We called at the following:—
Coletines, près la Porte Rouge, 28 nuns
Dames de l'Instruction Chrétienne, 17 nuns
Soeurs de Notre Dame, 20 nuns
Soeurs Grises, 34 nuns
Soeurs Noires, 49 nuns
Apostolines, in two houses, 67 nuns
Soeurs de Charité, 12 nuns
Béguinage (that is, a collection of houses, in which Sisters live under a Superioress, not bound by vows for life) 54 nuns
Except the latter, where I was referred to the Director, who was not so attentive, all received the proposal warmly. The brother was my interpreter with many, who did not know French. At 1 we got home, and I took the Phillippses to the curé of the cathedral, who introduced to us M. Durlet, the young architect, who, with a partner at Louvain, is doing the beautiful work in the choir. We went into the cathedral again, and I was prevented going to two remaining convents, but the curé promised to do it for me. M. Durlet came to dine with us at the table d'hôte. I just called at l'Hôtel du Park, to see Miss Dalton, who is ill there. Mr. Turpin and Mr. Crowe, two Lancashire priests, are with her. The former accosted me in the cathedral. We set off then to Malines by the railway; there met Abbé Bonquéan; had tea, and went on to Louvain. We got in late, in heavy rain; Phillipps had to walk from the railway a mile in the rain. I went first to the Hôtel de Suide, where I found Dr. Ullathorne and Mr. Hansom, his architect.
7th Sunday af. Pent. July 14.— I had my palpitation worse than ever to-day. I wish to attribute it to my two days' abstinence, and not to my walking after convents. It went off after breakfast. I said mass at the Cathedral St. Pierre. High mass at 10. It was one of extreme opposition to plain chant, with drums and orchestra. In this church remember the beautiful tabernacle, a stone pinnacle, on the Gospel side of the altar. There was no prône, and a second high mass immediately after. The Hôtel de Ville is a famous piece of Gothic, not so admirable to my view as that at Brussels, which is much larger, not so highly wrought, and has a beautiful spire. After dinner, at 1, with Dr. Ullathorne, and at the table-d'hôte, we went to see M. and Madame de Coux. We got into interesting talk with him on matters religions, ecclesiastical, and political. He is a professor of political economy, a Frenchman, brought up in England under old Dr. Woods. We went on till after 5, and so missed the salut, sermon, and procession at the church. He took us to the University, where we saw Abbé Malou, who claimed me as an old acquaintance, one of the three at the Collegio Nobile whom I knew at Rome. He is Professor of Dogmatic Theology, most learned, high bred, and amiable. M. Bonquéan came kindly to meet us from Malines, and was with us till 6. After having spent nearly an hour with M. Malou, who showed us the library (10,000 vols.) of which he is keeper, we went to tea with M. de Coux, and came home at 9½.
Monday, July 15. St. Swithin.— Mass at St. Pierre, for the Feast de Divisione Apostolorum. After breakfast I went again to M. de Coux, who took me to see a M. Mühler, whom he recommended as tutor to John Beaumont. At 12, railway to Liege. Dined at 5, at l'Hôtel de France. At 6, salut at St. Denys. Before dinner I went to the Redemptorists, but found Père Van Held and Deschamps out of town. The Bishop also away. We went at 7 a walk to a bookseller's, from which I went in quest of the Grand Vicaire. I met an old priest in the street, Abbé Marsomme, who took me to M. Jacquenot, the second Grand Vicaire, and then walked home and took tea with us. These two promised to spread prayer for England through Liege. I wrote to Mrs. Beaumont before bed.
Tuesday, July 16.— Our Lady of Mount Carmel.—Mass at St. Denys, where is a beautiful piece of old oak carving. Phillippses received communion. After breakfast, at 9, we went to high mass at the cathedral. It was solemn plain chant. The church has many stained-glass windows, like those of Ste. Gudule, Brussels, of 1550, much gone off from the older time. The pulpit is new carved oak, with a beautiful tower with pinnacles above, a great improvement on the carved pulpit above named, though not so costly perhaps. The church is much debased, as usual, in other parts. We met Chanoine Erroye, who took us to the other great church, St. Jacques, which rivals or surpasses the cathedral. The ceiling coloured, though like the cathedral. They are doing a great deal to restore this church. The Doyen was there overlooking the work. The stained glass was much better than at Brussels, but not the best (date 1527); not so far down hill. The Chanoine then took us to the Abbé Marsomme, who is Director of an hospice with 19 nuns, taking care of 180 old women, beautifully kept. The Quarant' Ore was being celebrated in this church. It is kept up in Liége all the year round, and comes four times to each church. We then went with the Chanoine Erroye to the Grand Séminaire. The library is beautiful. There are here 120 students; and at the Petit Séminaire, 360. They go through nine courses at the Petit, and three at the Grand, so that 40 are sent on the mission every year, and 40 more come on below. Came home to table d'hôte at 1. After it we made an attempt to go to Angleur, 3 miles off, where Mrs. Ambrose's father, Hon. Thomas Clifford, who died at Liége in 1817, is buried. We were stopped by mud and rain, and came back, seeing the church of Ste. Croix, which was not very remarkable (Mem. a dog carrying the keys as porter), and St. Martin, a fine church of second rate, but famous as the place where, at one of the side altars, the feast of Corpus Christi was celebrated for the first time, owing to the inspirations received by a nun called Soeur Julienne. The 6th Centenary will be held in 1846. We met a young, amiable-looking priest in the church. He promised to think of England at the altar, in the special mass of the Blessed Sacrament, which is celebrated at it every Thursday, whatever feast may interpose. It was heavy rain, and we came home to salut at St. Denys, and thence to the hotel. I wrote up a good deal of this journal.
