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Show , . . - I CATHOLICS IN TRANSVAAL. ' I ' j The Etat Genera! du Personnel do la I 'o:-gicgation des Missionaries Oblats de j Marie Immaculee of this year contains the following religious statistics1: The Viearate of the Transvaal has for its chief director the Very Rev. Father John Mary do Lacy, O. M. I., Superior, and Pro-Vicar, who res-ides at Johannesburg, Johan-nesburg, together with the following Prients of the order: Rev. Fathers Isi dore Treach. Etienne Hammer, Louis Francis Iioun.-teau and Leon Marchal. Their address is Maison de Johannesburg, Johannes-burg, P. o. Box 4.10. At Pretoria reside Very Rev. Superior Alexandre Baudry, Very Rev. Gilles Van Laar, Alexandre Procurator, with Rev. Messrs. Leopold Trabaud and Alphonsia Van Heckle. Their address j Maison de Pretoria, P. O. Box 524.. At Potchefytroom are stationed Very Rev. Charles Antoine Serriere, director, and Rev. Eugene Laurent. Their address is Residence de Pote-hefsitroom, P. O. Box 136. At Ly-denburg Ly-denburg is stationed Very .Rev. Joseph j Dupayt?, director, and his address is j Lydenburg. R. C. Mission. At Vleeschr fontein are Stationed ' Very ' Rev. Eugene Eu-gene Neel, director, and lie v.- Messrs. Oapsimir-Paul Valette and Joseph-Leon Kriss. Their address i Vleeechfontein, Dist, Rustenburg. Of course, Transvaal, Trans-vaal, South Africa, is added in each ! particular case. From th names it may be inferred the Priests are chiefly Dutch, German or French, though the very first on the list, that of the Very Rev. Father de Lacy, is Irish. Father de Lacy has many Irish Priests with him, whose names are hidden in religion, relig-ion, as is the rule generally in religious orders. The numbers of the Catholics in the Transvaal are roughly estimated to reach from 15,000 to 20,000, for the most part cng-aged in mining business or mechanical pursuits. The greatest numbers -fc-ere. centered at Johannesburg, Johannes-burg, and with, hardly an exception preserved pre-served their fealty to the Transvaal republic, re-public, for which the fighting men are now in camp. There aie only a few i scattered settlers, except the Dutch element, on farms, and these are visited vis-ited at stated times by the Oblate Fathers, who have charge of the entire en-tire state. The illustrious President Kruger is on the most friendly terms with the Catholic missionaries, and especially es-pecially with these residing in Pretoria. In another paper we sjhall furnish further fur-ther Catholic statistics of the Orange r ree btate. Like the Transvaal, the Orange Free State is a missionary country, and altogether alto-gether under the religious charge of the Oblate Fathers. The chief station is at the capital, Bloemfontein, where reside Very Rev. Father Victor-Jean Bcra-part. Bcra-part. Superior, and Rev. Messrs. Felix Guiller and Victor Hecht; address. Maison de Bloemfontein, O. F. S., South Africa. This mission was established Feb. o, 1S70. Next in point of time, at Jagerafontein, lives Very Rev. iiloy-sius iiloy-sius Cretinon; address, Residence de Jagersfontein, O. F. S., S. A. The mission mis-sion here was established in j SSI. Another An-other station is that of H arrismith, where Very Rev. Father Andre Tresch resides, and this mission was founded so late as December, 1S9.'J; address, Residence de Harrismith, O. F. S., S. A. The-Catholics are not over 1,000 in the Orange Free State, as compared with about 100,000 of the other denominations; denomi-nations; and they are very much scattered scat-tered throughout the country. The system sys-tem of education is national, Imt email grants are alaa made to the Episcopalian Episcopal-ian and Catholic Churches. The independence inde-pendence of the Orange Free State was proclaimed on April 10, 1S54. The legislative legis-lative assembly is vested in a popular aasemuiy, tne voiksraad, ef .sixty members, mem-bers, elected by suffrage of ,jhe burghers adult white males, natives or naturalized, natural-ized, wit-h a property qualification. Every able-bodied man in the State, above 16 and under GO years of age, is obliged to take arms when tailed upon by his field cornet, havig the rank of captain, when necessity demands it. Over 20,000 are available for defensive purposes. Four batteries of artillery are in the capital, Bloemfontein, where 2,000 officers and men, with about 600 passed artillerists, are he! as a reserve for the forta there constructed. The ' State owns its railway, which paid a good dividend when the war broke out. Trade and commerce were wonderfully increasing of late years. Agriculture and coal are the chief products of industry in-dustry in the State. Education is well advanced, compulsory to some extent, and free for very poor children. |