11G 
DETAILS RESPECTING COCHIN CHINA. 
Chinese. The learned men honor ConFuclus and have a sort of 
natural religion which they do not observe* The religion of Fd, 
which they call Phat, is the most generally followed by the peo¬ 
ple. The Christian religion was first preached in this country by 
Franciscan and Jesuit friars, about the middle of the 17th cen¬ 
tury. They found among the Cochin Chinese an admirable dis¬ 
position to embrace the Christian religion. With the good sense 
with which they generally are gifted, they easily understood the 
vaiiity of idols and the solid proofs upon which our IIolv Reli¬ 
gion is established. Thus these first missionaries baptised many 
neophytes and founded numerous churches. But soon it was seen 
that something was wanting to their rising church. There were 
neither first Pastor at the head of the flock, nor native clergy to 
fill the room of European missionaries, when these were taken oil 
by death or condemned to silence by persecution. It was then that 
in Paris the congregation called u Les Mission Elrangeres ” was, un¬ 
der the auspices of the head of the Church, formed to supply 
Bishops to govern these new churches and provide them with evan¬ 
gelical labourers. Having reached these countries, our first Bishops, 
Vicars apostolic, formed establishments to teach and exercise to the 
functions of the sacred ministry a few students whom they judged 
sufficiently able. They arid their successors have thus worked in 
spreading Christianity in Cochin China and Tong King for the 
space of about ISO years. They have succeeded in forming a na¬ 
tional clergy who are of great assistance, especially during the 
persecutions, when European Missionaries cannot show them¬ 
selves. 
We have in Cochin China proper 40 Priests and a great number 
of Catechists and Ecclesiastical students. The Mission of Tong King 
is divided into t vo parts, ofie of which is entrusted to the Missiona¬ 
ries of our congregation. It has 80 Native Priests and innumerable 
Catechists. The other administered by Spanish Dominicans is less 
Enown to me ; yet I am aware that it possesses a great many Priests 
full of zeal. 
The number of Christians in Cochin China proper amounts to 
80,000 ; in the occidental Mission of Tong King to 180,000, and in 
the oriental one to nearly the same number. Thus in the whole King¬ 
dom there are at least 44.0,000 Christians, f?incc the beginning of 
