FATHER, I give a warm welcome to your contribution to our Church History–the fife and Letters of Archpriest Therry. It is a praiseworthy undertaking to search past records and to set forth events of public interest, for the in struction of present and future generations. Such is your undertaking in seeking, collating and arranging all extant information regarding the worthy apostle whom God gave us as a pioneer and champion of His Church in AustraIia, It has been well said There is no true civilization without religion, no true religion but Christianity, no true Christianity without Catholicity, no true Catholicity without unity of doc trine and of discipline, no unify of doctrine and discipline without divine authority and there is no divine authority on earth but that of the Successor of St. Peter. The founder of this true religion in Australia was Father John Joseph Therv, of whose missionary career you give us an authentic account. It is most welcome, and particularIy opportune at this period-the centenary of Father Therrys arrival in Australia. May God bless the writer and the readers. The majority of the Catholics who were in New Holland when Father Therry came to the colony had been transported from I elaftd a s convicts, after tlze rebellion of 1798. This insurrection, confined as it was to the vicinity of County Vexford, was forced upon the people there as Lecky and iyalpole clearly show by the ravages of an army of occupa tion. But behind this provocatio l deeper designs were hid den to quote from Swift MacNeilIs Constitutional and Parliamentary History of Ireland till the Union, The out break in Wexford was not the result of the concerted scheme of the leaders of theRebellion, but was caused by wanton and premeditated cruelties practised in order to precipitate things to a crisis before the schemes of the leaders were matured. There would have been no Union but for the Re bellion, and no Rebellion but for the Union. The Rebellion was destined to usher in the monster of the Union. It was, in fact, an integral part of the transaction which Mr. Glad stone, 011 28 June, r886, characterized as the blackest and foulest transaction in the history of man. It was for rebellion in such circumstailces that Irishmen were transported to Australia. Not a few, of course, were criminals who justly deserved transportation but the large majority were merely political offenders, and in their per sonal character high-minded, industrious and progressive. These were the men who formed the nucleus of the Catholic Church in Australia in the early days who, or whose child ren, welcomed Father Therry to these shores, and stood by him through all the trials and difficulties of his sacred mission…