Since this inscription dates from the one-thousandth year after the martyrdom of St. Rombaud, it was of course affixed in the year 1775. The other is to the following effect : In the same gallery with the above collection is fine painting by Abraham Janssens, and another, which formerly belonged to the cathedral of Bois-le-Duc, by Abraham Blummaert, a Dutch painter. The former represents St. Luke taking Portraits of the Virgin, and Infant Jesus; and the latter an Holy Trinity. Both painters were contemporary with Rubens. Around the body of the church is another collection of pictures, representing various incidents connected with the history of St. Rombaud, which have been presented by different individuals, whose arms and names they bear. To most of them is attached the date of the year 1775. There is also a painting on wood, by Michael Coxcie, a native of Malines, of the Circumcision of Christ; and a view of the Interior of the Cathedral, by Le Clerc. But the great ornament of the church is the magnificent Crucifixion, by Van Dyke; which is considered one of the artist's finest compositions. It was originally painted for the conventual church of the Grey Friars, which is now dismantled, and desecrated to the purposes of a warehouse. It formerly contained the tomb of Margaret of York, sister of Edward III. of England. The cathedral contains several chapels, but they are not particularly remarkable. Those dedicated to Our Lady and to St. Anne, which are of white marble, are most worthy of attention. They were built in 1699. In that on the north side of the entrance are two large pictures; one of which is a St. Dominic, by the younger Smeyers, and the other, an Adoration of the Shepherds, by E. Quellyn. The chapel adjoining contains a St. Rombaud, by John Cassiers; and the next, a Temptation of St. Anthony, by Smeyers, the elder. A Holy Family, by Crayer, in the fourth chapel, and an Ascension of the Virgin, which is looked upon as the chef d'oeuvre of Smeyers, jun., behind the high altar, will repay the attention of the connoisseur. The last mentioned, however, has sustained considerable damage. In passing along the nave, the visitor will not fail to admire the exquisite workmanship of the pulpit, which is beautifully sculptured in oak, with a representation of the Conversion of St. Paul. It was originally designed by Boethyns, and intended for the conventual church of Leliendael, at a short distance from Malines. Having been remodelled, and adorned with additional embellishments, by Van Geel, it was eventually appropriated to the cathedral. Among the monumental decorations of the cathedral are those of the archbishops of the see. Near the altar, on the north side of the choir, is that of Matthias Hovius, third archbishop, who died in the neighbouring abbey of Afflighem, on the 3d of May, 1620. He is represented lying on his tomb, supported on his elbow, and with a lion at his feet. A little below is the tomb of Ancheus Crusen, fifth archbishop, who died at Brussels on the 8th of November, 1666. He is represented on his knees before an allegorical figure of the Resurrection, with Time at his back. Above his head is the following verse of Psalm XXXVIII. :— ET NUNC QUE EST EXPECTATIO MEA: NONNE DOMINUS ? On the south side, near the altar, is the monument of Alphonso de Berghes, Count of Grimberghe, seventh archbishop, who died at Brussels on the 7th of June, 1689. Above his effigy are two angels, supporting his armorial bearings. The adjoining monument is that of William Humbert, Count of Precipian and Soye, eighth archbishop, who died the 9th of June, 1711; and, behind it, is that of his brother, Prosper Ambroise. The prelate is kneeling before a statue of Charity; that of Faith is behind him; and his arms, above, have the motto,→ "NON IN GLADIO SED IN NOMINE DOMINI." There is another tomb without an inscription; and yet another with the single word "THOMAS," which marks the resting place of the twelfth archbishop of Malines. Within this cathedral are deposited the remains of several princes of the noble family of Berthaud, who were formerly lords of the place; but only a solitary memorial of him now remains in the enclosure behind the choir, near the entrance on the left. This mausoleum was designed by Lucas Fayd'herbe, and represents St. Francis Xavier in prayer to the Virgin. It bears the following inscription:- TRIUM EBRTHOLDORUM QUI SECULO DECIMO TERTIO Near this tomb is that of J. H. de Frankenberg, the tenth arch"bishop of the see, who died in 1818. A simple tablet on the opposite side, under the porch leading to the sacristy, is much admired. It is dedicated to the memory of J. B. Joseph Vandenvenne, of Montenaken, and alderman of Malines; whose portrait, in a medallion of white marble, is borne by a weeping angel. The present archbishop of Malines is his Grace ENGELBERT STERCKX, who was consecrated in 1832. He is now in the 44th year of his age. His predecessor was the Prince de Mean, to whom a superb monument is about to be erected in the cathedral. It is to be about 30 feet high, in black and white marble. On a sarcophagus will be placed a statue of the prelate, on his knees, and attired in his pontificals; and an angel will be seen above, beckoning him upwards into heaven. The model is now in the studio of M. Jehotte, the artist, at Brussels. Besides the cathedral, there are two other churches at Malines, which the stranger will do well to visit. At Notre-Dame, the Miraculous Draught of Fishes, and at St. John's, the Adoration of the Magi, both by Rubens, are held in high estimation. There are also some good pictures at the Episcopal Seminary, and at the Beguinage. