secution against the heretics. Dominic, a famous Spaniard, founder of the order of Preachers, fell in with the messengers of the pope in the year 1206, and labored, with energy, to put an end to the heresy, as any opinion different from the doctrines of the church was called.

These priests inquired into the conduct of the princes, and men in office, towards the heretics, and from the scrutiny to which they subjected suspected persons, were called inquisitors. These inquisitors had no court and no decisive authority, being mere spies of the pope. St. Dominic, is said to have founded the first regular tribunal at Toulouse. Innocent III signified his approbation, and authorised the establishment in the year 1215.

So cruel were the proceedings of the Inquisition, that even Catholics endeavored to prevent its establishment in different countries; but Spain, a country famous for its devotion to the Catholic religion, and for its ignorance, became its chosen seat.

The Spanish Inquisition is always spoken of with horror and indignation. In Spain it was first introduced in 1478. The first inquisitorgeneral, and the first court were constituted in 1481.

The kings of Castile, before they were crowned, took an oath, that they, as well as their subjects, should be under the power of the Holy Office, as it was impiously called. The inquisitors received their power from the pope's mouth, or by means of letters, and he alone had power to remove them from office.

Nothing could be more horrible than the proceedings of the Inquisitors. Without being permitted to know who accused him, a man was suddenly seized; his dearest friends abandoned him at once, no one dared to speak to him. From the midst of the luxuries of life, he was hurried to a loathsome dungeon. Upon the slightest pretence, the torture was applied, and many an innocent person, in the pangs of death, was forced to accuse himself.

The very lawyer who plead for them was in terror of the Inquisition and completely in its power. The slightest sentence he uttered, which could possibly be turned against him, was enough to place the advocate also in dan ger of his life.

There were two classes of punishments, the ecclesiastical or religious punishments, and the civil. The ecclesiastical punishments were excommunication, loss of a christian burial in consecrated ground, and loss of all right to hold offices. As civil punishments, the inquisitors

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disinherited the children of the criminal; that is, declared that if their father died a heretic, they, although Catholics, should not hold any of his property. They also pronounced the sentence of infamy, which deprived a man of all his property, of all right to hold an office, and of all power, even over his children and servants.

Criminals were also imprisoned. They incurred the bann, or curse, by which they lost all the rights of a human being, were driven out of all society, and might be falsely accused, beaten and robbed, without any hope of getting redress. In fact, if any lawyer defended them against an accusation, he was pronounced infamous and deprived of office.

The last, and most frightful punishment, was that of being burned alive, sometimes with an iron gag in the mouth, which prevented the agonized sufferer from uttering an intelligible cry. Often however, while burning, they were left at liberty to speak, and supplicated for mer cy, in a manner which would have moved any but the hardest-hearted to pity, and yet these priestly tyrants dared to say that their actions found favor in the eyes of Heaven.

The tortures to which the inquisitors put the accused, to make them confess their guilt, were dreadful. The tortures were of five kinds. First, their being threatened with the torture; second, their being carried to the place of tor ture; third, their being stripped and bound; fourth, their being hoisted on the rack; fifth, squassation, in which the limbs are all disjointed.

Squassation was thus performed. The pri soner's hands being tied behind his back, heavy weights are attached to his feet, and he is hoist ed up by a rope, until his head touches the pul ley. Hanging in this awful situation for some time, his limbs and joints become stretched frightfully; and when suddenly let to fall, the fall being checked by the rope before he touches the ground, all his limbs are disjointed. The horrible pain he now feels is increased by the immense weight hanging at his feet.

The inquisition inflicted squassation, when determined on, once, twice, or even three times in the space of an hour. What could the poor wretch enjoy of life, if he gained his liberty at length? How much did the inquisitors have of the true spirit of religion?

When we examine farther into the annals of the inquisition, humanity shudders, and the im agination almost realizes the horrors which are presented. Lovely and innocent women had their delicate frames torn to pieces by the racks of these monsters, because they refused to ac

Knowledge that as the true religion which sanctioned such enormities. Such were the torments inflicted upon Jane Bohorques and her attendant, a young Protestant girl. They were afterwards burnt at the auto da fé, or act of faith.

