those exemplary clergymen, the Rev. Messrs. Henry, William, and James Young. The prayer-book entitled theUrsuline Manuel," which is an admirable book for Catholic ladies, was also penned in this community. What a glory is shed upon religion, by such piety, zeal, and learning! 00 RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES. THE Bishop of Charleston, the Right Rev. Dr. England, has published in the Baltimore Gazette, a few letters in reply to some bigotted and ignorant statements of a Mr. Willis, who, it appears, has published what he styles, "First Impressions of Europe." As the replies of the Bishop are replete with intelligence of an important nature, we shall avail ourselves of them to enrich this department of the Magazine. From the first we shall make only a few extracts, being obliged to consult the limited space, to which we are confined. TO THE EDITOR OF THE BALTIMORE GAZETTE. "SIR,-Having, upon my return from Europe, been told that a writer, who has furnished the New York Mirror with articles under the head of "First Impressions of Europe," had mentioned a lecture delivered by me in Rome, in terms that appeared somewhat strange, I requested to be shown the passage; and the following paragraph in that paper, under date of September 7, was pointed out to me. "Bishop England, of Charleston, South Carolina, delivered a lecture at the house of the English Cardinal Weld, a day or two ago, explanatory of the ceremonies of the Holy Week. It was principally an apology for them. He confessed, that, to the educated, they appeared empty, and even absurd rites, but they were intended not for the refined, but for the vulgar; whom it was necessary to instruct and impress through their outward senses, As nearly all these rites, however, take place in the Sistine Chapel, which no person is permitted to enter, who is not provided with a ticket, and in full dress his argument rather fell to the ground.' "If vindicatory elucidation, following a brief apologetic introduction, be "principally an apology"-then is that writer correct -for in such a way have I betrayed my place, belied my conscience, and deceived my friends. I did say, that sometimes even to the educated the ceremonial might appear empty, and to the refined abstract philosopher it might seem absurd, because the form would be considered useless: but that the observances were calculated, when duly understood, at all events, to impress usefully the great bulk of mankind, who did not enjoy such opportunities of mental cultivation, as did the audience I then had the honor of addressing-and that even for the educated and refined, they would, I was convinced, be of the greatest advantage, however extensive might be their knowledge, and cultivated their taste; because by those means, the understanding was informed; they wrought upon the will and engaged the affections. I did show that the principle they involved was that, upon which were based the rites instituted by the Almighty, when he gave his revelations to Moses in the desert-upon which Solomon acted subsequently in the application of Science and Art, under the guidance of inspiration. And by a variety of similar topics I showed that by judicious impressions upon the senses; (I am not aware that I found it necessary to introduce the word outward,) the sage and the simpleton, the philosopher and the child, might be equally induced to practise virtue and to cultivate religion. "I was quite aware, it is true, that a large portion of the rites took place in the Sistine Chapel, of which I have the honor of being a member; and of course I knew that being a Papal chapel, and the private place of worship of his Holiness and his attendants, not a public or parochial chapel, the etiquette required for admittance was that of a court. But if that writer was sufficiently informed upon the subject of which he treated, he would have been fully aware, that the religious ceremonial, which I explained, though observed in the Papal chapel, was not confined thereto, but might be seen, with more or less solemnity, in every Catholic Church of the Latin rite, from China to California, from Siberia to Cape Horn. Had he known this, he would have perceived, that even what he insinuated as my argument would not have rather fallen to the ground," Had he known this, when he wrote as he did, what shall be said of his veracity? Had he been present at my lectures, he could not have been without this knowledge. I must, Sir, request of you, as an act of kindness, not to me, but to the religion, which has bestowed upon so undeserving an individual so many favours, to give to your readers my protest against a paragraph, which contains at least as many incorrect averments as it does lines. I trust also, that the editor of the Mirror will, as an act of justice to that religion, be induced to insert this and a few other communications, which I shall endeavour to make upon the