TAKING THE VEIL.

New Zealand Colonist and Port Nicholson Advertiser, Volume I, Issue 32, 18 November 1842, Page 3

TAKING THE VEIL.

(From the Illustrated English News.) This solemn and most interesting ceremony was recently performed nt the church of the convent of “ the most Holy Trinity, at Bermondsey and, as it is now of rare occurrence in the vicinity of the metropolis, the following brief detail connected with the event will doubtless be interesting to our readers. The convent of the Holy Trinity was erected by subscription, and opened for the reception of the sisterhood of “ the Order of our blessed Ivady of Mercy,” in the month of November, 1839, under the direction of the venerable superioress, a lady named Moore, conventuallv known as Sister Mary Clare. At the present time there are fifteen members of the community residing within the walls, and it is understood that sufficient funds have been raised to secure its perpetuity. The objects to which these ladies devote themselves, in addition to those services of religion peculiar to their faith, are, the education of poor girls, the visitation and comfort of the sick and afflicted, and the protection of distressed females of good reputation. Upon application for admission to the order, the devotees are strictly examined by the bishop and the mother superior. If admitted, they continue on probation for six months, employing their time as may he directed. The period of their noviciate usually embraces two entire years, but, in extraordinary cases, the bishop can limit it to twelve months. The annual pension for this period is 30/., and upon profession, a sum sufficient to produce that amount yearly is required to be funded. One of the principal benefactresses of the order is the Lady Barbara Eyre, daughter of the Earl of Newburgh, and now a sister of the convent. The whole of the present inmates are ladies of fortune, as may be assumed from the amount required to be funded ; among them is a niece of'Sir Andrew Agnew. Nearly 200 poor children are educated and partially clothed by the establishment. Upon the occasion we have illustrated, the ceremony was for the initiation of two young ladies, one of whom was to receive the white veil, having completed the probationary term and entering her noviciate, the other, receiving the religious or black veil of the community, her noviciate having expired. Before eleven o’clock, the hour appointed for the ceremony, the chapel attached to the convent was filled by a numerous congregation, the major part of whom consisted of ladies. As soon as the clock struck eleven, the convent bell began to toll, which was the announcement of the entry of the procession into the chapel. The Vicar Apostolic, the Right Rev.'Dr. Griffiths, Bishop of Olona, in his pontifipial robes, then advanced to the altar, attended by the Rev. Messrs, P. Butler, Horrabin/'Foley, Sisk, Bowman, Coyle, Lee, and Hearsnip, and Father Lazarien, an Armenian priest, with other of the