These acts of faith, when a large number of the condemned were often collected to suffer at once, were always held upon festival days. The procession issued from the halls of the inquisition, the Dominican friars with the standard of their order, coming first. On one side their flag had the picture of Saint Dominic, on the other, the motto, "Justice and Mercy."

After these came the penitents, all in sleeveless black coats, with lighted wax tapers, and bare-footed. Those who had narrowly escaped burning, followed next in order, with flames pointing downward painted on their coats.

The relapsed came next, with habits covered with flames pointing upward. Lastly marched those who are peculiar enemies to the Romish doctrines. Their habits were covered with flames, pointing upward, and on their breasts they bore a likeness of themselves, in the act of being devoured by wild beasts, and serpents.

At Lisbon, the place where they were burned, was the Ribera, containing as many stakes as there were condemned criminals, surrounded with furze. The stakes of the professed, as they were called, were about four yards high, with a seat for the prisoner upon a board, with in a yard of the top. The negative and relapsed prisoners were first strangled and burned; the professed then ascended the ladder with a Jesuit upon each side, who exhorted them to confess their sins and return to the Romish church. If they refused, the priests descended the ladder, and the executioner going up, chained them to the stake. After an interval the priests again ascended and if the prisoners proved still obstinate, they were forsaken and the spectators called out "Let the dogs' beards be made!" The operation alluded to was performed by thrusting poles, having flaming bunches of furze at the end, against the faces of the criminals. These were generally held against them until their faces were burnt to a coal, the whole proceeding eliciting shouts of approbation and joy. After this the furze at the foot of the stake was fired, and, in general, reached no higher than the knees of the condemned, so that they were literally roasted to death. In a calm they might die in half an hour, in a high wind seldom under two hours.

In ancient times, the Spaniards thought the

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entertainment, afforded by the horrid spectacle of an auto da fé, equal to that derived from a bull-fight, or a dance. In honor of Elizabeth, the new queen, daughter of Henry 2d of France, a girl of thirteen, an Act of faith was held in 1560, in which, not content with burning some human beings, they consumed a few effigies.

Napoleon, abolished this terrible Inquisition, and this just exercise of power should be remembered, when many of his crimes are brought to view. When Ferdinand was restored, by the success of Napoleon's opponents, to the Spanish throne, he re-established it. There never was an institution of such dreadful cruelty, nor one in which the laws of religion and mercy were so daringly defied, under pretence too, of vindicating morality and pure piety.

If the Inquisition, in modern days, was less bloody than formerly, we are to attribute it, not to the spirit of the institution, but to the increase of knowledge, which will finally, we trust, put an end to all abuses.

IONIA, a district of Asia Minor. Ionia was divided into twelve small states which formed a celebrated confederacy often spoken of by the ancients. These states were Priene, Miletus, Colophon, Clazomeno, Ephesus, Lebedos, Leos, Erythræ, Phocæa, Smyrna, and the capitals of Sainos and Chios. After they had enjoyed, for some time, their freedom and independence, they were made tributary to the power of Lydia by Croesus. The Athenians assisted them to shake off the yoke of the Asiatic monarchs, but they soon forgot their duty and relation to their mother country, and joined Xerxes when he invaded Greece. They were delivered from the Persian yoke by Alexander, and finally were reduced by the Romans under the dictator Sylla.

IONIAN ISLANDS, a republic in the south of Europe under the protection of Great Britain. The seven chief islands are Corfu, Paxos, Santa Maria, Ithaca, Cephalavia, Zante, and Cerigo. Population 180,000 Greeks, Italians, and Jews, with a few English.

IOWA TERRITORY, lies between the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, and directly north of the State of Missouri. It is rich in minerals. Dubuque, on the Mississippi contains 1,500 souls, 1 bank, and 3 churches. The other villages are Davenport, Bloomington, and Burlington on the same river, and Farmington on the Des Moines. Population in 1840, 43,035. See North West

Territory.

IRELAND, this fertile island, which has an area of 32,200 square miles, forms part of the

kingdom of Great Britain. It is divided into four large provinces, viz., Ulster, Leinster, Connaught, and Munster, which are sub-divided into 32 counties. The face of the country is diversified, but almost all of it is susceptible of cultivation. The population, in 1831, amounted to 7,784,536.