Wednesday, July 17. St. Osmond.— We took a stouter equipage, and got to Angleur early. I said mass, and the Phillippses communicated over the place of her father's repose. The boys served the mass. The Curé, Matthias Jn. Convardy, who remembered Mr. Clifford while himself quite young, gave us breakfast after, very kindly. All these priests were warm for England. We returned to Liége, and I went to the banker; then home to dinner at 1. Then went off by railway to Aix-la-Chapelle. It passes through beautiful romantic scenery. There is no railway with so many tunnels in the distance. I got into conversation with a party of Oxonians going to spend the long vacation at Baden. One of them, Mr. G. F. Brown, of Trinity, was full of information, and quite moving on, a great friend of W. Palmer, of Magdalen. He promised to visit Oscott. We came to the Hôtel Nuelleus, a very grand one. I went to the Chief Canon, the Grand Vicaire being gone to Cologne, and got leave for mass to-morrow. We are now in Prussia, and all on a sudden all German—hardly a word of French spoken. We had tea, and I finished my Journal up, in my room, after saying matins.
Thursday, July 18.— I went to the cathedral, and after mass, saw the wonderful relics which are preserved in the sacristy of the cathedral. This cathedral consists of a round Byzantine building, which was built by Charlemagne as the chapel to his palace; and a high Gothic choir, which was added to it after the palace had been burnt down. A young priest showed the relics; he is always in waiting for the purpose, except for the time of high mass and office. The great relics—viz., the dress of the Blessed Virgin, the clothes which our Lord had on Him on the cross, and the cloth into which John Baptist's head fell—are kept in a magnificent chest, which is shown, but is only opened every seven years, and when a crowned head comes. The next time is July 10, 1846. Above this chest is one containing the bones of Charlemagne, whose skull and spine-bone, and even hunting-horn, are shown in separate reliquaries. His crown and sword are at Vienna. Here is shown also the girdle of our Lord, of leather, with Constantine's seal upon it; the rope with which he was tied to the pillar; the girdle of Our Lady; and many other glorious relics less important. The interior of the doors enfolding these treasures is lined most beautifully with paintings of Albert Durer, and many admirable Byzantine paintings. These relics were principally given to Charlemagne by the Caliph, Haroun Alraschid. The cases were gifts of several emperors, &c., as Lothaire, Charles V., Philip II. They were preserved in the French Revolution by a priest, who conveyed them to Paderborn and hid them. After breakfast I returned to the cathedral with Phillipps for high mass, which was in solemn plain chant, and then saw the relics again at 11½, after going to the Palais de Justice. At 12 I got a little dinner, and went by the railway to Grand, parting from the Phillippses, please God, for a fortnight only. I went to bed at the Hôtel de Flandre, leaving no luggage—all left at Malines.
Friday, July 19.— Went to the cathedral to say mass. My morning was taken up with going to the railway about my poor luggage, which at last I saw, and visiting the Provincial of the Jesuits, to see about my retreat. I dined at the hotel. The cathedral is a most beautiful specimen of the Greek fittings in a Gothic church. I did not stop to have the finest pictures uncovered, for I had my business to see after. Two other beautiful churches, St. Nicholas and St. Michael. No signs here of Gothic restorations. At 3 I went with the Provincial to Franchismes, where they have bought an ancient Prémontré Abbey, which does not preserve much of the abbey still, except some corridors, once, as it seems, cloisters. It is, however, a beautiful establishment for its end. I saw and spoke to two English and one Irish novice, of course about England. I went back to Gand; and there Père Coultins, by desire of the Provincial, went with me to the Recollets, a reform of the Franciscans; their chief house is at St. Froud. Then to the Pauvres Claires; and then to one of the two Béguinages. Here are establishments, in one of which 800, and in the other 300, quasi nuns live in a cluster of separate houses.