clergy io tlu-ir rich vestment* 5 , the choristers, inreme Inarms, and officers, taking' their proper stations. The hymn to the Virgin, “ 0 Glorir.sa:!” was then commenced, and the procession of the nuns entered the chapel in the following' order:—First, a cross bearer next, the postulants-—after them, the novices then tlie professed, each hearing a lighted taper—and lastly, the Superioress, holding the postulants by the hand. • The noviciates, Miss Baxter and Miss Kcllett, were both elegantly dressed in white embroidered -muslin, wearing chaplets of white roses as the head-dress. Each held a lighted wax taper in her right hand. Upon arrival at the grate of the convent, they made a genuflection before the Holy Sacrament, and the nuns having taken their stations, the superioress and her assistant retired to their places, the postulants remaining on their knees. After the (ustomary benedictions, each novice was led t o foot of the altar, and an exhortation w*as delivered by the bishop from the 19th chapter cf St. Matthew, 29tli verse, “And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hun-dred-fold, and shall inherit everlasting life.” After the exhortation, the Bishop severally interrogated tlie postulant as follows : Bishop —“ My child, what do you demand ? Postulant —The mercy of God, and the Holy H abit of religion. Bishop —ls it with your own free will you demand the Holy Habit of religion ? Postulant —Yes, my lord. Bishop — Reverend Mother, have you made the necessary •enquiries, and are°you satisfied ? Superioress — Yes, my lord. Bishop —My child, have you a •firm intention to persevere in religion to the end of your life ? And do you hope to have sufficient strength to carry constantly the sweet yoke of our Lord Jesus Christ, solely for the love and fear of God ? Postulant —Relying on the mercy of God, I hope to be able to do so.” The bishop then rising from his chair said, “ What God has commenced in you, may lie perfect.” The postulant then arose, making a reverence, and retired with the superioress and her assistant, to put off’ the secular dress, and assume the full habit of the order. Upon her return, the hynm “ Vent Creators’ was sung by the choir ; and the novices, now kneeling at the grate, were severally interrogated by the bishop, thus ; —“ My child, what do you demand ? Nov^c —My lord, I most humbly beg to lie received to the holy profession. Bishop — My child, do you consider yourself sufficiently instructed in what regards tlie vows of religion, and the rules and constitutions of this institute; and do you know the obligations you contract by tlie holy profession ? Novice —Yes, my lord, with the grace of Qod. Bishop —May God grant you perseverance in this your holy resolution, and may he deign, in his mercy, to consummate what lie has begun.”—A solemn mass was then said, after which an assistant took the candle from each novice, at the same time giving her the act of profession. Upon her receiving this the bishop approached the novice, and held tlie Host before her eyes while she pronounced her vow. Having signed the act of profession, each received the sacrament. The bishop then attired himself in a cope and mitre, and advancing to tlie grate, commenced the antiphon “ Veni Sancta.” During this, the newly-professed sister, kneeling before the superioress, presented to her the act of profession. The superioress then placed a ring on her finger, upon which she rose, and retired to her place near the grate, when kneeling, the white veil was withdrawn and the black one placed over her head by the bishop, who pronounced the blessing. The taper was then again taken from the newly-professed, who immediately prostrated themselves before the altar, the religious kneeling, while “Te Deum” was sung by the choir, and the closing prayers of the service recited by the bishop, who sprinkled the professed with holy water. The sisters were then assisted to rise, and conducted to tlie superioress, who embraced them, the choir chanting the psalm Ecce .quam Bonum, which being ended, the whole of the sisterhood retired from the chapel in the order in which they entered, and the gate of the convent was closed upon them. It was a most solemn and affecting spectacle; but during the delivery of a very affecting discourse by the bishop, on their retirement from the world, the noviciates showed no signs of agitation, nor did their countenances betray any symptoms of reluctance; but, on the contrary, appeared to be lighted up by a beautiful expression of enthusiastic devotion. The immense good which these ladies are effecting is little known, their beneficent acts not being paraded before the public. To form any idea of the extent of their charitable exertions in behalf of suffering humanity, we must follow them to the abodes of poverty and wretchedness, the scene of their labours, and from which the natural timidity of their sex would instinctively shrink, where they not possessed of more than earthly fortitude and a pious determination of purpose. The “Sister of Mercy” may be hourly seen pursuing, with calmandunostentatious demeanour, her heavenly occupation amidst the vilest haunts of vice, wretchedness, and disease, conveying the consolations of religion to the afflicted souls of the

outcast and abandoned of her species. To use the words of a late lamented poet, “ Unshrinking where Pestilence scatters his breath, i Like an angel she moves ’midst the vapours of death.’,

