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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

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C.O. 882

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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3. On the conquest of the Island, the maintenance of the Roman Catholic religion was guaranteed to the inhabitants by the articles of capitulation. For many years subsequently, the fact that the Island was Roman Catholic in religion was fully recognised, a liberal and tolerant spirit pervaded the administration,—and, so far as I can learn, a good understanding existed between the clergy of the two churches.

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4. After a time, however, it seems to have been thought expedient by the Local Government to attempt to Anglicise and Protestantise the Island. The gentle pressure of the manifest convenience of its adoption, would, I believe, have done much to promote the use of English, and constant association with those of another faith would probably have insensibly loosened the bonds of the Roman Catholic creed; but it was a great mistake to attempt to effect these objects by more direct meanз. A more intolerant spirit naturally succeeded. On the one band, the Roman Catholic religion, the French language, and French manners were cherished as badges of Nationality: on the other, the Roman Catholic Church, instead of being recognised as the prevailing religion of the country, was treated as a tolerated sect, to be repressed and checked, the Govern- ment schools, if not made, at least became, engines of proselytism, and converts to Protestantism attained a favour which those who adhered to their religion looked for in vain. In connection with this, it is worth remarking that almost all the Natives of the island who hold any considerable office under Government are Protestant members of Roman Catholic families. I do not say their change of religion has gained them their appointments, but I do not hesitate to say they would not have attained them had they retained their original faith.

5. A single instance of the spirit of bigotry which was dominant five-and-twenty years ago, will, I think, tell more than many generalities. I came upon the letters which contain its history, whilst turning over old papers relating to Seychelles.

6. The Seychelles Islands have a population almost exclusively Roman Catholic. About the year 1840, a Protestant Chaplaincy, paid by the Colony, was established there, and has ever since been maintained. The inhabitants frequently petitioned that they might also be allowed a priest of their own faith, and, in 1849, when my tale begins, I find the request supported by the Civil Commissioner of the day, Mr. Mylius, an honest, impetuous man, a staunch Protestant himself, but one who evidently loved fair dealing.

7. Sir George Anderson, one of the fairest and ablest of the Governors of this Colony, during his short administration, was also struck with the justice of the claim, and determined to satisfy it, but was promoted before his purpose could be effected; and, about the same time, a new Civil Commissioner was appointed. The following year, when the usual petition of the inhabitants was presented, the Chief Commissioner wrote in strong terms to recommend its being refused. He admitted that "with the exception "of the few Englishmen, who have been left, from time to time, on the islands, by "whalers and other vessels, the greater portion of the white population are the "descendants of the old French proprietors of the soil, and, as such, though, from the absence of all religious teaching whatever, the tenets of the Roman Catholic Church "are for the most part unknown and indifferent to them-retain, at least when they "think at all upon the subject, a traditionary predilection for its pomps and "ceremonies"; but strenuously opposed the admission of a Roman Catholic clergyman, on the ground "that the religious harmony of the islands would be risked by so doing, and that, if the effort of the constant exclusion by all means of Roman "Catholic instruction was persevered in, the people would ultimately be driven into "Protestantism."

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8. Nor was he altogether wrong in this belief, for, as, in the entire absence of a priest, it was only possible to get married according to the Roman Catholic rite, or to have a child baptised as a Roman Catholic, by undertaking a long and expensive voyage of many hundred miles to Mauritius or Bourbon, many persons, rather than altogether forego all religious rites, had their children baptised by the Protestant minister, and were married at the Protestant Church.

9. At length, one day in March 1861, eleven years after the establishment of the Protestant chaplain at Mahé, a French priest, Mr. Leon des Avranches, arrived at Seychelles. He had been sent by the Vicar Apostolic of a district of Eastern Africa of whose diocese Seychelles formed a part (for Seychelles was not, and is not now, included within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Port Louis). He asked for no subvention. He only sought permission to remain there, to teach and to administer the rites of their religion to those of his own communion. His request to this effect was, however, at once refused by the Civil Commissioner; and, taking advantage of the fact of Mr. des Avranches not being a British subject, that officer ordered him to leave the Island by