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ENGLISH AND FOREIGN POPERY; AND THE CHURCH OF THE ABBE CHATEL. NOTHING struck me more when I first visited the continent, than the difference between English Popery, and that of France and Belgium. In England, a considerable part of the morning and evening service in the chapels is in English; and although the Mass is in Latin, still there is generally but one altar in each chapel, and the great body of the congregation attend one and the same Mass; but the arrangement of the services differs vastly abroad. It can hardly there be called "social worship;" the priests and choir are shut up within the lattice-work of the chancel, and chanting, or rather mumbling the service with the utmost rapidity; while the people, shut out, kneeling in holes and corners, seem not to be at all joining in the service. I was much struck in Paris at seeing a number of children, evidently a school, sitting in a chapel behind the choir, in one of the large churches, one Sunday afternoon, evidently brought thither for the purpose of attending Vespers; a few slight murmurs of the distant choir, with now and then a harsh cracked voice, louder than usual, uttering the barbarous Latin of the Breviary, was all that could reach the young urchins. There they sat, by no means the emblems of patience, with two or three sisters of charity running about among them to keep them sitting in their places. We sometimes think Popery an imposing religion, but things were so badly managed, that there was literally nothing even to beguile the imagination; for during the occasion I allude to, although the choir seemed large, and there were from ten to twenty officiants in the chancel at the service, there was no accompaniment of the organ. This exhibition, however, was outdone by that which I witnessed at Notre-Dame a few Sundays since. I went thither fully expecting to hear High Mass celebrated at the maître autel; it was about ten o'clock in the morning. The moment I entered the doors of the spacious building, I was utterly confounded by a noise resounding through it of so harsh and disagreeable a kind, that I know nothing sufficiently bad with which to compare it; it was truly horrible. I was for a brief space unable to ascertain what it was, or whence it proceeded. At length, approaching towards the chancel, I found it proceeded from the choir, consisting of about fifteen or twenty individuals, in albes and surplices. They were chanting the Matins; not a single individual was near, or attending to the service; the only persons in the church, perhaps about one hundred in number, were in two side chapels at some distance, where two Masses were going on at the same time. No organ accompanied the choir; and the whole service was mumbled in so harsh and indistinct a tone, and with such excessive rapidity, that it was utterly impossible that even the choir could have time to comprehend the words they uttered. I stood for some time, and watched the proceedings through the lattice-work of the chancel; but with a few occasional pauses, and a few changes of the persons who took the lead, the service being read partly from the stalls and partly from enormous old books on large stands in the centre of the choir, it was all the same dull, uninteresting, unmeaning succession of discordant sounds. I particularly noticed one stand, before which three officiants were placed. It was very large, and they ascended steps to reach it; it was so formed as to consist of four sides, and on each side was a large book; after reading a short time from one book, the officiant gave it a jerk, when it turned and presented another side, with another open book, from which again a few sentences were read. I have several times, some years ago, been present at the different services in Romish chapels in England; but I never certainly heard the service so completely hurried, and divested of all solemnity, as in these instances; except perhaps on the following occasion. The most extraordinary instance of rapidity which I ever met with, was at the New Church in the Place Royale at Brussels. The priest there literally said Mass in less than twenty minutes; the audible parts were so rapidly uttered, that I found it impossible to follow him; whilst in the whispered parts, the prescribed actions followed so quickly, that I almost suspected they were not half repeated; certainly, leaving out all the prescribed actions, I would not for a wager undertake to repeat in the same time, although I should put my rapidity of utterance to its utmost stretch, that part of the canon which ought to be said between the first ringing of the bell at the Sanctus, and its second