City of Cabul. —Calml, the chief, city of the province of the same name, is the capital of Afghanistan; it is situated on the river Cabul, in a large well-watered plain, filled with villages: low hills surround it on three sides, on one of which, to tlie north, is the King’s palace. Also, on another hill, near the city, is the tomb of the Emperor Baber, surrounded by large beds of flowers, and commanding a noble prospect. Many beautiful gardens surround the town, which is celebrated for its fine climate, though the proximity of the mountains causes great variety of temperature. The town itself is not large, but handsome and compact, and the houses, to avoid the consequences of the frequent earthquakes, are mostly built of wood. Cabul lies in latitude 31 deg., 10 min., cast; long. 71 deg. 43 min. This city is about 6,000 feet above the level of the sea, and lies in a triangular gorge. The hills which encompass it on three sides are steep, bare, and roclcy, and arc crowned with a long line of wall, which is carried up their sides, summits, and across the narrow entrance which lies between them. This wall was intended as a defence against the Ghilzies, but it has fallen into ruin. The city itself is surrounded by a high but weak wall, and has no ditch. Above the fortress, upon an eminence, is the citadel, and within this fort a brother of Dost Mahomed built a palace, which he called Koolah-i-Fcringhee, or the European Hat, -and which very curiously became, during the British occupation in 1839, the hospital of the 13th Light Infantry. Around Cabul, and indeed throughout the Affghan country, are scattered castled houses, the seats of the principal men of the country, who, from the insecurity in which they live, have all their dwellings strongly fortified. • Ghuznee. —On the Ist of July, 1839, the British army under the command of Sir John Keane, arrived before Ghuznee, and early in. the morning of the 23rd began its operations. The Cabul gate was blown in ; the tremendous fire of our artillery paralysed the enemy, and the English advanced guard, after a short but desperate struggle, won their way into the place. Prince Mahomed Hyder, after having made submission to the Shah, who spared his life at the intercession of the Commander-in-Chief, was retained prisoner of war ip the British camp. The British lost in this engagement only 200 men, IS being killed, whilst 500 dead of the enemy were buried by them two hours after the capture. At this period, the fortress, one of the strongest in Western Asia, and whose capture was undoubtedly one of the most brilliant that British troops could achieve, was in possession of Mahomed liyder Khan, son of the Ameer of Cabul, and the garrison which he commanded amounted to the number of between 3000 or 4000, about 1500 of whichwere well-mounted cavalry. Lord Keane’s plan of attack was brilliant, and . its execution daring. The attack at the gates was vehemently severe, and the resistance of the Affghans great. In two hours it fell; the whole of the British troops employed on the service amounted to about 4,400. Of the enemy upwards of 800 were slain, and near 1,500 made prisoners. Numerous horses, camels, and mules, were captured, but no valuable booty obtained. Tlie great gun of Ghuznee, which was captured, was an unwieldy piece of ordnance, to which the Affghans attached much importance, hut which was very disproportionate to the injury it was capable of inflicting. Its great weight, and the badness of the roads to the Indus, have prevented its being sent to England.

Life under Water— Polytechnic Institution. —On Saturday last, Dr. Paycrne added another to the several proofs which his experiments have already afforded, of the practicability of existing with out connection or communication with the atmospheric air. On this occasion the diving-bell, in wliicji the doctor descended, was entirely discommunicated from the air-pump and its apparatus, the aperture through which the air is generally pumped down to the inmates being closed by a plug covered with a membrane. At ten o’clock, Dr. Pay erne, taking with him the apparatus necessary for the reorganisation of the vital principle of the air, and which was contained in a small box, entered the bell, and was lowered under water. The windows of the bell were papered over; but shortly after his immei sion, the inmate removed one of the temporary blinds, and, from time to time, showed his hand, the signal that all was safe. Had anything unpleasant occurred, a blow from a hammer with which he was furnished, upon the side of the diving-bell would have been promptly attended to, and the apparatus at once drawn up. Nothing of the kind, however, was necessary. From time to time the hand appeared at the window, and occasionally the adventurer displayed a lighted taper, proving the pure and uncorrupted state of the atmosphere in his temporary prison. At halfpast one o’clock, the time agreed upon, the bell was raised, after having remained for three

liuurs awtl a half suspended under water. The doctor, on making his appearance, was greeted with loud plaudits from all present, who crowded around him, anxious to observe any physical effects which the experiment might have produced upon him. He looked, however, not a , w hit the worse. He was cool and comfortable, the pulse beating only a very few pulsations quicker than when he descended, and the temperature of the air within the bell was only slightly raised. The possibility of reproducing by chemical means the exhausted vital principle of the air seems to. be now fully established, and there can be little doubt of the service which, by its practical adoption, the discovery may render to various species of sub-marine industry. It would seem pretty clear that if the process employed renders respiration easy for three hours, it would do so, were it regularly continued, and the materials sufficient, for any length of time. Indeed, Dr. Payerne states that he could support any number of men in deep water by his process, and that, of course, it may be applied with the utmost advantage to the examination of the bottoms of ships, foundations of piers and bridges, &c. The process can be continued in any depth of water. The inventor states his intention of applying it to a submarine boat. He believes that he can, through the usual diving apparatus, supply air to divers under water, not from the surface, but from that produced in the vessel in which he descends. This invention is likely to prove of considerable importance to a great naval country like England; and we trust that the inventor may be able to apply to practical purposes his curious discovery. —Weekly Chronicle.

Extraordinary Attachment. Captain Beaver, of the Niagara militia, was possessed of a duck so much attached to him, that the poor bird actually plucked and roasted herself for his dinner, having previously eaten a quantity of sage and onions.

Promises. —It would be more obliging to say plainly, we cannot do what is desired, than to amuse people with false woids, which often put them upon false measures.