Daily National Intelligencer

MODERN MARTYRDOM.

ROME, OCTOBER 1.

The allocution of the Pope at the late election of Cardinals, contains some curious facts respecting the state of the Christian Religion in China. It seems that the Jesuit Missionaries to that empire have recently undergone grievous persecutions. Gabriel Duchesne, a French Missionary, and bishop of Tabraca and Vicar Apostolic of the province of See-Tchuen, for thirty nine years, has been put to death. Having been banished by the Chinese government, impelled by religious fervour he returned; but was soon discovered, and put in irons. The Mandarins then suddenly affected much kindness. ordering his chains to be broken, and overwhelmed him with caresses. But they had honey in their mouths and poison in their hearts. They boldly desired him to abjure his religion; on his side he spoke of the futility of the Chinese rites and extolled the Christian dogmas. The perfidious Mandarins had concealed two persons behind the partition, who wrote down the Bishop's words. An accusation was consequently drawn up, and the Bishop was taken before the Vice Roy, who being a sworn enemy to all Christians condemned him immediately to die. In an instant this respectable old man was stripped of his robes and led forth to the place of execution, where an immense crowd was assembled. Thirty three Christians, whom no torments could divert from the true faith, were led out at the same time, surrounded by executioners and instruments of torture. All of them were then told that they must abjure the Christian Religion or undergo the punishment of the cord.

With heroic fortitude all refused to renounce their Saviour, and beseeched the Bishop to give them absolution and his last benediction. The Bishop granted their request, and, after urging them to follow his example with firmness, laid his head on the block, and the executioner at one blow then severed it from his body.

The Christians, who had been only brought out to frighten them, were reconducted to prison, and afterwards banished. The head of the Bishop of Tabraca was affixed to a gibbet, with the inscription, "Apostle of the Christian Religion and Bishop of Europe." The same words were seen on the box, which was adorned with a figure of the Bishop, and contained his head, and which was paraded for some days in all the places where the Christians lived who had been converted by him.-- His blood was preserved by the Christians, and distributed among the inhabitants of various towns and villages. The body, after lying three days on the scaffold, watched by Christians, was interred with pious devotion.

Another Missionary Augustine Fohar, aged 73, was beaten so unmercifully that he died in a few days. The Judge who condemned him admonished him to consider his great age and the punishment which would follow upon his refusing to renounce Christianity; and when he was undergoing the punishment, the judge said, "Now your God has deserted you." "Oh no," said Augustine, "He has given me strength to endure all this and much more!" The judge, mad with rage, then ordered him to be struck in the face, which killed him.