subject of the "First Impressions," should my leisure permit. I am, Sir, your ob't. Servt. Baltimore, Oct. 23, 1833." JOHN, Bishop of Charleston. We will give Letter II. entire in a future number. -00 DESCRIPTION OF THE CONCLAVE. WE feel great pleasure in giving insertion to the following account of the ceremonies observed in the election of the Pope, from the Rev. Mr. Husenbeth, so famous in England for his controversial writings. TO THE EDITORS OF THE CATHOLIC MAGAZINE. THE Conclave was established towards the close of the thirteenth century, by Pope Gregory X.; to obviate the serious inconveniences of too long a vacancy of the Holy See, which had been felt severely during the interval of two years previous to his own election. The conclave is opened in the Vatican palace on the conclusion of the funeral obsequies of the deceased Pope. The long and spacious galleries of the Vatican are divided by temporary wooden partitions into convenient sets of apartments for each cardinal and his conclavists, of whom every cardinal may have two, and three in cases of particular infirmity. One is usually an ecclesiastic, the other a layman. They act as honorary secretaries to their cardinal, companions of his solitary enclosure, and depositaries of his secrets. Each conclavist has a cell, one over that of his cardinal, the other adjoining it; and there is also, for each cardinal, a cell serving for his temporary chapel, and another where he takes his meals with his conclavists. All the cells are hung with green tapestry, within and without, except those occupied by the cardinals created by the defunct Pope, which are hung with violet tapestry. The arms of each cardinal appear on the door of his apartment. On entering the conclave, the cardinals proceed to the Sixtine Chapel, where the Bulls are read, for regulating the election, and the cardinals swear to observe them. The dean of the Sacred College makes an exhortation, to represent the great importance of observing every thing preseribed by those Bulls. In the even ing the conclave is solemnly closed, and every one retires; ambassadors, princes, prelates, and all are excluded except the cardinals and their conclavists, four masters of ceremonies, the secretary of the Sacred College, some regulars to serve as confessors, two physicians, one surgeon, an apothecary with two assistants, two barbers and their two assistants, a master-mason, a master-carpenter, and about thirty men servants. All these are sworn to keep the secrets of the conclave. When all the strangers are excluded, the doors and windows are walled up, except enough of the latter to give a very sombre light. The only communication with those outside is by means of four turns, like half-barrels, such as are used in convents, by which provisions are admitted; and a small opening near the great door, through which audiences are given to the ambassadors on any pressing affairs. The outside is carefully guarded by troops day and night. Those cardinals who do not enter the conclave within three days of its opening, or from their arrival in Rome, are excluded. If any one wishes to speak with any cardinal in the conclave, he is allowed to do so at certain hours; but always in the presence of the guards of the conclave, and in a loud voice, either in Italian or Latin.The following day, the cardinal-dean of the Sacred College celebrates a Mass of the Holy Ghost, and all the cardinals receive the Holy Communion. He delivers an exhortation; and they proceed the same day to the election; for which they assemble every morning at six, and every afternoon at two, till the Pope is duly elected. THE FORM OF ELECTING THE POPE. The form of election, which has been in use since the pontificate of Pope Gregory XV., chosen in 1623, is that of the Scrutiny. It takes place in the Sixtine Chapel, prepared for the purpose, at the end of which is the celebrated picture of the Last Judgment, by Michael Angelo. The cardinals meet here every morning and afternoon, and occupy stalls on each side of the chapel, covered with green cloth. Each cardinal has a desk before him, ornamented with his coat of arms. A long table is placed in the middle of the chapel, on which are two cups for the ballots of election; that is, the folded papers on which the cardinals write their own names, and the name of the person for whom they vote. On the table is also a copy of the oath which each cardinal pronounces before he puts in his ballot. It is, in English, thus :-I call Christ our Lord to witness, who is to be my judge, that I choose him, whom, according to God, I judge that I ought to choose, and that I will do the same at the ACCESSIT. This is another form to determine the election, which shall be explained later. The ballot is a piece of paper divided into seven spaces, so folded and sealed as to expose to view only the name of the person voted for. Each cardinal deposits his ballot in one of the |