ringing at the Elevation. The greatest contrast, however, between England and the Continent, seems to me to consist in the numerous altars; up every hole and corner is stuck some altar bearing the attributes and symbols of some different saint; these altars are, for the most part, tawdry, and in the worst possible taste; faded bouquets of artificial flowers under glass covers, tabernacles with tarnished guildings, and staring and disgusting images and pictures, give an air of discomfort and desolation to the churches. The people being thus divided into small sections, one part attending one Mass at a particular altar, and another, another Mass at a different altar, and at various hours in the morning, the churches, except on some grand occasion, never present the solemn appearance of a large and united congregation. Instead of this, there are a succession of hurried and unim→ pressive services performed to a few scattered individuals. Although I visited numerous churches in Paris, entering nearly every one I passed on the Sunday, I did not find what could be called a congregation in any, except in one, late in the afternoon, where the church was crowded at the benediction of the Holy Sacrament, which takes place after Vespers. A dozen officiants were at the altar, which was one blaze of light from numerous tapers; whilst the organ and psalmody heightened the solemnity. There was here every appearance of devotion; and the church being small and crowded, and the whole congregation united at one service and at a single altar, presented the unusual appearance of social worship. It was an imposing sight. This same service takes place at the Church of St. Roch (I was informed) at seven o'clock in the evening, and is there conducted with extraordinary pomp and solemnity, and attended by a very large congregation. This circumstance of the numerous altars, whereby the churches seldom present the appearance of a large and united congregation, seemed to me greatly to distinguish foreign from English Romanism; whilst the greater solemnity observed in the performance of the whole service on this side the water, shows how Popery and superstition may be modified and improved by an insensible approximation to Protestantism. . The absence also of many of the ornaments of foreign churches, gives to the chapels of this country a half-Protestant appearance ; which, I conceive, greatly facilitates conversions to Popery. The altar, with a single crucifix, and perhaps a painting over it, is the only distinction which intrudes itself on our notice; the peculiar idolatry and mummery of Romanism is kept out of sight. When I had read of the idolatry and image-worship of Romanism, I had always thought of exquisite works of art, and (however I might condemn it under all forms) I was at least willing to suppose that the Romanists had good taste; but the very first church I visited undeceived me. There are here and there statues and paintings in the churches, as we all know, which are masterpieces; but these are the exceptions, for a greater collection of sheer trumpery than that which forms the staple of Romish veneration, can scarcely be conceived: horrible and disgusting pictures of martyrdoms of saints with frightful gothic names; statues of equal ugliness; whilst the Virgin and the lady saints are usually great dolls, literally great dolls, with white satin frocks, brown with dust and exposure to the atmosphere, holding a bouquet of artificial flowers, and sometimes another small doll in the arms, to represent the infant Jesus. These are set upon, or immediately above, the altar, and I found that these dolls were the favourite attraction of the young girls and children. I first made this observation at Lille; one or two priests, in surplices, were sitting before the high altar, saying their Vespers in silence, and a few aged people were near them, similarly employed; but about forty children, all girls, the oldest perhaps not more than thirteen, were all at another altar. The only cause which I could find to account for this was, the attraction of a great doll, which once had been very fine, but was now rather dingy; they were evidently worshipping the Virgin Mary, because she was a fine lady. On the ramparts of Lille I found a little spot, almost like a small square garden; on one side was a small building, in which was a shrine; I was startled by seeing, on my approach, one or two wretched old beggars crawling out on their hands and knees, having crept into the shrine for the purpose of closer adoration. There was in the same enclosure a large crucifix, with the statue of St. Charles Borromeo embracing its feet: an aged man approached this; kissed the hand of the statue of Borromeo affectionately, and then, walking backwards several times, kissed his own hand, and with a sort of theatrical and gallant air, flung the kiss, as it were, to the statue, much in the style of a high-bred lover to his mistress at a balcony. Ridiculous' as all this was, no one could doubt the sincerity of the poor creature. The waxen models of limbs, and members of the human body, and sundry other devices of various materials hung up against the wall, is |