There are no serpents, or venomous reptiles in Ireland, and St. Patrick is said to have driven them all into the sea. At the lake of Killarney, the peasants still preserve the following ludicrous tradition. When the labors of St. Patrick were drawing to a close, there was one enormous serpent who sturdily refused to emigrate, and baffled the attempts of the good saint for a long time. He haunted the romantic shores of Killarney, and was so well pleased with his place of residence, that he never contemplated the prospect of removing without a deep sigh. At length St. Patrick, having procured a large oaken chest, with nine strong bolts to secure its lid, took it on his shoulder one fine sunshiny morning, and trudged over to Killarney, where he found the serpent basking in the sun. "Good morrow to ye!" said the saint. "Bad luck to ye!" replied the serpent. "Not so, my friend," replied the good saint, "you speak unwisely I'm your friend. To prove which, haven't I brought you over this beautiful house as a shelter to you? So be aisy, my darling." But the serpent, being a cunning reptile, understood what blarney meant, as well as the saint himself. Still, not wishing to affront his apparently friendly visiter, he said, by way of excuse, that the chest was not large enough for him. St. Patrick assured him that it would accommodate him very well. "Just get into it, my darlint, and see how aisy you'll be." The serpent thought to cheat the saint, so he whipped into the chest, but left an inch or two of his tail hanging out over the edge. "I told you so," said he, "there's not room for the whole of me." "Take care of your tail, my darling!" cried the saint, as he whacked the lid down on the serpent. In an instant the tail disappeared, and St. Patrick proceeded to shoot all the bolts. He then took the chest on his shoulders. "Let me out!" cried the serpent. "Aisy" cried the saint, "I'll let you out tomorrow," So saying, he threw the box into the waters of the lake, to the bottom of which it sank to rise no more. But for ever afterwards, the fishermen affirmed that they heard the voice of the poor cozened reptile eagerly inquiring, "Is tomorrow come yet? Is tomorrow come yet?"

The early history of Ireland is involved in

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great obscurity, and it is impossible to distinguish fact from fiction in the tales of its early historians. There is strong evidence, however, that the Irish are descended from the Celts. Strongbow, (the surname of the earl of Pembroke) at the request of Dermot Mc' Morrogh, king of Leinster, invaded Ireland, and a great part of the island was soon conquered by the English, who by degrees became masters of the whole country. A parliament was summoned at Dublin, May 1st, 1536, which declared Henry VIII the supreme head on earth of the church of Ireland, and annulled the papal power. Every person who refused to take the oath of supremacy, was declared guilty of high treason. But, to resist the royal usurpations, confederacies were formed and the Reformation was rendered so odious to the Irish, that it made slow progress among them. Though the liturgy of the church of England was performed for the first time on Easter Sunday, 1551, the bulk of the nation still adhered steadfastly to their ancient faith, and the cause of religion became the cause of the nation. The attempts to force a people to renounce the faith which they had received from St. Patrick, and to receive a new system of religion, with an English ritual, naturally become blended with the national prejudices against English oppression, and co-operated in raising the insurrection of Tyrone. A general system of rebellion to shake off the English yoke, was organized in Ireland, about 1596; and the most formidable of the rebel chiefs was O'Neil, who disdaining the title of earl of Ty. rone, had assumed the rank and appellation of king of Ulster, and received a supply of arms and ammunition from Spain. This rebellion was finally terminated by the submission of O'Neil.

The conduct of James I, estranged the affec tions of the Irish, and, during the reign of Charles I, a rebellion broke out which deluged the country in blood. The cruelties of Crom well toward Ireland are almost incredible. 20,000 Irishmen were sold as slaves, and 40,000 entered into foreign service, to escape from tyranny at home.

On the death of the Protector, Richard Cromwell confirmed his brother Henry in the gov ernment of Ireland, by the new title of lordlieutenant. Henry exerted himself with vigor to support the tottering authority of his brother; but, after the abdication of Richard, Charles II was proclaimed with every manifestation of joy in all the great towns of Ireland. On the accession of James II to the throne of England,