Tr is somewhat curious that so little notice was taken at the time of the very remarkable adventures of Monseigneur Ridel iv the Corean capital in the year 1879. The Bishop has since published circumstantial account of what then betel him, in the Annales de la Propagation de la Foi, and this we think contains points of sufficient importance to justify our referring to them, though briefly, on the present occasion. It appears that Bishop Ridel was arrested suddenly and with scarcely any warning in his own house on the afternoon of the 28th of January, the premises having been surrounded, and all points of egress guarded, for some hours, in order to prevent his escape. After a deal of violent treatment, he was foroibly carried off by the satellites' of the Government, and conveyed through the streets to prison, his jailers holding him tight and ug bim a "famous shaking" meanwhile. The Judge before whom be was brought appears to have been an unusually kind and amiable man, and it is remarkable that he not only permitted the Bishop to converse with bim on almost equal terma but "insisted" on the Bishop's servant, who knelt before him to be examined, assuming an erect position. It is also worthy of notice that the Judge ordered the jailers to loose their hold of the pri-Boner, saying, "You have nothing to fear from that man." Some days after. wards, however, this officer was dis. missed, and was consequently unable to protect the Christians, towards whore be seems to have been very amicably disposed. From that time affairs assamed a darker hue. The Bishop's effects wore stolen, one after another, and his feot put into the stocks. This operation was performed with a politeness on the part of the jailers which is almost amusing. The instrument is made of two pieces of wood, laid over each other, about twelve feet long and half a foot broad. "Tu the lower one there are holes, in which the feet are placed up to the anoles; they then lower the upper part by moans of a hinge placed at one end, whilst the other is closed by means of padlock... When they brought the instrument, they were obliged to give mea lesson, The two satellites were almost ashamed to place me in the position. To soothe the matter a little they said to me, It is a custom here when & guest la for the first time received to make him put his foot into this instrament, I was able to lie on my back, and with a little skill to turn on my side as well. Tired as I was with this kind of life, I slept some hours. What most annoyed me was the presence of two individuals covered with rags, who lay not far from me, avd kept turning on their straw and sighing, and striving to free themselves from the vermin which m2." soon the Bishop ble plight him. self, having nothing to lie on for months but foul straw swarming with vermin and rats, and no opportunity of changing his clothes. On the night of the 81st January he overheard a conversa. tion relating to ay execution that was to take place on the following day, avd which he naturally concluded was to be his own, Bat the next morning, which was the Chinese New Year's Day, he was summoned into a lofty room, where he exchanged compliments with the bystanders, von then the feeling towards bim seems to have been friendly. One of the satellites told off to guard Lim was overheard to say, "How can they treat bim thus? He is an honest, just man, such as
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.