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Britain. In the whole empire there cannot be fewer than one hundred and
twenty-five prelates, whether vicars-apostolic, archbishops, bishops, or
prefects-apostolic.

In no country have the benefits of religious liberty been more abundantly
enjoyed than in Canada. In 1869, the two Provinces of Ontario and Quebec,
formerly Canada West and Canada East, counted ten dioceses and seven
hundred and seventy-nine churches. Including Sherbrooke, Chicoutimi, and
the vicariate-apostolic of Northern Canada, there are now thirteen
dioceses in the two provinces, whilst, during the seven years anterior to
1876, there was an increase of one hundred and seventy-three churches,
making, in all, one thousand one hundred and seventy-one. In the same
period religious houses had increased from seventy-three to one hundred
and ninety-six. Education of a religious character is, at the same time,
amply provided for. There are, in the Province of Quebec, three thousand
one hundred and thirty-nine parochial, and altogether three thousand six
hundred and thirty elementary schools, for a population of one million
eight hundred and eighty-two thousand souls. These schools, without
including educational institutions of a more private kind, which are very
numerous in Lower Canada (Quebec), allow one school to every six hundred
people. It may be doubted whether Prussia, even, which possesses greater
facilities for education than any other European country, comes up to this
standard. The increase of Catholic people everywhere, throughout the
country, keeps pace with the building of churches and the establishing of
Catholic schools and other religious institutions. This increase is
particularly noticeable in the towns and cities, where the growth of the
Catholic population is remarkably rapid.

In all the British dependencies, liberty, as understood by the British
people, prevails; and, wherever it is held in honor and exercises its
legitimate influence, religion nourishes. Contrast, for instance,
Australia, when a penal colony, and when liberty was unknown with
Australia, as it is to-day. In 1804 two priests were permitted, by the
civil power, to perform the duties of their sacred office. Their labors
sufficed for the very limited spiritual wants of the colony. By 1827 these
wants had so slightly increased that two priests were still able to meet
them all. One of these was Dr. Ullathorne, now Bishop of Birmingham,
assisted by another priest and a la