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the first ship, under the same law which I was, two or three years ago, urged to put in force for the expulsion from this Colony of Mr. de Plevitz. Mr. des Avranches then asked to be allowed to remain at Mahé, at least until reference could be made to the Governor of Mauritius. This was also peremptorily refused, although urged by all the leading proprietors of Mahé. Lastly, the priest, in a very humble letter, begged that he might not be deported in the ship first leaving, but allowed to wait for one sailing about a fortnight; later. "J'ai l'honneur," says he "de vous soumettre que la saison actuelle "offre de grands risques, à cause des ouragans qui ont lieu à ces époques entre les Seychelles et Maurice. D'ailleurs, le navire que vous m'indiquez n'offre pas une " cabine disponible pour me loger, vu que le capitaine a pris du frêt et n'a aucune place " à me donner. Cette circonstance est pour moi un grave inconvénient en ce que ma santé, altérée le ministère et par les voyages pénibles que j'ai supportés, ne me

par permet plus d'entreprendre un autre voyage, surtout dans cette mauvaise saison. conséquence, je viens solliciter de votre part la faveur de partir par le Brick Les En "Trois Frères,' qui quittera cette colinie dans les premiers jours d'Avril prochain. Cependant je me conformerai à cet égard à ce qu'il vous plaira d'ordonner." But the Civil Commissioner remained deaf to these remonstrances, packed off the Roman Catholic clergyman in the " Josephine Loizeau," notwithstanding the season. the state of the ship, and the condition of the priest's health, and, in his letter to the Colonial Secretary of the 19th March, congratulates himself on the steps he has taken, and repeats his conviction that the introduction of a Roman Catholic in those Islands would

inevitably disturb their religious harmony." iberality in having permitted "the Reverend gentleman during his short stay to perform He, however, takes great credit for his "the duties of his profession," and thus "afforded an opportunity to the members of the Church of Rome in this dependency to have their children baptized, and temporarily enjoy the other rites of their religion.”

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9. It must be borne in mind that nothing whatever is alleged against Mr. des Avranches by the Civil Commissioner in his letters to the Colonial Secretary, except that he was a priest and, as such, likely to disturb the "religious harmony process by which several thousand persons were, against their own wish, being forcibly though gradually converted, if not into Protestants, at least into non-Roman Catholics.

10. During his short visit, the priest appears to have counselled the Roman Catholics to meet together for prayers to be read by one of their number, in the absence of a clergyman. This proceeding gave great umbrage to the Civil Commissioner, who, however, decided to permit such meetings "so long as they were confined to simply reading prayers out of authorised books." On one occasion, an address appears to have been read. This immediately called down the censure and threats of the Civil Commissioner. On another occasion, prayers were read over the body of a dead child, previous to its burial, upon which the frequenters of the chapel were told that a repetition of such a proceeding would lead to its immediate closing. Notice of each meeting for prayer had to be given to the police, who were instructed to watch the meetings. After all this has been going on for more than six months, it is amusing to find the Chief Commissioner writing, on the 8th November, " that, since the period that Mr. "Mathiols' pavilion was first hired as a temporary Roman Catholic Chapel, I have "made a point, as you must be well aware, of interfering as little as possible with any

proceedings that

may have taken place in it." I have no doubt, however, that he wrote this in perfect good faith, and was unable to see anything harsh or oppressive in his proceedings.

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11. But reverse the picture. Suppose a colony of the descendants of Englishnien, in some island in the Philippines, who had retained their language and their religion. Imagine their being deprived of all Protestant rites. Imagine their being at last visited by an English clergyman, and his being expelled on the plea that he was not a Spanish subject. Imagine the Protestant congregation harassed, and threatened, and watched by police epics whenever they assembled for prayer, and then think what indignation would have been excited (and very justly excited) in England, and how fully alive the Civil Commissioner himself would have been to the injustice done, had he heard or read of it. 12. 1 regret that I cannot trace the correspondence further, for I took much interest in this little episode of life in these remote islands; but the whole subject now disappears from the records, and I cannot tell what became of the chapel of the priest. The latter, I presume, returned to his mission in Africa; the former, I fancy, from the silence of the letter book previously so full of correspondence on the subject, must have sunk under perpetual worry, and been shut up, no doubt to the great relief of the Civil Com- missioner. A couple of years later, however, the Duke of Newcastle appears to have given distinct orders that the Roman Catholic clergy were not, in future, to be prohibited

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